Seems like a lot of people have ended the lockdown themselves this weekend....

[Smithtylater]

I went to work today (am on maternity but returning on Monday) to meet my manager (NHS, working an on call weekend shift). I drove past Hampton court for the first time since i have been on maternity leave. You would have thought it was a normal sunny weekend day? Ice cream vans, hoards of people all close, hundreds of people on bikes, people sitting with their feet in the river, kids running around.
There is loads more traffic, more people around and even my own brother has gone 3 hour drive up North for a 40th birthday party?! I was angry at him and he said that the host said that the lockdown is 'ending tommorow so what is an extra day'?

I have seen on twitter about London Fields today (literally 1000s of people sitting there) and lots of people are under the impression its all ending on Monday ?!

But can you really blame people when you look at the headlines of all the papers? Boris should have adressed the nation before the weekend imo.

People stayed at home over the sunny Easter bank holiday.

They went out this weekend because they were nudged to feel the messaging changed

If I've psychologically ended my lockdown it's due to self righteous Covid police that keep posting crap about how people aren't sticking to (made up in their own head) rules. I've had enough of that and want the whole lockdown thing to just go away now.

How do we just blame the media for everything? Does no one have any common sense? Even with Boris saying what he said the fact remains the guidance hasn’t changed and we have no idea how it will change come Monday so why are ppl making their own guesses and doing what they think Boris is going to say? And I’ll bet that lots of ppl breaking it have underlying health conditions. If you think about the list of those at high risk of dying from Coronavirus (even without those shielding) that is a large amount of the population but people seem to think it’s over. They were happy to follow the rules 3 weeks ago but not now-why? Because they’ve had enough? Because it’s been tough? Because they think the risk has gone?

I think that was more of a stupid protest against Bill Gates' vaccination against covid19 efforts.

My very woo German cousins were gearing up in their birkenstocks and naturally dyed organic hand-knitted ganseys and homespun lentil trews, and filling their rucksacks with vegan munchies for the event.

More specifically, the idea that vaccination might be mandatory. Not just the idea of vaccination, though this is not my cousins' cup of tea either.

But the message up until now hasn't changed. Unless we're watching different daily briefings.

The media , all media has been a disgrace. They're the ones distorting information to suit their own agendas. This is both on tv and in newspapers.

People are arrogant in this country. Very very arrogant. They've had enough of
Lockdown, break the rules yet still blame the government.

People moaned lock down wasn't early enough, yet are breaking the rules , and are desperately putting pressure on the government for an exit strategy, which is absolutely fruitless as statistical changes happen all the time with this virus.

Then, in a few weeks time when numbers spike in infection rates due to the twats all flouting the rules this weekend, it'll be the governments fault all over again.

They can't fucking win.

There is definitely more complacency now people believe there will be easing of some of the restrictions. I noticed the car park of my local garden centre was full today. However, things will not be going back to normal even if some aspects of Lockdown are relaxed.

I have to have injections every 12 weeks at my GP’s surgery and was told last week by a medical professional there that the Drs are so scared of Covid, that instead of coming in to the surgery, my options were to stop having them (long term very detrimental to my health) or to inject myself. I asked when they anticipated re-opening for face-to-face consultations and she said they don’t know if they ever will whilst there is no vaccination. Also told that the whole Winter flu immunisation programme is in doubt because they can’t safely see people. I think we’re in for a very grim Winter with a huge number of deaths from flu if this proves to be the case.

I also think there will be a spike in Covid cases in 2-3 weeks time.

The weather will be 10 degrees Celsius colder today so people will stay at home.

Some people,also,have this notion,that being in the open air,as in a park or beach etc, that any virus germ will just blow away in the breeze, and not affect anyone,like it would in an enclosed place.

There is a theory about 'viral load', that in an enclosed space if there is a concentration of the virus, then those who catch the infection will get a more extreme 'dose'. In the open air, the virus is less viable, but if you have 100 people in close proximity that's bound to be a greater risk than me out on my bike, passing 2 people coming the other way. I say it's a theory because although it makes sense there's bound to be more data gathering needed on all these different scenarios.

People moaned lock down wasn't early enough, yet are breaking the rules

The moaners that lockdown should have been sooner aren't necessarily the same people breaking the rules.

People have different risk tolerances. Some people are quite happy to catch the virus. Fine their choice. Even if the government were to announce lockdown is over from Monday (Note: they are NOT!!!), DH and I are not rushing out any time soon to party with our family, even though we've missed birthdays and other celebrations. Even if we were invited to a function, we'd say thanks but no thanks.

And rushing to get a Costa Coffee as soon as guidance is relaxed, ffs, do people value their health so little that they'd risk it for a £2.50 cappuccino (yes many people would!); It isn't that difficult to think carefully about the reality but there are an awful lot of "it couldn't possibly happen to me" types. Fine they can take it for the team then.

On the other hand, Northern Ireland has been advised to start wearing masks in shops and on public transport so quite a different message here. Still noticing a day by day increase in traffic mind.

Well, given the virus appears to affect obese people and those with low vitamin D, I think most sensible people are getting out in the sun and exercising.

This virus isn’t going away and people know that, except for a small number of MN.

What I am worried about is how we protect those who await a vaccine while everyone else gets back to work

Given the amount of whining that has happened over the last 8 weeks by some adults who have felt so utterly aggrieved that they cannot visit their mother/best mate/nail technician, it is hardly a surprise it ended up as a free for all.

Lilactree thanks so much - really useful properly contextualised data from the NHS.

Yes, people have been nudged out of lockdown. I think perhaps deliberately because of more suspect 'psychology' on the behaviour of the British masses and worries that they're now too scared to go out. B and Q was probably specifically opened under government instruction, as is obviously irresistible ....

The vast majority of people appear to be sticking to the lockdown around here. People are out going for walks including driving to exercise but everyone I have appears to be social distancing.

Omg those twitter clips are shocking. Looks like Germany will be going for herd immunity then...

Oh and if anyone is interested, the NHS figures are not like the government figures

No, they don't include the whole UK, nor do they reflect deaths in other settings like care homes.

I can’t tie this in with 80 percent of the population wishing lock down to continue.

Which means there are three logical explanations.

One,,,the media reports Of people socialising are over exaggerated and irs a tiny part of the population.

Two ..the surveys are wrong, and people don’t support lock down being continued in the majority.

Three, people want it to continue so they don’t have to go to work only, and want to treat it like a massive paid for holiday.

I drove to my mother's with food (Friday, warm sunny day), there were barely any cars on any road or motorway. It was extremely quiet to say the least. Many parks were empty.

It was only as I arrived into different streets and roads it became more clear where everyone was. Every neighbour more or less drinking and partying in their gardens. Some were cms apart, others were being more careful. People are socialising, but they are doing it outside and in a way that makes them feel safe.

After a flash of irritation, I conceded that they were in the fresh air - the latest study confirms that it is more or less safe outside as long as you continue with social distancing, they were not doing any harm and if that is what they need to do to get through the lockdown safely then common sense tells me that is okay.

The messaging has been mixed, because the government are aware that there will be an inquiry, perhaps they are leaving it to the people to decide to some degree. We all locked ourselves down in the end, and I suppose we will all lift the lockdown collectively as we start to feel safer. This is not a terrible strategy in a democracy.

I drove back to my village where people were doing more or less the same thing. We have to use our common sense. Chatting to friends and neighbours in your garden over the fence with a glass of wine is probably fine, going to a party with 100 plus people most definitely isn't.

Lilactree that Berlin video is fake - I really wish people would exercise some level of critical thinking and judgment before sharing things online. You’re just perpetuating lies!
Don’t you think that if there has been that many protesters on the streets of Berlin yesterday that every news paper/website would be covering it? FFS

If the Berlin video is fake than Der Spiegel has fallen for it, they only made it their top news story online today:

Thousands protest against Corona rules

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Spring well said. If that video was right it would be on every single news channel. Not kept secret on some YouTube video.

Fake news is a major issue, it really is.

No no the video isn’t fake.

This is a photo of German press coverage from yesterday.

Protests reported in Berlin, Stuttgart and Munich. The second photo is from Munich. Do a search yourselves. Try berlin demonstration heute.

My neighbour is a Hca on a maternity ward they had people round all day yesterday.

Maybe the press are waiting for all the protesting Berliners to return from Warsaw first, before they cover it. That might be it.