How long can we carry on like this for?

[Pseudosudocrem]

Anyone else starting to wonder just how long we can carry on like this before everything irrevocably falls apart?

How will we ever recover as a country?

Why are we special?

That's a decision for you to make - but your wish to live normally doesnt override the needs of the NHS and the rest of the country...

And I’m sorry to repeat myself but why are we hearing figures WITH Covid rather than OF Covid?

Patrick Vallance says clearlynhere that many with covid in their death certificate weren’t tested

twitter.com/search?q=deaths%20with%20covid&src=typed_query&f=video

We also don't even know if it is 1%. In Germany/Iceland/Denmark who have done extensive tracing, it is coming out about 0.4%. It is highly likely we based our decisions on a complete overestimate, based on a paper by the same man who ordered the slaughter of millions of animals during foot and mouth.

Sorry wrong link

Better go now! Here’s the right one

twitter.com/Commons41570174/status/1251444936823713792

Sweden haven’t locked down.

Against the advice of their scientists and their death toll is already much higher than in their neighbouring countries.

It's 20 pages on by now but what @HandfulOfFlowers said on page 1 sums it up for me.

Yy

That's a decision for you to make - but your wish to live normally doesnt override the needs of the NHS and the rest of the country..

In relation to covid yes, protect the country from covid and protect the NHS from being overwhelmed by covid patients. But the NHS is already not running a lot of services, treatments, surgeries and essential support functions for people in the community, so in honesty this isn't helping others not affected by covid needing other medical attention, as it's not being done at the moment anyway. A lot of people who do need to visit A&E for example are too scared to, and are dying at home when with the correct care would have had a good chance of surviving; so even departments that are open aren't being used as people are being told to stay home, and about warzone like hospitals. Many, many people in this country need a slice of normality to resume for any hope of continuing on, so no, this isn't for their good. It's about the bigger picture and trying to balance everything.

MigginsMs do you think the vulnerable will be properly supported (it's a question not a challenge!).

I think may sounds great, but it depends on the numbers and the stats.

It has to stop soon. Cancer treatments are being cancelled, no dentists, etc etc. As a nation we need to get back to work. I’m ok, I’m working from home but even I can see it can’t continue.

I don’t know @Tonemeth. It’s only been this week that it’s been clarified that vulnerable shielding people could get furlough even if they weren’t being made redundant, but parents could get it for childcare. I suppose that shows the priority they are given, albeit we’ve seen now that the government will support people if they have to. I’m still amazed they came up with furlough, I had resigned ourselves to being a salary down and not being able to pay bills.

End of May I think for things starting to open, by no means “normal” then though. I don’t see non essential travel being permitted for most of the rest of the year and also people who can wfh having to keep doing that. But I’m just guessing x

Cancer treatments are being cancelled, no dentists, etc etc

Chemo makes people incredibly vulnerable and we are already seeing covid spreading within hospitals. Lockdown or not, cancer treatment is going to need a lot of thought. Its terrifying, I was in the middle of a stem cell transplant this time 10 years ago - I feel awful for those in that position right now.

My dad was diagnosed with cancer in Jan and had surgery x 2 in Feb/early March, I am so glad it was before all this really hit the fan or god knows how he’d end up. He’s meant to be having chemo now but it’s not worth the risk as the surgery was successful, he has to wait at least 3 Months. Am glad he’s not having chemo as that would place him in the shielding group, at least he can go for a walk now

The community hospital here is not being used at all at the moment, staff have been tentatively redeployed, but my friend is twiddling her thumbs because (thankully) the additional manpower isn't needed yet. She would happily stay on site for a few months if it meant there was a 'clean' (well, as clean as possible I suppose) hospital which could carry on with chemo. I know the logistics aren't that easy and it wouldnt work more than likely, but it's terrifying that there isn't a way for people to receive their treatment.

Theres no such thing as a clean hospital right now. Plus, as above, chemo makes people even more vulnerable.

No there aren't, it just seems a shame that there are equipped hospitals which were successfully functioning just weeks ago that are currently sitting empty, it's a shame nothing can be done with them at the moment. And yes it does make people more vulnerable to covid, I imagine decisions will have been made as to whether the risk of stopping was greater than the risk of being more vulnerable for individuals.

I don't think theres an easy option to it. I was in treatment during swine flu and it wasnt halted - I remember a colleague of my parents having it and thinking that was it, I would inevitably die.

I cant imagine how horrendous it must be to know there is a potential cure you cant have because something else might kill you. I wonder what's happening with kids and young people- they tend to have the fastest growing cancers.

That’s what we were told re my dad, I got the impression if chemo was truly needed now he’d have got it but given it was more just precautionary at this stage it would be more risky both in terms of exposure to Coronavirus and the lowering of immunity brought about by chemo

I think it’s forever, just nobody wants to say so.

There have been pandemics in the past and life always returned to normal, how is this different?

I can do the next 3 weeks. Perhaps a few more after that. I'm not willing to keep it up indefinitely. I'm not going to explain my reasons for that, as they're nothing extraordinary. I fully understand what an unpopular statement this will be but I will not be spending a winter, much less a christmas under lockdown. I will not be sacrificing my career, my family's finances or my mental health. I keep hearing 'we're all in it together' but you know what, that is only true as long as we all keep agreeing to it and there is a limit to how long I will be doing that for. And I can guarantee whether it is boredom, loneliness, risk of financial ruin, foolhardiness, faulty reasoning of the risks, mental health or pure and simple selfishness there are plenty of reasons that will push plenty of people to exactly the same place. Most of them are just not honest enough to speak up and say it just yet.

It’s highly unlikely that everyone in the UK will get tested let alone get a vaccine.
Has anyone read Peter Hitchens blogs?
He’s very sceptical about the whole lockdown situation. Not saying he’s right but I can see where he’s coming from on certain aspects.

I cant see it going on till winter given other countries are easing off. Things wont be normal, but ongoing lockdown seems unrealistic.

I have nothing against Rishi Sunak, I hope he as chancellor gets us through this.
But he’s a multi millionaire and from a very wealthy family.
The rich people in society don’t have the worry of financial problems like the rest of us.
David Cameron gave us that line of we’re all
In this together, as he imposed austerity.
David Cameron, another multi millionaire with no financial worries..

LilacTree1..Flax you sound like you are living in a nice place

Nope. Bog standard working class north of England. No garden either

There are hospitals lying half empty waiting for coronavirus patients to arrive while others are having vital treatment delayed. The economy is in tatters with many faced with losing their livelihoods and homes, including myself. The vast majority of people who catch the virus recover anyway (an inconvenient fact for the scaremongers) and yet we’ve driven the country off a cliff and will be paying the price for years to come. Enough is enough.