Shauna Bowers: We were all in it together, but new policy shows that's no longer the case

Younger people, among the cohort worst hit by the economic impact of the pandemic and with the longest wait for vaccines, feel left out of the conversation once again

Signs displaying messages of "All in this together" at the outset of the pandemic. File Image.

“We are all in this together,” then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said during his unprecedented speech on March 17, 2020, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A month later, when launching the ‘In This Together’ campaign, Mr Varadkar reiterated that message: “We’re in this together and we will come out of it together too.” 

In the intervening months, those words have become nothing more than a meaningless idiom, particularly if you’re under the age of 35.

The resumption of indoor dining has been delayed by at least two weeks, while the Government scrambles to come up with a system that enables vaccinated individuals, and those who are immune, to enjoy indoor hospitality.

Considering vaccination is being carried out in order of descending age, this decision undermines the very solidarity that held society together during this crisis.

What will this new system look like? Older, vaccinated people inside, while younger people are outside in the rain? That’s segregation. That’s discrimination.

Why should we be punished for a decision which is entirely out of our control? 

And for those of us who have remained Covid-free, therefore not obtaining immunity, why should that be used as another strike against us to restrict certain freedoms?

The focus throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has, rightfully, been to protect the most vulnerable. 

“We are all in this together,” then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said during his unprecedented speech on March 17, 2020, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But when did it become a case of protecting older people, at the expense of the younger generation?

When the vaccination schedule was revised, prioritising age and underlying conditions over occupation, I could see the logic in vaccinating those who had the highest risk profile.

I have young friends who work in essential industries, who are surrounded by hundreds of people each day, and who felt unvalued when they were de-prioritised in the schedule.

But they trusted the expert opinion. Now, that understanding has been thrown back in their face.

Young adults who work in hospitality and tourism — two of the most affected sectors during the pandemic — will be permitted to work in these premises, but will not be able to avail of their services. 

This age group bore the brunt of the economic shock, with the most recent Covid-adjusted figures finding the youth unemployment rate to be 58.8%, one of the highest rates on record.

Where's the togetherness in all of that? Where's the solidarity?

Combine all of this with the fact homeownership by the age of 30 halved in the space of a generation, property prices continue to rise, and job insecurity has become the norm; is it any wonder that Tuesday's announcement appears to be just another reason for young people to feel disillusioned with the place they call home?

As the old adage goes, Ireland is no country for young people. It’s a statement said so often, I often wonder if it has lost all meaning, but never before have I felt it as profoundly as I do today.