End social distancing now - it’s time to get back to normal

[peasoup8]

Four deaths from coronavirus were recorded on 5th September - and yet the economy is on its knees, businesses are folding and my GP refuses to do face to face appointments because of the supposed risks posed by this “deadly” disease. Whilst I have every sympathy for the families of those who died, there are more people killed on Britain’s roads each day than there are from Covid.

People said there would be a massive spike in cases/deaths after the BLM protests and guess what - that failed to materialise. Central London was packed when I was there last weekend so nobody is taking the virus seriously anyway. AIBU to think it’s time we end this social distancing farce now and get back to normal, before more people lose their jobs and homes and the economy tanks still further?

OP, you are Sarah Vine and I claim my £5.

@Sennetti

what 'normal' do you even mean? pretty much everything is now open

standing close next to strangers is the only thing we aren't doing here.....and i'm cool with that!

While I don't agree with the OP that we should just give up on SD, they are right that there are still things people can't do or which are difficult to do.

I can't visit family because they are in Wales and so I am not allowed inside their house. They are several hours away so garden visits not possible

I can't go to the theatre

I can't go to concerts

I can't sing in church or sit next to anyone or exchange the sign of peace

I have to stay 2 metres away from my friends and can't hug them or sit on the sofa next to them or cook with them.

As the weather gets colder I will have to pay for car hire (at least double the price of the train) to visit friends to allow us to go places together once I am there, because sitting in the back of their car with windows open won't be fun in the cold

However whether I agree they should be lifted or not im more than happy to join in a charade of reduced social interaction if it means schools stay open

“Charade” is a good word for it.

i’ve got more letters after my name than you have letters in you

So?

Now sit down, shut up, and let people actually competent for handling this situation do it

When is anyone competent going to start handling it then? They've done a shit job so far.

I keep thinking all the Us 4 Blathering On lot are Sarah Vine, they all sound the same.

I don’t know who Sarah Vine is but no, I’m not her.

@giantangryrooster where are you in the world?
OP just wait please. We have nowhere near the amount of cases we did in March. At the moment its not an equal comparison. Just wait and see what happens when cases rise. If deaths remain low bring on my social life because I hate living like this.

@themental

we haven't hit second peak yet op.....please be patient for all the deaths coming.

It's like people are almost giddy with anticipation of "all these deaths". I find it so fascinating. It's like an extremely grim "I told you so".

Does anyone remember the Dementor threads ♟

Take a look at the charts from Spain.

twitter.com/ewanbirney/status/1302635204830547968 Taking the Spainish charts as an example but using the UK charts. In April testing was limited so the actual number of cases should be 10-50 fold higher. In the UK currently ONS testing suggests that the actual number of cases is only 2-4 fold higher than the reported number of cases. So the number of deaths is significantly lower as the actual number of cases is still significantly lower and nowhere near the first peak (plus more effective treatments).

I agree with the OP

I'd say we could do this if we had the rapid tests rolled out but would people take any notice if their results were positive? Or would they carry on anyway?

OP just wait please.

@Northernsoullover how much longer will we have to wait though? Weeks? Months? Years? (Rhetorical question by the way). Meanwhile the economy falls off a cliff, people are made redundant and lose their livelihoods and their homes.

I agree about the shocking treatment (or total lack of it) from GPs and can I add HVs

but would people take any notice if their results were positive?

I think they probably would in that situation. But rapid tests being rolled out seem unlikely at this point.

I agree about the shocking treatment (or total lack of it) from GPs and can I add HVs

Yup. And anyone saying it’s fine for a GP to diagnose a tiny baby over the phone is not even worth engaging with IMO.

Op I agree with you

No one I know bothers with it either

With each day I see less and less people in masks and no rise in positivity

Yes cases are rising but they’re testing more what do we expect?!

Some people just love all telnet drama of it all

Still waiting on the BLM second wave

Sure it’ll come after the VE Day second wave

If that ever shows

@Lucked

There was only one death on the 8th March but over a thousand on the 9th April.

I don’t think we will get back there but the idea we can now all return to normal is ridiculous. Only way to keep transmission low is maintaining a degree of social distancing. The lack of deaths means we are doing something right. I am not overtly panicked by the increasing cases but we need to watch the numbers. Schools and unis going back is enough of a change at the moment.

Yes. Despite how many times it's pointed out, people STILL don't get it.

March 8 1 death
April 9 over a thousand.

Sept 7th 4
October 5th????

I don't think (I hope) the fuse won't be as steep, as fast, but JFC the people who want to make out it's all over/imaginary Are seriously hard of thinking.

Amelie- March we tested only those ill in hospital

Now - we test the world and his wife

Of those in hospital - they’re not rising!

And if they do it’s to be expected

People sadly die everyday!

Put it this way - average 10 deaths a day a month ago

Still avaerage 10 deaths

Cases only up because of testing not because of transmission

It's also worth noting that most recently released deaths occurred as far back as June.

Yes, it's here, yes it seems to have mutated to be highly infectious. But then isn't it behaving in the same way as any other Coronavirus, like the common cold, flu, or winter infections. You catch it, some people will go to bed for a few days then recover, some may battle through as they're not that ill and some will be ill enough to need intervention.
We don't stop the entire world from functioning over other illnesses once we know about them and how they act.
It would far easier to shield those who need to be shielded if we said everyone else get back to normal, then food shop deliveries would be available for those who genuinely need it, businesses wouldn't be on their knees and the amount of deaths of other illnesses caused by the NHS telling people it's open whilst telling people to naff off or pay, as with my GP, wouldn't be on the rise.
I think it was said recently that there will be far bigger numbers of deaths from cancer and other illnesses, plus poverty and suicide in the longer term.
Enough is enough.

The lack of postnatal care is actually criminal.

Where do you get 1% from? It was more like 0.06% last time I did a quick calculation

1% is the predicted death rate of covid. Neither known or confirmed yet granted but past a certain saturation it becomes defunct anyway since available healthcare rapidly deteriorates and no one gets potentially lifesaving treatment.

How is it a tiny sample? I’m looking at the death toll each day and the latest figure is 4. Pandemic my hat

Yes we all see the published death rates but you seem to have seen a few people not taking measures and concluded that the spring never happened and social distancing isn’t the reason for that. Cases are rising and we have no idea what number we actually cope with. Tests are already in short supply in some areas so people are potentially walking around with no idea they should be isolating because track and trace doesn’t kick in without a positive test result.

it’s not right that people can go get a haircut but my baby can’t be seen by the doctor

So register with a different doctor, ring 111, go to a walk in, go to a&e. You have options it’s only your action that can make use of them.

It's not positive cases we need to look at, it's percentage of positives which since July has gone up 0. 3%

Time to rebuild

@kittensarecute

Exactly what I've been saying. People can't live like this for too much longer. Its cruel and unfair.

They can and they will, we've survived through wars.

17,000 people died last year due to fuel poverty.

There are 24 more infant deaths in areas of deprivation per 100,000 births in the U.K.

In the USA 245,000 deaths are directly relatable per year to poverty related factors (not available for U.K.).

We are exponentially increasing our poverty, domestic violence and suicide rates with all of these measures. We will create our own monster, so as much as I absolutely want to avoid Covid, we have lost an old friend, and someone close was very very ill. It isn’t making sense statistically speaking, taking the fear and emotion out of it, we are creating poverty And food insecurity at a rate of knots.

@Vinoonasunnyday

cases only up because of testing not because of transmission

Incorrect. Percentage of positive tests are increasing.