Slowly, if tentatively, we are returning to a life more reminiscent of pre-Covid times, but with necessary adaptions.
Our children have returned to school, still with masks and socially distanced; some workers are back in their offices, although zoom calls will continue for some. On-line shopping can expect to take a hit as shoppers can now fuel all their senses on the shopping streets, telemedicine may diminish but is here to stay, similarly outdoor dining - particularly as winter approaches.
But the chosen connection has always been face to face, and as requirements for physical distancing are set to end on October 22 for most aspects of our daily life, there is a palpable feeling of greater relaxation in our community. That positivity, however, will continue to be challenged.
What we have come through could happen again as this pandemic changes course, having already mutated with four variants. During these past 20 months, so many lives have been lost, families torn apart, jobs lost, and wages reduced. There has been unprecedented pressure on our health services, while people have struggled with loneliness. School children have been deprived of normal classroom teaching, holidays abroad have been denied, and family occasions missed. And there may be things we previously took for granted that may never return in exactly the same way.
Our communication has changed - great for families who now zoom together in preference to less personal and expensive telephone calls, but for workers, is it as personal or productive as a one-on-one meeting or chat? Outdoor dining has certainly become the new norm, and has transformed our towns and cities for the better - at least in the summer. But while the world is better prepared, NUI Galway professor Maire Connolly advises the risks of other emerging diseases are now greater than ever in our history, exacerbated by intensive farming throughout the world.
So as we emerge from the darkest days of Covid, we still remain wary.
The Government's 2022 Budget is a cautious roadmap for the future. Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said it was not one for everyone, so who benefits? Home workers will be provided with tax relief - a possible €100; a levy will be placed on unzoned land to encourage development; free GP care will be provided for children up to seven, and the national childcare scheme subsidy extended to children under 15.
The pandemic wage subsidy scheme, which has been a lifesaver for employers and workers, will be extended and then wound down with two rates introduced. The hospitality industry, having suffered during the pandemic, will have its VAT rate reduced, while there will be free contraception for women aged 17 to 25.
No Budget is universally accepted, but at least this year it signals a hopeful end to what has been an unprecedented global challenge in recent history. It has not yet been overcome, so we must still wash our hands regularly, avoid large crowds, wear a mask when appropriate, keep spaces well ventilated, and continue to meet outdoors if possible - by now it should be second nature.
Linley MacKenzie
