It is time for NPHET and our politicians to let us breathe.
Irish people have borne enough pain – locked down longer and harder than any other nation in the free world.
Our lives have been stopped for five-and-a-half of the past six months. It is the definition of trauma – too much, for too long.
We cannot stay locked down forever, paralysed into inaction. Lockdown has had all the suppressing effect it can, with cases plateauing at around 500 to 600 a day despite best efforts.
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said it’s the best we can do considering the new, more transmissible variants.
The WHO warned lockdown should not be used as a policy as it does not eradicate the virus. Used long-term, it causes more problems than it solves.
This pandemic is not just a public health emergency, but a social and economic one too.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin must show the most important leadership quality this week – courage. It requires taking calculated risks for the overall good.
Ordering us all to our bunkers might seem the least-risky option – but it’s not. It’s blinkered cowardice. It’s a failure to do what’s right. You might as well close all the roads to prevent road accidents.
We have tunnel vision on Covid. No other country in Europe is responding in such an irrational way. We’re acting like rabbits in the headlights.
We urgently need to start planning an escape route out of the draconian restrictions that have become a trap.
There are ways we can live, while ensuring the protection of the vulnerable as the vaccination programme continues its slow roll-out.
Gentle unwinding of current restrictions will feel like big freedoms for citizens, and knowing the end is in sight will give us strength to carry on.
If we start in April, we will have the groundwork laid for May to allow us to loosen some more – re-open outdoor dining, get retail back up and running and allow vital self-care services like hair salons to operate.
Bin the stupid 5km rule and give people the freedom to enjoy the country. Allow social meet-ups outside to curb house visits.
Permit hairdressers to cut vaccinated people’s hair. Let children play outdoor sports. Look at regional instead of national lockdowns. We need to live again.
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