[quote pinktaxi]@TheDailyCarbuncle What excess deaths have been directly caused by lockdown then? A lot of upset and anxiety as well as financial problems, but deaths?
I think many younger people can start going to work, and cafes, restaurants, attractions, zoos, and so on should all open but taking more limited numbers and social distancing. If we can live like that until the autumn, by then there should be better contact tracing and antibody testing to see what the real risk is. It's currently about a 1 in 500 chance of catching it. Older and more vulnerable people can continue with a modified lockdown, but with socially distanced meetings with those moving around more freely, so that they are more protected.
So most younger fitter people can live more normally (excluding large crowds, music concerts and so on) and the vulnerable can still be protected.
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Domestic abuse killings have doubled over lockdown and calls to domestic abuse helplines have also doubled. As of 27th of April, 14 women and 2 children had been murdered by men. The stress and isolation of lockdown is considered to have contributed to these deaths. As far as I'm aware there have been at least two further killing since then, if not more. The killings are the visible part of the suffering caused by people being stuck in the house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with an abusive family member with no outside contact - no job for the abused spouse to go to, no school for the children to go to.
The numbers are not yet clear, but the police and mental health charities have said they've seen an increase in suicide and suicidal thoughts during lockdown. People with mental illnesses have lost access to face to face therapy and support groups, meaning that many are struggling.
NHS staff expressed concern that people are waiting too long to get medical help for conditions like stroke and heart attacks as well as more minor conditions like appendicitis, meaning that people have been turning up at hospital far sicker and more likely to die or have long term effects than normal.
Cancer referrals are way, way down which means there are people whose cancer would normally have been diagnosed, who will instead wait a few months for a diagnosis. That time can mean the difference between life and death. Other treatments and diagnoses have also been delayed.
In the long run, unemployment and lack of money for public services will have a huge impact on the population, which is already exhausted and depressed after months of very little contact or engagement outside their own homes. Denying people all the normal social support systems, while also destroying the economy is recipe for major disaster. It'll take years and years to recover and will without a doubt contribute to and cause deaths.
I can't believe how naive people are about how devastating stopping the lives of a whole country, a whole continent is. Never before have any group of people been so comprehensively fucked over by their own governments.