Along with what seemed like a large portion of the country I stayed in Dingle recently. The town was packed. We stayed in a B&B on the edge of town and every day around noon the road outside was a traffic jam of cars snaking through the town. Most people wore masks in the shops but of course there were a few rat lickers too.
I did notice that a lot of people had several empty pint glasses on their tables, and while they may have eaten a €9 meal there was no sign of food. I spotted a happy young couple cross the road with plastic glasses of beer and sit down by the statue of Fungi. It was upsetting given what’s happening with Covid-19.
Now we’re in lockdown again. It’s not the same lockdown we experienced from March onwards but people became lax, and the virus made it’s way into factories. Multiple outbreaks in meat processing plants locked down 3 counties last week. Yesterday the news nationally wasn’t good:
- 1 death and 190 cases confirmed.
- 76 are men and 111 are women
- 75% are under 45 years of age
- 75 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
- 14 cases have been identified as community transmission
- 48 are in Kildare, 46 in Dublin, 38 in Tipperary, 20 in Limerick, 7 in Clare and the rest of the 31 cases are in Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow.
And so the restrictions:
- All outdoor events will be limited to 15 people, down from 200, under strict new limits on public gatherings agreed this afternoon.
- Under the restrictions that will remain in place until 13 September at the earliest, indoor events will be limited to six people, reduced from 50, except for businesses such as shops and restaurants, which are subject to separate rules.
- Weddings will be exempt from the new restrictions, meaning they can go ahead with 50 people.
- The measures agreed by Cabinet will mean that matches and other sporting fixtures will have to take place behind closed doors.
- Gardaí will be given new powers to enforce rules around social gatherings, particularly in restaurants or bars serving food, and in private homes.
- Under the measures agreed by Cabinet, people will be advised to work from home and to avoid using public transport, unless absolutely necessary.
Which leads some to say the GAA should encourage weddings at their matches so 50 people can watch.
Still confused, here’s a clear explanation.
These graphs are not good are they?
Schools open soon. Hopefully we can reduce the community spread or we’ll be closing schools within a month.
Oh yes, watch out for Storm Ellen tonight. There’s a status red warning for Cork!
