Irish Examiner letters: The continued lockdown is causing a lot of harm to people

Those advocating for continued lockdown, working from home (everyone has that kind of white-collar job don’t they?) and keeping retail closed, all have well-paid, high-status public sector jobs. Picture: Denis Minihane.

A loved member of my family is being harmed irrevocably by the State — a State denying him the right to work, a fundamental human right. He is furloughed like so many others.

Those working in healthcare and essential services have had jobs to go to throughout this time — yes, it has been difficult and challenging for them, but their status and self-worth is at an all time high.

What was happening pre-pandemic? Dozens of people dying every day from the ‘flu, from normal diseases, on waiting lists. A crisis of trolleys in corridors embarrassing the nation due to our hopelessly inefficient unfair (public-private) system. And now the hospitals have become untouchable with Nphet acting as the puppet master while the Government is the puppet.

It can’t get much worse. The lights have been turned out and we are told they won’t be turned on again until at the earliest May. Meanwhile, everyone is quietly trying to circumvent the rules by meeting friends for walks, going to parks, keeping sane but feeling guilty because it is not strictly to the letter of the lockdown level five. The less confident amongst us feel like criminals.

Parents are desperately worried. Everywhere. They see their grown-up children, young adults who should be spreading their wings, crumbling, regressing, confidence knocked out of them, fear, depression, lack of hope. Self-harm. Suicides.

By not giving us anything since the end of December, by not letting us work and socialise (safely), by keeping us in a constant state of fear, the Government is in danger of radicalising us all.

It is notable that those advocating for continued lockdown, working from home (everyone has that kind of white-collar job don’t they?) and keeping retail closed, all have well-paid, high-status public sector jobs.

Alison Hackett

Dún Laoghaire

Co Dublin

Unilever bids ‘normal’ adieu

The decision by beauty giant Unilever to remove the word ‘normal’ from over 100 of their products reflects the dynamic and seismic transformations in the cosmetic industry. Also, it indicates that there is a heightened awareness amongst large corporations to embrace and promote diversity.

The FTSE 100 firm dominates a large portion of market share. The actions of this behemoth multinational company are reflected and reverberated throughout the industry.

What does ‘normal’ mean in the context of beauty? I believe it has racial and discriminatory undertones, leading to white-washing beauty standards, charged by colourism and neglects diversity.

The relatively benign word ‘normal’ becomes a racially charged vehicle to insight insecurity in consumers, promoting a stereotype and uniformity. It indicates that there exists an abnormal or subnormal.

Inclusivity and diversity are paramount, especially in the context of our youth.

The actions of Unilever are laudable but overdue, removing a standardised impression of size, skin colour, body shape and proportion.

There is a new era of beauty that removes traditional notions of beauty in favour of inclusivity.

Sarah Conroy

Rosbercon

New Ross

Co Wexford

Open churches in time for Easter

Under current Covid restrictions, supermarkets remain packed while churches are closed to parishioners for Mass. These restrictions are set to remain in place into the foreseeable future. No other country in Europe has taken such a draconian approach over such an extended period of time, as our Government seems content to impose upon us. The churches of England have remained open for worship, while those in the North and in Scotland are re-opening in time for Easter; the most important feast of the liturgical year.

Jesus proclaimed: “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not have life in you” (John, chapter 6). This is the belief of Catholics. We are being cut off from our vital spiritual food, as it is not possible to receive Holy Communion online.

Even non-believers understand that the Eucharist sustains the faithful, while regimes seeking to destroy the Church have always suppressed the Mass.

If Christ had intended our worship to be a private affair, He would not have founded the Church in the first place.

Across the country, churches have taken every step possible to ensure social distancing and the safety of all who attend. There hasn’t been evidence of any clusters associated with Sunday Mass.

It seems strange that we are also prohibited from receiving Communion outside of Mass times, while queuing at coffee docks and takeaways are permitted.

The controlled re-opening of churches in time for Easter would not pose a threat to public health but, by keeping them shut, we rob our society of the virtues of faith, hope and love, while exacerbating the modern-day afflictions of worry, anxiety and depression.

Gearóid Duffy

Lee Road

Cork

IDA needs to tread carefully in Israel

I see that IDA Ireland intends to establish a presence in Israel, with a view to identifying “Israeli-headquartered target companies with potential for investing in Ireland” (IDA Ireland to expand global footprint into Israel).

I welcome news of foreign investment to these shores, but there are some concerns which IDA Ireland and the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade must address.

One moral imperative is to ensure that companies targeted by IDA Ireland do not operate in, or profit from, Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Last year, the UN Human Rights Council released a list of 112 companies, 94 of them headquartered in Israel, which there are reasonable grounds to conclude are complicit in the illegal settlement project. However, the list is not exhaustive and IDA Ireland must apply due diligence in selecting companies with whom to engage.

Another ethical concern is that many Israeli technology companies have gained their competitive edge by exploiting surveillance technology honed in a context of Israeli military oppression of the Palestinian people. Some years ago, Israeli broadsheet Haaretz reported that up to 80% of the founders of Israel’s 700 cybersecurity companies have worked in Israeli military intelligence. Many are veterans of the elite Unit 8200, notorious for a surveillance programme that identifies LGBTQ+ Palestinian civilians, and those in need of emergency medical treatment, with a view to coercing them into working as informers.

While such companies may be legally compliant, this egregious legacy is surely not something that anyone would wish to have on their conscience.

John Geoghegan

Glasnevin

Dublin

Ireland holding its own in Covid battle

The media narrative that the UK government deserves praise for their Covid work while the Irish Government deserves criticism is open to challenge.

The death rate from Covid in the UK is more than twice the rate in this country.

Not alone that, but some of the highest instances of the disease in this country are in counties along the border.

In addition to that, while the UK has been fully supplied so far, one of the main vaccine suppliers has missed by almost three quarters the target they signed up to meet in their EU agreement, on which Ireland depends.

In Covid issues over which it had control, Ireland has been much more successful than the UK.

A Leavy

Shielmartin Drive

Sutton

Dublin 13

Reform in Zimbabwe desperately needed

It hurts that in Zimbabwe there is no justice, equality and freedom. Corruption in public institutions is too much and families are struggling to have basic commodities.

Transport systems in Zimbabwe are poor. The healthcare system is completely dead. The government of Zimbabwe is completely clueless, careless and corrupt.

The sewage infrastructure is dysfunctional and there is acute shortage of electricity.

Hospitals in Zimbabwe are under-resourced. Civil servants, including soldiers, teachers, doctors and nurses, are paid peanuts.

Zimbabweans have migrated in large numbers to other countries because there is no happiness in Zimbabwe. This is most noticeable in South Africa, which is overwhelmed by an estimated 7m uninvited and unwanted Zimbabweans.

The whole world should put pressure on Zimbabwean president Munangagwa to reform the country and make Zimbabweans smile again.

Kudzai Chikowore

Laker Court

Studley Road

London