Sporting world still upside down but there’s light at end of tunnel

Inside Track with John McIntyre

THE optimists among us didn’t think last summer that Ireland would still be at the mercy of Covid-19 come the following spring. Some form of normality had returned last July and August as many businesses reopened and most sport resumed even if crowds were very limited.
Daily transmissions of the virus were nearly down to single figures and there were days on end when there were no recoded fatalities. Social distancing was still a way of life and hand sanitisers were everywhere, but the overall outlook was encouraging. Covid-19 was in retreat.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out that way. Ireland like much of Europe and the USA is now in the grip of a third wave of the virus and we are currently in a lockdown which will at least continue until the end of January. Retail life with the exception of supermarkets is virtually extinguished, while only sport at elite level is allowed to continue.
There are lots of other restrictions which continue to turn our daily lives upside down. Depression and despair are widespread, while unemployment figures are soaring again. So many businesses have gone or will go to the wall. The days are long for many and boredom is crippling a big section of the population.
Leaving aside going to or participating in matches, look at all the other things we took for granted that we can no longer do. Restaurants and pubs are closed; so are hairdressers, cafes and fashion retailers. Swimming pools and gyms are off-limits as well, while you can only train on your own outside of elite sport.
Holidays to sun spots or the annual ski voyage are in the realms of pipedreams, while international travel is also seriously compromised. All the while, you are obliged to wear a mask indoors in any place that remain open. This is a completely foreign existence to us, but understandably governments and health authorities are not for turning.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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