Which social distancing measures would you find most tolerable to continue?

[lljkk]

For me:

Supporting people who want to wear masks but not making it compulsory to wear one except maybe on peak time public transport (those really are the only crowded services where I live); and on London underground of course

Pubs & restaurants stay closed if they can't do 2m betw customer groups

No mass gathering events or team sport (> 6 persons): sorry, sports fans

No live theatre or other performance audiences

One adult only in each group going into a shop/supermarket

Some travel restrictions

Schools, colleges & Unis open but some kind of reduced social contact within schools, so maybe reduced hours

But people can go to offices, most kids have a school routine, haircuts & swimming are possible, etc.

What measures do you hope might be enough & not too painful & sustainable, until we get a vaccine?

I work in a factory with 300+ people. Unless the rules on social distancing are relaxed we can't go back to work as there is no space, and in some aspects of the job, being 2 metres apart is just not possible.

Then your employer would need to be looking at protecting those who can't work 2 metres apart - screens, PPE, masks, goggles, etc etc.

None really.

Anything that closes is people out of work.

As much as people seem to think pubs etc arent a great loss well there are plenty of "more noteworthy job employees " who have second jobs in pubs and clubs and keep them teaching your kid to ride or tutor for the 11 plus or whatever.

I dont want to see anyone lose their job or have no place to go to let with friends etc

Pubs etc arent just somewhere people get pissed and throw up. They are where people who dont usually see anyone go to have a drink and chat to staff and interact with people.

Leisure centres and stuff as much as we noke or main about the heat or the drudgery of watching kids swim they are keeping our kids healthy and happy and teaching them a skill that might one day save their life.

The government has to work to the lowest common denominator. The more "terms and conditions" attached to any rules will be impossible to enforce and will be open to interpretation. No way will they will say groups of 4 friends can meet and visits to family/friends within 20 miles say. If you are doing that then may as well lift many conditions.

@Puppylucky

I'm amazed at all the people who are quite happy to see the leisure sector closed indefinitely. We are talking about millions of jobs here!

I agree. It’s like when people say ‘international holidays won’t go ahead until we have a vaccine’. There are so many people who work in the travel industry. Do we continue to just furlough them? Do they lose their jobs? Do they then have to claim benefits?

And then once this IS over, where does that leave is all?

Social distancing in schools....

Wont work BUT IT WILL HELP if they are there in smaller groups, less overlap etc... eg alternate days, smaller classes etc.... classes starting different times etc

so LESS close contact and crowded spaces in schools IS POSSIBLE and will make a difference

Definitely reopen recycling and refuse sites. Fly tipping is becoming a problem.

If Air kissing and hugging as a greeting is banned forever, i'd be very happy with that!

@DBML It's all very well saying the UK should allow overseas holidays, but it is not really their call. Countries may restrict entry entirely and even if they allow there could be a need to isolate for 14 days on arrival. Also good luck getting a travel insurance policy that will cover you getting corona abroad.

Whilst I support all measures remaining in place until there is a vaccine, that doesn't mean I support people losing jobs or being impoverished. The government needs to fund an income replacement scheme for everyone, SE, employed, students about to graduate, small limited companies. Everyone. I don't want the leisure or travel industry to go under but we can't carry on as normal until we have this under control.

If Air kissing and hugging as a greeting is banned forever, i'd be very happy with that!

Can we add in hand-shakes?

What if it takes years to get a vaccine? The country would be bankrupt.

@Rosehip 10

Every country will be in the same position and in some countries, the travel and tourism sector are even bigger and more important than here.

If you stop travel until a vaccine is found, then many many people will be affected globally. What if a vaccine is never found?

Like other sectors, the T&T sector have to adapt and try to find a way to allow for social distancing. Then if our numbers are under control and low enough, with testing and tracing in place, we should be allowed to travel again. Obviously I don’t think they will or should do this immediately after lockdown...it’ll be a gradual reopening, but I think it’s as important to reopen this industry as any other.

Just schools. If schools were reopened then I could have some semblance of a normal life. We are really rural so our Primary schools are all single form per year. I would be happy for them to reopen immediately given the current data on the risk to young children and also the limited data showing now that that transmission rates are low.

But we may never have this under control.

In that theres no vaccine they are still working on that. Theres no cure. And we haven't even cured the common cold yet. Many of the measures put in place have the opposite effect . For instance restrictions on items. One person per shop makes sense however when they cant buy enough of what they need them either that one person visits multiple shops to get it all or 4 people have to go shopping and take I turns to go In.

Restrictions also mean that instead of shopping once a week you have to go 3 times a week.

Restricted travel means key workers now spread out on fewer vehicles so there's more in any one space at any one time.

People cannot gain admission to hospital either with covid so are in serious trouble at home or with anything else. Many peoples health will be so much worse on release and leaves them more vulnerable to virus if they catch it.

66 million people in the uk. Many large towns/cities where even on restricted movement its gonna be impossible

I just want yo see my close family and friends and my 8 month old baby to see someone other than me, I worry about his development. I can easily deal with all the other restrictions!

I am fine carrying on like this for longer if needs be although I worry for my job as can't stay furloughed forever and not sure how social distancing will work in my office.

@Kazzyhoward Can we add in hand-shakes?
Yes! I quite like the idea of bowing becoming the universal non contact greeting!

I don't know how they'd word it, but I'd like to see the "mixing households" rule relaxed.
I don't want to do loads of socialising but people need to be able to visit close friends and family. It seems weird that I see strangers at the supermarket but not my own parents.
It's obviously right that children with separated parents can see both, so I'd like to see mine but under current regulations I can't

On a personal level, I'm fine working from home and could carry that on indefinitely, especially if other restrictions lift. I can cope with no foreign travel and restricted travel within the UK too.

I am absolutely dreading life with no pubs or sporting events though. My DP works in the brewing industry and would likely be out of a job. We're really enjoy craft beers and visit lots of local breweries and tap rooms. They'd all go under.
We really enjoy rugby too and are missing supporting our team. DS is missing and watching sport. It really was a massive part of our lives.

However, I accept that pubs and sport are probably last on the list of things that will re-start and rightly so. It's just really shit.

Keeping supermarket shopping numbers down. It’s nicer going round without wee mavis or Doris barging past. I actually had a guy last year ram a trolley Into my back as I warn walking quickly enough In his eyes. I had a broken kneecap and can’t see if he is behind me. He could have gone round or said ‘excuse me!’and I would have stepped aside. No, he just rammed his trolley into me and said he did it accidentally as I was slowing down (I wasn’t) I thought my husband wad going to take his head off. I think the guy didn’t realise I was actually with someone and he could bully me. It’s bliss having room to actually move.

Anything voluntary and then leave it up to people ilf they want to take risks (those who don't work or are ill or old).

The main thing for me is being able to visit other households. I miss my family in particular.

The rest, realistically needs to be judged on what the statistics show about transmission in that environment. Given the evidence from the Netherlands, I’d be happy for primary schools to reopen. Non essential shops should be fairly easy to manage reopening safely, as essential shops have proven. We’ve got tickets for a few theatre shows which have been postponed, but I won’t be attending them even if they’re on again. Same for the cinema, which we usually attend regularly. Personally I think the environment is likely to be too high risk, as there are just too many people in an enclosed space.

Pubs and restaurants is difficult. I think they’ll need to reopen but will probably end up being closed again as cases start to rise.

I love have my husband work from home. I hate missing our pub quiz nights, all the theatre shows we had booked for this year, hate missing my gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hating having our social life be so antisocial.

I can tolerate having DH here all day, in fact I’m loving that. That is probably all. I’m ready for this to end, but I know it’s not going to for a long while yet.

Happy without mass gatherings or out-of-county travel, although these things are part of my normal life. Not bothered about pubs or restaurants, ditto.

I do need to spend time with family and friends and make the odd short non-essential bus journey.

I would like to be able to visit other households, so that we can see my parents and my daughters can play with other children. I can cope with everything else for a bit longer.

I would like some routine cancer screening to return too as I was recalled for cervical screen which is now overdue.

I'd be happy personally for most of the social distancing to continue, especially working from home, which is great, and especially for parents.

But I recognise that if most of the current measures continue, it will be devastating for jobs for people who work in retail, leisure, hospitality.

But I don't think it's safe for them to reopen yet.

I think schools should stay shut till Sept at least.

I really hope unis reopen next academic year, as if not that will also have a devastating economic and social impact.