Opinion

A long hard winter ahead as 'lockdown light' is announced

First Minister Arlene Foster lays out details of further restrictions in the assembly chamber
First Minister Arlene Foster lays out details of further restrictions in the assembly chamber First Minister Arlene Foster lays out details of further restrictions in the assembly chamber

By the time Arlene Foster took to the podium to deliver the detail of 'lockdown light' must of the restrictions were already known, leaked in bite sized chunks.

Political journalists had already put in a late shift at Stormont on Tuesday night, eagerly awaiting the result of the lengthy deliberations by Sinn Féin and the DUP.

There was a lot of stop, starting and promises of white smoke, but in the end all were sent home to sleep on it, as the three smaller parties digested details of what was, without doubt, a compromise on all sides.

As of last Friday senior Stormont sources were talking up the likelihood of a three or four week circuit break starting this Monday.

A much more severe form of lockdown than we now face, but one that seemed to have the cautious support of senior ministers.

However, when Arlene Foster posted an online video on Monday morning, talking down that prospect, it was clear something had changed over the weekend.

The DUPs powerful Westminster lobby strongly opposed to restrictive lockdowns, with blame being fired at UUP health minister Robin Swann for the struggling NHS, which urgently needs more capacity.

A united front no more, now replaced by the blame game.

The closure of schools for an extended holiday the most controversial aspect of yesterday's announcement. Northern Ireland is now only the second place in Europe to have closed schools twice.

The DUP had of course pledged this would never happened again, but with schools struggling as more and more teachers and pupils are sent home to isolate something had to give.

The hospitality industry is on its knees, the end of furlough this month will mean lights out, for some businesses and further pain for others as they head into yet another four week lockdown.

However, retail will remain open as will gyms and childcare facilities.

Will this be enough to slow the spread?

Sinn Féin and the DUP who worked alongside medical and scientific officers to devise the plan will certainly be hoping so.

The general public will once again be expected to trust those decisions without any real scrutiny, as the science and modelling behind the latest restrictions has not been made public.

Ireland is now divided North and South on two very different Covid regimes, what that means for border counties in the coming weeks, again an unknown.

Until now the two administrations, while stopping short of an all island strategy, have followed a similar path.

This is the first real divergence from that and one that will disappoint Sinn Féin, who had repeatedly called for political co-operation and an island wide strategy.

And so over the next few weeks we are unlikely to hear politicians stand at a socially distanced podium and tell us they are "following the science" as they did so frequently in March and April.

For the control of the pandemic has become a much more complicated juggling act, one that requires taking into a consideration a range of views and trying to do find a way to protect two competing forces, the health service and the economy.

Once again the public is being asked to bunker down for the greater good.

However, lockdown light is being enforced in a very different conditions to where we found ourselves earlier this year.

This may not be as severe, but for those who have already lost work or those facing unemployment that will come as little comfort as they look ahead to a long, hard winter.