Do people think it’s over now?

[SpookyNoise]

I’m surprised at how many people seem to think the lockdown is over and there is no threat from the virus. I’ve had a friend ask us over for dinner in their house, and my son has had a friend ask him over to play. We declined both invites, obviously. Has anyone else got friends who think it’s all over?

I can see why someone with your lack of manners is better off kept away from external engagement.

That's my area of work and it's easily done virtually. I've done it that way for years.

If businesses can't adapt, they won't survive.

The point of the chart is to show that we have gone from no deaths from CV-19 to 100s of 1000s in just a few months, despite locking down around 3 billion people.
Most diseases are treatable and/or preventable, CV is not.

So what if the mean age is 80? my mum died at 82, i'd have been even more upset at her death had she died 2 years earlier, even 6 months would have been terrible."

The point about the age is to compare like with like. The top causes of deaths for 80 year olds in the U.K. (not picking on this age group because I think the elderly are worthless, but because they statistically are most at risk) are cardiovascular disease and cancer (not all of which is treatable or preventable by the way) by some margin. Dementia also features highly.
Malaria and drowning unsurprisingly don't feature highly in this demographic.

If you are going to make charts of this nature you should be comparing similar demographics. Unless your intent is to scare the crap out of the innumerate.

One of the wives. Not trained but she helped with the hair dye and with scissors 🤣 It’s the best I have had for ages - don’t know what I wasted £££ before! We all said she has missed a vocation.
H has a work bubble - they concede that Ppe does not do much. So strict groups which can’t mix and on different schedules /areas. At the start of every shift temperature is taken and a disclaimer signed stating no one that they have had contact with has no symptoms / lie and you are out of a job (big deal in a niche industry) We socialise outside within his work group. If one does come down we all will due to work conditions. Shopping was easy except masks make interactions difficult when you are deaf.
The only thing we are still stuck with are schools. Which I don’t understand as you can go to the pub?!

Agreed peony. Zoom in no way makes up for face to face. It’s fine for people you already know but not for building relationships with new clients or employees. My DH’s company has taken on 50 new employees in the last 3 months and they’re doing their best but it’s not the same as physically getting to know people.

Most businesses have adapted but it’s not a better way of doing things for most, just convenient for now.

@SpookyNoise you are right. You aren't allowed to visit friends for dinner.

@Happydaysforever123

The 1 in 1700 is a Government statistic based on weekly sampling (25,000 sample size I think). Can’t comment on the figure in your area.
Of course the Government figure could be total bullshit like everything else that comes out of their mouths?

Watching a doctor on a YouTube video cast. He says “this virus will be with us for some time”. Another 18 months or so.....

Watching a doctor on a YouTube video cast. He says “this virus will be with us for some time”

Which is a meaningless statement. Even when or if a vaccine is available Covid will still be out there. Only one human disease - smallpox - has been successfully eradicated in human history. So of course it's going to be 'with us for some time'.

Another 18 months or so.....

And what does the good YouTube doctor think is going to magically change at that particular point in time?

@rosie39forever Don't take it for granted that you won't get it and that it won't affect you too badly. I'm around the same age, slim, fit (was), absolutely no underlying health conditions, don't smoke and yet I got the virus and was very ill. It's months later and I still have breathing issues - I get breathless just going for a walk. Take care!

@Noextremes2017 thank you for clarifying that.
Personally I'll trust my zoe research which facilitate tests for users who don't feel normal healthwise with any symptoms, then from these results extrapolate figures to estimate the current infection rate.
I have no faith in the government, they have failed us in so many ways and have outright lied.

@rosie39forever

For me to go into my parents house there would have to be far fewer deaths, as it stands an excess of a thousand people per week are still losing their lives to the virus in the U.K. so that figure would have to be considerably lower.

Roughly 850 people have died in the UK the past seven days. 15 yesterday. Not thousands.

Of course it's obvious it's not allowed unless you're talking about at 2m apart in the garden.

The logic about having someone clean your house is that that is their job and they’ve had to have weeks of no work and now they can return to work with certain measures in place.

The logic about working is, it’s kind of essential for living as in, most people need money to live. They might sit 2 metres from someone in a shop or office but they are doing that because they have to earn a living and their workplace (should have) taken measures to minimise risk.

Visiting other families in their own home is a whole other ball game, and I think I do follow the logic. People get carried away (understandably) having not seen each other and might get close/hug etc. They might get closer the more alcohol is consumed. Emotions play a big part that wouldn’t be the same issue in the workplace. Plus the fact that it’s about minimising social contacts. So you see one family for dinner at theirs, and then a couple of days later your parents come to yours, then next day you have a play date for your children and before you know it social contacts have increased.

That is my understanding of the logic behind the rules as they stand. It will be great when they are more relaxed and life can return to something more like normal but for now the rules are there to protect the vulnerable etc and we all know this. Some of us just want to make our choices and justify them. We should probably just be honest and say ‘have had enough now so am just making it up as I go along’

....people are bored of it now.....I'm afraid.

@peonypower the thing that upset me about that chart thing with Covid shooting up was that malaria and malnutrition are probably top of that list year after year and because it’s largely poor people that get those no one gives a shit. Once we’ve forgotten about Covid malaria and malnutrition will still be there at the top of the list despite both being preventable and curable. Covid has really brought out the privilege rich countries have that they lose their shit over death numbers that are common elsewhere and also about overwhelming a health service those countries could only dream of. I’m personally ashamed actually and really want to do more to help x

Some think it's gone, the rest don't care because they're bored.

It's that simple.

I read a story about an Italian man who didn't see any of his family for Months, missed his first grandchild being born, saw no family etc... Then the day lockdown was eased he died in a car crash on his way to see his grandchild.... I'm sorry life is for living and is far too short!!

@Happydaysforever123

I guess 25 ‘experts’ would come up with 25 different figures. I share your scepticism about the Government and their use of data. They will pick any data that suits and ignore any that does not. Which is why at the end of the day we all, as individuals, have to make our own risk assessments / judgements.

@FizzFan

Very true!

Although the irony is lost on them, those who think “it is all over” could be the very reason it won’t all be over any time soon, if there are enough of them.

Excellent post @eeeyoresmiles

When they announced earlier that shielding people can go to the shops in August and return to work, and can meet with others outside before then, I thought of those on this thread who claim that they assume anyone worried about the virus will be at home. Clearly they won't because they actually have lives to rebuild too and govt policy will not encourage indefinite shielding.

I am not sorry if this inconveniences those who want everyone who has concerns, personal or otherwise, about the virus to be locked away so that they don't have to bother with distancing or hand hygeine. This will benefit you too, as your denial about what could have if the virus surges back will not protect you.

Do not come on here saying you assume anyone who is out is not bothered or considered higher risk. You know for a fact it is not true. Nor should it be.

@IcedPurple

It's not all about you it's about the whole of society

Yes, and society can't go on with people living in fear, secluded from their loved ones; with businesses shuttered up and thousands losing their jobs; with children uneducated and many non Covid medical issues neglected.

Covid is a concern but it is not the only concern. You can lock yourself up indefinitely if you like, but other people are looking forward to getting on with their lives and keeping the economy from collapsing.

Couldn’t have put it better!

I think there’s a difference between getting to some form of normality and getting back to normal. We need to do the former cautiously but the latter will just lead to the virus resurging.

This coronavirus is the strangest virus I've ever heard of. It's very dangerous the way it spreads.

It is so mysterious the way it lurks in schools, but then dies at Home Bargains.

It can wreak havoc in pubs and restaurants! Although it’s mind-boggling how it vanishes at the beach or in the park. Yet, standing to watch a marathon or at a gig or festival triggers its wrath.

It is sneaky. It can spread when buying clothes at Primark but not at Tesco or Asda.

It is non-alcoholic. It can't spread when you are buying beer.

It lives for 24 hours on Amazon boxes, you must wait 24 hours to touch them but it can't survive on takeaway coffee cups, so enjoying a hot latte is safe.

It is the most curious thing, how it lives on footballs, tennis rackets and ballet bars, but dies on shopping trolleys and food.

It is spread by hair stylists, dog groomers, and dentists, but not by bank machines, cashiers, and fast food workers.

It's so smart. It won’t bother the first 6 people that get together but it knows when the 7th person shows up so be careful if that’s you.

It even knows what you want vs what you need. If you want a massage or your nails done it is very actively on the prowl and not even a mask can stop it. If you need a plumber, it is weak, and a mask will keep it away.

It also seems to be most dangerous after 5:30pm so businesses must start to close before the virus comes out and wreaks havoc upon the populations.

Whoever heard of such a smart sneaky virus?!?

I am not sorry if this inconveniences those who want everyone who has concerns, personal or otherwise, about the virus to be locked away so that they don't have to bother with distancing or hand hygiene

Why would it inconvenience me or anyone else that’s already out and about doing as we want? It doesn’t bother me when people who need to shield come out or not.