Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[101]

19 minutes ago, djchapsticks said:

In addition to this, there should be no realistic reason, as restrictions are lifted gradually and vaccine uptake increases on a massive scale, for us to ever again be anywhere close to the level of restriction that we've had imposed on us for the past year.

I'm still understanding of the restrictions at this point in time and I'm on board with the gradual lifting of them whilst the population are vaccinated - even if that takes several months to fully do so but as we now have a vaccine and treatments, there should be no circumstances where we end up bouncing back and forth through the tiers and having lockdowns held to our collective heads like a gun for 'not behaving'.

Once we reach the point where they do decide to end lockdown and we gradually begin dropping down through the tiers, any return to a point where society is again threatened with tightened restrictions or mass closure would be absolutely catastrophic given the constant rhetoric of the vaccine being the saviour of lockdown.

Very sensible the only possible caveat to that is continuing Test and Protect and quick lockdown on new and *markedly* different strains.

Edited January 19, 2021 by 101

[Todd_is_God]

14 minutes ago, 101 said:

Very sensible the only possible caveat to that is continuing Test and Protect

Errr no. Why? What are you wanting to protect in this scenario? Those protected by their vaccine, or those at incredibly low risk?

15 minutes ago, 101 said:

quick lockdown on new and *markedly* different strains.

Hancock-esque goalpost shifting. Bin.

[tamthebam]

2 hours ago, Todd_is_God said:

It's helpful in that it reinforces the message as to why there is a need for restrictions to remain in place for about 3 weeks following the completion of vaccines for a particular at risk group, but that's about it.

The media in the UK have been utterly dreadful throughout the whole debacle tbh.

"Newspaper: a device unable to distinguish between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilisation"

George Bernard Shaw

[BaaBaaBlackSheep]

 

 

 

[10menwent2mow]

One thing that concerns me at the moment is how accepting people are becoming of the restrictions. Talk of it being April until what is essentially 'lockdown' is lifted and folk going, ah well, that's OK then. That's 3 full months of it being pretty much where we were in March of last year, longer if you were in a tier 3/4 area prior to the tier 4 restrictions coming in on Boxing Day.

The parameters on which lockdown is justified seem to change to suit that very objective. It feels like one day we hear about new cases, the next it's hospital admissions, the next it's ICU numbers, the next it's deaths, the next it's percentage of positive tests and there appears little to no context for any of these figures other than that they are bad. More people get tested, more people are positive, people only go and get tested if they are symptomatic, higher percentage of positive tests.

I dunno, maybe I'm ranting and howling at the moon but the prospect of it being April until we are released from tier 4 other than the possibility of schools going back utterly utterly depresses me.

[Todd_is_God]

12 minutes ago, 10menwent2mow said:

One thing that concerns me at the moment is how accepting people are becoming of the restrictions. Talk of it being April until what is essentially 'lockdown' is lifted and folk going, ah well, that's OK then. That's 3 full months of it being pretty much where we were in March of last year, longer if you were in a tier 3/4 area prior to the tier 4 restrictions coming in on Boxing Day.

The parameters on which lockdown is justified seem to change to suit that very objective. It feels like one day we hear about new cases, the next it's hospital admissions, the next it's ICU numbers, the next it's deaths, the next it's percentage of positive tests and there appears little to no context for any of these figures other than that they are bad. More people get tested, more people are positive, people only go and get tested if they are symptomatic, higher percentage of positive tests.

I dunno, maybe I'm ranting and howling at the moon but the prospect of it being April until we are released from tier 4 other than the possibility of schools going back utterly utterly depresses me.

For me personally the acceptance of that is based on the time being used wisely to enable us to start methodically moving away from restrictions at that point, and not be looking back.

The last 10 months have been utter shite, but if putting up with tighter than desireable restrictions for another 2½ months means we never need to do anything like this again, and can start looking forward to enjoying life again then f**k it, just get it out the way.

Appreciate not everyone will feel that way, and if it doesn't pan out like that i'll be absolutely fuming tbh.

Edited January 19, 2021 by Todd_is_God

[Theroadlesstravelled]

57 minutes ago, BaaBaaBlackSheep said:

 

 

 

School children?

I thought under 16s were exempt.

[10menwent2mow]

For me personally the acceptance of that is based on the time being used wisely to enable us to start methodically moving away from restrictions at that point, and not be looking back.
The last 10 months have been utter shite, but if putting up with tighter than desireable restrictions for another 2½ months means we never need to do anything like this again, and can start looking forward to enjoying life again then f**k it, just get it out the way.
Appreciate not everyone will feel that way, and if it doesn't pan out like that i'll be absolutely fuming tbh.

That's the thing though, there appears to be very little in the way of a strategy for moving out of lockdown other than 'once we've done some vaccines and then we see how things are going then we'll look at easing restrictions'

I get that they maybe don't want to get folks hopes up and that they don't want to set a defined road map incase they get burned. However, we were told at the very beginning way back in March that it would be a few weeks, then maybe a couple of months, here we are 10 months down the line and we are being told the same thing. Just hang on for another 8/10 weeks and even then it looks like we'll be going back to some sort of tiered system where a wee outbreak will lead to the possibility of almost full lockdown in your area again.

[Dons_1988]

BBC news reporter this morning reassuring people in the north of england that they are in fact allowed to leave their home if it floods

What a time to be alive. 

[Bert Raccoon]

Looking at it, if we're moved back to Tiers  around March and gradually down the Tiers from that point, the majority will I assume be in Tier three for a good period of time which to me is still no real life at all, can't go see anyone indoors, can't go out for a drink or even go out at night for something to eat but we'll be made to feel how lucky we are to be in that position. Sick of it tbh.

Edited January 20, 2021 by Bert Raccoon

[Rugster]

9 hours ago, Bob Mahelp said:

The '45 to 64' category surely comes under 'non vulnerable' ?

It covers a huge 20 year age gap, but as far as I'm aware there's no plan to vaccinate this group anytime soon. In fact those aged 45 to 49 may not get vaccinated until well into the summer. 

The fact is, as much as we all want restrictions lifted ASAP, if hospital admissions in those in non vaccinated age groups continues to remain high, there will be absolutely no chance of restrictions being removed quickly. 

Vulnerable does not equal old. 

[Billy Jean King]

See my post above.

Anyone who thinks the SG are pursuing a policy of zero Covid is as daft as Devi herself

There is zero evidence to support that claim. It's even more mental given where we currently are in relation to hospital / ICU admissions and deaths. These are now the key metrics and unfortunately we are not even at the peak yet going by the figures.
I could buy the ZC claims if we had seen those measures dropping consistently for say 4 to 6 weeks and there was still no hint of any talk of relaxation but we are miles away from that. We are approaching the peak hopefully but we are absolutely nowhere near any position that allows talk of releasing restrictions and that has nothing to do with a ZC fantasy !

[Ron Aldo]

Looking at it, if we're moved back to Tiers  around March and gradually down the Tiers from that point, tha majority will I assume be in Tier three for a good period of time which to me is still no real life at all, can't go see anyone indoors, can't go out for a drink or even go out at night for something to eat but we'll be made to feel how lucky we are to be in that position. Sick of it tbh.

I'm at the point where I'd bite your hand off to be back in tier 3 tomorrow which is quite worrying to be honest. Like you say, it's still pretty shit but it's better than what we have at the moment (albeit I can accept the reasons for the current restrictions).

[Billy Jean King]

Anyone else get a letter through the door from NS today? Seemed to suggest we’re only putting up with these restrictions until the vulnerable are vaccinated. 
I have this horrible feeling though that we’re still going to be required to socially distance right throughout this year. Just a hunch. 

It's hardly a hunch. We are being told this will be the case on a near daily basis by every medical and scientific expert. I have yet to see anyone from these spheres say there will be zero restrictions this summer after lockdown such as it is ends and like it or not they are guiding the narrative. Restrictions on trading will be lifted so it will no longer be a financial issue I expect but I haven't heard yet claims from those influencing policy that there will be an end to masks, SD, travel restrictions etc. The only place you hear things like that is via social media.

I'm not saying I agree it's just what I see and hear. Anyone expecting pre pandemic normally this summer is setting themselves up for a massive disappointment unfortunately as there seems to be no mood music to that effect anywhere bar sites like this and Facebook.

It all depends on individuals expectations I suppose.

[101]

8 hours ago, Todd_is_God said:

Errr no. Why? What are you wanting to protect in this scenario? Those protected by their vaccine, or those at incredibly low risk?

Hancock-esque goalpost shifting. Bin.

Because we aren't going to get 100% of the population vaccinated, test and protect ought to become a standard operating public health framework for all infectious disease outbreaks.

I don't think it's goalpost shifting to be frank, the virus will continue to spread almost completely unchecked in a fairly large % of the world, should a more deadly strain be imported or even a strain that has the same levels of hospitalisations but is even more transmissible, then obviously work should be carried out to see if the vaccine provides protection. If they don't then bringing back every level of restrictions should be a reasonable thing to do.

[Billy Jean King]

Because we aren't going to get 100% of the population vaccinated, test and protect ought to become a standard operating public health framework for all infectious disease outbreaks.
I don't think it's goalpost shifting to be frank, the virus will continue to spread almost completely unchecked in a fairly large % of the world, should a more deadly strain be imported or even a strain that has the same levels of hospitalisations but is even more transmissible, then obviously work should be carried out to see if the vaccine provides protection. If they don't then bringing back every level of restrictions should be a reasonable thing to do.

Why are we not going to get everyone vaccinated ?

It's been publicly stated that by September all adults in the UK will have been offered the vaccine. I can't see C19 mutating into a child killing disease so there should be no one at risk not being offered vaccination by late summer.

Other countries are a concern but as long as we are monitoring the virus globally it should be manageable for a country that has vaccinated its adult population.

[10menwent2mow]

I'm at the point where I'd bite your hand off to be back in tier 3 tomorrow which is quite worrying to be honest. Like you say, it's still pretty shit but it's better than what we have at the moment (albeit I can accept the reasons for the current restrictions).

This is kind of what I'm getting at. High levels of restriction like tier 3 have become our 'new normal' and we are just becoming accepting of it completely. As the poster said above, it is no life whatsoever.

[hk blues]

2 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

Other countries are a concern but as long as we are monitoring the virus globally it should be manageable for a country that has vaccinated its adult population.

You don't agree then that until we are all safe, nobody is safe? 

[10menwent2mow]

If they don't then bringing back every level of restrictions should be a reasonable thing to do.

If restrictions such as we've faced for the last 10 months are constantly around the corner then the game is a bogey.

[Aufc]

How many covid deaths are acceptable so people can get a bevvy in the pub?

Comments like this can get absolutely fucked. People are not wanting solely to get a bevvy in the pub. People are just looking for some normality. For some people, this could mean sitting in a pub with their mates. For others, it could be sitting in a park with various friends. Humans require social interaction.

I am not saying that this comes at the expense of peoples lives. However, we are almost a year down the line and we are literally back at square one. However, the difference is there is a vaccine which should offer some form of end game. Instead we keep getting hit with absolute shite saying restrictions may need to be in place for much longer than they need be. There is clear guidance on when they think the end game will be. We are getting constantly hit with this new variant pish which we know is nonsense.

So, no, people are not solely focussed on the getting a bevvy in the pub. However, that is just an example of some form of normality that people are looking for and are, quite rightly, looking for some clear direction as to when it will happen. The longer this goes on, the more non-covid deaths will be caused by it.