SHANE McGRATH
Dire need for patience as lockdown resolve shows signs of fraying
IRELAND has changed even more radically than was supposed. According to the drastic restrictions implemented in March, we are, until tomorrow, obliged to mix only with members of our own households and in all other cases, maintain two metres of space to everyone else.
If that measure has been faithfully upheld by everyone, then there are a number of households in the west Dublin area composed of groups of middle-aged men with a passion for cycling.
The old nuclear family is truly consigned to the realm of forgotten things in this new Ireland.
There was, for instance, the group of six who sped through Phoenix Park on Friday morning, chatting enthusiastically in a manner that suggested these people have not spent the past two months stuck inside the same four walls.
Their bikes were sparkling, their gear figure-hugging – and there was a lot to hug.
They were followed soon after by a larger, more motley group who alternated between footpaths and the road on ramshackle bicycles. They lacked the sophisticated apparel and they were no more part of the one household than the group ahead of them.
The sense that people’s dedication to lockdown has begun to fray has been detectable for days now.
There has been little evidence, thankfully, of the abandonment of measures that the medics insist have helped to keep people alive.
But the dedication of some is clearly flagging. Play dates appear to be back, and the commitment to keeping the required distance apart in shops has become watery.
It was inevitable that this would extend to exercise, too, with groups of cyclists and runners now a common sight again on roads and pavements.
And the tensions that have arisen as a result are a foretelling of the angst that will be an inevitable part of trying to re-open the country.
The conduct of runners has been a sore point for weeks. Their refusal to cede the path to pedestrians, especially elderly people, or those pushing buggies or accompanied by small children, has provided the radio phone-ins with bountiful material.
Much of the frustration at runners stems from the belief that because they are more likely to sweat than pedestrians, they could spread the virus through perspiration as they pass.
That has since been disputed by some public health officials and appears, like the early impression that children were virulent spreaders, to be a misapprehension that has caused needless stress.
Some runners do have terrible manners, though, and the sight of grown men insisting on holding their line and obliging an octogenarian in a mask to dash onto a grass verge is a pathetic one.
However, running on the road creates danger for the jogger and can be a hazard for drivers.
It also comes with the risk of upsetting cyclists and heaven help the person that does that.
Some of those who have heaved themselves back onto the saddle are in a terrible hurry to be somewhere else. In their heads they are, perhaps, inching up Alp d’Huez on a crucial stage of the Tour de France, reeling in Nairo Quintana and Chris Froome on the way to winning back the yellow jersey.
That some of these heroes feel the need to use footpaths when it suits them, despite the danger this poses to walkers, makes the smart outfits and the sleek shades seem a little ridiculous.
The frustrations that the various road-users share were around long before Covid-19, but they are in danger of being heightened in a time when we must be scrupulous about hygiene and how we conduct ourselves around others.
Elsewhere in these pages today, the effect that the current crisis has had on recreational sport in
■ THIS COUNTRY badly needs a new government. That is not breaking news, but the point was given a fresh impetus on yesterday afternoon with a joint statement from Minister for Sport, Shane Ross, and his junior, Brendan Griffin.
They were announcing the establishment of an expert group to advise on the return to sport. The first reaction was how is this only now being established? And the second was, just get on with it.
Ireland is recounted. Researching the piece was an important reminder of how vital sports like cycling, running and triathlon are for hundreds of thousands of people, from disparate backgrounds, in every part of the country.
That they can slowly start resuming activity is a tremendous good news story. It will mean improvements in their physical and mental health, and it is an important part of old, treasured lives that can be reclaimed.
While it is useful to hear frustrations about how some recreational athletes behave, it is also worth remembering that those who behave selfishly or irresponsibly are a minority.
Just a modicum of consideration for others means everyone can share public spaces we should all regard with renewed appreciation.
Soon, we will be required to do so in more parts of general life as restrictions are lifted.
It will prove much easier with a little patience.