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Tighter restrictions have been announced tonight to curb the spread of Covid-19, and the concept of “social bubbles” is part of the government’s new plan.
Under the modified Tier 5 measures, people cannot visit other households and can only meet another household in the open air, away from home, within a 5 km limit.
However, when announcing the plan, Taoiseach Mícheál Martin said that people who live alone, or who are single parents, can mate with another household in a “bubble of support.”
There are also exemptions to compassionate and childcare visitation restrictions.
What is a bubble?
A bubble is an exclusive social network where members can have physical contact with each other, but not with anyone else.
Other countries have introduced the measure to allow people from multiple households to meet and interact with each other indoors as if they lived in the same house.
The extended home approach works on the basis of exclusivity and has enabled people to facilitate the care needs of children, as well as alleviate the social isolation of those who live alone.
Since multiple households are considered a single household, if someone in a bubble shows symptoms of Covid-19, then the entire bubble must be isolated or quarantined to prevent further spread.
In Ireland the concept of bubbles has already been used to some extent in schools where each classroom is described as a bubble and the children are subdivided into groups.
Speaking at RTÉ’s Politics Week, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris described comments made by Labor by Brendan Howlin and Rebecca Moynihan in support of social bubbles as “valid.”
“We must try to implement a system that is sophisticated to understand that no one should be left alone,” said Minister Harris.
The New Zealand approach
New Zealand introduced the term bubbles as part of its initial Level 4 lockdown in March, whereby people were instructed to stay within their individual domestic bubbles.
Individuals living alone or with complex child care needs, who could expand their bubble to encompass a “friend.”
Those who had to go to work were also assigned “job bubbles” in which a small number of colleagues participated.
As the spread of the virus slowed, the bubbles were allowed to expand to include multiple households and incorporate isolated people, caregivers, friends and family.
The advice was to expand to other people “where it will keep you and them safe and well.”
The UK approach
The focus of bubbles has varied across different jurisdictions in the UK.
In general, UK councils emphasize that limiting all social interaction is preferable to reduce the spread of the virus, although difficult.
However, it has allowed people to expand their close contacts with other households.
When a bubble or extended household forms, all members of the bubble are treated as one household.
This means that if someone in the bubble develops symptoms or tests positive, everyone else in the bubble should follow the instructions to stay home.
People are encouraged not to travel outside of their local area because of its bubbles.
In North Ireland, a bubble can form between two homes of any size, but no house can be part of an additional bubble.
Meetings are still limited to a maximum of 10 people at a time.
The bubbles can be changed if fourteen days have passed since the last home visit.
In England, “support bubbles” allow a single adult household to interact with another household of any size.
These bubbles must be exclusive and cannot be changed.
The two houses are now considered as one house and
A similar system is applied in Scotland where adults living alone or only living with children under the age of 18 can form an “extended household” with a household of any size.
A household should not form an extended household with more than one other household.
The deal may end, but no new extended households should be formed.
In Welsh, people can create an “extended home” with up to three more homes.
While four households of any size can be used to form this bubble, indoor gatherings should be limited to six people at a time (not including children under the age of 11)
No person can be part of more than one extended household, with the exception of children who live in two households.
Bubble benefits
A review of the New Zealand approach by the London School of Economics found that the bubbles helped isolated people, vulnerable people and people with child care burdens to get the support they needed in a way that is likely to minimize the spread of the disease. virus.
He said other governments should frame the bubble’s expansion as an act of care or support rather than a return to normalcy or a social pleasure.
The LSE report said the policy should not be framed as ‘relaxation’ or ‘relaxation’ measures, as this can lead to increased anxiety about the approach and give the impression that people are reckless to take advantage of it.
The authors also supported the use of the term “bubble” instead of “extended home” because it evokes the principle of containment while remaining threatening, flexible, and fragile.
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