Four more head-scratching weeks without golf and underage training as leaks arrive on time

It’s the afternoon of a government announcement. By this stage, we all know what that means…

Leaks and leaks galore. A Micheal Martin ‘address to the nation’ simply wouldn’t be held without a run-up of mysteriously-acquired information about the fate of this country for the next while. It’s gotten to the stage now where the leaks are so plentiful and so wide-ranging that the Taoiseach’s address has no real purpose. There’s an idea.

Yet again, some people will feel short-changed and frustrated by what are expected to be the latest announcements, which will keep us cooped up in level five, as we are, until April 12. Only then will the ‘5k limit’ be extended to allow individuals to travel anywhere within their counties.

The first chink of light won’t shine on the sporting scene until the following weekend, April 19, when inter-county teams are allowed to return to training. For some peculiar reason, golf courses and tennis clubs have to wait yet another week, which will make it almost four weeks from now until they can get back playing. The same goes for juvenile sportspeople, who will be allowed to return to non-contact training in pods of no more than 15 on April 26. The same juveniles who have been sitting in class-rooms for the last few weeks. The mind boggles.

April 5:
🛑 No change, for now

April 12:
🚦 Travel anywhere within county
👷 Home building to resume

April 19:
⚾️ Intercounty GAA training

April 26:
🏃🏻‍♂️ Underage outdoor sports training
⛳️ Distanced sports (tennis, golf)
🦍 Outdoor cultural venues like zoos/wildlife parks

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) March 30, 2021

With the level five lock-down yielding no return in terms of a drop in case-numbers, the cynic in you would have to question the point in forsaking the next few weeks for what appears to be rigidities’ sake. One of the few things you will see the experts agree on is that outdoor sport, especially for kids and especially on golf courses and in tennis clubs, is of no real threat to the case numbers so in that sense, what is the point in waiting for another 2/3/4 weeks?

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10