Deflated after tonights press conference

[TFInearlyspring]

Hi,

Was starting to feel a bit more positive - a bit lighter, but it sounds as though people are already behaving like we're out of lockdown, according to latest hotspot data.

I felt a difference earlier today when walking the dogs. I noticed there were bigger groups together, likely not the same household. I haven't seen this in such bulk for months.

Please someone tell me this is just a blip.

[Babyroobs]

I felt like this last weekend. We went for a walk round a local country park and it was packed with people quite a few in large groups, teenagers clearly not from the same household. Then again from next week they'll all be mixing at school anyway albeit with regular testing.

[ballsdeep]

I really don't know why anyone is surprised at this. Since they gave the exit date, people are banging on about it like we are waking up on the 21st June covid free. This is the problem, I can't understand why the government do this. It was was same at Christmas and then look where we were in Jan!
Of course people are gathering more, I've seen it loads.

[Whatever9999]

A big point was made that the link between case numbers and hospitalisation/deaths has been broken thanks to the vaccine. Sounds pretty positive to me!!!

[Thatwentbadly]

What happened in the press conference?

[BananaHammock23]

It's the weather I think. I live in a coastal town and it seemed like there were loads of people around today, but they weren't in groups. I'm staying optimistic and hoping it's just because the sun's shining, not because people are getting lax!

[Petitmum]

I think there is a real danger that some people in England have heard the proposed dates and taken that as a sign that they can relax...........in a sort of "if I can do it in a few weeks there is no harm in doing it now" sort of way!!!
I'm glad I live in Wales where the approach is different.

[ssd]

You seen it on mn straightaway, people euphoric at the thought of freedom and all this going away in June.
Except it wont. And now it will get worse.

[ssd]

@Petitmum

I think there is a real danger that some people in England have heard the proposed dates and taken that as a sign that they can relax...........in a sort of "if I can do it in a few weeks there is no harm in doing it now" sort of way!!!
I'm glad I live in Wales where the approach is different.

Same as Scotland. There was utter dismay that our government weren't giving dates of when it's all over. But the plus side was people are still on guard.

[MoirasRoses]

We really don’t need to panic about outdoor mixing. The risk is tiny. I wish people would stop loosing the plot about it. We know it doesn’t cause a problem!

Yes. People who are inclined to break the indoor rules will do so but most would have done so regardless of the roadmap. I spent an hour with two friends & our kids in the park today (coincidentally, we all live in the same village and we’re enjoying the nice weather). I really don’t feel it was a risk in anyway but I wouldn’t dream of meeting indoors at this point. I long too but I won’t. I think a large enough average of people will take this route as well.

It’s time to shift focus away from cases numbers & look actually at hospitalisations & death. That’s the problem. And the vaccine seems to be making a big difference already. Lots to be hopeful about!

[Mrsmadevans]

More people out and about but not groups. It's the weather l am sure. Everyone still using masks & gel , social distancing. The ones that are in groups are the youngsters tbh, yrs 7, 8 &9 it looks like to me .

[PracticingPerson]

This week hasn't been the best week. It feels like last year again to me. I know the vaccines make a huge difference, but we are not out of the woods yet and people are very impatient.

[Crazycatlady83]

Try not to be down hearted about it. In our area the cases rose all last week, today they are back to the point they were in before the rise. I think as lockdown eases (and people are relaxing - hopefully just outdoors where the risk is less), the cases will fluctuate. The important thing is we don’t lose sight of the fact if the vulnerable have been vaccinated and are 22 days + clear, hospitalisations and deaths will not increase. I guess that’s the message - hold on!

It’s hard because I think if Bojo hadn’t announced lockdown easing in some format on the 22nd, the population as a whole would have just said “fuck it” and not stuck to any of the rules (which obviously would have been a disaster as we are only on group 6 now!)

[TheDuchessofHaste]

Of course it's going to rise again, the schools are going back. Kids from thousands of households will be freely mixing even if the adults don't, so cases will rise again. And then schools will close again. And not vaccinating teachers who stand there all day in front of several hundred pupils from different classes with no PPE will bite the government on the bum when they all get sick and without teachers there's your childcare gone and your education and we are all back at home where we started. It wasn't random cases were low over summer and as soon as schools go back up the numbers come

[User7538943]

The places with higher cases near where I live are very obviously because of the demographic of the area not people sitting on benches or talking in the park

[nordica]

I noted how Jonathan Van Tam said there are still about 40 million jabs to give (1st and 2nd doses combined) before the top 9 priority groups are really protected. And yet all you see on threads here is people saying the vulnerable have now been vaccinated it's all fine... His analogy about being 3-1 in the lead in a football match not being the time to let your guard down because the other side can still win was a good one.

[KnobJockey]

@TheDuchessofHaste they won't close them again if cases rise. They'll close them if hospitalisation numbers rise. They don't care about how many people get the virus, they care if the NHS can cope. As long as those numbers are dropping/ staying the same, the number of positive cases could be in the millions. And those numbers will drop, because of the vaccine.

[Pixxie7]

I think the government needed to give some hope but to be fair they have said that these dates are subject to change depending on the data. Hopefully things will continue to improve.

[ChocOrange1]

[quote KnobJockey]@TheDuchessofHaste they won't close them again if cases rise. They'll close them if hospitalisation numbers rise. They don't care about how many people get the virus, they care if the NHS can cope. As long as those numbers are dropping/ staying the same, the number of positive cases could be in the millions. And those numbers will drop, because of the vaccine.[/quote]
Yep. Cases wasn't included in the "tests" required to move onto the next stage of lifting restrictions. Cases without hospitalizations don't matter.

[peak2021]

It was more honest than the usual bluff and bluster from Mr Johnson, and this was welcome.

As for the people out and about, there will be a lot fewer from a week on Monday once children are back in school.

[Loopylobes]

I'n not at all surprised.

Once children are back in school their families will see any other sort of mixing as far less of a risk so they might as well do it.

I suspect there will be another surge of hospitalisations and deaths before the vaccination effect catches up.

[Dustyboots]

You seen it on mn straightaway, people euphoric at the thought of freedom and all this going away in June.
Except it wont. And now it will get worse

This is just what I was saying @ssd on the day the roadmap was announced.

People on mn were being ridiculous. Head over heels in excitement for Boris and his latest load of lies. Of course this will make it worse.

[Lynora]

They have to give us the fear to try and control us. It doesn't really matter how many cases there are if the they don't end in hospital cases and death. Which is the whole point of the vaccine.

[HugeAckmansWife]

100% agree that case numbers will becone far less important. Millions get common colds every year but we don't record it or worry about it because its not harmful to most. As vaccines come through, as a pp said, hospitalizations and deaths will fall dramatically and that's what matters. The R number ceases to matter if what is being passed around is no longer lethal to many at all. We can never be Covid free, or death free and I am more worried about prolonged OTT measures than I am about groups of people outside at this point.

[Beaniecats]

[quote KnobJockey]@TheDuchessofHaste they won't close them again if cases rise. They'll close them if hospitalisation numbers rise. They don't care about how many people get the virus, they care if the NHS can cope. As long as those numbers are dropping/ staying the same, the number of positive cases could be in the millions. And those numbers will drop, because of the vaccine.[/quote]
This, I don't think people grasp this
Compliance is rocketing downhill thankfully and so an exit date has to be set as it's going happen anyway
Let's move on now. No more hysteria, covid police, ban on seeing our families

[Barbie222]

And not vaccinating teachers who stand there all day in front of several hundred pupils from different classes with no PPE will bite the government on the bum when they all get sick and without teachers there's your childcare gone

Ah but you see, parents have no choice but to grin and bear it when schools close. The government knows this and can take the credit for the opening while shifting the heavy lifting onto parents when schools inevitably close - just like before! They really won't care about that.