Are you confused about how to celebrate Christmas? If you are, you’re probably in the majority. Because when the food-serving pubs open next week, I’ll visit – but, if they’d remained closed, I’d be just as understanding. It depends on who you chat with. We either open everything, or we keep everything shut. We want a happy Christmas, but we most certainly don’t want a drab January. So what do we do?

You’ve got to feel sorry for the decision-makers here. NPHET remind me of the football manager proclaiming: “I’m not interested in the opposition. We just concentrate on our own game.” Meanwhile, Government acting as adjudicator is akin to the match referee, booed by half the stadium.

The role of NPHET isn’t to run the country. They don’t make economic or social decisions. If it was totally left to NPHET, presumably, their advice to Cabinet would be to stay at Level 5 until there isn’t a single case for around two weeks running. But of course that’s not practical. So instead, Cabinet must perform this high-wire act; trying to keep us happy in terms of health and gathering a few quid to oil the economy. Who wins?

Broadcasters have become obsessed with texts and tweets. That’s fine, but inviting people to comment this way tends to attract a cacophony of wild personal solutions to a global pandemic. Medics, who study this business for a living, are being second-guessed by Mary in Mallow and Tom in Tuam. Dr Gabriel Scally, the public health physician and visiting professor of public health at the University of Bristol, alluded to severe consequences in the new year in a recent RTÉ Radio appearance.

He is quoted as saying on air: “If we have a very merry Christmas and meet lots of friends and relations, I fear in January and February we may be burying some of those friends and relations. That is the cruel truth of the virus.”

Later, Dr Scally felt compelled to tweet the following: “The state of the replies (on this). The pandemic is real. COVID exists. People are dying.”

Volley of abuse

It must have been in response to the volley of abuse he was subject to by tweeters, who believe they’re more qualified to tell us how we should celebrate Christmas.

Look, we’re all betwixt and between regarding how to get on with life. An example is how publicans have been placed in a no-win position.

On the one hand, some will reluctantly open so as not to lose loyal customers to competitors who are definitely opening. On the other, they’ll be at their wits’ end to ensure the safety of those customers and staff against all manner of rules and regulations. That’s not to mention forward planning regarding recruitment and food orders. Also, in going all out to try and make as much money as possible under Level 3, they do so knowing it runs the risk of forcing the reintroduction of Level 5 and their closure for more months in 2021. Dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t.

Instead of finger-pointing and curtain-twitching, can we please get back to basics? Mask up, social distance, wash hands and – most of all – employ a bit of cop on. There’s no end to this pre-vaccine, Christmas or no Christmas. Actually, I ask: when will people stop going on as if they’ve got the perfect solution?