It was a week that sent cold chills down your spine. And I'm not just talking about the terrible weather that has visited us.
Dublin and Donegal in near lockdown and more counties under threat next week. There is an inexorable rise of cases and increased admissions to hospitals and intensive care units.
You can call it a second wave, surge or spread but the net effect is that Ireland is heading into familiar territory, unless the slide is arrested soon.
But the next lockdown - if it happens - will not be set against glorious sunshine, but rather dark evenings, cold and rain. This time it will be different and not in a good way.