RTÉ is reporting this morning that the Irish Cabinet will meet today to discuss a proposal to “strongly advise” people to work from home. According to the national broadcaster:
The move is being described as far-reaching and people will be advised to attend a workplace only when it is necessary.
It follows close to five hours of discussions among the Taoiseach, ministers and health officials at the Cabinet Covid Committee last night.
The Government was last night presented with the prospect that rising Covid-19 numbers could mean that up to 500 people would require ICU care next month.
A recommendation that Digital Covid Certificates would soon be required in gyms, hairdressers and barbers will also be considered.
A plan for subsidised antigen tests is still being worked on.
Imagine, needing to show a health pass to get a haircut.
There’s a terrific article in today’s Telegraph, written by Paul Nuki and Jennifer Rigby. The headline is: From Sydney To Vienna, The Rise Of The Unvaccinated Underclass
It’s behind a paywall, sadly. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/11/15/unjabbed-sydney-forget-going-friends-house-dinner/
It’s a sobering read. Here are a few lines from it:
Across the world a new crackdown is gaining pace. It’s not about mask wearing or universal restrictions. This is a crackdown on the rights and freedoms of what, in the developed world at least, is a minority. The unvaccinated……
In Austria, the unvaccinated are only now allowed to leave home for essential work or food shopping, and the restrictions will last for at least 10 days before being reviewed by the government. The police will carry out spot checks in public spaces and substantial fines will be issued to those caught breaking the rules. Failure to co-operate and show your vaccine status will result in an immediate penalty of €1,450…..
On the other side of the world, Australia is putting in tough restrictions for those without jabs as it starts to unwind the “Covid zero” policy that saw foreign travel blocked and state borders closed. Residents of Queensland now have until December 15 to get vaccinated or face difficulty entering public spaces or finding a job. “You won’t be able to hide,” Dr Chris Perry, head of the Australian Medical Association in Queensland, told a local news channel last week. “Life will be miserable…….”
Professor Francois Balloux, director of the UCL Genetics Institute, says the crackdown on the unvaccinated is entering “new territory from an ethical standpoint”.
“I don’t think there’s a textbook of what is ethical in public health but if there is considerable doubt, and it’s not clear what the trade-offs are, then I think generally, an intervention should not be implemented,” he says…..
I can live with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll do all that I can with my platform, to reach even more people and alert them to what’s really happening here.
But, I can live without the gym. I run 5 miles a day. I’ll miss the theatre, the cinema, live music and eating out, but I’ll get over that. I’m happy to have groceries delivered, if I’m told that shopping is off-limits.
However, they won’t leave me and mine alone. I’m certain of that. They will come for me before too long. They’ll come for you too.
