Don't Save The Date...

[AtW]

They need to be pushing (relaxation) back now, hard, but they won’t

[Scorp1]

why would they do it
it will wreck the economy or whatever is left of the economy

I don't know, but what is noticeable is the pattern on how they seem to be promising certain dates then moving the goal posts , which they have done yet again .

[AtW]

Looks like the government are aiming for zero covid

What made you think that?

[SueEllen]

Looks like the government are aiming for zero covid, which is impossible.

I once again ask, what is their definition of done?

I may have to write to my MP and see if she continues to ignore me.

No the government's aim is to avoid news pictures like hospitals in Italy and India ( plus care homes in Spain).

As staff are pissed off and many want to quit or are quitting if there is any hint of hospitals being overwhelmed the pictures will emerge, regardless if the government decrees another news blackout.

It also means the government can argue that they were right to delay their public enquiry while destroying records if the records existed in the first place....

[SueEllen]

I don't know, but what is noticeable is the pattern on how they seem to be promising certain dates then moving the goal posts , which they have done yet again .

They never promised certain dates.

The dates were always the "earliest" and they had 4 indicators that fed into the dates going ahead.

[Scorp1]

They never promised certain dates.

The dates were always the "earliest" and they had 4 indicators that fed into the dates going ahead.

I see your point.

How many people do you know that have had covid ?

[Lockhouse]

I see your point.

How many people do you know that have had covid ?

Actually lots. But I still think it's time to relax the rules. If not now, when? All the vulnerable who want it have been jabbed. It's not about the Government doing the right thing, it's about the Government not being seen to do the wrong thing. Hopeless way to run a country.

[SueEllen]

All the vulnerable who want it have been jabbed.

They haven't which is why local health authorities and doctors are chasing people including to have their second jab.

[krytonsheep]

Actually lots. But I still think it's time to relax the rules.

We've currently got exponential growth, so I think the gov want to make sure they don't accelerate it even more. Plus another four weeks should give them a better feel for the interaction between cases and hospital admissions / death.

[agentzero]

Actually lots. But I still think it's time to relax the rules. If not now, when? All the vulnerable who want it have been jabbed. It's not about the Government doing the right thing, it's about the Government not being seen to do the wrong thing. Hopeless way to run a country.

It's difficult to know what to define the word "vulnerable". I can understand the caution being raised. Some say it's changing the goalposts, but we didn't know the effects of covid19 until the last 8 months. It was binary early last year: die or survive. The number of people I work with who aren't feeling back to normal after having covid and the list of complications are indeed worrying.

What I mean by worrying is: If we assume new variants appear regularly in the UK, potentially even more contagious and with better efficacy at causing such long term effects, will the economy be worse hit longer term than if we limit certain industries now?

For example: I can live without nightclubs and I understand the need to somehow limit social contact in establishments. Spending hours with your friends in a garden and having a good time limits the spread to those contacts at that time. In a pub you are with many strangers from all walks of life and unfortunately that rapidly accelerates a wide spread of covid19.

If people have longcovid and are unable to work to their normal level then it is possible we could have a substantial percentage of the population who don't participate in normal work or society for a substantial amount of time. We've protected the elderly from death with huge social sacrifice and mental health issues emerging for many. Is the next stage of empathy to try protect the vulnerable to longcovid? It seems to be people aged 22 to 44 that are most affected by post-covid symptoms, which includes intolerance to exercise, even walking being difficult and massively increased negative effects on mental health, with over a third of people who have had non-asymptomatic covid going on to interaction with their doctor about mental health issues within a few months.

It's a crazy virus and I think some slight caution for a few months or even a year - while not stopping you seeing your friends, family, loved ones and even co-workers - seems a very tame requirement until more is known about 'long covid'. I have friends who had covid at home last year, hard workers and good guys. A few of them can't exercise properly now and it's as if they are 80 years old, yet they are early forties. These are formerly fit guys. We shouldn't lock everybody up because of this but similarly if we allow people to create variants and spread them there won't be any holidays abroad for a while to come yet, because other countries will be worrying if any of these variants bypass existing vaccines.

In a few months every adult across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England who hasn't refused the vaccine will be vaccinated with two doses. Then open stuff up and expect a steady stream of previous vaccine refusers to also get vaccinated.