I'm finding the reaction to covid utterly bizarre

[TheDailyCarbuncle]

If anyone had told me that healthy, fit people would willingly put their livelihoods at risk and deny their children an education for months on end, that they would send the country into recession putting healthcare, education and public services at risk for years and years to come to avoid getting a disease that had a very very small chance of killing them I wouldn't have believed it. If you'd said people would be afraid to talk to their healthy siblings I wouldn't have believed it.

I had measles in the 1980s as small child - the vaccination programme where I lived was slow to get off the ground - and it nearly killed me. In 1980 2.6 million people worldwide died of measles, a very large proportion of them children. No one ever considered a lockdown, it was never even suggested.

I think all the analysis of this situation in the coming years won't be about the pandemic, but about the contagion of fear that made people so terrified of something that wasn't a real threat to them that they created huge, long-lasting, in some cases devastating problems for themselves, problems that were nothing to do with their virus and everything to do with their reaction to the virus.

my point is that there are many empty NHS wards with whole sectors of the NHS sitting around with no patients while people with illnesses are stuck at home, not being treated

Thats as a result of policy not directly caused by lockdown.
the NHS could have restarted some routine treatment weeks ago.

I agree OP. The impact of lockdown has been so awful for me, at this point, getting Covid and dying from it doesn’t seem that bad.

"Killing businesses does not make them survive. If you can explain how I'm wrong, go ahead."

You can't compare the economic impact of lockdown with the economic impact of normal virus-free existence.

Compare the economic impact of lockdown with the economic impact of allowing the virus to run through the population.

@Sostenueto thankfully Khan has seen sense and is reinstating a lot of services in London (forgetting about him upping the congestion charge when asking people not to use public transport which is ridiculous), and they weren't cut solely due to staffing levels either so that wasn't the main driver. As tube usage even this past week is down substantially, those extra services should be less crowded, same on buses. I agree that schools shouldn't just fling their doors open, it's more that many parents (teachers are right to have and voice their reservations along with the unions, of course) are certain that they won't whatever happens, or until a vaccine, which is concerning- vulnerable households aside. Even a day a year group in schools or something, just so teachers have sight of children and I bet they would be able to identify those who were really struggling or who are under the radar for support but need it due to their home life. Just going months without some seeing anyone is downright dangerous (I know it's not a teachers responsibility and definitely not their fault at the moment, their hands are tied and they can only do so much).

"And as for the mortality figures! Dont get started on the lies, coverups of the real death tolls or I will begin to swear!"

50% of the population think they've under-reported to save face, and 50% think they've under-reported by including anyone who died with covid.

The only number that is accurate is excess deaths.

This virus would have killed many more than 2.6 million worldwide if it hadn’t been for the worldwide lockdowns.

What would have been the impact on the economy of allowing the virus to run through the population unchecked?

There is a middle ground though. Staying like this and people being outraged by those who are low risk returning to work etc isn't sustainable.

Unnecessary deaths, funny how over 100,000 of them from social welfare reform were valueless because they weren't socially contagious, now all of the sudden it's pandemonium. Funny how thousands of people have had to 'shield' due to treatment of cancer, transplants, conditions like Faconi's anaemia, cystic fibrosis, etc. but none of them never expected the entirety of society to shut down to 'protect' them now all of the sudden everyone is expected to, and made to pay for it for who knows how long because of Johnny-Come-Lately, a virus that, like many in humanity, is here to stay. You couldn't make this shit up.

shirley have you forgotten about temporary mortuaries in every city and town? Our local undertaker's have two freezer lorries full of bodies plus their premises awaiting funerals being as most if our population is over 65. People seem to forget the usual deathrate from other causes which is about 1000 a day in normal times PLUS those dying because they can't continue treatment in hospital because they are chicjer with Covid patients PLUS those that have died because unless you were blue in face you can't get past 111 to get an ambulance which is totally almost a thousand a day too. ( Though thus is not so bad now but still very bad after all who the hell in their right mind wants to go into hospital with say a heart attack or other Iillness only to contract Covid in hospital and die and be one of the 'underlying conditions ' statistics)

"I agree OP. The impact of lockdown has been so awful for me, at this point, getting Covid and dying from it doesn’t seem that bad."

But you'd pass it to other people first and take up a hospital bed. You, times hundreds of thousands, are what we want to avoid.

"There is a middle ground though. Staying like this and people being outraged by those who are low risk returning to work etc isn't sustainable."

Of course. That's why every government on earth is trying to end their various lockdown measures without increasing the infection rate, and thus heralding a longer - or second - lockdown.

The whole situation with covid measures has proved how easy it is for the governments to control the masses by exploiting people's fear of death. I think we will not know the full facts for a few years as to what the true purpose of the lockdowns was

Absolutely, yes, you'll kill everyone! It's Ebola! OMG. It doesn't kill the vast majority, in fact, most don't even know they bloody had it, but don't let that stop anyone from utterly fucking the entirety of society including that huge number of young people who are more at risk when the turn on their car and drive off. They're SO going to go for it long-term, yep, can really see that happening.

rawlikesushi ‘we want to avoid’ - brilliant.

"Unnecessary deaths, funny how over 100,000 of them from social welfare reform were valueless because they weren't socially contagious,"

Not valueless but, as you yourself say, absolutely crucially, not contagious either.

Exponential growth is terrifying. Everything must be done to prevent that. If you can't understand it, or don't want to, then we'll never agree I guess.

I completely agree with you OP.

Excellent post.

" I think we will not know the full facts for a few years as to what the true purpose of the lockdowns was."

Give us your best guess.

You probably won't take up a hospital bed, you probably won't even know you had it, but OMG, your murdered dozens, you serial killer! Way to try to PA guilt shame young people. They aren't buying it, and as their parent, I'm not, either.

tinroofrusty so sorry to hear your news lost in this thread. My condolences thought prayers and virtual hug sent to you tenfold💐☹️😭

No, I will never agree to utterly fucking young people for the off-chance of a few, I just won't. I'd rather be dead, and I don't say that lightly, but there you go. You're right, I don't agree.

"You probably won't take up a hospital bed, you probably won't even know you had it, but OMG, your murdered dozens, you serial killer! "

Read some statistics or you'll make yourself sound daft.

I really really hate the narrative that builds up around this, that older people should be grateful for the years that they've lived, and cannot really complain about dying

Me too

It's not news. It was years ago.

What are you people on about? Every fucking thread! Worldwide we have all made the same decisions, in one form or another, but no one knows as much as some random poster on the Internet. Do you all secretly believe it orginiated with 5G and that Bill Gates wants to kill you?

Get real people. Your anger is so misdirected. This is not the fault of teachers, or your neighbours who shop with gloves and a mask, or your other neighbour who is sunbathing in the garden whole furloughed. This is the fault of our hubristic, arrogant, deluded government who thought Britain was different from the rest of the world and didn't need to take precautions. We're here because our government made unforgivably bad choices. Why are there so few threads about that and so many threads belittling teachers 'panicking'?

PA, guilt, shaming, none of it works on me anymore, doesn't really do well with young people from what I've seen, either, that generation is a bit beyond mine (late 60s-early 70s), kind of falls on deaf ears with them, I can see why, it's bullshit.