That everybody seems to be acting like it's over?

[Twinklelittlestar1]

I don't get it. We had more deaths yesterday than the day we went into lockdown. Everyone is acting like Covid has gone away and so many people seem to naively think the government easing things is because the situation is magically going away now rather than driven by their economic priorities. We already have the second highest death rate it the WORLD yet it seems lots of people are desensitised to hearing about people dying now. I get that everyone wants to 'think positively' and feel like things are getting better but I feel like people are naively celebrating the governments easing of lockdowns with such faith rather than caution.

People cough all the time for all sorts of reasons - the vast vast majority of them are not covid related, have you never swallowed a fly

Actually no. I haven't. And he didn't look well.

And read the context. He was ignoring social distancing.

I'm not going to take my chances just because others are getting bored.

There are still lots of people (myself included) who are terrified to leave their homes. The majority of people I have spoken to online still feel this way, so I wouldn't assume that "everyone thinks it's over".

And yet cases have continued to decline. Doesn't quite fit with the "everyone having VE day parties is going to cause a huge spike" because we're three weeks on from VE day and the spike would be around now. We don't have a spike

Exactly. There were so many hysterical posts screaming that the death rate would soar after VE Day and it hasn’t. Instead of being happy about that, many people seem positively gloomy that it didn’t happen. I find this negative behaviour utterly bizarre - surely people should be happy the death rate didn’t soar but instead of of people seem very very disappointed......

You are going to have to take your chances. The measures will be relaxed, whether now or in three/six months I don't know. But the virus is going nowhere, social distancing will disappear before the virus does. Honestly the WHO recommend a distance of 1m, apart from in a cinema or theatre I don't think I have ever spent more than a minute that close to a stranger.
For the record I have and will continue to adhere to all the rules regarding lockdown and distancing - They are the rules afterall. That doesn't mean I think they are necessary and I shall be very glad to see more of them relax - especially the ones preventing me meeting my 6 week old nephew.

I don't know anyone who is terrified to leave their homes, even the ones more at risk. The people I know were increasingly scared of the isolation. My grandfather who is 78 is going out to the shops now because he's so fed up and he says he'd rather die of corona than live like a prisoner. My friend who is type 1 diabetic has gone back to work to get some normality back (estate agent) as she lives alone and her mental health was going downhill.

Corona is watching

I wouldn't assume that "everyone thinks it's over"

Same

I don’t know anyone acting like its over

I do get a bit irritated by the ‘everyone’ comments, when its not everyone...but I appreciate thats me being fussy

Well yesterday when DD was crying again saying when will I see my friends again, when will I be back at gym, school. What is there to look forward to. 10 weeks alone for a very sociable and active 10 year was just too much, so we let her play out in the cul de sac with the four little girls that have been playing out the past two weeks. Yes, I worry about things but she was the happiest she's been in weeks and so for DD's mental health and mine I think we will probably let her play out again.

You are going to have to take your chances. The measures will be relaxed, whether now or in three/six months I don't know. But the virus is going nowhere, social distancing will disappear before the virus does

Says you.

I am really pissed off that a lot more women and children are being murdered, people are committing suicide, friends with kids with SEN are considering harming themselves..... but yet these deaths and "issues" don't seem to matter, it's all the risk of covid covid covid, where the risk is higher to over 70's and people more at risk due to health.... I was so close to hanging myself, and almost burned my house down with me and my children inside because I was so mentally over my limit (I was raped a couple of years ago and abused in other ways, my kids are extremely difficult and this has set me right back) I had no where to turn. I eventually reached out to my parents who now help me and my boys. I reached out to the school who have offered to take in my kids (on the grounds of being vulnerable). The risk to me and my kids is higher if I'm left alone like this than the risk of covid is to the vast majority of people. I'm sorry but the longer this goes on the more people will get to my stage. I'm not surprised people are mixing now at all. It is TOO much to ask of people to do this for this long. Especially those without other adult support in the house.

Yes, like many people I’m now so concerned about my 8 yo son’s mental health that I’m thinking of ringing the doctor. And as for me? I want to break things and then run far, far away.

I think people are recognising that the government won't act in their best interests. Or even logically.

And are transparently preparing to throw scientists and Sage under a bus.

Yep.

I cross posted with you, @Straycatstrut.

Our ‘strategy’ was the worst of both worlds.

You either lockdown fast and get on top of it quickly then you can actually come out of lockdown quicker. Or you do a Sweden and try to protect the vulnerable, encourage working from home, social distancing and no large groups.

We encouraged large gatherings when other countries went in to lockdown; Cheltenham, Liverpool/ Madrid match, rock concerts. At this point other countries were saying no large groups but here it was fine apparently.

Then a late about turn and we are in lockdown for bloody ages and all the economic and mental suffering that entails. With no plan out of it that is based on any logic...That is why people might be starting to do their own risk assessment now.

To get the virus you need to be in close contact with someone (mainly indoors) for 15 minutes. Now I’m following the arbitrary 2m rule but I’m well aware that if someone walks past me closer outside I won’t get ill. Let’s use some common sense here.

People are fed up. The Government have made no secret of the fact that they need the majority to behave, not the entirety. Keeping lockdown in place is no longer for the greater good: I think that the main reason they're doing it is because we live in a blame culture, so they have to cover their own backs. I bet we'll never hear "lockdown is over" from Saint Boris's lips; he'll just make vague whisperings about what we're allowed to do. Also I think it's mostly about massaging his own ego: he was hoping to cover himself in glory with being the PM who "got Brexit done", but he's having to settle for "imposing lockdown to beat the virus".

Also, for many people, the fact that Saint Boris is still defending Cummings is the final nail in the coffin. He keeps saying "it's time to move on". Yes, too fucking right it's time to move on, from this damaging lockdown.

YANBU OP.
We locked down far too late, and seem to be lifting the lockdown far too early, with the flimsiest of 'track and trace' schemes.

I don't personally know people who are going back to normal, but our usually busy road went almost silent in the first couple of weeks of lockdown and has got busier in the last week. It's still nowhere near back to normal, but it does seem that more cars are on the roads.

It's hard to tell with the lack of testing, but there are still a large number of cases, and the deaths are still way too high - it's like we got acclimatised to having a huge number and so it's just not being commented on much.

I feel it's too early to tell which way the numbers are going at the moment, and am lucky enough to still have a choice in working from home or not, so am not risking anything until there's actual evidence that the risk is lower. And yes, I do understand about stats and risk, before being accused of making a fuss.

I'm done with lockdown and the government guidelines. I'm a very well educated person and I consider myself to have a good amount of common sense. I have met with my parents and our in laws, both of which (like my household) have been completely isolated since this began. I had a baby in early March and had seen no one - life was becoming very dark for me. We're fortunate in that we are farmers and so social isolation is the norm asides from immediate family and friends. I do not need the government to tell me it is safe for us to see one another and I have the good sense to bring my mental health back from the brink.

I hope everyone who has poo-pooed mental health in this whole lockdown is always in the fortunate position to never suffer from it. PND is very serious and having a baby in a global pandemic does nothing to remedy.

If you need the government to spoon feed you, the next 12 months will probs very difficult.

I think lockdown should end on June 1st, for everyone who doesn't have a seriously at risk health letter, but with sensible restrictions. N no big events involving over 30 - 50 people. Stay a metre apart from everyone except your household members and do as much as possible outdoors. If your employer prefers you to work at home, then do so. If you're overweight, lose a bit. Innate caution will probably see most people take commonsense precautions to avoid contracting CV19.

The price of lockdown, and all the errors that have been made during the periods before and after, will pale by comparison with the economic carnage to come.

@Delatron has it about right.

a lot more women and children are being murdered, people are committing suicide, friends with kids with SEN are considering harming themselves..... but yet these deaths and "issues" don't seem to matter, it's all the risk of covid covid covid

Yes. I am aghast at the way all other risks are being ignored in favour of covid. Most HCPs I know are really worried about the coming year, not because of covid but because of all the people who will have missed being diagnosed with or treated for other serious conditions whilst the health service is paused to focus mainly on covid.

but Irregular, why can't we all take a risk based approach. I'm capable of working out what level of risk I'm willing to accept and take, and I assume those with health conditions or are vulnerable are able to do the same.

We can't all take an individual risk based approach because that ignores the risk to our society as a whole if there is widespread illness out there. It ignores the risk to even healthy individuals that comes not from the disease directly, but from uncontrolled disease in the community.

If the virus is spreading in an uncontrolled way then the nhs will be at risk again. We haven't protected it for good, it only stays protected so long as infection rates remain low. Non-covid treatments are hugely at risk if covid infections are high in a community - and that would be true even if every vulnerable person stayed at home.

We desperately need to be able to end the lockdown but if we don't keep the number of infections very low then we will still be harming the nhs, the economy, people's mental health.

If the people whose individual risk of dying is low aren't still careful not to catch and spread the virus, then infection rates won't stay low.

Ending lockdown will only work if we all take seriously the need for everyone to avoid catching the virus. Telling some people that it doesn't matter if they catch it because on paper they aren't vulnerable does the opposite of that.

It's good for people to feel reassured that their individual risk of death is low, so long as they also understand that that doesn't protect them from any of the other consequences of high infection rates in their community.

I’m worried about that second wave everyone is talking about. We are following the same pattern from the 1920s, where we emerge from lockdown and everyone starts socialising and then many people start dying.

Oh do calm down with the drama !!
And the day before it as 134 deaths what's your point?
Almost at 10 weeks of lockdown and we are slowly getting back to normal .
It is far from over schools not fully back yet / people not back to work etc
Can't see family / friends unless outside social distancing.
Loads of places not open pubs/ restaurants/ hairdressers etc.
Can't go on holiday .
If you want to stay in lockdown forever go for it but most of us thankfully will try and move on as safe as possible.

@dentydown
They didn't have the science in 1920s that we do today , there was no lockdown then, no vaccine, no track and trace . The virus simply died off after killing people. You can't honestly compare the 2 situations.
Social distancing is still implemented and will be for a while even if it's safe and we start socialising as you say then with this track and trace it won't be a 2nd wave as such .

"We can't all take an individual risk based approach because that ignores the risk to our society as a whole if there is widespread illness out there. It ignores the risk to even healthy individuals that comes not from the disease directly, but from uncontrolled disease in the community."

Exactly this, @eeeyoresmiles
If they're saying that 10% of the population may have had it so far then even if those kinds of numbers happen again, it's enough to overwhelm emergency services and keep all this going far longer, with people being indirectly affected. It's not an individual thing, and the more people able to still distance at the moment who do, then the better the outcome and quicker this will go.

I have a tiny weekday job one morning a week and my boss wants to know when I’m coming back. From their point of view the schools are going back, the peaks over etc etc. From my point of view my preschoolers nursery isn’t taking non-keyworker children back, my year 2 won’t be back till September and I have no childcare as my mother is shielding!

They won’t be happy as they’ll obviously have to find a replacement for me which is a pain, but what the hell am I meant to do? Perhaps life is returning to normal for some but certainly not for me!