Surely social distancing can’t be permanent

[mummabear1967]

Anyone have any predictions on how Much longer social distancing will be a requirement for?

They say it will probably be until a good majority of the population have immunity to the virus either naturally through herd immunity or through vaccinations.

But what if they never find a vaccine? Are we just expected to distance from one another for the rest of our lives?

Will there ever be a day we can just walk into a supermarket without having to queue outside or follow a one way system?

Our local Tesco had no queue OR one way system about 3 hours ago.

I am of the opinion that a vaccine will be similar to the flu vaccine; it will cover certain strains but it may not give complete immunity, therefore the virus wont be eradicated. It will come back every year in some form.

I think SD wont be imposed, but it will be sort of trained into us to a certain degree. I think we will start to naturally take more space to queue so distance from those around us, we will avoid crowded places if there are too many people, we will use a lot more hand gel and wash our hands more and maybe use masks on the tube more. I think it will be a somewhat permanent change of mindset.

But, to answer your question, I dont think they can actually enforce it longer than the end of the upcoming flu season, so my guess (and it is a complete guess as I have no actual information to back this up) would be maybe February of next year.

@SqidgeBum

I am of the opinion that a vaccine will be similar to the flu vaccine; it will cover certain strains but it may not give complete immunity, therefore the virus wont be eradicated. It will come back every year in some form.

I think SD wont be imposed, but it will be sort of trained into us to a certain degree. I think we will start to naturally take more space to queue so distance from those around us, we will avoid crowded places if there are too many people, we will use a lot more hand gel and wash our hands more and maybe use masks on the tube more. I think it will be a somewhat permanent change of mindset.

But, to answer your question, I dont think they can actually enforce it longer than the end of the upcoming flu season, so my guess (and it is a complete guess as I have no actual information to back this up) would be maybe February of next year.

Interesting! Yes I do think people will just start to distance naturally - p.s @SqidgeBum do you think we will ever get normality back as it was before March?

I guess it will become just another disease like meningitis, to most people eventually.

Why would a vaccine work if antibodies don't stay in the body after natural disease...

Sorry OP. I think a lot of people are happy to accept all this as permanent.

I quite like the norm that you dont get too close to people anyway. I don't feel the need to get close enough to cuddle everyone you meet out and about. Feels a bit gross we ever used to really! You see how disgusting people are on the tube.

In terms of policy, we were told at least until December.

Yes and no. Not officially. But I think that most people will resist crowded commuter transport and packed-in places for a long time yet.

I assume it'll be until next spring. No large indoor events and working from home might see us through.

@mummabear1967 yes I think eventually things will get back to normal. Humans have short memories and have adapted to accept a variety of risks and diseases over the years. I think we will come to accept the risk of covid 19 too. We may have no other choice to be honest.

I think people will become more and more relaxed with it and SD will end up running its course within 3 or 4 months; government guidelines or not.

I'm beginning to wonder! Hope it ends soon.

I keep thinking about a book series by Mira Grant. It’s ostensibly about zombies, but really it’s about propaganda and the role fear has in social conditioning. The book introduces things like testing and decontamination stations before you can enter your own home. People have come to accept that this is just how they have to live.

I do wonder where we will end up. Which measures will become permanent because they are necessary, which will last because of inertia, and what dangers will be ignored, because that is just how humans do things?

I would guess it will last until around March next year. People are getting worried about what will happen in winter when everyone is back indoors and it's cold and flu season. Also nobody knows what's going to happen with the schools and lots of people still haven't gone back to work.

In my normal day to day life SD is manageable although I'm missing my workmates and can't wait for the kids to return to school. But I haven't seen my family since August (they live in the far north of Scotland) and I don't know when I'll next see them. Probably not this year because you can't stay overnight in a house in Scotland yet.

I’m wondering when the pandemic will be officially declared as “over” by the WHO.

The swine flu pandemic started in March/April 2009 and wasn’t declared over until August 2010.

anyone think it’ll be late 2021 before this one is officially “over”?

If ever. And there will be others. I think the use of the phrase 'back to normal' is similar to expecting things to get 'back to normal as things were in the days of Queen Victoria'. What was normal for the past cannot and will not return.