Governments around the world are all coming to the same conclusion, that we all now have to learn to live with the threat of COVID-19.
The Irish Government has published its Framework and delivered a poster copy to every household in Ireland. The framework outlines activities allowable at various levels ( 1 to 5 ), depending on the severity of occurrence of the virus within Ireland. It is envisaged that the country, and regions within, will iterate over time between the levels depending on the intensity of the virus evident in the population.
The Republic of Ireland was at a Level 3 status since the start of October 2020. Since January 2021, Ireland was escalated to level 5 and it continues to remain in level 5 (at the time of writing, April 2021).
Travel disruption
There is a potential for Ireland to harmonise with a pan-European traffic light system in the next while. In the interim, Ireland is using a Green - Amber - Red system to those going on foreign travel and those entering Ireland from other countries.
Green-coloured countries will cover territories where the number of cases is less than 25 per 100,000 people in a 14-day period and the percentage of positive tests is less than 3 per cent.
Countries will be coloured amber if they have less than 50 cases per 100,000.
All countries on the green and amber lists will be open to Irish passengers.
Countries will be coloured red if there are more than 50 cases per 100,000 and people travelling from such countries will have to quarantine for 14 days after their return or will have to have a Covid-19 test to show they are negative.
The precise details of the EU-traffic light system will be agreed upon at an EU Council of Ministers meeting on October 15th.
While the traffic light system may mean Irish people will be able to travel more widely across the EU in the months ahead, it could also mean the opposite.
The moral dilemma of air travel is even more poignant. Travel shaming is now not unheard of.
It will take time for the travel industry to come back. Not only the fear of travel, due to the virus, but the availability of flights as airlines aggregate flights from many flights to destinations per week, to now, possibly one or two per week.
Making spontaneous or spur-of-the-minute plans in relation to travel, have for now become a thing of the past.
Presently, international travel can now necessitate the traveller having proof of a recent negative COVID PCR test, allied to an isolation period upon entering. On return from foreign travel, a traveller is now expected to isolate for a period, also.
Work disruption during COVID-19 pandemic
eWorking from home has become the norm for 30 - 40% of the Irish working population.
The level of stress associated with home-working is a function of the availability of broadband, childcare facilities and isolation from work colleagues.
The Future
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, thorough hand-washing, social distancing and face mask wearing will stick with us for the foreseeable future.
Despite all of the initial expectation that a vaccine for COVID-19 would be readily available within 2020, this now increasing looks like a faint hope, with a vaccine now expected in 2021.
In early to mid 2021, four or five vaccines have become available to 1st world government vaccination programmes. Countries are vaccinating their populations at various degrees of progress. In Ireland, at the time of writing (May 2021), one third of the population are now vaccinated. The order of those receiving the vaccinations is the older and weaker population first, working its way downwards towards the youngest, eventually.
In Ireland also, level 5 restrictions have been eased in mid May 2021, however, all foreign travel restrictions are still very much in place.
To quote again the great Irish poet, Seamus Heaney “ If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere”.
Link to our Travelling in a COVID-19 World article.
Link to our Hotels in a COVID-19 World article.
Link to our Lessons learned in 2020 from COVID-19 article.
COVID-19 update as of End October 2021
The Irish Government allowed a phased opening back up of the social life of Ireland. It is the first positive sign that life in Ireland is getting back to normal, even if this new normal still requires hand sanitising, masks and social distancing in group settings. Friday the 22nd of October 2021 will be known as our modern Irish version of VE (Victory in Europe 1945) day.
This decision was taken with the knowledge that over 89% of the Irish population over the age of 12 years are now vaccinated against serious illness should they contract COVID-19 in the near future.
The success or failure of this re-opening will be monitored very closely with a view to achieving the eventual goal of Ireland returning to a sustainable level of societal normality.
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