One of the problems with writing about the pandemic in Ireland is that it is difficult always to analyse things logically, because many of the policies promoted by Irish politicians and experts have no basis in logic.
Take, for example, this argument from the Minister for Higher Education who is still not quite over the fact that he is no longer the Minister for Health:
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has suggested an extension of the digital Covid certificate beyond October 22nd as a possible way of society fully reopening in a safe way.
Mr Harris said under the current proposals, the use of digital certificates was no longer required after the ending of restrictions on venues, such as nightclubs, from the end of next week…..
….. Speaking on Thursday Mr Harris suggested that a continuing requirement to show the digital certificate might be a way of allowing reopening in a safe way.
“We are not in this binary position of do we open or not to open. We have learned a lot about the virus and learned a lot about how to keep us safe. We have a huge amount of our people vaccinated,” he said.
“We should be asking more nuanced questions of each other. How can you open and keep it safely open?”
He said that from October 22nd vaccines certificates would no longer be required but that that decision was not binding yet. He suggested the use of the certificate could be extended.
Note that when Harris talks about an extension of the Covid pass, he is not talking about extending the things the Covid pass is required for. It is not, for example, a proposal to require a covid pass for public transport, or anything like that. The only thing he is proposing is that the current requirements for a covid pass should be extended in time, because, he says, this will make re-opening easier.
Which poses a simple question: How?
The current case levels are rising within a framework where 90% of people are vaccinated and can avail of a covid pass. There are also continued restrictions on gatherings. Nightclubs remain closed. The public is under an effective 11pm curfew. Schools still operate on an odd, sterilised, semi-normal basis. Even with all of those things in place, cases are still rising.
So, how on earth would extending the legal mandate for covid passes facilitate, as the Minister claims, further re-opening? If the Covid passes are not causing cases to fall today, what makes us think that they will do so on October 23rd, when they are presently due to lapse?
Simon Harris, despite what some of his critics might think, is not a stupid man. He is as capable of logical thought as anybody else. He knows full well that what he is saying is nonsense.
But the point, of course, is not to make a logical argument. The point is to perpetuate a dual pronged political strategy: On the one hand, Government blames the anti-vaxxers. With the other hand, it delivers righteous punishment to those anti-vaxxers. The message has nothing, nothing whatsoever, to do with Covid 19. The message is “these are the bad people, and we shall punish them”.
This may appeal to you, or it may not. If you’re a Gript reader, chances are it does not. But whether you approve of the sentiment, or do not, we should all be very clear: This is not a strategy to fix the problem. It is a strategy to blame others for the problem.
Anyway, at this stage, in Ireland, you either recognise that, or you do not. If you don’t, then you’re probably beyond help.