Looks like shielding might be returning

[2X4B523P]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8727553/Up-4-5million-risk-Covid-told-stay-home-new-shielding-plan.html

Couldn’t see another thread but excuse me if I’ve missed it.

So shielding is currently paused and it looks like there’s a plan to restart it and with extended to more people.

I think I may have read that a poster on here got a shielding letter recently. I'll see if I can find the thread.

Wouldn’t be surprised.

Is that the daily Mail version of a telegraph article?

That’s how the government usually leak their plans to see how they go down with people.

Tbh this would make much more sense than a national lockdown that would decimate the economy. However, the government should fund the wages of those shielding and make sure that things like food delivery are working properly.

This approach would make far more sense than forcing people to stay at home and stop working who are not at risk.

@Lipz

I think I may have read that a poster on here got a shielding letter recently. I'll see if I can find the thread.

That thread got deleted. I feel for the OP as most people were accusing her of falsying the letter.

I couldn't see much detail in the article about the risk factors, just age, weight and and underlying conditions. That seems unhelpful to me since other factors are known to be more significant, e.g. being male or being from a certain ethnicity, so if they are going to protect people who are old or fat (sorry to be blunt), why not protect those who are male (and fat) or BAME? It seems to be avoiding certain sensitive distinguishing factors and in doing so, may need people who are have relatively low risk are forced to stay at home while others who are relatively higher risk can't get the protection they need (e.g. if they are forced to work).
If the government are going to start this type of differentiated shielding, they should start with the big risk factors and while age is obviously the main one, being obese is a much less significant risk factor for a woman than a man etc.
Plus then there are the complexities of high-risk jobs. Some health trusts took BAME workers off the frontline during the pandemic, but the proposed shielding this time does not mention that kind of thing.
Just age, weight, underlying conditions seems too inaccurate to me (apart from age and immunocompromised people and diabetes).

Typical newspaper doom and gloom.

That’s how the government usually leak their plans to see how they go down with people.
I think it is more a case of this.

Plus more complexities: do they apply these criteria to key workers? The NHS could well be short-staffed if they make anyone obese stay at home. What about schools?
It is an area full of sensitive issues and practical issues.
And still those who seem to be spreading the virus most, i.e. the healthy young, would be free to live as normal. Seems a bit unfair as well as contentious.

I hope they do so the rest of us can keep economy going

67 million putting their homes and jobs on the line for 4.5 million- let’s just support them rather than destroying everyone’s futures

So how would it work? DH is 66 and overweight. I'm 45 and overweight but presumably wouldn't have to shield due to being younger and female and would therefore have to go out to work. We can't shield from each other (and wouldn't anyway) so surely it wouldn't make a great deal of difference other than DH no longer being able to work and losing his customer base.

(Obviously this is hypothetical as I know no one knows the criteria, I'm thinking out loud!)

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

Personally I would fund the wages of everyone shielding as well as their household members so that the rest of us can keep the economy going and save our DC’s futures.

But our salaries wouldn't be funded forever so what would happen then? And what about my pension? I'm not prepared to lose my job if I don't have to - I may not always like it but I very much doubt I'd get another one with the same salary and benefits afterwards.

I posted on the last thread to say that I had had a new shielding letter. I am not posting another screenshot so this thread stays up, but I can assure you the letter was real. I am highly vulnerable and in the highest of the vulnerable groups.

My nans dr has told her a couple of weeks ago she will be in shielding again, it’s not a case of IF, it’s a case of WHEN.

My dr also pussyfooted when I asked and all he would say is make sure any vulnerable person I see or deal with is stocked up on things they need, and to also stock myself up. He said whilst he couldn’t tell me anything I’m thinking along the right tracks.

Not sure about jobs but millions are about to lose their jobs anyway as companies who are open are not running at full capacity and as such will want to cut staff or lose staff to repay loans etc

Once furlough ends so many jobs will go

Unfortunately I do think shielding will be selected - even though illegal they can’t isolate forever and companies need to recoup loses

Why pay someone who can’t work next six months

How would the government know who is overweight? Who to send letters to?

Azerothi when did you receive your new letter? I have DCs who were previously shielding so I’m wondering if this is something to expect.

It was dated the 4th September I got it a couple of days ago.

I'm afraid to say I don't think it will work. As I said, what happens to the NHS? Many of their staff will fall into these categories. The NHS can't be left understaffed, but equally we can't say NHS staff who are vulnerable should be afforded less protection than someone in the private sector.

The figure 4.5 millions doesn't mean much if they live with other people, as point out above. So it could mean millions more restricting their lives to protect the shielders they live with. Plus many of the shielders will have school-aged children.

Plus how does the government even attempt to deal with the huge issues of BAME risk factors? If they don't then it's a huge omission, if they do then it's a massive PC issue.

Age is simpler - it is clear that the over 70/80s are very high risk. Most will not be still working so the issues of work are less relevant and many will not be living with school-aged children. Still contentious though.

@Windyone If anyone is weighed at their GPs, the government will then have those statistics.

The other thread got deleted because it was later revealed to be a recent copy of an old letter the GP sent again for OP to give to DCs school and it panicked people unnecessarily. Although now it looks like we are going to have to shield again anyway.

I’ve ventured out a little and had already decided to put myself back into shielding and avoid public places as much as possible. I tried going back to church with an elderly relative but was next to a man with a streaming cold, red eyes, clearly burning up, so ill he was falling asleep and he took his mask off and was coughing and spluttering everywhere, wiping his nose with his hand and touching the seats etc. I know it’s unlikely he had Covid but if I now get a cough and temp it impacts upon my family and knowing me I’d likely get pneumonia from the stupid cold anyway. I can’t understand why people would go to non essential events at the moment full of illness and not practise good hygiene or social distancing.

Even in the flu jab queue people were not social distancing...there’s a total inability to stand on a line or dot and I had a complete stranger grab my arm repeatedly when we had to queue next to each other for 25 mins. I’m in one of the worst affected parts of the country and we’ve had a lot of outbreaks around pubs and restaurants etc. I guess I just don’t trust people to be courteous and follow the rules. I think a lot of people resent the Shielded and think everyone should just get on with life as normal and not bother about spreading it. Just get on with it seems to be the message. I’m only in my 30s but have a complex autoimmune condition, neutropenia and a heart condition and my lungs are damaged from two previous bouts of pneumonia (one from the common cold, one from the flu). I’d struggle to survive ventilation. Otherwise I have a great quality of life and should have decades on front of me. So I’m making the decision to shield until there is a vaccine. Only immediate family know though, I’m not making a “thing” of it. Mentally I’m struggling but I know one day the pandemic will be over.

I think the best approach is local lockdowns, but these need to be stricter, more than when it was proper national lockdown, but locally.

What is just as unfair as this shielding/non-shielding divide is the fact that the virus is very much focussed on certain areas but many restrictions affect the whole country. It is fairer to apply restrictions by locality rather than picking certain risk factors and ignoring others.

The problem with the local lockdowns so far is that they were too slack. So people could still go to bars, pubs, holidays etc. The lockdowns worked moderately, but not fully. Therefore, areas that were top of the list are still on list, just not at the top anymore.

@Ginogineli

I hope they do so the rest of us can keep economy going

67 million putting their homes and jobs on the line for 4.5 million- let’s just support them rather than destroying everyone’s futures

What about the doctors, business owners, nurses, teachers, etc who are among the 4.5 million? Lots of "vulnerable" have pretty important jobs!

The original shielding group was intended to be 1.5m people, but ended up at 2.5m (3% of the population, no age categories)

Those people always knew they could be recalled to shielding in local or national lockdowns

I expect type 1 diabetics will be added if the expansion plan is true - but if they add type 2 as well, then they'd need a bigger increase than the one suggested.