To ask your prediction on how things will be exactly one year from today?

[cheeseandhambaguette]

Like many I’m feeling very lost and overwhelmed with the whole COVID situation, particularly the ‘never-ending’ feeling (although obviously very thankful to be alive and well at the same time!). Nobody seems to know what the future may have in store so I’m very interested to hear anyone’s opinions or feelings on what life will be like this time next year?

How can anyone know?

I guess they can’t. I think I’m just craving some thoughts or wisdom from people more intelligent than I am as the all the uncertainty is driving me crazy.

Based on what has happened so far the only thing I can predict is more uncertainties and lot more confusion. More people losing their jobs, but they would start interacting of at least know who their neighbours are. Basically what is happening now with more questions. There is lot only the lockdown rules are changing but brexit will bring more information we would need to learn.

I think the big picture will be pretty normal.
Any winter second wave will be long over with. Increased public immunity either from exposure or hopefully vaccinations.
We can't afford to keep shutting down various industries and people are increasingly getting disinfrenchised with government decision making even now. By Easter as the spring weather naturally supresses the virus, life should be pretty normal, although people's individual lives will change. There will not be widespread public patience to keep having our lives and interactions put in suspended animation and many industries will not survive it. The government will not want to completely fuck over the economy, and it wants a survivable level of public support, not becoming utterly loathed within 18m with 3 years to go.
The ultimate function of the government is to kerp itself in power

We'll be in the middle of a recession. Lots of businesses will have closed, lots of shops, city centres will really be struggling.
Local communities will be doing better, especially ones which can innovate. Small shops which can adapt to take aways, businesses which have put all their stock online etc.
Some of your friends will have divorced. Some of your friends will have died of COVID or unrelated illnesses. This winter will be hard. Local lockdowns in lots of areas, probably yours. Second lockdown will be grimmer as the novelty will have worn off and we'll all just be fed up. Then Brexit.
On the plus side ... No Trump, fingers crossed. Advances mostly in treatment will mean a much lower death rate from COVID. Labour government will be more popular and the Tories will be treading carefully to keep power and avoid riots. More working from home, more support for long term disabilities, more mental health support for teens and children, (as more Tory voters demand it.)
Possibly a vaccine. Maybe not a very good one, or one which lasts for long. Lots of arguments on social media about vaccinations. But if you've both had one, you might be able to hug your nan.

Humans do not cope well with uncertainty.

The current situation is uncertain to the extreme.

Anything is possible.

That is all.

Sorry.

My first thought is that the US will be free of an orange helium balloon for a president and it will all seem like a bad dream but then I caught myself on and quickly realised that I won't give a fuck because of the apocalypse.

Do you think there will still be social distancing? Compulsory masks in the shop? The background threat that schools could close at any minute/another local lockdown?

I think it’s the past week or so that has got me (and many others) down. It felt like the lockdown was done and things were easing back to normal gradually, only for there to be new growth in cases and more warnings, just a general reminder that of course the virus hasn’t gone anywhere and isn’t going to magically disappear.

Learning from history often gives us an indication of what our future holds. Reading about the Spanish flu which was also a virus, it appears the only way to stop it Is strict quarantine. Shut borders for a start, otherwise it will never stop.

I believe in a year we will still be battling COVID-19 and I hope it doesn’t mutate into something far worse.

It will be interesting to see this thread in a year and see what is happening by August 2021. Fingers crossed 2020 is just a very bad memory.

@BogRollBOGOF

I think the big picture will be pretty normal. Any winter second wave will be long over with. Increased public immunity either from exposure or hopefully vaccinations. We can't afford to keep shutting down various industries and people are increasingly getting disinfrenchised with government decision making even now. By Easter as the spring weather naturally supresses the virus, life should be pretty normal, although people's individual lives will change. There will not be widespread public patience to keep having our lives and interactions put in suspended animation and many industries will not survive it. The government will not want to completely fuck over the economy, and it wants a survivable level of public support, not becoming utterly loathed within 18m with 3 years to go. The ultimate function of the government is to kerp itself in power

On the whole this is my view too. Certainly the last para.

However, there will also so be some of @CheerfulMuddler prediction I think.

Individual deaths are shitty, but they happen for lots of reasons and don't affect the big picture

I don't know what will happen but I believe that will we move on and, as alway happens, the past will be (re)written by whichever party is now in charge. AND life will go on.

In an ideal world, borders will be closed, it just makes sense, but I know people who work in Paris but live in London have been commuting weekly since early in lockdown. It was ‘permissible travel’.

As a teacher, I’m very worried about how we’ll teach, not the bubble thing or going back etc, but the current advice is no pair work, no children facing each other, no choral repetition, no singing, no group work. I’m wondering how we’re going to teach at all!

It hit me tonight that life may never be how it was and that really depressed me.I hate the new normal, there is an air of supressed anger in people and I don't like it.

Do you think there will still be social distancing? Compulsory masks in the shop? The background threat that schools could close at any minute/another local lockdown?

I think all those things will be around until we have a vaccine. I predict that a vaccine will be approved in Spring 2021, I predict that it won't be one that stops you catching covid, but stops you getting really sick from it. I predict that we will have better treatments available before a vaccine, and any second wave won't be as bad as the first one. But these are all guesses and I have no idea really.

If this year has taught me anything it’s that absolutely nobody has a clue what’s around the corner.

@Sparklesocks absolutely, I can’t believe we are in august now. I look back to the new year celebrations that only seem like 5 minutes ago and can’t quite believe this has all happened.

This is one zombie thread I hope to stumble across next August.
It would be very interesting to see what actually happened.

The optimist in me is saying that we will be relatively “back to normal” and in my own family we will be waiting for ds’s A level results. Lockdown has hit him so hard as he has Aspergers and anxiety and is a bag of nerves about going back to sixth form college. I hope for my children’s sakes that education is not impacted.

Dp found out yesterday that he is being made redundant and for several reasons he will find it very tough to find a new job.

I have said to my ds all through this that as long as we come out the other side then nothing else matters. I stand by this.

I predict a film will be made about 2020.

War, soon enough. Both sides want it, so sadly it will happen.

@cheeseandhambaguette it’s quite scary as there’s an element of us just all being caught in the sea of chaos and not really having any control. I think that’s why people cling to the idea of things being controlled and manufactured by an all knowing organisation - as that’s less scary than us all being at the mercy of whatever randomised event pops up next.

My prediction: mostly back to normal here re Covid, after a big vaccination programme. Economic fallout will be rough but we’ll be coming out of it. Some people will still wear masks, most won’t, social distancing will be over.

I also predict that on here there’ll be about one thread a week called “AIBU to sort of miss lockdown??” and it will turn into a vicious bunfight every single time

I doubt very much that things will improve. We'll have Brexit by then and still have a government that can't be held to account. We'll be in the middle of a hard recession and there might even be food rationing. And the virus and the threat of it will still be a way of life though there might be fewer deaths as vulnerable people die and some kind of treatment is developed. We'll just have to live with it.

Vaccinated and knackered

My prediction:

The winter will have been tough on everybody with rates of infection continuing to rise but it'll stay under control and people will largely comply albeit grumpily. By Spring a vaccination program will be well underway and confidence will be returning, by summer we'll be pretty much normal although the virus will trundle along in the background of people's lives. Masks, hand-gel, distancing from strangers will be here to stay. We'll have our holidays pretty much as normal but will have to show a Covid pass at the airport at either end. Either a vaccination certificate or a negative test within 48 hours.
We'll be in a recession of course but we'll be motivated to work together to get back on track again. Trump will be gone and likely Boris too (once Brexit is out of the way) leaving somebody much more sensible to clear up the mess.
We'll be close to the bottom but ready to get back up again.

Masks will be nicer because people will realise it's worth buying decent ones. Most people will wear them as they'll be normalised.

Schools will have integrated learning so if it has to be home schooling with no notice, the transition is smoother.

Unemployment will be higher bit more people will work locally providing support, deliveries etc.

Half the high street will be gone

Well also be feeling effects of Brevxit

@PicsInRed

War, soon enough. Both sides want it, so sadly it will happen.

Between who?

-There will be a "revelation" that large amounts of people are still suffering covid related symptoms which further reduces UK productivity

• Hopefully we will have the vaccine ready and a programme starting up for all
• Brexit will have happened so we will have similar types of random shortages of things like pasta, loo roll and tinned tomatoes
• Brexit will have happened so meat will be boycotted by many as we see Country Of Origin labeling scrapped as being "anti-US trade"
• Ashford will be a lorry park and they will try to get more air freight in instead of using ro/ro ferries
• Maybe Manston will reopen as a result
• Recession on top of this along with job losses will mean rising homelessness
• Not as many people will be able to holiday abroad due to costs and
• We will hopefully be preparing for Pandemic X, but that might be too sensible
• University towns will become ghost towns and student landlords in these areas will have a surge in bankruptcy as the housing market collapses