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?

peasoup8

They just create another problem anyway - they can't go on forever without peoples mortgage payments in the future going through the roof.

Do we lockdown every year because of flu? Or a measles outbreak? Or meningitis?

We have vaccines for those things which means which means there is nowhere near the same death rate. If 1000 deaths is one thing. A potential several hundred thousand deaths is quite another.

There's no way recreational and "fun" activities will re start any time soon. Cafes, pubs, restaurants, sports, pop festivals, cinemas, etc won't be re-opening for a long time. Workers in those industries need to think about changing jobs.

I agree that large scale events like festivals and sports may take a little while to come back but I disagree strongly that the whole social/entertainment industry will be kept locked down indefinitely. That would be a very large piece of the economy going under. Restaurants and cinemas will be able to manage a degree of social distancing and I for one will be happy to return as soon as they are back open.

What kind of life would it be if we just go to work and go home for months or even years?

It all sounds pretty awful for all of you in the UK. From what I’ve read the testing there is still mostly for those who end up in hospital. Is still true?

I’m in South Australia and at the moment you can get tested for Covid-19 even if you just have a sniffle. In fact the authorities are encouraging more people to get tested! We’ve had a couple of days in a row with 0 new cases, despite increased testing (for the state, not the whole country). For a government that did a pretty terrible job during the fire crisis they’re actually doing okay at the moment.

The big debate here at the moment is how many will be installing the government’s tracing app. As much as don’t love the idea, if it helps get our society get back up and running I’ll put it on my phone.

That would be a very large piece of the economy going under. Restaurants and cinemas will be able to manage a degree of social distancing and I for one will be happy to return as soon as they are back open.

You might be happy but many people won't be so many could go under anyway. I will go to a cinema or restaurant for some time.

will won't

Sweden may have a higher rate, but it hasn’t put healthy people under quarantine. That’s a massive win right now.

It all sounds pretty awful for all of you in the UK. From what I’ve read the testing there is still mostly for those who end up in hospital. Is still true?

I don’t think it’s even as good as that makes it sound. I think you have to be pretty seriously ill in your hospital admission to be tested. Or rich-presume that’s how people like Idris Elba got tested when he had few symptoms?!

I'll be back in restaurants the minute they open again, I've missed eating out so much.

I'll be staying in for about 3 weeks after any removal of a lockdown. If there's going to be a second wave that gets everyone, you can find out first before I'm coming out

I’m hoping public transport will be quieter post lockdown because of MNers. I can get out of my horrible area for walks, go the library, as well as see my mum. And just walk round nicer places generally. That’s going to be good.

My industry affords me a choice about where and how I continue to earn a living

You are very fortunate.
However for the vast majority of jobs, need people out and about, even if the management / office people are able to WFH, others need to be doing stuff to create work.
That includes the bricklayer in construction needing to be on site so the office people who buy the bricks, and the accounts who pay the wages and the management who win contracts have work.

You'd maybe think the insurance industry doesn't need people to leave the house but actually it does, fewer cars on the road, less insurance needed, less accidents.
Even if all the burglars stayed home that would be less work.

No point in a writer, writing if the printing press people aren't working. Ok some books could be published in E format but that's about it.

Stop and really think about the job you do, who you supply to, most jobs need people out doing stuff.

Bricklayers are still working. Building is still happening.

Two of my close friends' husbands are builders. Neither are working because suppliers are all closed, so they have no materials.

There's no way recreational and "fun" activities will re start any time soon. Cafes, pubs, restaurants, sports, pop festivals, cinemas, etc won't be re-opening for a long time. Workers in those industries need to think about changing jobs.

Above is a quote. Millions of people are employed in the retail and hospitality industry. What do you want them all to do, work for Tesco? How many jobs do you think there are?

@ICantBelieveInYou That surprises me. Different here. Friend is an electrician and still working on sites.

*There's no way recreational and "fun" activities will re start any time soon. Cafes, pubs, restaurants, sports, pop festivals, cinemas, etc won't be re-opening for a long time. Workers in those industries need to think about changing jobs.

When people are dying and there are millions of the "most vulnerable" effectively under house arrest, people aren't going to be allowed to go around having fun.

We've had a decade of financial austerity. Now we're going to have many months, if not years, of lifestyle austerity. People will be going back to work, but it will be very strictly controlled, social distancing remaining in place, etc. For most it will be all work and no play.*

How on earth do you know this? Are you Boris?

@jedijims But that relies on people going to them. They were open before lock down, people stopped going.

have you heard the speculation that dear ole Boris might be about to make his big reveal about releasing us from Covid-Jail on VE day? If he does, it would be about the worst-judged political manoeuvre imaginable, not least because it would reveal him to have a Churchill complex the size of Blair's Messiah one.

Just read this and felt a bit of sick in my mouth. Please God no, just no.

Most construction round here has stopped. Supplies was a big part of the reason plus staff shortages due to shielding and isolation. DH was working on a large new housing site and his employer is a sub-contractor. The main contractor kept things going as long as they could until supply became a real issue but DH's boss was struggling before that with staffing levels. If the person who usually operates an excavator has to isolate for 14 days, you can't just tell the person who usually installs water pipes to hop in the excavator and take over.

@ICantBelieveInYou I work in construction and many of our suppliers are open, a few are now struggling to get materials in, but are pulling all resources to carrying on supplying builders etc.
B&Q announced yesterday that they are testing a few stores to reopen from this week so I would have thought by the end of the week many more of their stores will open as well.
Many of our big suppliers are gradually getting stock in but we have found smaller suppliers that we don’t usually use to be very good.

It might be total speculation but Daily Mail headline has a "traffic light" plan to slowly open things up from the 11th. Including small shops.

@beijingbikini

Is that the one that has schools ‘reopening’ on bank holiday Monday in the middle of half term?

We don't have a flu vaccine for every strain. Nor meningitis. These things still kill people.

The problem I see with the "some people can go back to work" plan is that businesses aren't independent islands. Each business depends on so many other businesses and suppliers. Someone in an ad agency can't go back to work if their main client is a travel company, and someone who bakes occasion cakes will have no work if weddings and parties aren't on. It's like a big circle of unemployment.