After a very difficult year, everyone is hoping that this Christmas might give us a chance to spend some time with family and friends, after being apart for so long.
But with the way the FF/FG/Green government is handling things, these precious family visits are in jeopardy.
Seemingly, mistaking bar and restaurant lobbyists as health experts, the government has chosen to listen to them over NPHET.
NPHET has advised that limited household visits be allowed, and that bars and restaurants should remain closed, until we get Covid-19 under control.
But instead, the government have chosen to continue to ban household visits, whilst opening restaurants and pubs.
They say household visits will hopefully be allowed closer to Christmas.
But opening the bars and restaurants now will inevitably lead to a rise in Covid cases, which in turn jeopardises our chances of gathering with our families on Christmas Day.
As it is, Leo Varadkar has already said that ‘’a third ‘enhanced’ lockdown could be necessary in January ’’.
This is terrible. We should not need to go in and out of lockdowns.
If the government adopted a zero Covid policy, we could leave lockdowns behind us for good.
A zero Covid strategy does not mean zero cases of Covid, rather, it means that every case can be tested, and traced, and that we have control of the virus.
It requires investment in testing and contact tracing, and a clamping down on businesses and workplaces that are in breach of health and safety regulations. It also means investing in a proper health service.
Sadly, these basic policy proposals seem to be beyond the comprehension or political will of this government.