A chara, – Paddy Murray writes that the decision to lift the requirement to show vaccination status was made "for reasons which have more to do with popularity than common sense" ("Restrictions are lifted, but I'm not sure that's going to help me much", Health + Family, February 15th).
It is understandable that the relaxation of any of the restrictions will cause concern to some people.
However, all restrictions imposed since March 2020 are emergency measures, described in their own terms as exceptional, and each of which needs to be justified as proportionate. Each of the regulations made under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 has included in its title the words “temporary restrictions”.
In the nearly two years since then, the measures imposed by the Minister for Health have varied in response to circumstances, including the prevalence of the virus and its variants, the rate of vaccination, and a greater understanding of its means of transmission. At each stage, restrictions were required to have been a proportionate response to the circumstances at that time. The Government has of course made decisions over these two years on the level of restrictions that they were rightly criticised for, either for being too permissive or too restrictive.
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According to Our World in Data, in the months from July to November 2021, the numbers in ICU steadily increased. In that context, a requirement to show vaccination certificates could be considered to be proportionate. However, from the end of last year, those same numbers have been falling. It was reasonable for the Government to respond to that, including by the removal of that same requirement. Indeed, a change of that sort may have been required for the response to be considered proportionate. The trend of numbers in ICU declining has generally continued since the revocation of restrictions on January 22nd.
The Government retains the statutory power until the end of March 31 st to reimpose temporary restrictions (which may be extended by the Oireachtas until the end of June). If there is a re-emergence of a deadlier strain, that may indeed be a proportionate response. While the virus remains within the population, each of us must of course continue to take personal responsibility, both for our own health and those around us. – Is mise,
WILLIAM QUILL,
Dublin 8.