I’ll keep wearing a mask, Just because I don’t want Covid...
As a glasses wearer, I’m no fan of fogged up lenses and the pain at the back of my ears from wearing a mask for an extended period, but whenever I’m about to veer into a moan about masks, I think of healthcare workers trying to care for sick patients for 12-hour shifts while wearing masks and full PPE.
Masks have become such a part of our lives that the news that NPHET advised the Government that wearing masks should no longer be mandatory came as a bit of a surprise.
It’s news that is a blow for many vulnerable people, who were already disappointed that Covid certs were no longer a requirement in pubs and restaurants, and who feel they are being left behind while the rest of the society sails on to the ‘new normal’.
A couple of months ago, a person with cancer going through chemo might have gone for lunch in a cafe if they were confident fellow diners were vaccinated and staff were masked, but with those comforts and mitigations being removed, and with 10,000 Covid cases last week, vulnerable people are not able to take the risk.
The lack of masks means activities such as going to the hairdressers, going to the shops, and meeting people will be more dangerous for vulnerable and elderly people, who were starting to regain their independence and get back to those activities.
I suspect lots of people will continue to wear masks because most of us know someone in the vulnerable category and wearing a mask is a small effort to reduce the overall risk.
Not just for health reasons, but also because testing positive is still such a time penalty - 7-10 days stuck at home, again.
With the previous lockdowns, isolation times, other bouts of winter illness and school closures due to red wind warnings, I’ll do everything to avoid being stuck in my house and the disruption to work and family life that comes with it.
Spending extended periods of time in our homes has possibly accelerated Ireland’s national obsession with houses and home improvements, and the return of RTÉ’s long-running series Room To Improve is sure to add fuel to the fire (or in the case of new builds, the heat air pump).
Dermot Bannon has a lot to answer for. For 12 seasons he has been raising expectations and creating aspirations and notions of floor to ceiling glass windows and open plan living. A world where everyone wants to make the garden part of their house and where no-one talks about the smell of fried onions permeating the whole house.
Room To Improve is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home improvement fodder. There are no less than eight other home-related series for viewers to get stuck into on RTÉ or the RTÉ Player. Home of the Year, Best Laid Plans, Cheap Irish Homes, Your House Made Perfect, Home Rescue, Bungalow Bliss, Selling Ireland’s Most Exclusive Homes, Dream Kitchens and Bathrooms are all giving viewers the big reveal of a beautiful home at the end of the show. And I haven’t even counted the gardening shows.
Last year, a survey by insurer Aviva found that 1.5 million homeowners spent more than €11 billion in the last 12 months on home improvements, and more than 861,000 homeowners have plans to undertake further improvements to their homes.
Renovation plans can range from painting, to home offices, to new windows, and lots of homeowners have a rolling, or never-ending, to-do list of upgrades or refreshes that are needed around the house.
Given how interested Irish people are in their domains, and how much they spend annually on renovations, I was surprised at criticism toward the recently announced National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, which aims to insulate half a million houses in the next eight years.
The government is putting €8 billion into the pot towards grants, with homeowners investing a further €8 billion to make their houses warmer, more comfortable, cheaper to run, and better for the environment and their children’s futures.
Critics argue it is a lot of money to expect homeowners to cough up, but it is a long term transformative investment in the comfort and value of a house.
Although nice to look at, a new bathroom or kitchen counter-top won’t have the same impact on the fabric of the house or the comfort levels of its residents.
Homeowners who don’t have thousands of euros needed to upgrade a house may be eligible for the Warmer Homes Scheme.
SEAI manages applications, hires the contractor and oversees the work.
At the end, homeowners sit back in their newly cosy house and think about how best to spend the extra few bob in their pockets, now that their heating bills have shrunk.
Maybe they’ll watch another property show for inspiration!
App?
