Brian Keegan: Pandemic benefits can no longer be regarded as temporary
'The pandemic will leave us with a bigger state apparatus to manage in the years ahead.' Picture: Larry Cummins
There is a growing sense that, as we cope with this third wave of the pandemic, the arrangements and restrictions are not temporary.
Unlike the first and second waves, the government's responses were immediate but looked upon as being short term. Even the subsidies paid to employees were initially granted under a “temporary” wage subsidy scheme. Now we realise that many of the constraints we all have to live and work under and many of the measures to alleviate the situation, like the pandemic unemployment payment, are going to be around for some time to come.
