Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated 19.51
A SHOOTING AT a Connecticut elementary school today left 27 people dead, including 18 children, the school principal and the gunman.
The shooter was found dead inside the school, and apparently had four guns on him including a rifle.
CNN has identified the shooter and local and state police have surrounded a home in Newtown in connection with him.
It is believed the man also killed his mother who was a teacher at the school but Connecticut authorities have not officially released any names.
The President Barack Obama has expressed his condolences and pledged whatever resources the school needs.
John Miller of CBS News said that he was told that the shooter was the father of a student and is around 20 years old. He was also said to have been masked and heavily armed, but this has not been confirmed by police.
A woman waits to hear about her sister, a teacher, following the shooting. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Newtown school pupils told CBS News that “teachers told us to go in the corner and cover our eyes, so we all huddled”.
Connecticut State Police said in a press briefing that the scene was secure and there is a great deal of search warrant activity going on in and out of the state. New Jersey is apparently one of the areas of interest to police.
“The public is not in danger,” state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said in the press briefing.
State Police are on the scene following the shooting. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
The shooting is believed to be one of the worst in US history, following the mass April 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech when a gunman left 33 people dead.
The Hartford Courant said that many of the shootings took place in a kindergarten classroom, and one entire classroom is unaccounted for.
An aerial view of the school:
(AP Photo/Google)
It is not known yet how the gunman gained entry, and ABC Local said that the school locks its exterior doors during the school day.
The superintendent’s office said the district had locked down schools in Newtown, about 60 miles northeast of New York City, following the first reports of the incident. Schools in neighboring towns also were locked down as a precaution.
The Mayor of Danbury has described it as a “horrible, horrible day”:
State police said Newtown police called them around 9.40am A SWAT team was among the throngs of police to respond.
A photo posted by The Newtown Bee newspaper showed a group of young students being escorted by adults through a car park in a line. The photo was also tweeted by WTNH News 8.
Parents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Madness. Our hospital numbers are nothing compared to other European countries. We have 241 in hospital with covid, England has 18,000 with 11 times our population. And we have roughly the same ICU capacity per capita as the UK. Locking down now is a gross overreaction and so unfair on the hospitality industry which already endured a six week shutdown that only ended three weeks ago. Completely unjustified, panic reaction
@Newto2016: thanks doc! But double check all the data that you are basing your projections on.
@Newto2016: how is it madness? Do you think that your logic will hold true as the numbers rise and rise. I almost find it unbelievable that people use current day information to back up their claim of an overreaction. The experts are predicting the progress of the virus trying to prevent the calamity that will happen if the virus is left spread unchecked. Some people will just not see sense no matter what.
@Newto2016: Our numbers are so low is because we locked down early and fast to level 3 then 5 with the last wave, while the rest of Europe generally waited before things got too bad.
Now we’re at an even worse position than before and there are STILL people calling on us to delay further restrictions until the worst comes – it’ll be too late then.
This is the third wave of this now, there’s no excuse for pretending we don’t know how this works. Come on.
@Kinsaleable: how would you assess the overall costs /benefit of any action taken. From an overall public health perspective?
@Newto2016: you’re talking absolute nonsense. This is the one time in our lives that we have to take a few hits for the good of peoples health.. and if wining and dining has to take a hit then so be it. I have the highest of empathy for these business owners but people at xmas mingle too much to risk chancing. I’ve been out a couple of nights myself in groups and even while being good, its impossible to not get too close to people. We need to get over ourselves and let the government do whats best.
@Johnny Mads: Well said
@Newto2016: Do you work in the health service? Our health service is overstretched at the best of times. Shur it’ll be grand won’t cut it.
@Johnny Mads: This isn’t one time we have been doing it since March. We are not getting any further on. What happened to the ‘Living WITH Covid’ plan it has gone by the wayside. What about peoples mental health their financial well being. The government can’t keep throwing money (that we will be paying for years to come) at it. Neither they nor NPHET seem to have any coherent plan on how to keep the country going. All seems to be resting on this vaccine. If its not the magic bullet they hope it will be what the hell are they going to do then. You can’t lockdown a country forever. The majority of people are fed up now what do think it will be like in 4 months time if the situation is still the same.
@John Walsh: It was overstretched for the last twenty or thirty years. The only time it was NOT overstretched was during the biggest pandemic in a hundred years. Probate hospitals were taken over and stsyed largely empty for three months. The public hospitals cancelled surgeries and treatments and the trolley problem basically stopped overnight.
It will be very interesting to see how many cancers and other ailments were not detected due to this and due to people being told to stay at home. And how many deaths could have been prevented.
@Johnny Mads: you were doing so well Johnny until your comment, “I’ve been out a couple of nights myself in groups and even while being good, its impossible to not get too close to people.”can’t take you serious anymore Johnny, please don’t quote levels at time of your group meeting.
@Franny Ando: Well said Johnny. This government is doing the same thing over & over again. They will not listen to other experts in the field because if they did they might loose their tv slots. These are all cases same as flu. Cases are not sick people. No more people dead this year than any other year. Keeping retail & gyms, tennis & golf open to help with peoples mental health (not against that) but what about the hospitality sectors mental health, they just do not care about them. They are blaming the hospitality sector, but we have all seen pictures of the crowds out shopping etc. People cannot continue living like this but if you think this will be over this time next year you are wrong. This is just going to be dragged on & on & on
@Gere: old folks dont havr a 50/50 chance if they catch the flu…jog on
@Newto2016: another anonymous person with shag all qualifications on the subject.
@Kevin Bury: A lot of the elderly that catch the flu/covid are surviving. Each year a certain amount will die, this year deaths are no different in numbers than any other year. If they had a say in their lives they would prefer to live their last years/days/months/weeks free & not locked up in the prisons that they are been kept in with no say in what they really want. It is cruel. I don’t have a clue what you mean by jog on & personally I couldnt care less, but I do presume it suits you to be in lockdown, it is obviously you only care about yourself.
@Newto2016: it is not a panic reaction. It is a plan to stay ahead of the virus, to ensure the hospital numbers stay very low. If we wait until we have hospital numbers comparable to the other European countries you referred to it will be too late. The vaccine will be available soon so this is one Christmas where self-sacrifice is needed for the safety of all. If this virus has taught us anything it is that the Ireland of helping neighbours and strangers is long gone. Why is is so difficult for people to pull together? There are so many self-inflated “experts” expounding their half-assed, ill-informed theories. “I don’t want to” disguised as intelligent argument.
@Toon Army: there’s no cost benefit calculation required. There are no choices here. If severe measures are not taken then this extremely infectious disease will send a certain percentage of people to hospital. It will send a percentage of those people to ICU and a percentage of those people to a grave. A small percentage of a lot of people is alot of people. If this is allowed happen then the hospitals are over run and covid dominates the health system to the exclusion of all other medical investigations and health care. The social costs are severe no doubt but the pandemic virus will do what it does regardless of how unfair the human hosts think it is. Look around you to the UK and in particular the US where there is carnage due to covid.
@Gere: you clearly don’t understand anything about Covid despite the information being reported by medical experts since about last March. The overwhelming consensus of actual experts in medical virology and Public health have repeatedly said that covid is nothing like Flu. 9 months on you still pull that old nugget out. Do you think they Governments are trying to cripple their economies? They’re not. They’re doing what they have to in order to keep infections and the consequences of same to a manageable level.
@Newto2016: The goal was never to pack the hospital with covid patients. It’s to treat covid patients at the same time as the others requiring help for different reasons. Angela has not overrun hospital in Germany also. But she introduced lockdown to make sure that normal health care can function. In Poland for the last two months official number of deaths doubled compared to previous years. No, these are not all covid victims. In majority these are the people who could not get other treatments due to the staff and beds shortages in the polish hospitals, overrun by the covid patients.
@Paul Gorry: Let me elaborate if you couldn’t understand. I was out for meals twice in recent weeks, in groups of 3 and 5 on those occasions. I couldn’t wait and I didn’t see the risk because the country seemed to be doing well. However those nights have now changed my mind as i looked across our table among others and noticed how closed (in the face) everyone gets after couple of drinks and if this goes on up and down the country with millions of people over xmas then we’re in big trouble. Hence why im on the side of closures.
@Franny Ando: majority? Everyone is fed up! Including those who prefer the cautious sensible approach. You say we aren’t getting any further… and you thinking opening life as business as normal over xmas will fix that? You’re not the most clever if that’s your thinking! Our government (who are in a no win situation) will be paying out covid payments 10 times longer if we take your approach because people will not want to leave their home if the disease is rampant. We’re all sick of it so let’s pray on this vaccine.
Level 5 trending all over Twitter, I can’t imagine the amount of stress business owners are under this evening, not a wink of sleep will be had, Sure it only seems like a few weeks ago when we were still in the other level 5 and the RTE staff all had a get together.
@David Lee: because the rte staff party did this.. Not the packed pubs and packed restaurants. Well done.
@Ronan Phillips: not all pubs are packed. I went for dinner on Friday and my local restaurant was brilliant. 5 tables of max 4 at each. All using masks every time they left the table and sanitizer. It’s the feckin eejits wrecking it for us trying our very best to control our movements and keep distance to keep others safe
@Ronan Phillips: love this restaurant staff have to put up witj stupid people leave masks in the car or i dont need one for medical reasons (that i just dont get, if you have health problems you should be out in the first place). People over staying their alotted times and telling the staff to go away. Yes the staff will be without jobs because its their faults. Well done that man for being thick.
@Ronan Phillips: I actually hope people like you are barred from ever stepping foot in a hotel, pub, restaurant and cafe for the rest of your life. Blaming an entire industry for the actions of a few. Where you get your food from has had a far worse record, yet I don’t hear you give out about them. Probably because you’re another Covid Supremacist.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: covid supremacist? Get over yourself you tool
Non essential retail remains open. So Liffey valley, dundrum, grafton st is safer then someone having a pint or some grub. Bôllôx
@David Linehan: bollix well said bud why cant they leave hospitality open and close off licences and takeaways. Most likely wonr work but its a different tactic to try. And what do we see on tv claire Byrne live six one news nfhet all on our screens and not one mask between them
@David Linehan: Retail is more essential and less risky than pubs. Not difficult to figure out, if you really want to.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: not proven either.just the retail tycoons getting their way. Like when they were allowed to open 24hours despite some not even required to close during level 5.
@David Linehan: walk into a pub in town on a Friday or Saturday night. We only have ourselves to blame.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: will the mcdonalds close too or is that essential. ?
@Thomas O’ Donnell: not a safe pub dude . Trust me when I say this I work in one of the busiest pubs in Ireland and we have done everything to the letter and havnt bent one rule . You pick up an item in a shop of a rail , how many people would have touched it . I was in blanch last friday and I was shocked at it . No crowd control , packed to rafters people on top of each offer. So i would 100 % say hospitality industry is far safer than retail this time of year .
@Thomas O’ Donnell: we can go 4 weeks without scented candles, jewellery etc but they remain open. It’s in the name “non” essential. I’d imagine a pint or some grub with friends is healthier for the head then shops like Weirs, Ann summers, Lush etc
All the nit picking aside and just looking at it without a broad brush, pubs/eateries clearly have enforced strict controlled spaces, shops are a free for all, not on purpose but as a result of how they operate.
@gavin meade: But you were there! I haven’t seen the inside of a shopping centre since March
@David Linehan: if you close general retail outlets you end up with money going out of local areas. It goes online possibly out of the country and usually via the central distribution areas of the major home stores. Had the shops not been closed during the last lockdown at least some of the rush we are experiencing now might have been avoided.
People are generally social animals and for our mental healths sake we need some outlet that at least gives the illusion of normality. Retail outlets can provide a relatively safe space for this provided people follow the guidelines.
It would help if the main centers thought to be conduits for the spread could be identified.
@Ronan Phillips: I have. Met at the door, brought to my table, segregated from all other tables. I’ve also gone into town to shop and it’s mayhem. It’s fairly clear this isn’t a health strategy but economical, hence pubs should have been given a slice of the pie is the real point I think.
Yet just a couple of days ago the headline read no outbreaks linked to Gastropubs. I’m not against measures but at a minimum supporting evidence should be brought forward to support closures of sectors along with an impact assessment of the estimated costs of any such measures vs proposed public health benefits. More information on what our public health officials are doing in the area of hospital capacities and treatments would also be welcome. With ICU and deaths stable over the last number of months I’m assuming things are going well but more data would be valuable. Also, why can’t we get a view any more of age and location of deaths. Are they hospital /nursing homes etc? Surely this should be basic public interest?
@Toon Army: There is evidence of outbreaks in restaurants. Not sure where you got those headlines from?
@Thomas O’ Donnell: From HSE. Go back a few articles on the Journal you will see it. I read it today.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: was said by NPHET themselves in a briefing. then a u turn the first day numbers rose. That rise was linked to three hospital outbreaks.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: HPSC. Actually didn’t seem to get any coverage on RTE or The Journal. Go figure.. But here you go https://www.irishpost.com/news/zero-covid-19-outbreaks-have-been-linked-to-pubs-in-ireland-in-over-two-weeks-data-shows-200080
@Thomas O’ Donnell: care to correct yourself?
@Toon Army: a head scratcher for sure. Why are the details on where these cases are actually coming from so sketchy? Science without context doesn’t change behaviour.
@Toon Army: tequila jacks in town was
Closed. I believe for a member of staff not sure what the full story was.
But then i agree shops are far worse. No
Control. People still checking dates of produce and putting it back also.
Then again the hospitality should not be totally singled out. Perhaps let places stay open until mid afternoon like is planned for 24th. Not sure its viable financially that we.
There are no easy answers.
They’ve completely lost it. Total kneejerk stuff. Trying to protect a totally inadequate and unacceptable hospital system is the agenda here.
@BlaaBoy: Tell ‘em BlaaBoy, cause no one else is subjecting their peasants to draconian lockdown measures… oh wait…
Of course these measures are reactionary, the other option isn’t in our control.
@BlaaBoy: said it from the start,why it’s not so obvious is hard to fathom.
@Cynical: only Norway, Sweden, England, Italy, large parts Germany & France, Canada – all in full Lockdown.
@BlaaBoy: How very dare they try to and put measures in place that would stop our ‘ inadequate and unacceptable hospital system’ from becoming totally overwhelmed. One would think that they actually learnt from how one of the ‘ top hospital systems’ in the Western world completely collapsed when it was overrun with covid-19 patients.
Here we go again why the fc-uk are they closing hairdressers and barbers again on Xmas Eve they were suppose to remain open. Also all restaurants and gastropubs to be closed lunchtime Xmas Eve. Cutting the amount of people going into shops will have everyone rushing out now to finish their shopping. Past time NPHET was disbanded its like game to them now. This is beyond ridiculous. They are going a step to far with this constant mixing up of levels. 3 and 5 have had more mutations then the virus.
@Franny Ando: they have made an absolute dogs dinner of management and messaging – they are literally all over the place – they insisted earlier in the year that living with covid meant that cases rise when the economy is reopened but you need to pay attention to other key metrics – namely deaths and ICU – deaths today were zero and the ICU number is 29 – 29 people in the whole country needing icu because of covid – a country that spent millions making sure we had capacity up to 480 which we didn’t need in the first outbreak – and yet here we are – 29 in icu and the health officials are losing their heads – it is clearly an over reaction – 85% of deaths in this country have been average age of 85 and with underlying conditions – and the harm inflicted by the lockdowns is immeasurable at this stage – i cannot believe they are not getting more push back – where are the voices at cabinet speaking up for the 400 000 people losing jobs and the myriad of other problems the yo yo of lockdowns are causing – the truth is this island should have been a lot easier to manage than mainland europe – when you look at how other island nations handled things like NZ we could have adopted an all island approach last march and shut ports and airports onto the island – quarantine nursing homes and test and trace people movement onto the island – this could have have been managed so much better than the YO YO strategy which is the worst of both worlds – roll on the scientific solution / vaccine and let is be done with this 16th century lockdown blunt nonsense.
@Dave Hammond: Thoroughly agree let’s hope this vaccine works because they are pinning everything on it. If it doesn’t then we are well and truly done for.
@Franny Ando: You really can’t figure out why they’re closing them? After all we’ve found out about how the virus spreads . And you can’t figure out why they’ve changed their minds on opening restaurants after the news on the new strain and the dramatic increase in cases in the last few days?
@Dave Hammond: Deaths zero today and ICU 29. You’re saying they should base their strategy on those numbers and ignore the fact that the recent dramatic increase in case numbers is a leading indicator of a significant increase in hospital/ICU admissions and deaths? Thankfully they listen to public health experts and not Journal commenters.
@Dave Hammond: 100% Dave. Its a total over reaction. A population of 5 million and we have the grand total of 29 in ICU. Lockdown seems to be the only option with this government. If they were put on the Covid payment like 100,000s are, I wonder would they be so fast to shut the country down. This bull sh!t has to stop!
@Thomas O’ Donnell: he said pay attention to other metrics but good man for having a dig without reading properly what he said. It’s what the WHO advised too. That expert enough for you.
@Dave Hammond: they give in to public pressure like the goverment. 3/4 the country is instilled with fear. Looking for anyone and anything to blame. Thinking low numbers are possible in winter, despite numbers always rising when we’ve opened. It’s all panic and fear now. Smoke and mirrors.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: At every step through this they haven’t shown us their prediction data, why is that? Is it cause their model isn’t stacking up with reality and don’t want statisticians (who can be from any industry and use the same analysis method) tearing it apart. I remember at school you got a 0% for not showing your work, NPHET are getting 0% from me at the moment.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: The new strain DeGascun said today wasn’t here. The restaurants and gastrpubs hse said had no.outbreaks (check earlier article on journal). Don’t be so patronising. They should have left it at this level till at least Dec.28th then reassess the situation. If they decided then to implement changes they could have kept the good will of the people. Something they are losing rapidly. The levels in hospital and icu are steady, have actually been declining that is far more important. Let me ask you a question if this vaccine is not the magic bullet do you think this country can survive continous lockdowns How long before the economy implodes.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: deaths zero? Because with a large increase in cases, we won’t see more deaths? Right… use your brain for a second
Shut down the Dail Bar.
Joke
@neil gallagher: why?
@Johnny Mads: Because he wants to blame someONE, instead of someTHING.
What a farce doing untold damage to the country
@Alan o Donovan: You’re dead right, the people that cannot seem to follow the guidelines are doing untold damage to the country.
@Alan o Donovan: what farce? All those members of the public ignoring safety protocols?
@Alan o Donovan: maybe you would like to get covid or even transmit it to a
family member or two….
Yeah! what a farce…
@Predator: No the people are not doing untold damage. Its the idi-ots who constantly change the goalposts level 3, 3 +,3 minus level 5 the same up down. No continuity not giving any of them a chance to work. They proved their ineptitude with with changing from 3 to 5 to 3 again 3 weeks before Xmas. A brain dead idi-ot could tell them there would be crowds hitting the shops. Businesses collapsing economy in tatters its alright for those who can afford to stay at home. Not for the ones who are now desperately worrying about how they are going to pay their bills.
@Franny Ando: this isn’t just a flu. Do you think the government really wants to close down everything unless they had a good reason to? They’re literally trying to save lives here. I don’t agree with everything they’ve done but I know they’re not doing this to punish people. Its to stop the spread of a horrible disease.
There will be some amount of house parties on the 26th.
@Darren Lambe: New Year’s Eve.
@Ian Bentham: that too
@Darren Lambe: and 27th 28th 29th 30th and 31st
@Darren Lambe: there might be, but let’s be honest, they’d have gone ahead anyway. An hour and half in a restaurant just wouldn’t cut it for some.
Joke of a country
@Hugo Bugo: joke of proportion of society you mean
@Hugo Bugo: What’s keeping you here?
School’s starting to get flagged now. Was always for the schools but maybe the the anti school commentators on this topic actually made some sense. Just sayin.
Less people in ICU than at the start of Level 5 in October!! NPHET need to be reigned in before they do damage that will never be reversed.
@Machiavellian: I think the horse has bolted on that one.
@Franny Ando: I fear you’re right more than I fear what they say. Unfortunately social media tells me otherwise. They have divided the country as much as the civil war did and will act with impunity for as long as they are allowed.
The WHO now advises against lockdowns why has the Irish government stopped listening to the WHO?
@Joe Casey: they are following NPHET the new world leader:-)
@Joe Casey: Maybe they think the Stones are better
I agree with you all travel should have been suspended a friend of mine had to travel from Drogheda to Dublin for a hospital appointment yesterday and said at one stage his was the only car on the motorway with a Southern registration all others were from up North I’m from Limerick and we’ve had a deluge of travellers home from the UK for Xmas they’re parading around in shopping centres no masks i even had one pull my hair a red mist descended and I was livid and followed them and gave them a lambasting but no security guard challenged them for no mask….I can’t believe this is being allowed….
@Tony Bourke: if you habe a medical reson for not wearing a mask stay home. Simple as dont punch others in the fave amd think yoir above the law
@Tony Bourke: and some people are just plain kn8ckers.
@Tony Bourke: if you have a medical reason for not wearing a mask the last place you need to be is on a busy street or in a busy shopping centre.
@Tony Bourke: if they can’t wear masks they should be wearing visors at least. They are not the most effective but the provide a small measure of protection.
@Michael Creagh: this conversation would never have happened last year the Covid is a scam look at the numbers from the CSO it’s abiht the same as other years unfortunately our government has lied to us and people can’t see masks are of no use simple as God Bless you
@Chris Day: please mid your languag: this conversation would never have happened last year the Covid is a scam look at the numbers from the CSO it’s about the same as other years unfortunately our government has lied to us and people can’t see masks are of no use simple as God Bless you
@Tony Bourke: Scam? Mind your language. There have been thousands of families around this country which are mourning the loss of a loved one, or are looking after a loved one whom is still recovering after contracting covid, or who have become unemployed due to the whole country being put on different levels of lockdown.
@Tony Bourke: You should tell that to the families of the people that have died or the people that are hospitalized by covid-19.
I’m relieved that you informed us all that it’s only a government scam.
Here come the thousands of house parties on New Year’s Eve.
Just know that if you’re calling for “shut down” and “lock down”…..you have no spine. History won’t judge you kindly. Further generations will see you for the snowfl@kes that you are
@Damien Grogan: Thank you. I certainly wouldn’t want future generations to call me a snowflake, heaven forbid!
Next time I have a thought, I’ll check with you before saying anything, so I don’t say anything that might be held against me by strangers in 200 years time.
40 flights today into Belfast and the border is open. Transpory Min. Ryan said today there were no plans to monitor/check border traffic even though n.i. has had much higher numbers than R.o.I…
Shut everything or shut nothing. Keeping schools and retail open is only going to make things worse
@Whatever: schools will close tomorrow for 2 weeks. Some are already closed. The evidence has been that they’re not causing clusters, but doesn’t it make sense to use this time to see if it’s true? Better surely than making some blanket rule now?
@Whatever: the problem is most likely not in retail. Grocery shopping has been in progress since the start and numbers dropped significantly especially during the first lockdown. People shopping tend to comply with the precautions as do shop staff and management. This is not where the problem lies.
End the lockdown, RTÉ is fake news.
@Joe Casey: this is the Journal. What does RTÉ have to do with anything?
45 people should not decide the fate of 4.9 million people, whether you agree or disagree with lock down measures, yes people will die but people will also become homeless and lose everything, that to people is as good as a death sentence.
@Joe O Reardon: How is there 45 people in the quango called NPHET, nearly as bad as an Bord Planalla
@John O: it’s 30 members of nephet and 15 cabinet ministers making these decisions. The lose of businesses, jobs, possible further government borrowing, that’s what’s gonna push people to their limits, thats what will ultimately have people homeless or struggling.
An bord pleanala is irrelevant to the point I made.
This is a load a $h!t now! Some of us have followed guidelines all FN year and now they want us to not see our families! They can F right off
@Jonnie Marre: Careful now, you’ll be called all sorts on here with a statement like that.
@Jonnie Marre: I am living in the smallest inland county of Carlow. Now they are talking about restricting my travel. I have done everything by the book since March. If they are going to let people fly in without masks from the North and not let me visit my brother in Athy or Naas,then I would sooner dye of the Covid than from the punitive lonliness which these ” experts” are about to reintroduce.
Closing more at a time in conjunction with schools closing …. the fact that Beaumont has a large breakout and currently has a fifth of all covid hospitalised patients, that many schools were mass tested in the week. So are hospitals , hospital transmission and not Community and are schools an impact rather than Claiming they are community transmission based on the difference in their recording of close contacts? There needs to be a proper and transparent discussion at least
What possible difference is seven or eight hours going to make in the overall scheme of things considering we’ll probably be in lockdown for the entire month of January? No doubt some will claim it will save lives but I really think that would be over egging the (Christmas) pudding as they say. The ‘bah humbug’ spirit of Scrooge is alive and well in this ill-thought out idea…
The problem is that although we are likely to get significant vaccines in 2021, we will be told of new restrictions but no plan; ie how long this new restrictive period will be for?
This is a farcical situation. Just close pubs and restaurants now and let the rest of the economic activity continue.
@Gareth Murran: I’d feel much safer in a fully compliant restaurant than what I’ve witnessed in some shops this week. Hospitality sector getting the raw deal again.
@Gareth Murran: yes garrett leave the off licences and takeaways that made a fortune during lockdown open heaven forbid they wont make money for a few weeks and leave the bars and restaurants closed
@Gareth Murran: couldn’t agree more.
All the building sites will be closing in the next few days for the Christmas break, it is rampant on the sites, people going from site to site, social distancing is near impossible, and a good few builders do house shares and only go home at the weekend. I can honestly see and I dont like saying it, but the numbers will go down with the sites closed. Imho, its safer in a restaurant than a building site, especially the big sites.
Well done to the resturants, pubs and staff that did it right.
Shame on the publicicans , customers and everyone else who managed to ruin it for the rest .
Once again hospitality is the scapegoat. But schools will open no problem and it’ll keep spreading there. No evidence that hospitality is to blame at all. How long are we prepared to put up with this?
To be honest I do believe it is people not following sensible advice and having a bit of cop on that has left us in this position. On the other hand you will not stop people socialising at Christmas. At least with the gastro pubs and restaurants open this might have happened in a controlled environment. Close them and you will have people getting together in houses, sheds, sibins. Let’s face it some people are idiots so let’s not drive them underground where there are no rules. let people out where they can socialise in a controlled manner.
While I’m all for looking after yourself during this crisis, I believe we can live as normal life as possible, without going into this lockdown or that lockdown. What fascinates me is we have a population of 6million of that 250 are in hospital which is 1 per 24000 of our population and we have 80, 000 cases so 5,999, 750 are not in hospitals and 5, 920000 have not got the virus and yet we close the country down and less than 1% of the population have the virus. It’s crazy.
Are hairdressers staying open read earlier they were t close again!
@Carmel Souness: Closing unfortunately.
@Carmel Souness: Client wears a mask, Stylist wears a mask, arrival by appointment. I think shutting them proves masks either don’t work or NPHET have an agenda to bankrupt as many businesses as possible
@Carmel Souness: They said on the RTÉ. 9 o clock news that hair dressers and gyms and certain non retail to stay open protecting 50,000 jobs. Don’t quote me on that, it keeps changing
@Franny Ando: No, personal services like hairdressers will stay open.
@David Lee: What’s so hard to understand, they do not 100% stop transmission but decrease the likelyhood. Not rocket science. If you sit in a hair dresser for an hour while warm air is blowing germs around the room then yes, you may still get the virus with a mask hence, don’t just wear mask, also social distance. You cannot do this in a hairdresser.
@David Lee: NPHET having an agenda to close hairdressers. Good grief! BTW NPHET advise and government make the call.
@Fandandi: And how many lads sit in a barber chair for more than 20 mins receiving a dry cut? So would your rocket science suggest shutting salons and keeping barbers open?
@Paul Furey: Come back to me with the stats showing how many people have caught covid-19 in a hairdressers in Ireland. If it’s in the thousands il understand, but we all know the number is probably low double digits
@David Lee: My rocket science was talking about women but yes, men usually don’t spend as long but I don’t know how it would go down leaving men get their hair done haha
@Franny Ando: They said on the 9pm news that hairdressers will remain open .
@Toon Army: Not according to Independent closing Xmas Eve. But then again this government doesn’t know its ar–se from its elbow so it could change 100 times by tomorrow.
@Paul Furey: You quote that regularly you are either very naive or very st..id
@Irene Mc Hugh: Oh I hope so:) my only 40 mins of peace a week:):)
Id like to thank all those morans that had parties, not wearing masks. Meeting in groups, amd for those who are out and they dont need a mask for medical reasons. To you all well done. You habe now totally killed thw country and the hospitality industry. Well done you people
@cork rebel: ah here,I know the Morans, a lovely family in fairness.
Government are going to have to look at schools no matter how strongly they feel on how important it is.
School feature at .2 on the R rate. .Therefore potential to transmit the virus is very night .
Kids are packed in to bused everyday going to and from school. They come from different schools. Transmission of the virus is potentially high.
The new strain is carried very much by the senior. end of secondary school students
Teachers are not told if they had a student tested positive in their class even in front of them the day before in class.
Thus it’s seldom they are considered close contacts.
Quite a number of teachers have been infected as a result.
In the north schools are not returning after Christmas as they have up to now..
The government here must take account of this as well
Are hotels to close????
@Karl Mullins: Will be open for essential workers ONLY as in first lockdown.
Gastro pubs and restaurants to close.
What about hotels????
Schools need to stay open. Can’t understand gyms staying open??
@Ciara Forrester: No they don’t.
I never thought I’d say this but bring back Leo and Simon. At least with them we knew were we stood. MM has made a right mess of the whole thing. He’s all over the shop. In and out of lockdown constantly it’s like he’s playing the Hokey Cokey.
And it’s still raining !!!!!!!
Wow how convenient, schools were closing anyway but let’s close the hospitality sector as well. Also, let’s drop the number of tests we carry out as well, can’t let the Irish public see that schools are a huge factor in case numbers.
Close down now level 5 plus plus until Patrick’s Day and feed the masses with the vaccine ie frontline workers and the elderly first ….. Then we can party !!!
This is a very serious time for mankind and we need a real political leader to step forward for the people … Not what we have at the moment who rely solely on people’s thoughts that their leadership makes the right direction for u …. As it stands they have not been right … So come on you guys in who are looking for this opportunity show yourself and be true to what we are all thinking x
@Patrick King: don’t know what ammount of vaccinnes you are expecting mate. Lol.. I read some where, just 4000 for january.. No figure for february, and greater volumes in march. We have 4 million adults here, biden is aiming for a million a day vaccinnes..if this is a grave situation then 7 or 8 months is way too long to roll out.. The germans have 60 vacc centres in berlin, each centre administers 3400 jabs a day for 40 days.. 10 per cent pop vaccinated in just over a month.. Donnelly says we have over 10 million vaccinnes off 5 different companys, horse them out when we can. Be as aggressive with the roll out as imposing restrictions.
All the people making the decisions about lockdowns just gave themselves a 2% payrise. As they are not affected financially by the lockdowns they seem to not give a damn about the rest of us suffering both financially and mentally. Plus when all of this calms down around the world, it is the general population who will end up paying for all this, through tax increases and depleted services. So business as usual for the powers at be.
@Verners Tess: in fairness I think most people are with you. 95% of the comments here are people disagreeing with the lockdown.
Schools and building sites will close for Christmas holidays which will drive a natural reduction in cases – that can then be falsely attributed to the measures NEPHET impose. But it won’t be actually correct. We would see a reduction anyway
The Irish numbers don’t look too bad (?). Look at the curve from April till June using the logarithmic scale to see rate of increase,
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/ireland/
U 4 real
Where is the evidence that these cases are positive ?
Go away Dr lockdown… i will be seeing my family
Of course 1 month of unrestricted mass Shopping and close hospitality as it’s to be blamed.
have your say