The shielded are being told to stay home for another twelve weeks after the initial twelve weeks....AIBU to think this is going to increase the gap between disabled and non disabled?

[AlternativePerspective]

I know several on the shielded list who have now received additional letters from the government telling them that they are required to shield for an additional twelve weeks after the first twelve week shielding period expires.So that leaves the vulnerable shielding until September at the earliest,and I can only imagine this will increase as time goes on.

Now,in principle I can see why this is the advice,after all with no vaccine or proven treatment yet the vulnerable are still going to be at the greatest risk, but while when everyone was in lockdown everyone had to be taken into account re work etc,once lockdown starts to ease, employers are rightly going to be expecting people to go back to work,and realistically how is that going to affect someone who is shielded for the foreseeable future? Are employers, who are already looking at lost revenue, going to take that into account?

And people like me who are currently looking for work, does that mean I have to stay unemployed for the foreseeable as well?

I’ve seen a lot of posts on here from people saying that the shielded are selfish if they go out because they know they’re at greater risk so if they choose to go out then they’d be taking up a valuable bed if they get sick.

I can only foresee that this is going to make the divide between the disabled and the non disabled in this country bigger than it already is.

I honestly dont know what you want op-to not shield anyone? i agree emplyers shoujld be supportive if yiouve had the letter but apart from that i dont know what you want to be done

By asking them to shield they are denying them possibly the last of their time with loved ones - It has killed me not being able to see my Dad he is on minus 9 months and counting. I can hear he is tired and there won't be much longer for him with or without covid. I have been keeping extremely busy to avoid thinking about it but its like he has already gone I am grieving already to be honest and its HARD.

But on the flip side I see the issue but I just think they should be allowed to decide for themselves

What do you want the government to do? Miraculously cure every vulnerable persons illness? Needlessly keep the invulnerable at home? It's just advice anyway, you don't have to follow it if you don't care for it.

I think though the stats will be squewed as most countries are shielding people so say fewer CF /diabetics/asthmatics etc out and about so tbh i would be very concerned if they were the ones dying. Just as going forwards i expect fewer 70+ to be dying as they can not go out.

At least the shielded have a little protection whereas vulnerable ones will be back at work.
And people wont accept that these people have greater risk than some elderly. (60-70+)

What @Lockheart said.

Well, that depends how you define disabled. A lot of people are not well-educated about disability, but the definition of disabled is anyone with any kind of medical condition or impairment that has a long term effect on their life. Chronic / serious illness is absolutely considered a form of disability.

Of course not everyone with an impairment/medical condition considers themselves to be disabled. I got mightily yelled at here for suggesting that the concept of people with impairment choosing whether to “identify as disabled” or not was okay (and not some kind of evil trans scheme), but “disability” was always a matter of whether an individual considered that their condition disabled them or not. For example within the disabled community it’s common to write deaf as D/deaf, because some deaf people consider being deaf to be a disability and some do not.

If you are a transplant recipient and it causes you long-term impairment/issues, or you have chronic breathing issues, or any form of chronic illness, you absolutely fall under the list of conditions considered to be disability. (Of course it’s your choice whether to identify as disabled or not.) Too many people assume disabled=physical impairment ie wheelchair, and that simply isn’t true.

I’m also slightly perturbed by all the people saying things that seem to imply that they can’t be considered disabled because they work. Most disabled people work! Being able to work doesn’t mean you’re not disabled.

Of course there are still plenty of people shielding who don’t count as part of the disabled community (people with short-term serious illness, or transplant recipients who don’t have any lasting impairment). And of course many disabled people who aren’t shielding. But generally disabled people are far more likely to be shielding.

To the OP: yes this absolutely will increase the divide between the disabled and able-bodied communities, and there’s already such a sharp divide. I and some of my friends in the disabled community have published articles over the past few weeks exploring how this is worsening already sharp divides. And the government doesn’t seem to have any real action plan for shielding people, and ensuring that people who are shielding are able to access financial support, or any plan for how/when shielding people will be able to resume work.

I was speaking to someone the other day who works in schools and they were saying as employers, once schools are opened, if someone states they can't work in the school as they are vulnerable they will only accept the shielded letter to allow this. If you have not been asked to shield then you will need to come in. Wonder if it works the other way, so if you have been asked to shield they won't let you come in, as their insurance won't cover you.

Incidentally shielding people CAN choose to ignore the advice to stay indoors completely. It’s not a law. And doctors have been telling people with conditions that are terminal that it’s their choice, out of respect that someone with only a short time left might make a judgement call about spending that time with loved ones.

I think people misunderstand the purpose of shielding, it is to protect the general population not the shielded. We’re being asked to effectively put ourselves under house arrest, not hug or cuddle our families for months on end. We never get mentioned in any meaningful way during the press conference and there’s tonnes of confusion. I got my letter the week before last, no texts, no support nothing.

There’s a portion of the general public who couldn’t live with only exercising once a day and staying home with family they can touch. Now it’s saying that another 3 weeks lockdown is too much for people etc but the shielded are just left in confusion and isolation and we don’t seem to matter, it’s for our own good.

I’m not disabled, I’m under 40, fit and healthy and have an active lifestyle. I’m finding it really hard, god knows how people who live alone or with no gardens etc are coping.

Strangely with all these extra 12 weeks rumours I’m yet to see anyone’s actual letter, but I don’t doubt it will be extended.

I agree that there is a situation emerging that is ‘them and us’.

@notsureofname. A new group was added to the shielded list a couple of weeks ago, a few different conditions. It could be that but I would call the dr to clarify as there has been so much confusion.

The letters say they can decide for themselves. And have to say if i were predicted less than a year to live i would be out and about after lockdown.
The problem is mainly for young shielded and vulnerable, workers and parents or children.
For my parents 70+ im not sure being shielded or not matters that much as they are retired and aside from supermarket deliveries they and us are behaving as we would if they were just 70. Ie not visiting.

Ideally we would fund shielded (and maybe vulnerable) to move to hotels etc so their family can work/go to school if they want. It is just not practical for couples and people with children to be able to avoid passing covid on in a house. Making those people basically unshielded anyway

Yes the letters were sent out last week. 12 more weeks I know will be hard, but you have a society that cares enough for you to want to pay to protect you. We could just say everyone out of lockdown, and if you at great risk thats your problem.

The country needs to start paying for everything so that we can continue to look after those that are vulnerable.

I see the issue but I just think they should be allowed to decide for themselves

...but they are. People can choose to ignore the shielding letter, or act on better more personalised information from their HCPs. They can go out as much as anyone if they want to. I'm bewildered as to why people think their "choices are being taken away".

I’ve had a search and can find no reference at all to people being told to shield for an extra 12 weeks. I know some people have had more recent duplicate letters in error or ones which advise 30th June as deadline now but none for an additional 12 weeks

One shielded person I know received a letter last week instructing her to stay home for another 12 weeks.

I don't know what the alternative is though so unfortunately YABU? We can't all stay home to ensure opportunities are equal. And if it is relatively safe for healthy people to get back to work, we need to do so.

I agree that it will magnify inequalities and the social isolation, particularly for those who live alone and/or are socially isolated anyway is extremely worrying. It's been said a million times, but all this isolation is going to create a huge MH crisis that some may not survive. But what is the alternative - tell everyone to go about their business and hope for the best? No one can be confined to their home against their will - they are being advised to self-isolate, because the alternative may well be death if they catch this fucking virus. I have two family members who are confined to their home and we all know that's likely to be the case until a vaccine has been developed. That is the horrible, inescapable reality. One of them has blood cancer and the other has a heart condition. If either/both of them catch it, they could well die. So job search and rejoining society or 12-18 months shielding, then hopefully first in line for vaccination? That's the reality.

I'd like school places to be protected. I'd like some educational support in place if this becomes long term when the healthy go back to school. I'd like jobs to be protected where possible so that employers must prove that it is simply not possible to continue their work at home before they lose their job to a healthy person because it is simply more convenient. I'd like people to stop being dicks but I don't think that will be covered by any legislation I can think of.

@Biscuit0110 Did you get a letter ? I think this is chinese whispers

Shielding does not equal disability. 3 of my colleagues are shielding; one has diabetes, another unstable asthma and the third has just recovered from breast cancer and also has fibromyalgia. I wouldn't class any as disabled.

Nagev (with the new baby) could you hire a live in childcarer may be if you can afford it to help with the baby - obviously make sure they don't have CV19 before you hire them.

Jenny Harries has certainly suggested at some of the daily briefings that it is extremely likely that many of those currently required to shield will be released from such restrictions as it becomes clearer which conditions actually have the greatest risk of death from the disease. Unfortunately beyond continuously reviewing the science in order to narrow the list of those required to shield as much as possible there is little other than shielding that can be done to protect those who are at the most risk, and it economically isn't possible to keep a similar level of restrictions in society for the time that it will be necessary for them to shield.
It also makes little sense to expect businesses, many of which are already struggling due to the pandemic, to continue to fund the wages of those shielding unless they can productively work from home (in which case it is in everyone's interest that they do so), so it is almost certainly the case that those shielding will face a reduction in income in the not to distant future (personally I believe the best option is to treat those shielding in the same way as those on statuary maternity so that their job is protected and they can return at little notice when it is no longer needed for them to shield whilst the financial burden on their employers is heavily reduced).

The letter I am aware of advising another 12 weeks was dated 27 April.

I wouldn't class any as disabled.

Some of those conditions are considered forms of disability. You personally might not consider it to be, but an awful lot of non-disabled people are not well informed about disability and what forms of illness are considered to be disability.

Of course it still depends on whether the person identifies as disabled or not.

Well, that depends how you define disabled. A lot of people are not well-educated about disability, but the definition of disabled is anyone with any kind of medical condition or impairment that has a long term effect on their life.

Well, no, that actually isn't the definition. The definition is someone who has a long term physical or mental health condition which has a substantial and long-term impact on normal day to day activities. Long term is usually considered to mean that it has lasted for 12 months or is expected to last for at least 12 months. And some conditions like HIV, cancer and MS are considered disabilities from the point of diagnosis regardless of whether they have an impact on everyday activities or not. By your definition millions of people would qualify who are not remotely disabled.

When patronising people for not being sufficiently educated, one should always double check that one's own education isn't somewhat lacking.

Not heard of this,
Does anyone have an actual source, or link?
As at the minute it seems very "my neighbour's friend's sister said...."

I know lots of people received second letters, but I’d be intrigued to see the wording specifically says an additional 12 weeks or if they are duplicate letters of the first and have been sent when the additional groups were added, meaning some got notified twice.

The gov advice on line was June 30th last time I looked and I think that’s for everyone no matter when the letter was received, the letter was just a template. I think it will be updated before then and extended but I think the confusion is high.