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A FACEBOOK POST claiming that the country is gradually being locked down to contain the spread of Covid-19 has been widely shared online in the last few days.
The post claims the Irish government has been slowly implementing a country-wide lockdown since last Sunday, with a full lockdown coming within the next week to 10 days.
In the last two weeks, TheJournal.ie has reported on other bogus messages all claiming that the country is about to be put on lockdown.
They are all false – you can read these pieces here, here and here.
The latest post states:
We have been in the process of a gradual lockdown since last Sunday. The government are implementing a gradual lockdown. It is to be announced tomorrow evening that All Gatherings in Public Parks Beaches etc will be banned under the advice of health experts. That will be the last of the restrictions until Phase 1 of lockdown will commence probably a week to 10 days once all the data shows on paper of what we all already know. This is not fake news you are in a lockdown sequence.
The status posted on Monday evening claimed that new restrictions would be announced by the government on Tuesday evening - this speculation was true but had been reported by the Irish Times.
As promised, the Taoiseach did announce new public health measures in three areas – preventing the spread of the virus, helping those who lost their jobs and new emergency legislation. These measures are currently in effect and will remain in place until Sunday 19 April.
Among the measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 was the closure of all non-essential retail outlets, with restaurants and cafes told to close unless they can offer a take-away option.
Under these measures supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open along with other retailers deemed essential; opticians, fuel stations, laundries, banks, post offices, credit unions and hardware stores.
The Facebook post also claims that all public gatherings in public parks and beaches will be banned which they have been if your group is bigger than four people.
Public places will remain open but some local authorities have closed areas where social distancing has become difficult. For example, the upper car park at Glendalough and both sides of the Sally Gap were closed due to “the sheer volume of traffic in the area”.
The new measures don’t restrict the number of times a person can leave their home a day but people are being told not to exceed groups of four people.
During the announcement, there was no mention of more restrictive measures being implemented but a lockdown did come up. The Taoiseach said he wouldn’t use the term at all.
The term seems to mean different things for different countries, and what we need now is clarity, the Taoiseach said. “I think it’s a term that actually causes more confusion than clarity,” he said, so it’s not one he’ll be using.
Other countries have announced different levels of lockdown. In France, all cafes, restaurants and cinemas have been shut. Italy, the most affected country in Europe, has banned travel between regions unless it has been signed off by a medical professional.
The Facebook status claims that the latest measures in Ireland are a prelude to a lockdown of the country but Varadkar has previously stated that Ireland is following the South Korea model of social distancing, social isolation and contact tracing – this doesn’t include the locking down of the country.
South Korea, which had been recording 500 to 600 new cases each day earlier this month, is now reporting 200 to less than 100 new cases per day.
Through clear public communication and testing on a massive scale, South Korea appears to be effectively tackling coronavirus. You can read more about its efforts here.
The Taoiseach has also cited The World Health Organisation’s health emergencies director Michael Ryan who says every country’s focus should be on finding the people who have the virus and isolating them as quickly as possible, along with contact tracing.
Ryan says that part of the risk for authorities is in putting too much emphasis on lockdowns without a plan in place for what’s required when restrictions are lifted.
“If we don’t put in place the strong measures, the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted the danger is that disease will jump back up.”
Chief medical officer Tony Holohan said the measures, agreed by the National Public Health Emergency Team, had to be stepped up due to the fact more than 1,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic.
****
There is a lot of false news and scaremongering being spread in Ireland at the moment about coronavirus. Here are some practical ways for you to assess whether the messages that you’re seeing – especially on WhatsApp – are true or not.
STOP, THINK AND CHECK
Look at where it’s coming from. Is it someone you know? Do they have a source for the information (e.g. the HSE website) or are they just saying that the information comes from someone they know? A lot of the false news being spread right now is from people claiming that messages from ‘a friend’ of theirs. Have a look yourself – do a quick Google search and see if the information is being reported elsewhere.
Secondly, get the whole story, not just a headline. A lot of these messages have got vague information (“all the doctors at this hospital are panicking”) and don’t mention specific details. This is often – but not always a sign – that it may not be accurate.
Finally, see how you feel after reading it. A lot of these false messages are designed to make people feel panicked. They’re deliberately manipulating your feelings to make you more likely to share it. If you feel panicked after reading something, check it out and see if it really is true.
TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here
Have you gotten a message on WhatsApp or Facebook or Twitter about coronavirus that you’re not sure about and want us to check it out? Message or mail us and we’ll look into debunking it. WhatsApp: 085 221 4696 or Email: answers@thejournal.ie
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So sad, sorry for your loss
I hope anyone reading this who is affected by depression realises it is good to talk! Please reach out to friends family colleagues, gp counselor anyone. Please remember you are important and you deserve to be happy and feel safe. Poets House are an amazing charity and their free counselling saves lives every day.
What strikes me is his comment that his dad would have been ashamed. This goes back to and inherent and misplaced guilt complex that Irish people feel. It stems from an indoctronated Catholic guilt complex we learn at at young age. The truth is we are as humans not perfect beings. It is o.k. no to be perfect. We can only learn from our mistakes. We should not judge others, we should be more tolerant and understanding. After darkness comes light. We need to forgive ourselves, not judge ourselves and we need to to feel strong and stand up to and ignore the judgements of others while at the same time doing the right thing. Irish culture is to beset by judgement and guilt and we need to break free. I have great respect for the mother who found the strength to write this.
@gregory: The problem is people love to judge others as it can make them feel superior about themselves when in fact they might have a plank in each eye when picking up the splinter in the other persons eye?
I think people judge others in order to feel control over others but we are a nation of gossipers as well but people are people and that means that what they want is to be noticed and if they have to use others to be noticed then they will and that involves gossiping I believe.
I don’t think judgements are all judgements, they can be envy, anger, fear, hatred, attention seeking and an excuse to tell others to look at me as my judgements prove my character because they know if their true character was known then people might be shocked. Could be why so many religious did so many evil things in the past because the evil people choose what to hide in to hide their evil?
I have a view that writing and talking about your emotions and troubles help as I see it as a way that allows people to make sense out of what they know and feel as it is like a sort of defragmentation for many. But people here will not talk because they have a stupid sense of being judged on it and being judge as weak for it. But that is because people judge themselves the hardest than anyone else can.
It is strange how we care what others think of us and yet care what they think when in fact what they believe and do is far worse than what we could ever do and yet what concerns us the most is how strong or weak we look to others and to people who don’t care sometimes as well?
Sometimes there are others who think we care what they think because they want this to be true to stroke their own egos and that is because of how society works as society teaches lies but is slow to learn truths?
The problem here is numbers, the highest numbers have the greatest effect as in peoples judgements but the truth can add support to confront the numbers. The problem is people loose focus of the truth and without the truth it is hard to stand up to anything then. People have to find what is true within themselves first and some will need help to find that before they can do anything as it is the lies people tell themselves that creates the darkness and the self destruction. Once there they think they don’t deserve the truth because it is too late or they feel they don’t deserve it, that is when they choose the lie because they want the lie then and sometimes will cause the lie to become reality for them. So by then they will not stand up to anything as thought becomes reality due to thoughts creating experiences?
So what we believe comes true and that experience/s becomes reality that reinforces what we think reality is. The answer is by changing how we think then we change our experiences and what we see as reality, one effects the other but it is always easier to fall into than to climb out of but so is any snake pit really?
I’ll be involved in my local walk/run as a marshal again. Brave article Patricia respect!
The state run mental health service in this country is shocking !! I had cause to use them last year after a few hours in hospital I was to meet the person the next day at 9am .
She never turned up and no appointment was made I was left in limbo …
@Shane Freeney: Having recently moved home from England, the Irish health system is shocking..60 euro for a 10min gp visit plus another 60 for follow ups. Regarding mental health I’m not sure, but in England you can avail of health via 10 free Skype type sessions with a therapist. This can help someone who is struggling very much.
@Bairéid Rísteard: They also hit you with a €100 a&e charge ! Just what you need after a day from hell and back !
Then yes a €60 GP bill for a prescription because the Health service didn’t turn up ffs if it wasn’t true it would be funny !!!
@Shane Freeney: they are raking it in. Why would they bother changing. Health is a lucrative industry for them.
Sorry for the loss of your lovely son Patrica. May he rest in peace ❤. Myself & my family lost our lovely brother & son also by suicide. There is such a short fall of support and help for those in need. Thankfully Pieta House is available , Darkness Into Light is a special event for families like ours. Let’s make a difference for all the other troubled souls & raise awareness. Thanks for sharing your story
I’m sorry you lost your son Patricia. Look after yourself.
I have to say that the people I meet in life are almost universally unable to listen. Having had 33 years of the most serious kind of depression (chemical/hormonal imbalance that leads to a cascade of debilitating effects and it only went into remission at age 45) I had to deal with that alone. No one beyond my ex-wife was capable of shutting off their continuous stream of talk and reaction to ever realise what I was having to deal with. Be prepared to do nothing but listen enough to start to understand. Don’t offer your opinions. Listen. Don’t talk at the person. Listen. Don’t think you have anything to offer that would amount to anything except to listen and then to share information that could help the person. Having 100,000 opinions and emotions does not make you a conscious being. Being able to be aware of how you act to other people and learning from it does.
@David A. Murray: The vast majority of people don’t listen and good communication is based on listening and not all listening is based on words either?
Sorry for the loss of your lovely son Patrica ❤. Myself & my family lost our lovely brother & son by suicide also. There is such a short fall of help and support for people. Pieta House do an amazing job & without there help we’d be lost completely. Darkness Into Life is a special event for families like ours. Let’s make a difference to some other troubled souls. Thank you for sharing your story
Very sorry for your loss. We here in Darwin
Australia are a MASSIVE Irish community and we have all lost friends and family to suicide we will all be supporting darknest into light on May the 6th.
We live in a weird society, we are all judged by each other and we judge others ourselves not by knowing anything but by the way we want things to be and everyone seems to judge themselves the hardest. Some people are their own worst enemy by how they see and judge themselves but I think this comes from the way we live in a society og gossipers and I fear a growing number of bullies. Society is changing and it is taking a more US model of behaviour which I feel is uncaring and thick. It gives the impression that being kind, polite and gentle are bad and are therefore weak.
I think people judge others on two things, if they like them or if they don’t and to be liked you have to do what others do and sometimes out do them at it, with fashion, music, modern life and this causes stress and pressure of trying to fit in and know your place. I think the way we in the west are copying Western culture which is driven by consumerism is unhealthy as at its core is debt?
The western culture is and has changed own culture with lies and a diet of lies from all forms of the media that we loose who we are by not knowing what we want, we become lost in what the media tells us in how to be happy and that is normally through consumerism or through having loads of money? We loose who we are and what we want from others telling us who we are, what we want and to do or believe what others want us to do or believe?
But that is my view on it as we become more stressed we focus in on our problems turning them into our world that we see everything through rather than standing back and seeing the bigger picture and seeing things for what they really are and who people really are as well?
We can judge ourselves the hardest but sometimes the way we think and feel can be down to others and there is a growing and increasing cases of bullying. All a bully wants is to be noticed and to effect another by effecting their self esteem in order to appease their own self esteem, they are emotionally stunted and enjoy getting others involved because it is a form of control not just over the victim but over those who join in on their bullying.
The sad fact is some don’t know what they are doing is bullying as the excuse of fun, banter and trying to make out that their victim is not as clever as they are seem to be ok excuses to do anything, once they have a prepared excuse for it. Normally an excuse that demonises the victim more than the actions the bullies do seems to be an ok excuse.
It always gets me how society condemns a person who says that they have been bullied and yet bullies can add more people to join in on their bullying giving the right excuse and to do the bullying without the same reaction as if talking about it and being a victim is worse than doing it?
Another thing is how malicious rumours and chinese whispers can effect how people react to others and that being the reason that they are spread in the first place. This goes back to how people judge others, people judge others by what others believe and say rather than what they believe as if they still try to fit in and then they do this by actions.
Many people try to give the impression that they know what they are talking about and yet everytime they open their mouth they only prove the lack of what they know and of their intelligence but they still want to have that fix of feeling that they have control over another because of the ego stroking fantasy they have in their head.
And all they have is anger or laughter as a way to imply that they are not the problem and that is the way society is changing because Western culture is based on creating fakeness within everything as the term fake news has pointed to, fake friends, fake likes, fake tans, fake body enhancements, fake people etc etc.
We surround ourselves with fakeness and we loose who we are in it and it is a life time of fakeness we surround ourselves with that we forget and loose focus on what really matters like friends, family and choosing our own futures and paths to take.
We can become so focused on our problems we can loose sight of what really matters, we then can tell lies to ourselves to be self destructive in our thoughts and deeds that they reinforce our fantasies and that creates a cycle of our thoughts and emotions creating the reality we experience and focusing us more on the triggers that start all this in the first place. The problem is we can sometimes choose the paths in life that create these situations, while other times we are thrown onto those paths by others but that never means we have to stay on them as everyone has the free will to change normally by asking for help as not everyone is the same or like those who have no soul or even the way those who are on these paths see them because peoples worst enemy seems to be always themselves and that is the last person to trust sometimes?
Just a few thoughts on the subject?
@Alois Irlmaier: Excellent thoughts. I think in essence we have to learn not to judge others and resist the prejudices that surround us, to stand back and take a deep breath sometimes and simply say and not take on board negative energy from other people.
@gregory: The human race has 2 problems, the need for control and the need to put others into boxes?
Negative energy comes from unhappy or damaged people I think?
My deepest condolences go out to Patricia, no parent should have to bury their child and i hope she takes some solace from the fact that her talking about it, talking about her son and their experience will encourage other parents to talk to their children about this issue and hopefully help people who are struggling. I’d never heard of it before last year but i know a woman who done the Darkness into Light Walk last year. When i asked her why, she said she worried about her son, was concerned that he didn’t realise he wasn’t alone and she wanted to draw attention to this issue so other people knew too. When she told me, i didn’t know what else to say except, thanks Mum.
Every day I wake up and feel like dying, nothing serious or anything. I am just so tired and I don’t want to be troubled with the idea of waking up again and again to a pointless life.
@Carlovian77: Have you said this to your doctor as he could help you?
@Alois Irlmaier: Yes I have. I’ve spent time in Hospital and am currently taking medication that allows me to exist. I don’t live, I exist.
It’s my road and mine alone. Others can walk it with me but no one can walk it for me.
@Carlovian77: please talk to somebody, maybe even pieta house. Nobody can walk your road for you, you are right, but they could be there beside you and maybe offer some comfort.
Please talk to somebody, there are many people who care out the.
Ring piety house.
Best wishes and I am walking beside you today in spirit .
@Carlovian77: The problem in life is everything takes time and sometimes the journey is the worst part of any destination but once there the journey is soon forgotten. Health and well being is like that too I think but everything can always sort itself out eventually because all roads led to destinations or other proper roads? Just take care of yourself and life has a way to surprise and open new opportunities when you don’t expect it.
Lovely article pat. He was a wonderful young man, who due to your familys great work, his legacy will help so many more. May he rest in peace.
I’m sorry that this happened to you and to your son.
Im sorry for your Loss God love him Always in Heaven
This is a poem I wrote about how I felt.
It’s always seems to be on my mind,
Why I do not know.
Then I think about those I’ll leave behind,
And those that don’t want me to go.
Living in a world of my own,
That no one can understand.
And inside feeling all alone,
With no one to hold my hand.
I want to talk but there’s no one there,
So I think about it again.
Then I realise that no one does care,
And there’s only one way to end the pain.
I wonder if afterwards people will forget,
And won’t even remember my name.
Will they look back with regret,
Or just say that I was insane.
Now I’m gone and laid to rest,
People still ask why.
They’re saying now I was one of the best,
So why, why did I have to die.
There was no Pieta house near their home? I’m sorry I think this not good excuse whatsoever, I know this might be very unpopular thought but whatever they are saying to themselves to make them sleep at night. The damage is done unfortunately however everyone in family should be supporting anyone if they have seen the symptoms as this mother did. Some people do not see the symptoms, do not expect anything. She kind of did from what she wrote. We are always quick to blame everyone else for everything, I
mean absolutely everything. It’s important to educate families as well as people who need a help.
This is a poem I wrote about how I felt.
It’s always seems to be on my mind,
Why I do not know.
Then I think about those I’ll leave behind,
And those that don’t want me to go.
Living in a world of my own,
That no one can understand.
And inside feeling all alone,
With no one to call my own.
I want to talk but there’s no one there,
So I think about it again.
Then I realise that no one does care,
And there’s only one way to end the pain.
I wonder if afterwards people will forget,
And won’t even remember my name.
Will they look back with regret,
Or just say that I was insane.
Now I’m gone and laid to rest,
People still ask why.
They’re saying now I was one of the best,
So why, why did I have to die.
There was no Pieta house near their home? I’m sorry I think this not good excuse whatsoever, I know this might be very unpopular thought but whatever they are saying to themselves to make them sleep at night. The damage is done unfortunately however everyone in family should be supporting anyone if they have seen the symptoms as this mother did. Some people do not see the symptoms, do not expect anything. She kind of did…
There was no Pieta house near their home? I’m sorry I think this not good excuse whatsoever, I know this might be very unpopular thought but whatever they are saying to themselves to make them sleep at night. The damage is done unfortunately however everyone in family should be supporting anyone if they have seen the symptoms as this mother did. Some people do not see the symptoms, do not expect anything. She kind of did from what she wrote. We are always quick to blame everyone else for everything l, absolutely everything…
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