Is this really the end

[Beatinghearts]

It look like. It’s finally the end of this and everyone will be getting back to normal.

[TheKeatingFive]

Impossible to say at this stage.

However barring the emergence of a totally vaccine resistant bogey variant, it probably is the end of the acute phase, moving into long term management phase.

[Bordois]

I'm sure there will be someone coming along to bang the doom drum about variants and vaccine evasion but I think TheKeatingFive is right.

There will likely be an increase in cases around autumn/winter time as there is with other viruses so its more about how to deal with that as well.

[SmidgenofaPigeon]

Yeah but some people honestly won’t know what to when they’re not hand-wringing over covid. Some have bloody loved it

[frozendaisy]

Think it's the end of the extremity of restrictions.

End of Covid, end of all restrictions, end of annual boosters and testing if symptomatic, not so much.

People will be expected to assess their own risks very shortly. So nearly the end of most of it yes.

[ComDummings]

Hopefully 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[GoldenOmber]

Yes I think so, for us in this country at least.

[123rd]

I really hope it is...but I don't understand why so many OUTDOOR events that were due to take place have now been cancelled. Just yesterday in the local press 2 big events (1 sport 1 music ) towards the end of summer have already been pulled.

[Dongdingdong]

Yes it is. Hurrah!

[Wellbythebloodyhell]

@123rd

I really hope it is...but I don't understand why so many OUTDOOR events that were due to take place have now been cancelled. Just yesterday in the local press 2 big events (1 sport 1 music ) towards the end of summer have already been pulled.

I've seen a couple things being mentioned about outdoor events being cancelled for insurance reasons, whether its just too expensive or unable to get insured in the first place I'm not sure. I can imagine there's so much more red tape than there ever has been before

[actiongirl1978]

It is the end. I firmly believe it. But I've been pretty optimistic since the vaccines started to announce late last year.

Cant wait. We will have to go back to posting about MILs and dodgy PTA requests instead of endless covid threads hurrah!

[Bluntness100]

Yes I think it’s the beginning of the end for the Uk in a few weeks we will be back to normal and any further lock downs hugely unlikely. I say beginning of the end, because travel will still be dependent on other countries progress.

[Bluntness100]

The reason they have been cancelled is due to lack of insurance, if they go ahead and something goes wrong and the government says it’s not permitted the whole cost is down to the organiser to pay for. So they are pulling them, it’s too big a financial risk to take.

[MonsterMash2210]

Possibly the beginning of the end for us at least yes.

I think that testing, vaccines, increased hygiene, and possibly masks and social distancing will be needed for a while.

This Autumn/ Winter is looking promising at the moment, but it’s possible that some restrictions may need to be back in place. I think (hope) a full lockdown can be avoided though. I wouldn’t want to discount it completely though.

I guess my thoughts are we can be cautiously optimistic.

Covid will never go away completely, and other Countries are still really struggling. This is why I don’t really think we can completely let our guard down. Especially since it’s looking like we are not going to prevent foreign travel in and out the country.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Yes

For us. But we MUST vaccinate the world or we will end up with worse variants

[Lovingspring]

Hopefully in the UK. I wouldn't say so for the poor people in India & some other countries.

[123rd]

Yes , I get the whole insurance need but does that mean they don't have enough confidence in things not going back to normal?

[squashyhat]

No. It will recur in the autumn just like most seasonal viruses do. But hopefully our vaccination programme and other measures will have been/be enough to keep it within flu-type bounds.

[RedAzalea]

yes

but i think theres now new problems to contend with

financially. Eventually businesses will be forced to noticeably increase prices. Restaurants,all leisure, holidays etc.....i think its all going to become out of reach for many of us. I'm in retail (non food) and due to availability problems and extra demand,sme of the natural products we sell have shot up in price at source

cinemas...whats the state of those? I think it will be like back in the 70's when everything was a massive treat due to being way too expensive for the average person

hope i'm wrong though

[Fitforforty]

It’s the start of the end in the U.K. but some restrictions will continue and we will see an increase of numbers over the summer and again in autumn. If you look at Brazil and India it’s far from over.

[ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere]

Not the end, but the endgame.

On the festivals, you may well believe they’d probably be able to go ahead just fine in August. I do as well. But I wouldn’t stake my business or my house on that “probably”. Would you?

[CarrieAntoinette]

@Beatinghearts

It look like. It’s finally the end of this and everyone will be getting back to normal.

Of course it isn't.

Q) What's better now than the autumn/winter of 2020/21 where the peak was allowed to build so large that 80,000 British people died, and most of us were in restrictions most of the time?

A) 23.8% of the U.K. population I has had two doses of vaccine. 52.1% have had the first dose. Some surge testing. Easier availability of tests.

Q) What is the same?

A) B117. The U.K. variant is still here and it's still dominant. The U.K. government covid policy still has no plan or mechanism to suppress the virus and prevent another wave, or adequate controls to prevent new variants entering the country and seeding the community.

Q) And what is worse now?

A) The other variants that are also here, General fatigue with restrictions after more than a year of this shit. The pandemic worldwide is accelerating, not slowing down, the latest variants of concern demonstrate no sign of covid becoming less dangerous, we're opening up and done people seem to think the pandemic is somehow over.

[ssd]

I think its looking really positive, as theres a 3rd vaccine in the pipeline for over 50s. The scientists must be working flat out.

[savethegrannies]

End of lockdowns? It depends what the current government (AKA Sage) decide.
End of broader restrictions? No chance. They are still advertising for Covid Marshalls going into 2023.

[Respectivehomelands]

CarrieAntoinette

Always the same misery from same posters. Wise incognito will be along soon with more doom ...

[Overthebow]

@123rd

I really hope it is...but I don't understand why so many OUTDOOR events that were due to take place have now been cancelled. Just yesterday in the local press 2 big events (1 sport 1 music ) towards the end of summer have already been pulled.

Because they won't know until mid June if they can definitely go ahead or not or what measures they might need to put in place so they won't have enough time to get everything in place. It's likely the events will be allowed but they won't actually be able to go ahead because of logistics. They need more than a few weeks of planning.