The Careless Society: Holborow on Gender, Care and Homes in Modern Capitalism
Sinéad Kennedy
Abstract
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) characterised the spread of
coronavirus (Covid-19) as a global pandemic. With no natural human immunity, the virus
spread rapidly across the globe. Two weeks later, the Irish government announced the first of a
series of stay-at-home orders, or lockdowns, as they came to be known. The first 120 day
lockdown, the longest for any country in Europe, was followed by a further lockdown later that
year, which extended into 2021. When the government finally declared the end of their
pandemic measures, over 1.7 million cases had been officially confirmed and 9,366 people had
died. When compared to other countries, there were some positives in the Irish state’s1
response to Covid. Although it could certainly have done more, the state at least attempted to
prioritise health and safety, it provided economic support for people to stay at home and
organised one of the most efficient and successful mass vaccination programmes in Europe. As
schools and workplaces were forced to close, over 1 million people relied on the state for all or
part of their income.
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