A video of South William Street shared by Irish writer Stefanie Preissner has gotten a mixed online response with some describing it as ‘scaremongering’
The video, captured from within a moving car, takes in the full length of South William Street. Posted online by Irish writer Stefanie Preissner, the clip has garnered a mixed response with some claiming that it’s ‘scaremongering’. Sharing the clip with her 15k Twitter followers, Stefanie captioned the video:
“The crowds on South William St today. Lads, we haven’t a HOPE.”
Racking up over 400 retweets and more than 700 comments, many people seem to have taken issue with the video for trying to ‘shame’ those out enjoying the sunshine.
https://twitter.com/StefPreissner/status/1309865496158896133
Responding to the clip, one user pointed out that the city actually looked “exceptionally quiet compared to a normal Saturday in Dublin”, later adding that South William Street “typically has a very high footfall” due to the number of salons and small shops that call the area home.
Commenting that the large majority of people in the video appear to be adhering to public health advice, Twitter users were quick to jump to the defence of people supporting local businesses.
There's a real need for people to stop such scaremongering on social media. People are entitled to live their lives whilst acting within guidelines, don't try shame them for doing so.
Fair play, and very best of luck to all of our neighbours making the most of the fine weather. https://t.co/0i4pgSSrYx
— Grogans Castle Lounge (@GrogansPub) September 26, 2020
It’s a fine line, but we need to let people live their lives responsibly, social distancing evident in that video. We also need to keep our neighbourhood cafes & restaurants alive without shaming people who need to get out of their houses. 🤷♀️
— Jane O'Loughlin (@lockersj) September 26, 2020
“It’s a fine line, but we need to let people live their lives responsibly, social distancing evident in that video. We also need to keep our neighbourhood cafes & restaurants alive without shaming people who need to get out of their houses.”
https://twitter.com/Ciarabelles/status/1310027884971655169
Central Dublin was like Latin Quarter Paris earlier with all the outside dining. Streets hopping with people. Only a heavy shower away from utter desolation, I know, but still great to see. pic.twitter.com/tYavOkCIBk
— Frank McNally (@FrankmcnallyIT) September 26, 2020
Others agreed with Stefanie however, with one local man writing:
“I don’t understand how anyone could look at this and conclude that it is anything but a hotbed for the virus. Our ICU capacity is minimal. It’s absolutely not scaremongering to say we haven’t a hope with this carry on. How do you think the virus is being spread?”
https://twitter.com/paddyod_97/status/1310015845838581760
Header image via Twitter/Stefanie Preissner
