To think the lockdown needs to end now?

[Fr0thandBubble]

I could understand a lockdown being imposed for a few weeks to make sure the NHS was up to capacity, but it’s gone well beyond that. The NHS now has lots of excess capacity and yet here we still are.

I am horrified by what has happened to our civil liberties, what it’s doing to our children’s education, what it’s doing to everyone’s livelihoods and mental health, what it’s doing to the economy, how people are not getting life-saving treatment for things like cancer, etc.

I don’t understand why people aren’t given the right to choose to self-isolate if they need to but for the rest of us to be allowed to get on with our lives and to take responsibility for ourselves.

I don’t understand why people who are not old and don’t have underlying health conditions are acting hysterically and why people have decided it’s OK to police other people’s behaviour and shout at them in the street.

I feel like I’m living in some kind of awful dystopian society.

I realise I’m in the minority here but does anyone agree with me?

[Fr0thandBubble]

I get that we’re different from Sweden in that we’re less densely populated. But the point I am making is more that locking down a country is just wrong - people shouldn’t be dictated to like this. The many (especially the young) are being sacrificed for the very few (80% of those who have died are over the average life expectancy).

Anyone who is vulnerable should be allowed to self-isolate but why are the rest of us having to sacrifice our health, livelihoods and liberties?

[Fr0thandBubble]

*more densely populated, I mean.

[JMKid]

100% agree. The hysteria from this has been so unbelievable. They are not thinking long term, when the economy is in a dire state, the country is in unbelievable debt, taxes will be sky high. Kids need to go back to school and people need to go back to work.

[borntohula]

Anyone who doesn't want to go back to 'normal' has selfish reasons for it, imo.

[Staysafer]

It hasn't worked well in Sweden.

That's why it has incredibly high death rates.

Why on earth would we want to copy Sweden, which at some points had the highest death rate per capita in the world??

[MadameMarie]

We haven't locked down though in the sense you've always been allowed out freely to exercise (with unlimited license in recent weeks to travel and exercise outdoors). Other countries have been a lit stricter.

If we had shut down a week or so earlier we could have opened things up weeks ago.

[StillCoughingandLaughing]

How many more threads exactly like this?

Then why not just scroll on past? It’s not like the thread was disguised as something else.

[MotheringShites]

I agree with you OP.

I supported the initial lockdown when the message was to flatten the curve so that people didn’t die due to a lack of hospital space. We did that.

When the message changed from ‘flatten the curve’ to whatever the hell it is now, I don’t know. This virus exists. There is no vaccine right now. How long do we live a half-life?

[InfiniteSheldon]

I agree, we can't get back to normal because you can't have groups and big meetings there be no pubs or clubs or big sports events but there's no reason for us not to begin to get back to normal I think the 2-m rule has been a huge mistake and the fact that were one of only two countries that has done is significant. The media refuses to blame for The Terror and I speak as someone who has had it and he still feeling ill 3 months later honestly it's ridiculous the behaviour of healthy people, especially those under 45's incredibly unlikely to get it and anyone who works with children is taking the piss if they're not back to work. I live in a seaside town and you wouldn't believe how busy the seafront is! I see the same people when I'm walking my dog and they areplaying talking chatting socialising in groups and then they are on Facebook saying how unsafe it is for the children to go back to school and it's terrifying being asked to go back to work!!!

[xxyzz]

It would seem very unwise to end lockdown when we are still at threat level 4.

According to all the scientists, we should not be considering coming fully out of lockdown until we are back down to threat level 1.

Forgive me, but I'll take my medical advice off the experts, not off some random person on the internet who apparently doesn't care not only if they catch the virus (which is their right) but more importantly, does not care if they pass it on to loads of other people, some of whom may die as a result.

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

why are the rest of us having to sacrifice our health, livelihoods and liberties?

Because it's the decent thing to do. Because a measure of a decent society is how it treats its elderly and vulnerable.

Lockdown was to help the NHS, OP, you do realise that? Or maybe you'd rather there were corpses piled up in the streets like Brazil.

New Zealand locked down hard and early. Now probably Covid free.

You make zero sense.

[InfiniteSheldon]

But we have saved the NHS? There is now spare capacity.

[MarshaBradyo]

As much I would love for my other dc to go to school, one there who is so much happier, I don’t think it should all be lifted suddenly.

I have keenness for school to go back but can see it’s better for certain elements to be reduced eg people WFH

[Eckhart]

@borntohula

I don't want lockdown to end because the R number will potentially rise to a level where growth of infection is out of control and many die unnecessarily.

Speak for yourself rather than making gross generalisations about others you know nothing about.

Unless your comment was founded in some proof?

[UnfinishedSymphon]

I'm just happy to still be here, alive and well with my family and friends, I'll follow the rules until they say we don't have to and hopefully we'll continue to be alive and well.

[damnthatanxiety]

OP @ssd It is that simple - Sweden has done it.

Sweden has one of the highest death rates per capita in the world. How is this admirable and 'winning' to you?

[Fr0thandBubble]

@freddiefox Yes I am working from home (and also trying to homeschool 2 young children). I’ll be working from home until the office opens but as soon as I am allowed back in I will be there! I’m a lawyer and finding it so hard to do my job properly at the moment but I’m one of the lucky ones - I feel so sorry for people who have lost their jobs because of this.

[BamboozledandBefuddled]

But we have saved the NHS? There is now spare capacity.

What we've actually done is turn it into a National Coronavirus Service. The health service is now so 'protected' it might as well be sitting under a glass case in a museum for all the use it is.

[Abetes]

Whether you want it to end or not, lockdown effectively ended for a lot of poeple when they found out about Dominic Cummings. Where I live there was a distinct change in attitude from the public once his behaviour came to light even before the lockdown restrictions were changed.

[Bollss]

Because a measure of a decent society is how it treats its elderly and vulnerable

Doesn't matter how it treats its children then? Because they've been well and truly thrown under the bus.

Not entirely sure how all the elderly and vulnerables care is going to paid for if we can't go back to work.

[countchocula]

Agree with you completely OP. I'm not convinced you're in a minority on here though - I just think the other side shout louder.

This, with bells on.

[LesLavandes]

New Zealand has had 22 deaths in total.

We are due for a spike. My home town by seaside is not feeling in anyway like lockdown. 70 teenagers were gathered and counted together on beach area yesterday evening.

That's not lockdown. That is stupidity

[MotheringShites]

Recession/Depression/wrecked economy kills people. I haven’t heard any logical argument from pro-lockdown side, why this is acceptable collateral damage.

What should we be waiting for? A vaccine?

I don’t know how New Zealand will ever be able to open their borders without causing an outbreak.

[cardibach]

anyone who works with children is taking the piss if they're not back to work
@InfiniteSheldon I work with children. I’m a teacher. It’s hard for me to go back to work for the very simple reason I never stopped.

[Parker231]

The UK should have had a much tougher and earlier lockdown, similar to Spain and then the number of deaths and new cases might have reduced so much quicker with the opportunity for an earlier return to a new normal.