We’ve made a decision to distance ourselves from reporting on the Coronavirus pandemic in Wexford…
We feel it’s important that we keep our followers in the loop and highlight the rationale behind our decision. From the beginning, we’ve been consistent with daily updates about the coronavirus in Wexford.
We’re aware that some people follow Wexford Weekly solely for their daily Coronavirus update. This article is published for those people.
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Changes in society:
It was much different at the beginning. At the beginning, when we were forced into lockdown, when travel restrictions were imposed on us, when people were cocooning, when we were working from home with the kids beside us, and when we couldn’t attend the funerals of our loved-ones, the coronavirus inevitably dominated our worlds.
Whether you turned on the TV or the radio, or if you were scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, the majority of the content, the articles, and the discussions were all Coroanvirus-related.
Now, as we write this on June 13, with some of the main restrictions lifted and with many businesses reopening, the new normal that was discussed so much about beforehand, no longer feels like something out of a dystopian novel. Businesses have reopened, people are meeting up in groups, we can visit our loved ones again, and cocooners are no longer cocooners.
As predicted, the Coronavirus, which once dominated our world, is now a virus that we are learning to live with alongside us.
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Rationale:
Whether it’s a retail outlet, a shopping centre, or a supermarket, businesses are moving on and we, as people, are learning to move over to accommodate for the creation of this new normal.
Just as retail outlets, shops, and businesses are placing their two-metre guidelines on the floor and are encouraging people to use sanitiser upon entry and exit, as a publisher, we aim to do something similar.
Like the shops and businesses, we realise the virus isn’t gone.
It’s comparable to an average break-up; we went through a rough patch, we discussed the problems, but eventually, we both decide that it’s now just best to move on.
As a progressive website which aims to provide you with relevant news, we feel that time is now.
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Recent Daily Updates
Over the course of the pandemic, overall, we’ve been a fortunate county. We have 216 confirmed cases of the virus. For a county with a population of over 150,000 people, that is incredible. We boast the second-lowest rates per-capita across the whole Republic of Ireland. No doubt, this was down to the desire and the will of the Wexford public.
During the heights of the coronavirus in Wexford, we reported on some quite scary increases. Two that come to mind include the increase of 23 confirmed cases on 22nd of April and Wexford’s 93% week-on-week increase – the highest nationwide – on April 27th.
Those were the heights of it all though, and thankfully, now on June 13th, the virus is not as prevalent as it once was.
This is reflective in the daily updates and the streak that Wexford had without a newly confirmed case. The county recorded no daily increases from May 20th to June 5th, fifteen days in a row. On June 6th, two cases were confirmed which brought the tally back up to 216. However, since June 7th, Wexford have been on another streak. Five days and counting, again. Hopefully, 6, 7, 8, 9, and so on…
We’re of the opinion that if we continue to provide updates highlighting how there’s no coronavirus cases here, we should also start providing updates about how other things across the local community have also remained the same, such as:
– Wexford Bridge still stands in Wexford
– Water found in the River Slaney
– No UFO landed in Gorey today
– Yellow object seen in sky
We’re sure you get the gist.
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Doom vs Gloom:
We could keep posting daily updates. Writing them would only take a couple of seconds, and of course, it’s some positivity.
However, constant updates highlighting this could lead to complacency too. We succeeded in flattening the curve, and decreased cases were inevitable, but let us also remember that this virus does still exist and we are still going through the phases.
As long as we embrace this new normal, we work together, respect each other’s space, and don’t rush things, we actually might be ok.
We’re all hoping that we don’t have to return to a situation where we’re forced back into a lockdown-like scenario. A second-wave of the Coronavirus would be disastrous for us all, however, it would be irresponsible to rule it out too.
That’s why we, as a growing digital media publisher, will continue to check the daily updates. For ease of access, these press briefings, which include the county-by-county breakdown tables, are available here on the Government’s website and will be available at approximately 6:30-7:30pm each evening.
If we are hit with another wave, if things drastically change, or if we see new spikes hitting Wexford, then our stance will change and we will revert to providing daily updates on the Coronavirus in Wexford. Let’s hope that does not happen.
But, as of right now, with Wexford experiencing a new normal and as we learn to live with the virus, the time is right that we digitally distance ourselves from this virus.
If you’re still interested in daily updates about the coronavirus in Wexford, we suggest you follow the following:
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Links & Recommendations:
