Will things go back to normal faster than anticipated?

[Emcont]

I personally believe there will come a point, sooner rather than later, where people will want their normal back. I guess as we are seeing that already with how busy places are.

My mum believes the opposite, that the effects of this on the public will hang around for months. She believes queuing outside shops will be the norm now as will face masks and gloves.

What’s your opinion?

I’m ready to go back to normal. But I don’t think it will be allowed to for a long time.

Did you see the press conference last night? You can do what you want now. Follow your instincts.

Thanks to Mr D Cummings Esquire we can now all do what the fuck we want

There has to be a compromise with more freedoms in some areas and restrictions continuing in others surely.

I suspect it will be months still. This will likely end with the vaccine.

But we’ll adjust. Life will feel normal-ish with a few restrictions.

The psychological impact will linger for quite some time though.

I’m sure most people ‘want their normal back’ but the virus isn’t going anywhere and so the same risks remain and lots more people will die of this, thats just a fact. Social distancing and no large gatherings until there is treatment or a vaccine - or through widespread testing you know that the people you’re mixing with either don’t have it or have the antibodies and want to take the risks that that means they can’t get it again. Doesn’t sound normal to me?

I think due to the actions of DC people will not pay attention to government advice and decide what their own new normal is. Consequently we will be in wave after wave of infection/lockdown for a very long time. All because of one stupid man.

Two stupid men @mrsjg

I think there will be far more small breaches of the rules. We haven't seen PiLs since Christmas, they're together but in their own and miss us, especially the children.

It is now much harder to say that we can't drive for an hour to have a cup of tea and a chat in their garden than it was a couple of days ago.

I think would have happened anyway. People are getting sick of lockdown

The oxford vaccine group are now saying they think i they’ve only got a 50% chance of success as infection numbers on the UK are falling so quickly they won’t find enough people to test!

I’m hoping we are back to normal sooner rather than later. I can cope with queuing outside Tesco - it just adds another half hour on to an already tedious chore. But I want to GO PLACES and DO THINGS and if I never go for another sodding walk it will be too soon.

I've never really minded lockdown before, but my DD (12yrs) is really struggling now, and I would really like her to be able to go back to school and have something else to think about. I am also really want to go back to work even though I'm wfh anyway - as my life has shrunk, it seems that my brain is shrinking too.

I agree with you @Emcont, from what I can see people are already out and about, willing and waiting... it will be as businesses make their own decisions to start back up that people will just start using them again regardless of whether it’s part of the official roadmap.

I think for us in Scotland NS was misjudged in keeping us under different lockdown conditions and I think people have largely chosen to follow Boris’s advice (well businesses have anyway).

With regard to normal in terms of social distancing, certainly among family and friends I have bumped in to or actively chosen to see, the 2m rule is barely observed. That will fall away very quickly as soon as the next level is lifted.

Social distancing with strangers will continue I think (but really, when didn’t we generally keep our distance from strangers when there was physical space to do so?) but I think 2m will quickly become a selective 1m (ie people will make subconscious decisions about who to give a wide berth based on appearance and other superficial judgements, which will have its own effect on societal hierarchy and individual mental health).

In general I think it’s business that will decide. Obviously the likes of gig venues and gyms are going to have to sit tight. But almost every other business will start opening up regardless and if you build it, they will come!

Social distancing for the indefinite future. Can't be any other way if we are to protect the vulnerable.

Sadly I think that were already just about there. Neighbours have been having big get togethers at their homes.
Two + neighbours had get togethers last night.
The visitor parking bays are becoming more scarce each day.
This week I've struggled to leave our estate because of traffic (which before was only at rush hour times)
Traffic is terrible in our area again.

I hear upper schools will be going back as of 15th June, this seems too quick. I've honestly offered DD the option of a home tutor who could potentially socially distance and tutor her instead of being in a class full of other children.
DH will be going back to work when he can, but he will be taking measures to distance himself. Madness really that numbers are still quite high, and were faced with the prospect of a semblance of normality again.

I think it will be a while before shops, pubs, clubs, schools etc are all fully open so I’m not sure why folks seem to think they can do as they please, they can’t, not if things remain closed.

As for compliance. The government didn’t expect the level of compliance that was attained, I think the modelling was done on 75 or 50 percent compliance and the numbers were up in the high nineties.

Companies need to get back to work, furlough ended, so I think the Dominic Cummings thing has played into the governments hands as they want people to now start getting back to normal, to have people, schools, unions, stopping fighting it.

All the Cummings thing has done is stopped the Focus on I can’t go back it’s too dangerous and moved it to, I’m going back and I’ll do as I please.

Strategically it’s a win for the government who were really struggling with the public refusing to go back and being supported by the unions in not doing so.

The Dominic effect will be to hasten some bits eg people visiting friends and family.

The opening one of shops / hairdressers / restaurants etc will be dictated by government.

I think people will go back to normal in terms of their behaviour fairly quickly though.

People are carrying on as normal where they can in a lot of cases, my next door neighbours have stayed somewhere overnight in their van, they have people in their house with kids coming too Social distancing is a joke once inside a lot of places. Full families in shops for example.

The half arsed advice is deliberate for people to misinterpret so they can blame the public for rises when people don't follow them.
I'm sick of lockdown: I've worked throughout but I'm still using caution for now, minimal shopping that does now include a garden centre or B&Q and going for walks. The rate is dropping but higher in the north west. I'm sick of contradictions in the rules go to school but don't see friends or family in your garden? and actions by those that make them!
In June I will be seeing people more, in a considered safe way whatever the rules I think. As once clothes shops etc open. Why not?

@Apirateslifeforme

Madness really that numbers are still quite high, and were faced with the prospect of a semblance of normality again.

Madness indeed that people now view normality as the enemy.

I think we'll go back to normal. Most people are chomping at the bit. Around here, every business that opens is swamped.

In the beginning, lots of people talked about silver linings - wfh, more family time, long walks and new hobbies. Now everyone I know just wants their old 'normal' back and are willing to risk c19 to get it.

Lets hope it goes back to normal as quickly as it ended.

I was sick of lockdown pretty quickly. It has done its job - to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed. It was never designed to keep us all "safe" until sole indefinite time in the future. People should be allowed to make their own risk assessments now.

Lockdown was never intended to be a long term measure and it isn't a sustainable way of managing the virus. Whilst I don't think things will be completely normal in the coming months, once people are comfortable with reducing social distancing (by whatever method emerges) that will be a game changer.

I just don’t get why people can’t see it.

The government wanted lock down to end. The unions and sections of the public, parliament and the media were fighting it.

Last night in one fell swoop that stopped. People are screaming they will do as they please now.

There is no Focus on it’s all too dangerous.

For a government who was struggling to end lock down, in one fell swoop they have achieved it, last night Boris spoke about secondaries opening moving to phase 2. Non essential retail opening. Not one journalist gave a shit. They all asked if the rules were changing and could we all now do as we please. Not one asked a question about it. Not one.

Boris is the man who apparantly lied to the queen. Who prorogued parliament so they didn’t stand in his way. Who last night achieved the end of lock down. He might not like it, but let’s face it, he can take the pressure over Cummings, it’s nothing like the outrage there was about proroguing parliament, and he still went on to clean up in the election.

I don't need any of the "big stuff" to feel back to normal - foreign holidays, concerts, sport etc.

It would feel normal enough to me to be able to see another small group of people every other weekend (my family, ILs, a few friends all interspersed by fortnights apart).

It will feel normal enough to spend the other weekend by visiting a NT garden, going to a cafe, and perhaps the gym.

Work can stay at home for the rest of the year as far as I'm concerned!

Work can stay at home for the rest of the year as far as I'm concerned!

It doesn’t work like that does it though, the public can’t scream they will do as they please and refuse to go back to work.

I honestly think Boris will take the win here. They will say everyone is already going back to normal and use it as the rocket to lift lockdown. He will just keep his head down for a few days and just like proroguing parliament, everyone will be talking about something else in a few days.