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2020 Eileen’s Government Rejects Move To

7th, Level Five Restrictions As
October Corner Number Of Free ICU Beds Falls

| Well kids, Michael and is called
EXAMINER don’t forget the Michaelmas. It is considered

Long Ireland
very important in the lives of
this
Show
rural folk and on that day
IRISH Saturday on Michael cast Satan from
Heaven and consigned him
88.7
fm
on
WRHU Radio
to Hell.
Hofstra University from 2-5 Superstitious people like
pm. Either have the kettle on myself, believe that Satan
the boil, or have it made and spat on his descent to hell and
you’ll be all set. his spit landed on autumn
I must admit that I love to fruits. So it supposed to be
bake Irish soda bread, brown not good to consume berries
bread you name it, and other after the 29th. Michaelmas
breads. I learned all this from Pie or Cake was served in
my mother, Chrissie Flynn, houses on this day and a
my Aunt Katty Mahoney and goose was often killed in
my Aunt Nellie O’Leary. My honor of Michael along with
other Aunts Molly and Betty roasted blackberries and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has defended Ireland’s intensive care bed capacity as the
had other specialities, along other fruits. Government gambles on avoiding another lockdown.
with Kathleen Nyhan, my This was also the end of The Government controversially departed from public health advice for the first time to
Uncle Billy’s wife. the fishing season and a time reject a move to level five of coronavirus restrictions, instead moving to level three nation-
You know, even though when gifts were given to the wide.
they all made Irish soda poor. It was a time for hiring Mr. Donnelly has insisted that this was the “best decision” for the country.
bread, and mostly used the laborers at the fairs especially But the move is said to have angered officials at the National Public Health Emergency
same ingredients, they all around Athenry. Team (Nphet), which has warned that intensive care units will become overwhelmed.
tasted great but looked differ- This is all great info from Currently 243 out of 281 intensive care beds are occupied, leaving just 38 available.
ent. Some buttered the top of my Ireland’s Own Magazine However Minister Donnelly has insisted that hospital services can cope.
the bread when it was cool- (www.Irelandsown.ie) by the He told RTE’s Morning Ireland: “The surge capacity that the HSE can bring online quickly
ing, some let it cool out on way. is north of 300 ICU beds.
the table right away, or on a My mother and a few of Over a two-year period, we’re looking for a very substantial increase.
rack right away. I must tell my aunts were all great “But lets remember that at the very height of this, when there were many more people in
you if you slather it with but- cooks. They did a lot of cook- hospital, and many times more ICU admissions, we didn’t come close to needing the kind of
ter and maybe some Golden ing at home in Ireland before ICU capacity that the HSE had put in place.
Syrup together with a cup of they came to America to “Of the tragically many men and women that have lost their lives to this virus in Ireland, a
tea then you are in Heaven. make their “fortune”, and very small percentage of them ever go anywhere near intensive care.”
Believe me, it’s the best. then when they arrived, Mr. Donnelly said he had spoken with HSE chief executive Paul Reid about the issue, who
I like to bake Treacle some of them got jobs as told him he believes there is sufficient capacity in ICU beds.
bread, brown bread, I got a cooks, my mother and Molly Asked if he would take responsibility if the decision to depart from public health advice
great recipe from the Head in particular. Katty got a job proved to be wrong, Mr Donnelly replied: “It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong.
Chef at the Westport Hotel in in a restaurant and Nellie “It’s about trying to make the best decision we can given the evidence we have.”
Mayo, the very best, with a became a beautician, and The Minister said the situation had changed since March and that there were other factors
“secret” ingredient and all kept us all looking beautiful. to consider other than the suppression of the virus.
and a boiled raisin cake with That’s a story for another day “If we needed to consider nothing other than the suppression of the virus, if we didn’t need
Irish icing. believe me. to consider the entire of the country, then clearly one could make an argument that says well
Well today, I discovered Stay well, take care and everyone just needs to go home, close down businesses, don’t leave your house.
that the 29th of September is God bless you all... and me “And obviously we know that the virus would be suppressed.
the feast of the Archangel too. C “But we have to make what we believe is the best decision on behalf of the entire country,
that is what we have done.”
He said that level three measures have been shown to work “when we all work hard to put
them in place”.
Meanwhile Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald has criticized the Tánaiste over com-
ments he made about Nphet.
She accused the Government of “answering back” to Nphet and said Leo Varadkar had
“squared up” to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan in his comments on Monday night.
Mr. Varadkar had said that Nphet’s recommendation to move to level five “had not been
thought through”.
Ms. McDonald said the advice was given in “good faith”.
“I don’t think the Government should be ‘bounced’ into anything, but I don’t think it’s fair
that a body that is specifically charged to provide you with best medical and scientific advice
to then accuse those people of attempting to bounce you,” she added.
Under level three restrictions people will be asked to remain in their county and can have
up to six visitors from just one other household.
Indoor gatherings will be banned, but pubs and restaurants will be allowed to remain open
but with additional restrictions. C