Yesterday there was an ebullient mood around town: people smiling, wishing you well, wanting to get close to pet your dog. The government lifted Covid restrictions per advice from Nphet. No limits on outdoor crowds and household gatherings, hospitality open until late, no more covid certs for sitting inside bars and restaurants, no more social distancing, probably no more face masks after the 28th of February. The Taoiseach even said you could shake hands now. Today the cover of The Irish Times declares: "Emergency over".

I feel weird: I'm happy restrictions are lifted, but I feel shoved into a strange new world. Nothing happened for so long, you just got used to it.

The bar will open next week: no more free weekends. At the farmer's market Des snorted, "You'll be wishing for another lockdown." Sigh.




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