Lockdown’s unforeseen side effect... FOGO ( That’s fear of going out)
WEEK One into the road map for reopening the country concluded on a high note with the Taoiseach suggesting that his ‘slow and steady approach’ could be accelerated if the virus remains suppressed. That must be music to the ears of the dormant business community, eager to see commercial activity resume as soon as possible.
And to the general population who, after a fairly brutal lockdown, are anxious to recover some degree of freedom.
Returning to work, even for one or two days a week, is a milestone on the road to normality, as is the resumption of some form of childcare or schooling and the recovery of a semblance of social life so that towns and cities which were so abruptly drained of vitality can find something of their old rhythm again.
Yet, bizarrely perhaps, this prospect does not stir universal excitement. It now appears that many people are so uncomfortable about returning to work in the middle of a pandemic that there may be a deluge of workplace disputes that could overwhelm an apparatus like the Workplace Relations Commission.
A reluctance to return to normality, despite the lifting of Covid restrictions, would tally with a Lancet study of people who were quarantined because of potential SARS contact. For weeks after the quarantine period had ended, 21% of those who were isolated were still avoiding all public places, whether they were crowded or not.
Employers who have introduced all necessary workplace safeguards will want to know the reasons for their staff’s reluctance to return to work. The hesitancy could be based on practical issues like lack of childcare or the financial advantages of the special Covid payment of €350 a week over their regular salary. With figures showing that more than a third of workers are better off with the pandemic payment, even the
Taoiseach admits it could be a disincentive to return to the workplace.
But while practical problems can ultimately be addressed, fear is another issue entirely. Deep-seated fears can be irrational, they can stray into the realm of paranoia where the person absolutely refuses to be assuaged by soothing noises about safety protocols or the hard facts about the eradication of coronavirus from the population, save from meat plants, nursing homes and direct provision centres.
These people who appear terrified to go out in case they catch the virus and maybe pass it on to vulnerable loved ones may be