Taking into account how YOU see the situation, when do YOU personally believe we will start returning to normal?

[Whitefeather01]

Just that really. When do YOU personally think restrictions will start to be lifted? Schools going back? Travel resumed? Etc.

Diamondsareforever123
I agree with everything you said. Sad but true.

But people can’t be without work and social contact indefinitely

I think things will start to relax in June, we should have hit peak already with numbers coming down, and hoping for the best they should finally have caught up on testing and PPE, both having been sorely missing til now, contributing to spread.
I think some measures will remain in place for 3 more months (possibly schools not sure) but I agree with PPs who have said we will feel effects for months if not years to follow, in terms of businesses that won’t survive, jobs that will be lost, high streets that will not recover, and potentially long term rationalisation of nhs services like we’ve never seen. It’s a real worry.
The catastrophist in me worries things will never be the same and not in a good way. But maybe we’ll also appreciate our relationships with each other, with nature like we never have either and I’m holding on to that.

Normal is an ever changing concept - I think the problem is that we will be ask probably once this peak has finished (May/June time) to accept that life has to go back to normal with the fear at the back of our minds that we could get it.

Testing will make a huge difference to this though getting some real figures and understanding in place as to how many have actually had it. By May time that should be well underway and the peak should be on the way down and those two things will really start to paint a picture

But of course it will pass all the other pandemics have passed this strain of coronavirus is no different - indeed it is likely to become endemic

I think we'll be watching Denmark as they come out of lockdown and Sweden as they continue a kind of herd immunity response based on lots of testing.

July. Social distancing etc will be removed in July schools back in September.

I think about this a lot. Certainly my (very) local community has banded together well. We’ve a WhatsApp group now and most people have expressed the wish to get to know each other when this is all over. I do wonder whether it will continue to flourish once people are back into their work routines.
A lot of charities are suffering already, which is very sad.
I feel so very sorry for school children. Some of them will miss out big time and I expect that there will be numerous studies to see the effect this situation will have throughout their lives.

No idea but I think the fact that it will get worse in the next couple of weeks will impact on public psyche.

I’m still hoping for antibody tests as an exit route.

I think people will soon get a harsh lesson that money makes the world go round. Like a PP has said the govt are likely waiting for other countries to slightly loosen restrictions befor they will do the same... There are some countries ries in the world that rely on tourism to keep going.. Think of the suffering in these countries and the poverty this could cause... Even places in this country like Cornwall rely on tourism.. The govt will want people travelling again as fast as they can.. The tourism industry brings in billions into the country. There is no way they will let that sector collapse.

Boris even said at the beginning he was waiting to lock down as people would only put up with it for so long. People are silly if they think the country would not be rioting if we were still under restrictions in 6 months time.

I'm sorry to say but there gets to a point where the cost to the economy will outweigh the cost of the lives... It may sound harsh but aroundd the world I would expect more deaths from suicides etc and related MH issues to this virus than the actual virus itself.

The countries that locked down earlier and more comprehensively will either have to extend or brace for an earlier second peak. It doesn’t get much easier if early.

I think things will be quite drastically different. I think a lot of shops will suffer and probably not re-open, same for many smaller restaurants and cafes etc. The travel industry is going to be really hard hit and a lot of people wont have the same spending power or disposable income as they had previously.

I think some restrictions will lift in May - possibly opening of some businesses with low contact.

Some return to school for key years before summer.

The government cannot pay for us all for months and if the Oxford report is even half right and the ‘sampling tests’ show that a chunk of population have had it then jobs will need to restart.

1 year minimum

In other words - first week of June-ish

OVienna I think along the same lines - no scientific reason, just think it will be sooner rather than later.

I think June for some semi normality, back to school in August here in Scotland.

If Scottish cases don't track London, we won't need to lock down for months on end, and more to the point we won't want to.

Lock down til end of May I think-then a phased return back to normal ish throughout June. I hope.

We can’t stay locked down until the vaccine or even close so it will be managed release to get workers back.

The antibody test is a great way to select lowest risk to do it.

I think the lockdown will be lifted in July once they've ramped up the facilities, social distancing measures in place for sometime and back to normal in 18-20 months. Could have been a lot sooner if they'd taken the initial advice of the WHO and ramped up testing sooner. Feel like doing it now is trying to get the horse that's bolted back into the stable.

June for a lot of things to get back to normal.

We can all speculate what we think will happen and when it will happen but at the end of the day we just don’t know. We didn’t know this virus was coming and would cause as much havoc and destruction as it has so we have no way of knowing when it will go and all end.

I think there will be a relaxation in early June leading to another surge in cases end of July. There is no vaccine on the immediate horizon. Better to get a second surge in & lockdown again etc in summer when economy generally slows (I know tourism) and NHS not facing winter flu. Hopeful more normality from Sept.

agree with Sapphire on page one, the srtict lockdown won't last for months, impossible.

There will be a lot of very ill people from other illnessses / dental health / mental health if it continues beyond end of May (already will be but if any further, may get unmanageable). So likely that the vulnerable will be still on strict measurres only.

That's why the testing is getting ramoped up hugely by end of April.

Eww yes, and they did say last week that there will be on/off easing of measures.

this is interesting on gov exit strategy, or lack of

I think things will be quite drastically different. I think a lot of shops will suffer and probably not re-open, same for many smaller restaurants and cafes etc.

I don’t know - I think the economy could roar back into life once restrictions are lifted. People will be desperate to get back out there and into the shops, restaurants and cafes