To think restrictions won't back?

[covidwoewoe]

Wfh and masks I am fine with.

But the thought of restrictions like closing things and limits on socialising is causing me serious upset.

Trying so hard to live in the here and now but I hate the uncertainty.

@50but17inside where was that mooted? We were told in summer to expect 1-2k per day?

i doubt many would go back to mask wearing

most of my colleagues would refuse if they did attempt to bring them back

Cases rising are irrelevant.

Hospital admissions and deaths are continuing at manageable levels and far lower than previous peaks. The vaccine is working. Now it is endemic we learn to live with it like flu and other viruses. Restrictions won't be reintroduced unless there's something which threatens to overwhelm the healthcare systems. Tons of kids off school with mild Covid won't do it.

Neil Ferguson has said restrictions should probably come back in at 1200 admissions. Not sure anyone is saying lockdown but compulsory mask wearing and wfh where possible seem likely I feel

[quote covidwoewoe]@CherryBlossomWinter France had nearly 40k cases a day in April when we had something like 1,000. People are so quick to bash the UK.[/quote]
True op it did.

And no to restrictions coming back.

Cases are rising so...who knows? Nothing would surprise me after the last 20 months.

If the NHS becomes overwhelmed again there will be no choice in wether we lockdown again, but fingers crossed that doesn't happen

I don't think we'll see full lockdown again but I can see some restrictions being brought in if the cases really shoot up over winter. It's not just hospital admissions (although that is important), its all the disruptions to basic infrastructure from increasing numbers of people testing positive and having to isolate. I think its almost certain that masks might be mandated again and WFH will be encouraged, I think they might also put limits on how many people can attend indoor venues like pubs, clubs, restaurants, soft plays, etc. I can honestly see Boris Johnson fucking off into the sunset come February/March time before the fallout from a rough winter lands anywhere near him.

Is the NHS in danger of being overwhelmed?

DC had a fractured arm and was turned away from paeds A&E as they had a 9-10hr wait due to being overrun with child and teen covid patients. We had to go to another hospital further away. Our elderly neighbour took ill last weekend, chest pains and feeling dizzy, she was told it would be 45 minutes for an ambulance and she should try get someone to driver her to the hospital instead.

@50but17inside

Neil Ferguson has said restrictions should probably come back in at 1200 admissions. Not sure anyone is saying lockdown but compulsory mask wearing and wfh where possible seem likely I feel

Is anyone in the government still listening to Neil Ferguson?

@Clocktopus vaccine passports are much more likely than limits on numbers!

See I think the opposite, not because one is better than the other, I just think limits would have a higher rate of compliance and (grudging) support than vaccine passports.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with demand but it's not Covid demand

@Clocktopus. I waited nearly five hours with an 86 year old for an ambulance last week. I don’t think some people realise that frontline healthcare workers are human and if they or their children have COVID and they’re at home with them, they cannot go to work. Rising case numbers affect us all. Hospital admission numbers affect us all. People saying they ‘don’t want to wear masks again’ when we know masks have a limiting effect on transmission blow my mind with their selfishness

@Clocktopus I just think they'll push vaccine passports first over limiting things for vaccinated people!

I think they’d do passports first too as they’ve said they’ll hold them in reserve in case iirc

But also limiting numbers might trigger Covid support requests from businesses whereas passports not and just get more people to get vaccine

@StCharlotte possibly not but let’s just hope the country doesn’t come to regret that

@gardeninggirl68

just over 45,000 new cases today for the UK

There have only been a couple of dozen days in the whole pandemic when cases were higher than they are at the moment. Granted not so many people are being hospitalised and dying - but quite a lot still are.

I think they will stop requiring isolation for Covid cases (to minimise disruption with symptomless staff or parents home with mildly ill/isolating children), before they go down the lockdown route again.

I reckon it is the death rate that would swing it, if the death rate was back up to 1000 a day there would be public calls for action imo.

Granted not so many people are being hospitalised and dying - but quite a lot still are.

Far, far fewer are. Look at the official stats. People die every day, notwithstanding covid. We were all just less aware of it before.

Chris whitty said the other day at a conference that the winter was still unknown and at the moment the NHS has a small margin for increasing patients.

Personally I think they will push far into winter as possible then if need be bring back restrictions such as social distancing, wfh. If there was to be another lockdown which I highly doubt then I think it would probably be from January onwards. I think the Government wouldn't want to repeat the whole Christmas shit show of last year.

They have already said in the winter plans nothing can be ruled out and if need be furlough would come back.

Personally I just get on with my life as what I say/think has no impact on anything and there are people far more powerful and get paid a lot more money than me to worry/think/take action on Covid.

I do feel sadness for the impact that Covid has had on all our lives and the deaths it has caused.

@StarryNightSparkles I agree, I think if and it's a big if, we need a lockdown or social distancing it will come after Christmas. Even if it should come before.

Sadly I don’t think tdeath rate would be the trigger. As long as deaths are mostly in the elderly population then cynically this might actually be viewed by the government (not by me) as a positive. Pensions don’t have to be paid. Housing stock freed up etc etc.

England and the UK have very high rates of cases compared to Europe, which has really managed to keep cases low.
UK is in a terrible position and it’s really weird that no-one can see it. So many deaths a week. 1 in 12 children have Covid! It is utterly bonkers.
Most of this could be managed better by mitigations such as good ventilation. Masks on public transport (which everywhere in Europe is sign pretty much). School children need to wear masks and have good ventilation.
The UK is a Covid outlier.

This ... absolutely. I was recently in Austria and felt far safer there. The vaccination rate is only around 60%, but FPP2 masks are compulsory on public transport and you have to show your vaccination certificate to get into restaurants, theatres, museums etc. Not vaccinated, no problem - they also accept evidence of recovery from Covid or a recent negative test certificate. And they started vaccinating children far earlier than we did. Net result: a transmission rate much lower than ours - not insignificant, but not rocketing, either.

DD has just returned from Germany and her experience mirrors mine.