• Question: What effects will coronaviris have on Ireland as a country ?????

    Asked by lemon222 on 23 Apr 2020.
    • Photo: Ciara O'Donovan

      Ciara O'Donovan answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      It is very difficult to know yet as we are still in the middle of the pandemic. I would like to think that there will be some positive changes from this such as people having a greater appreciation for what we once took for granted such as being able to see people when we wanted. Many people may also now choose more flexible working arrangements incorporating working from home more if that suits them. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions we have it may put pressure on many businesses financially following this but I think as a country we were in a good position going into this crisis that we will be able to come out of what is to come too. Also I think people are much more aware about how diseases spread and going forward this knowledge will be sure to be beneficial.

    • Photo: Marcello Valente

      Marcello Valente answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      Dear Lemon222,
      as in most, if not every, European country we will have an economic depression due to the fact that many people couldn’t work.
      Thanks to modern Fintech technology and UE we will probably give and get help from other countries to restart the economic network.

    • Photo: Sonia Lenehan

      Sonia Lenehan answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      Hi lemon22! It is hard to know exactly how this will effect Ireland in the long-term. We will probably have a period where business will have some financial troubles but hopefully we can get through this period together. I think the way we work will change, allowing people who can work from home, which may help their work life balance and may help with the stresses some people have with having a job and a family. Hopefully people will be more aware of how diseases spread and the hygiene that is necessary to stop them from spreading.

    • Photo: Michael Nolan

      Michael Nolan answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      We are already seeing effects on Ireland – some are positive and some not so positive.
      I think you will see a move to working from home, without the very long commute to work that many people put up with. There are many jobs that can be done remotely without losing any productivity. This will mean less traffic, less congestion, pollution and some reduction in transport related emissions.
      Hopefully, we will see an increase in respect for science and the health professions and people see that this is the way out of the current situation and a reduction in pseudoscience and the rubbish associated with that.
      There will be a better community spirit throughout the country as people realise that the economy is not the most important thing and that to have an economy you have to have people.
      Apart from that, I hesitate to speculate as one never knows where the future will go

    • Photo: Louise Mc Grath

      Louise Mc Grath answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      Hi lemon222. That is an important question that everyone is asking right now. The future is very uncertain, at the moment a lot of businesses in Ireland is closed, and will probably remain that way for quite some time. This means that tourists may not be able to visit Ireland, we may not be able to buy certain things, and so on. We will have to see what happens, however, most countries in the world are experiencing the same issues, so we are all able to help each other out. Even in Ireland we see that everyone has rallied together to beat this virus by staying at home, so I think the future ahead may be difficult, but we will all come out of this stronger as individuals, and as a country.

    • Photo: James Sullivan

      James Sullivan answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      Hi Lemon 22,

      I’d say the same as the other answers here – it will be hard to now but we wont see full pubs, restaurants or sports rounds for a good while.
      We’ll also have a recession – but I think it’ll be hard to predict how long or deep this will be.
      Hopefully, at the end, we’ll believe less of what we read on facebook and more of what recognized experts tell us.
      I’d also imagine we’ll see much more working from home where it is possible.

    • Photo: Katherine Benson

      Katherine Benson answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      I think we’ve already seen some of the effects, as other scientists have said here already. We’re likely to have to keep up social distancing for some time, and we’ll have to change the way we work a little to keep each other safe. There will be effects for our economy and businesses, as well as for our health systems. It’s hard to say right now all of the effects, but we’ll have to all pull together as a country to overcome those hurdles.

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