Raise A Glass To The COVID Dead

Posted byFractured Faith BlogPosted inA Fractured FaithTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It would appear that the second wave is upon us. Well, in Northern Ireland at least, although the statistics suggest infection rates are rising across Europe. Yesterday, our Executive met and agreed new province-wide restrictions that mean people can no longer have visitors in their own homes. Many are unhappy with this decision given, in the same breath, it was announced that all ‘wet’ bars are being allowed to open from Wednesday.

What is a wet bar? Well, it’s one that serves alcohol only. Up until then, premises that served food were allowed to open with restrictions. You could only have a drink indoors if you ordered food and by table service only. Numbers of parties were restricted and there was a limit on how long you could remain on the premises. The problem was, rumours spread that many landlords were not adhering to these rules and the latter were not being enforced strictly enough.

I’ve heard stories of large groups of adults huddled round a single side dish, takeaway food being brought into bars without kitchens and drinkers being issued with a knife and fork and told their food was ‘on its way’ if anybody asked. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. I’m sure the publicans and patrons who played these games felt very pleased with themselves at the time. Well, who’s laughing now. The way the situation is deteriorating your bar could be shut down again soon. And this time, on a permanent basis.

There’s little point having rules and regulations if people don’t adhere to them for the common good. Is your weekend drinking session more important than protecting the lives of the weak and vulnerable? It would appear to many, it is. The sense of entitlement and selfishness involved in coming to this conclusion is breathtaking. Yet, here we are. Enjoy your drinks while you can. But remember to raise a glass to the COVID dead while you’re at it.

Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 17 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca. We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised. But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all. We hope you enjoy the blog.

42 thoughts on “Raise A Glass To The COVID Dead”

  1. Same here in the Philippines. We may be of different race, color, and nationality, but we are all basically the same. 😀 This is a very true point “There’s little point having rules and regulations if people don’t adhere to them for the common good.”

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  3. Bravo Stephen! Although we are moving around quite freely where I am now, it’s only because of good communication, enforcement and maintaining a hard border by our State Government. We have had the same level of selfishness here too, but it has been dealt with by the law – I believe we have the toughest sanctions in place re fines and jail time anywhere (and they have been dealing with offenders).

    We are totally cut off and it is a sore point with our sister states, but the Premier has stuck to his guns (it will be at least Christmas before we might even let some people in). We are even in the middle of a constitutional challenge over it. Essential workers can move backwards and forwards to other states, but they are in compulsory quarantine on return. 8,500 people enter here a week, but most of these are truck drivers delivering goods and must park up for at least 48 hours etc before proceeding. Very few (literally a handful) are allowed to travel overseas or return (The Federal Government is looking how it can bring a further 25,000 people home). Hopefully, we will not have an outbreak, but if we do, most people will be hands to the wheel.

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  5. I’m in the US as well. I need not tell you how absurd our national “leadership” has been over this pandemic. Luckily, I live in a state where the governor has brains; while I’m as fed up with sheltering in place as the next person (although grateful to have a job I can do from home), I know it’s the right thing to do.

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  6. Honestly… who do people think they are fooling when they play fast and loose with the rules. It is a PANDEMIC, people! It is a deadly disease! You are only hurting yourselves and your neighbors when you refuse to take it seriously.

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  8. Numbers have been creeping over most of this country (Canada) for the past month. Quebec has already said they are dealing with a second wave. And you know what? If people keep going the way they have been there could be wave after wave…..sad business. Humanity is dealing itself a death blow, but it’s the ones who least deserve it!

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  10. Same in the uk. I was speaking to a nurse today. She told me she and her colleagues were shown the x-ray of the lungs of a 22 year old man who had died from Covid. He had previously been fit and healthy. She said they’d never seen lungs so badly destroyed. It makes me feel disgusted when I hear some people say it’s all a conspiracy and that the pandemic doesn’t exist!

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  11. Yours are in bars – mine are in church. Most of our members refuse to wear masks (they have found every conceivable loop hole) and then try to guilt people into going in the building with them. At a meeting, before it opened back up, I voiced my opinion that we should wait to open our small church until it was safer and was called a communist by an elder. He also doesn’t believe Covid even exists. I’m in Northern California.

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  14. One of the things I try to remember is “It’s not always about us”. This goes for Covid-19 restrictions, walking courteously on the footpath, offering help to someone else who is in need. The world works better when we live with our heart in the right place, looking to do right by others. Not at the expense of ourselves, but because living with love and grace in our hearts *is* for us too.

    Peace to you and your family. And keep on keeping on being awesome.

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  15. People will raise a glass before they raise their mask over their face. it’ll be a long while before we are free from the worry of covid and for what? impatience to lick a doorknob together? Well death is behind that door.

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