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?

Totally agree with Xenia

The thing is, even those who live in the most extreme poverty in this country are still relatively privileged compared to thousands of others the world over. I think people are living in an extremely naive little bubble to think that the sort of poverty I am talking about is the price worth paying here.

"Yes but they won't when the economy collapses, which is what will happen if we stay locked down til there is a vaccine. Do you seriously not get that?"

But nobody is proposing staying locked down until there is a vaccine, France, Germany, Italy, Austria and others are all already setting out how things will be opened up next month, UK will also follow.

But nobody is proposing staying locked down until there is a vaccine

I was talking to numerous people on this thread who have stated that is how long lockdown should last.

And Frompcat I agree that people have absolutely no idea what true poverty is. They think the government will step in. You only have to read the number of posts re the government providing everyone with 2500 a month until we have a vaccine (which could be never) or the ‘no way will the bank repossess my house - the government will step in’. Rubbish.

Yes @buttermilkwaffles but a lot of people think the UK shouldn't follow.

But marin, can we really know what that looks like when exponential growth is factored in? And when many of those who get sick need hospital care that would be overwhelmed? The current deaths are with huge swathes of the world on lockdown.

I take your point @Frompcat. I think hopefully medical advisers are focusing on all cause mortality, though good luck to anyone trying to interpret that in these times!

There are literally hundreds of posts on MN advocating lockdown until we have a vaccine. Many on this thread.

We will carry on for as long as it takes and we will recover, because we can and always have done!

"Out of curiosity do we know

How many people are out of work and or furloughed as a result of their business being forced to close ( pubs etc) ?

How many are furloughed when their business is permitted to continue ?

What percentage of the working population is still at work//working from home ?"

www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/coronavirus/2020/04/coronavirus-ONS-data-economy-statistics-numbers

People who think it's like a cold/flu don't know anything.

But it is for some people. I know of someone in his 80s, undergoing chemo (hence getting a test) who had only a mild cough.

There are some nutters on MN who think if we all stay locked down for X weeks, the death rate will shrink to 0 and the virus will have gone away.

This is not going to happen.

Unfortunately the projected death rate from lockdown related causes eg domestic assault, untreated cancer, untreated heart disease, suicide etc is soon going to surpass that of COVID-19 and for most of us the risk of COVID-19 will become just one of those things we have to get used to.

Thanks buttermilk waffles

We will carry on for as long as it takes and we will recover, because we can and always have done!

What does that mean? And who is "we"?

What if your child/husband/parents/best friend die? What if all of them do? Do you still think that’s a fair trade for not being poor (and I know it’s significant poverty we’re imagining)?

But that's an absolutely ridiculous strawman argument. My family are all healthy, me and husband in our 20s and quite sure we've had it, have no kids, best friend is healthy and also gagging to go on holiday and to restaurants. Our chances of dying individually are vanishingly small, there is a greater chance of me winning Euromillions than all of us dying.

You might have a point if we were all elderly, obese or chronically ill but none of us are. Poverty would be a much greater risk to our health than CV.

Did anyone watch the Sky News programme today from the Italian hospital struggling to cope? That is what the U.K. are heading for if things aren’t got under control.

My DH is a doctor on a COVID ward. I’ll like this over with as quickly as possible so he can return to his safe job as a GP but it’s not going to happen anytime soon so the lockdown will have to continue until it’s safe to start relaxing any areas of the controls in place.

I agree @Frompcat. People have no idea of what’s coming economically and the death and destruction that wlll be caused by COVID and everything else if this goes on too long. How many ventilators will there be if there’s no NHS? I’ve seen so many people saying “oh yes things will be hard, we’ll need to tighten our belts” etc. Not a clue.

There are literally hundreds of posts on MN advocating lockdown until we have a vaccine. Many on this thread

They are all completely insane. Either that, or being paid to stay at home with their perfect moppets.

My mum had formula milk delivered in aid boxes from the US and previously middle-class pensioners were out homeless on the streets. I think I'd rather take my chances with CV thanks. To reiterate what someone said above that true poverty is horrendous, not just living in a council flat eating value beans.

Absolutely, @BeijingBikini I'm much older than you are, but I couldn't agree more.

There are some nutters on MN who think if we all stay locked down for X weeks, the death rate will shrink to 0 and the virus will have gone away.

To be fair, that likely WOULD happen if every single one of us stayed at home, including dying there without treatment etc, as it would go through everyone and have no one left to infect. The problem is it can’t happen as people have to go out for essential reasons, to receive medical treatment etc.

Ahhh I see @BeijingBikini you fail to see any impact on you personally beyond economic. Do you not have parents?

I agree too @BeijingBikini I’m an old fatty and I’m happy staying locked away now but not until there’s a vaccine, that’s total madness.

My grandmother to her dying day said she wishes she'd died along with her babies, she was so ashamed that she could not feed her children.

People just have no idea.

@5zeds, yes I said above they are healthy and not concerned about getting it. My mum is also fed up of lockdown is thinks it is a horrendous idea, I also said upthread she would personally rather die than have her children live through the same poverty. Not everyone values life at any cost when the cost is quality of life.