Anyone else just think it’s great that life is back to “normal”?

[curiousitygotthebetterofme]

After two years of covid restrictions, I mean.

Was just watching Glastonbury and looking at the big crowds of people there, it’s hard to believe we have had so many restrictions over the last two years.

This time in 2020 and even this time last year I never thought we’d get back to this level of normality, well at least not for an extremely long time so I just think it’s wonderful to see everyone back together and enjoying themselves again

Umm, who are you?

Contentious viewpoint but I have wondered that myself.

@ImJustMadAboutSaffron it's fact. Everyone I know stuck to every rule didn't touch family for months or leave the house, then when they did had masks and gloves, they've all had Covid, there's no escape . Me and me neighbour met up with the kids to the disgust of everyone, but we were the last to get Covid. We knew we would get it at some point so decided to prioritise the kids having fun. Was a bit worried at first that I might be wrong but me and fiends made our own decisions on Covid and have never been proven wrong

@skimper how would hospitals have coped pre vaccine if we didn’t have measures in place?

Perhaps those five huge specially built COVID hospitals with lots of intensive care units might have come in handy?
But they were barely used.

You mean the nightingale hospitals in repurposed venues like Excel? Very glad they weren't needed. Perhaps lockdown contributed to that?

I'd rather have hospital beds empty than filled with people drowning in their own lung fluid, having strokes, etc.

This is what I think too. I was a perfectly normal healthy 30 something with children when I caught a virus. It took a while to recover, or so I thought but after a couple of years of poor health I was diagnosed with a chronic health condition which means I will be vulnerable and pain for the rest of my life and my children have had to become my carers. If I lose my job, I will then be homeless and dependent on benefits etc etc. The impact that will have on my children's life chances is pretty horrific.
This kind of post viral illness can happen to anyone at any point.
I also think the NHS is in an irrecoverable state of flux and lack of capacity -again something you only know about when your loved ones desperately need help and it's not there or there are delays which mean prognosis is much poorer.
I absolutely want people to be out there having fun, going to events, doing what they like BUT I'd like to see people isolating when ill and widespread testing remaining in force.
A good example is our local GPs had to close for 4 days - both surgeries due to covid sickness amongst staff as people had knowingly gone in for appointments with covid.

Completely agree OP! Great to see everyone socialising and at festivals etc 😀

@toomuchlaundry they would have carried on and been fine. Lockdown , distancing etc changed nothing, everyone got it, everyone is still getting it, the only change is we stopped constantly testing. Everyone who stayed indoors for months wore masks gloves etc they have all had it, all that happened is they become a scared neurotic person who thought they would die if they touch someone. It was all for nothing.
So yes get out and have fun, if you get Covid be a bit poorly for a couple of days then move on

Everyone who stayed indoors for months wore masks gloves etc they have all had it, all that happened is they become a scared neurotic person who thought they would die if they touch someone

Never happened.

if you get Covid be a bit poorly for a couple of days then move on

And if you don't?

If you don't get it, or don't move on?

I just don't see the risk as any worse than other illnesses. Covid isn't a killer, it's just harder on vulnerable people just like colds, flue sickness etc

If you don’t realise hospitals and ambulances are overwhelmed then sadly you haven’t been paying attention.

Where were the staff coming for those again?

Covid isn't a killer, it's just harder on vulnerable people just like colds, flue sickness etc

Love the "just". Tell that to the 8,000 people who've died in Australia this year compared to the 2,000 before. All down to "life going back to normal". But then they're mostly old, so fuck 'em.

Irrelevant as they weren't needed

I'm really scared that there will be pressure to lock down again and all this freedom will go away again. I reached a dark place in early 2021 and I do not take our current open system for granted. Lockdowns are being reimposed in Europe and with the uncertainty around the Tory leadership I'm no longer sure that whoever takes charge won't want to "look tough on covid" or something and fall back in line with the calls for lockdown.

My only comfort is we probably can't afford another round of furlough...

I do understand people's lingering fear, but there isn't a chance in hell we're having another lockdown in this pandemic. The conditions it requires, particularly financial, aren't there.

Covid isn't a killer

@skimper tell that to the two tiny daughters of a friend of mine who died a year ago this week. He was younger than me and fitter than me. Covid still killed him.

Did I imagine all those deaths during the pandemic?

That would have been OK if they could staff them but they couldn't

Jeez what don't you understand about the hospitals were mothballed because they weren't needed.

This is the wrong forum to ask on, you’ll be bringing out all the hysterical posters from March 2020 who thought that bread and milk weren’t essential and that people were selfish for sitting on a park bench.

I agree OP, the normality is beautiful. I hardly even think about Covid anymore. It’s wonderful to see people being social, having fun together and travelling abroad. It’s costing me a fortune in seaside and zoo trips but it’s just got to be done after all that time inside.

I always remember when LBC's Theo Usherwood went MIA and then it turned out he had ended up in ICU with Covid. The guy cried upon his return. I thought 'okay, certain people ringing this station will finally stop thinking it only affects 'only' older and/or vulnerable people'. Nope.

I am not scared of Covid. I have had covid and it wasn't worse than the cold I have now (although, I was vaxxed and boosted when I caught it tbh). But we shouldn't forget about the people who were affected, and we should not kid ourselves that the first two lockdowns did not prevent deaths. People are still affected.

Jeez. What do you not understand about the happy as being mothballed because they couldn’t be used as no staff?

And that makes it ok, does it? And how are you defining harder on vulnerable people? My cousin hasn't been to school since the first lockdown because of his vulnerability.