Sir, – From next week, public transport returns to full capacity, subject to the compulsory wearing of face masks
Meanwhile, Covid-19 health restrictions on public religious worship will continue, with attendance in smaller churches limited to 50 people, with compulsory masks and two-metre social distancing.
This means that 70 people could cram on to a bus and travel to a church to attend mass, but only 50 of them could actually go into the church, despite the fact that even the smallest church would be at least 10 times the size of the bus.
(Coincidentally the average bus commute in Ireland is 45 minutes, which is about the length of an average Catholic mass.)
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What “science” lies behind this nonsense?
The Government clearly has no intention of bringing this unconstitutional targeting of religious gatherings to an end.
Sadly, it seems the Catholic bishops and other religious leaders have no intention of doing so either.
– Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH
Clontarf, Dublin 3.
Sir, – The ingenuity of the Covid-19 virus to recognise the relative importance of GAA matches and thus influence the levels of safe, permitted attendance is extraordinary.
On August 22nd, 40,000 were permitted to attend the hurling final.
As the game between Kerry and Tyrone six days later on August 28th was only a semi-final it was only safe for 24,000 people to attend.
I am sure this makes sense to someone. – Yours, etc,
BILLY HANNIGAN,
Dublin 12,