Life

Through the pandemic

Dear diary,

Sorry I haven’t wrote in here in awhile the whole world seems to have gone crazy. We are all in lockdown, yeah I know right what’s a lockdown?

The other day I was in college and we were interrupted with our Taoiseach telling us to that there would be no more college or schools that the had to immediately close for the foreseeable future. Sounded great but I had to still go to work, I work in a pub they will never close or so I thought. Later that night we were all in lockdown including work.

I genuinely thought we would be experiencing an apocalypse. Where you would walk down the streets in years to come to find just notices of business opening again in late march, we are now in July and still closed.

You might be wondering why we are in lockdown and what do we do? Well we are in a pandemic that was caused by a virus called Covid-19.

We were told if we get any symptoms; a cough, cold, sore throat to isolate. Unfortunately I’ve already isolated twice which is 14 days at a time and then wait for our pcr test results.

When we aren’t isolating we our allowed walk 2km from our house and no further, so I bring Bruno my puppy for a walk three or four times around this perimeter at least twice a day.Do not exercise if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Stay home and rest, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

If you are able to go for a walk or bicycle ride always practice physical distancing and wash your hands with water and soap before you leave, when you get to where you are going, and as soon as you get home. If water and soap are not immediately available, use alcohol-based hand rub.

Other that all I do is college work online through zoom calls with my tutors and class mates. I’m studying bioscience and pharmaceuticals and at the moment I’ve been getting ready for exams that I’ve been held up till now due to the pandemic.

And after all of this I’ve decided to dig deeper into what will happen after all this as none of have been able to see a doctor even when we don’t have Covid. I got charge every time I called or my doctor called me as it was still considered a consultation. And more to the point a few people really close to me are now on stage 3&4 of different cancers now that should of been caught so much sooner but there was no way of seeing a doctor. Imagine not been able to see a doctor, go to work or study in a building or see peoples or even hug them. There is a rule now called social distancing which is where we stay 2 meters apart from people at all times. This is very difficult at times to see family friends or even the fact I’m single trying to get over my breakup but not even allowed huh someone.

It’s starting to become so normal though and I used to be all for it to keep my family and friends safe but now I’m second guessing everything.

I’ve decided to a petition on getting the government to tell us what are the repercussions on our health system but also to get them to tell us what will happen with our mental health to as we as a nation deal to much with suicide and I we don’t know what’s going happen next, so a lot is are going to overdrive thinking the worst.

Here is a draft on what I’ll say in the petition:

“I have made this petition for the people of Ireland to know what will happen to our physical and mental health system. This is for patients in hospitals, in gp’s and the general health system. Also people of Ireland who should be patients and have not been able to be diagnosed due to COVID-19. I ask you to sign this petition to show the government we need answers! We need a briefing from the government and the HSE that will not only answer our questions but listen to the public and give solutions to repercussions of COVID-19 on our physical and mental health system.

Talking about this is not enough! We need to stand up and get answers.

All I’m asking is your signature to be put forward to the government and show you care about the physical health and mental health of Ireland.

I don’t dispute COVID-19 but I do know there still is many other just as serious conditions and diseases that need to be diagnosed and treated.

The backlog due to COVID-19 can be responsible for more deaths than COVID-19 if you don’t get the government to answer how they will resolved these backlogs before it’s to late.

I know the public have a lot of questions and here is your chance to get answers. Simply sign this petition and share it to everyone you know.”

I’m hoping this will get some air time and we all get the answers we want and deserve. Jack thinks it will go nowhere, see his family is all politicians and they seem to always disagree with me, but I’m normally right and it’s to late for their opinion was known and on the wrong side of what the public thought so you would think the would learnt.

One day I’ll get to be a politician but only change the system from within. This will sound naïve but I was disgusted when I dabbled in an application to run last year and found out I would have to give up my job and career because it’s actually a full time job you get paid for. I never realised even local tds get paid no wonder they are all so corrupt. I need them on my side at the moment though so I can some answers for the public.

I promise to check back tomorrow to keep you updated on my progress. I’m determined to these answers as must people are just sitting down waiting on the next announcement, which always means we are staying in lockdown or a different restriction. I have to say I was one of those people for months but I’ve had enough we are the only ones left in Europe still in lockdown with less cases per head of population and less even less deaths.