Will social distancing be around for years

[frasersmummy]

Is this our life now.. Queues outside every shop. Kids no longer in full time education
Family gatherings banned
Theatres dark cinemas closed.

I don't think I could cope mentally if this goes on beyond the end of the summer with no end in sight.

I really hope not
I cling to the hope normality will resume

Maybe to some degree, that depends on how quickly we get better treatments and, if/when there’s a vaccine.
But family gatherings won’t remain banned of that I’m certain. In addition cinemas are included in phase 3 openings so currently due to open in July! Personally I think that’s optimistic but you never know.... but what I really mean is things like that aren’t going to be shut forever, some obviously will end up closing for good sadly but there is no intention anywhere not to try and get these things back open, just with sensible measures in place.

I hope not. It is totally disproportionate for the under 45s to have their formative years totally destroyed for a virus that has very very low risk to them. Even for the elderly, it makes life not worth it if you can’t hug grandchildren or make new friends.

Let's be honest. If this dont see family rule is still with us at Christmas a large number of families will ignore it anyway, I'd guess that the rules will have totally crumbled worldwide if it goes on too far into the year.

Quite frankly I hope it's not around by the end of this year! So done with it now. I need to live my life again.

No we'll have a vaccine soon.

No because people are going to never hug Mum, brother or best friend ever again!

It’s not going to happen, humans aren’t build for no touch contact

There would come a point when people just though fuck it and took the small risk of Covid by being close to a loved one

Wrong thread-sorry!

I hope not

It's too depressing to think I won't get to shake/hold people's hands in church

I'm not even that touchy feely

It's guesswork.

I think we're looking at the best part of a year because the winter season will be brutal with this added to all the usual viruses and treatments and ailments people are putting off.

I think next summer will be different though if not a typical summer.

They might finally sort out the education system. Smaller class sizes, less testing especially on young children, teachers getting paid better for risking their lives. You never know!
My assumping is back and forth for a few yesrs.

I wonder if a lot of.businesses will close and the nhs and education will need much more staff. More private hospital treatment for those who can afford to?

Thought about this a lot. I think even if the government keep it for years people will get bored and not stick to it, at least with people they know. Try telling partners who aren't living together that they can't kiss or have sex for a few years! I already know teenagers round my way are sneaking off together

No way am I doing this for years. I will start going round to see my family at some point if this carries on much longer.

@Waxonwaxoff0 that’s it, you just go and ignore the advice, don’t worry about the risk to others.

I don’t think this will go on forever or for years, but things certainly won’t go back to normal any time soon, unfortunately.

No, I'd rather risk dying of corona virus than this be my life for any longer than the next few months.

Most pandemics in the past have lasted for what 2 years at most. Strains of these viruses still circulate and are endemic but nowhere near as dangerous as they once were.

I think life will not be back to "normal" for a year or two but social distancing requirements will ease over time as treatments are devised more data is gathered etc.

I doubt society will change forever as some people predict and while i worry that i and some reatives may not survive, 99% of people will and society will go on. Sure the economy will take the biggest hit in a century but will recover in time; one of my old teachers said recessions mean you tighten your belt but in the grand scheme of things we are still a lot better off than most people in the world.

Worldwide the 1918 flu killed 50 million but life went on for the majority; hell the black death killed a quarter of people in europe i think

People will not stick to it. Weddings, birthdays, Christmas - I think the government know it cannot go on for much past the autumn and have people comply.

If there’s no vaccine, we carry on as normal as we can and reasonable precautions

I don't think so. We were in Asia (not China) at the start of the year when this all kicked off. We had to wear masks on flights and there were plenty of instructions on hygiene and what to do if we felt unwell, but shops were open (although some tourist stuff closed) and little social distancing to speak of, although some parts of Hong Kong were quieter than normal when out and about in the evenings. We could still eat out, in Vietnam you wouldn't have known there was a pandemic. In HK it was quieter than normal and tables were placed a distance from each other. But things were carrying on. Although I feel naïve looking back as we obviously didn't understand the full extent of Coronavirus as tourists. However that experience does give me some hope that things will restart here. We self isolated for 2 weeks on our return as DF has MND so we couldn't go near the rest of the fam.

Social distancing will taper away, whether officially or just by people gradually ignoring them.

I do hope, though, that there's greater respect in the long term for those who want to keep their distance for whatever reason, i.e. whether they still fear Covid or whether they just don't like personal contact.

Things like handshakes may never return to the norm, and huge numbers of people will be thankful for that. Likewise hugging/kissing people you hardly know just because it's the done thing. That kind of completely unnecessary contact can go the way of the Dodo - if people want to do it, fair enough, but let's make it socially acceptable to say no, rather than being forced to look strange.

Likewise, hopefully people will keep their distance in queues, shops, busy places, etc - really no need for others to be so close they're touching you when you're just buying tins of beans.

Maybe even more acceptance of people who want to wear a mask for whatever reason. Even as Covid was starting, a woman in our town was punched and kicked by a random stranger for wearing a mask - that kind of stupid behaviour must never return.

I can't work out what the end game is in the UK. I thought it was to slow the spread because the horse has well and truly bolted and everyone will most likely get it, and opening schools allows this to be done before the winter flu season knocks the NHS out. But seeing how people are vowing not to send their DC to school on the hopes of not getting it at all, I'm left puzzled.

We were talking about this at work today. Our care home residents have mainly been in there too s since beginning of march. They miss Thier family and friends visiting and trips out. How long can we keep the home shut considering many of residents are end of life anyway. It's no life at all for most of them at moment.

For years? No, I don't think so. I know most of the cynics in these parts think it's the height of fanciful thinking but I think we'll see a vaccine within a year.