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.

@SheepandCow shielding was never mandatory no. But even though I was expecting it, it was a hell of a slap in the face to get a letter, and few people i believe would have ignored it. I don't scare easily, and I am pretty pragmatic, but I wouldn't have gone against the shielding advice then.

@EDSGFC I'm not sure. It's complicated. I live with and care for my parents. Dad is immobile and mum has dementia.

Dad shields too. I get help from siblings normally, but obviously not when shielding. Mum was difficult during shielding, and it will be worse this time because it will be darker earlier. I'm a supply teacher, and too scared to go back at the minute...i can't afford to pass it on to parents.... if either of them had to be hospitalised mum would take a huge turn for the worse.

So financially I'm lucky, I have savings in using for bills and don't pay rent or a mortgage, but obviously contribute to household costs. Mentally though is a different matter. My whole life revolves around them, because everything else has stopped. I don't escape to work, and my days go by in a flurry of sorting stuff out for them.

I have started a proofreading course so I can work from home, so hopefully that should cover money, but I desperately need life to start again before my sanity goes.

I guess nothing will change hugely for me, apart from occasional coffee with friends stopping, and a longer delay to getting rehearsals and stuff up and running. I'm shopping atm, I guess that would stop. I'll just be here... forever it seems like. :/

If they impose it again, they have to sort money out or it's pointless. People can't shield on fresh air. I really feel for you, it's such a dilemma.

housemdwaswrong

Oh, gosh, your situation at home adds a whole nother level. I can understand your concern about passing it to your parents. I feel guilty about taking my chances and dying early, leaving my children without a mum. They're young adults but I still want to be around for them.

I hope you are right about them financially supporting shielders if they bring it back but I worry about the long term consequences on careers or jobs where employers might use it as an excuse to get rid of people on the shielding list.

If only everyone would stick to the rules hopefully rates would be kept down and shielding won't be needed again.

Could we afford another lockdown/furlough episode if we asked our billionaires to pay for it?

'I feel guilty about taking my chances and dying early, leaving my children without a mum. They're young adults but I still want to be around for them.'

This. I feel for you @EDSGFC & am in the same position, although mine are still children. They need me so much.

People glibly throwing out the 'shielding is a choice' line can fuck off.

‘Long covid’ just does not exist @SheepandCow. There will be people (fewer than 1%) who suffer a post-viral reaction but that is no different to any virus.

It is not some new thing associated only with COVID.

@Ecosse you cannot possibly know that. Many viruses have permanent effects.

www.bbc.com/future/article/20200622-the-long-term-effects-of-covid-19-infection

@ESDGFC I totally understand the job thing. I hot nothing from supply, not had an income since march. If I had a family to support I'd be pulling my hair out.

People who do the 'shielding is a choice- line' are glib, agreed @MilesJuppIsMyBitch. No clue what it's like to have to stop for months, not see anyone, not go into a shop, to dread hospital appts all whilst trying to manage a chronic condition, and worry about money and jobs while they are at it.

I wouldn't mind betting if I went through poster history these would be the same people complaining about lockdown, how ridiculous and ott it is, how it's so tough not being able to see friends who live further away etc., but are fine with us being shut away for months....because of course that's our choice to have our lives turned upside down. Idiots.

Shielding is a choice is a something I'll stand by. I am ecv and I shielded following the letter. But the alternative to the fact that shielding is a choice is the mis-truth that shielding is mandatory. Peddling the myth that shielding is mandatory extends the idea that there are good shielders and bad shielders and that discussion of who is to be judged worthy is part of a legitimate public discourse - as can be seen on this thread.

It isn't mandatory, and officially a choice. Nolne is peddling a myth. I don't see any wooden e of judgement of food shielders and bad shielders?

Everything medical ia a choice. It's a choice to have chemo, to have a limb amputated, to take medication for anything or not. Ot doesn't mean it's an enjoyable scenario, or people want to do it. They do it because it is in their best interests.

What do you mean who is worthy? And what's ECV?

Then you haven't read the thread.

Sorry, was thinking in terms of medical profession not extremely clinically vulnerable.

I have i thought. May have missed a few pages when typing a response. I'll go and have a look now.

What do you mean who is worthy?

Well for a start, let's look at those posters who think that those who didn't shield 'properly' should be at the back of the queue should they require treatment for coronavirus for a stark and brutal example of how people will sit in judgement of those who are extremely vulnerable when they believe that shielding is not a choice but a mandate.

And what's ECV? Extremely clinically vulnerable.

Well there's always going to be self-righteous people, people who like ot think they are worse off than others like the 'I think we are the only people shiedling that way' comment. Beggars belief but more about bring virtuous and hard-done by rather than anything else. There also people, at least one I know of that takes the one of the same drugs as me, and didn't need to shield. But went through HR in work (NHS) and was told to shield - she then decided she couldn't hack it spoke to HR and went back to work again! An abuse of the system if ever there was one. But these are minority cases.

None of this though should deter from the fact that whilst it isn't mandatory, for a lot of people it's not exactly optional as the risk of being seriously ill is not an option they can take.

ECV I know - as I said in previous post I was thinking along lines of something medical.

@Ecosse , long Covid does exist, I know of a 40 something fit and healthy before now very incapacitated with permanent lung damage also a 50 year old (previously a sports coach) now in a locked in state. Look up Derek Draper for an example of someone left in very poor health following Covid.

The worrying things is that views like that were ten a penny at the start of shielding. It seems to have dropped back over the summer months, thankfully. But it was not a minority view. It's important to be clear that we are not some 'other' kind of human. That the government didn't infringe on our civil rights to choose moreso than anyone else over lockdown. That we aren't some kind of subspecies that loses access to our self determination and punished by lack of access to medical care.

That I agree with, but I think that was put out there by the govt and can't be put back in the box. 'Only the elderly and vulnerable will be severely affected ' was the chosen phrase. By prefixing it with only, it lessened us immediately. We didn't really matter.

If people choose to take that up then sod them. Not my issue, I've enough to be dealing with.

I think I see half of it differently from you.
I agree with the above, but I think the govt did infringe on our rights moreso than nom shielders. It was only guidance for sure but every system (GPs, employment, supermakets etc) was set up to meet our needs. Now I'm not moaning about that, I've been very grateful, but it was certainly expected that the guidance would be followed.

I've had great medical care throughout, and aay that loudly and clearly whenever it comes up.

@mushroom3

There are of course some cases of previously fit and healthy people being left in a serious conditions, but these are extremely few and far bateen.

I think we'll just have to affably disagree

If it wasn't had enough being physically isolated from the world, the whole narrative around the value of those who are vulnerable hugely dehumanising.

In any case, I won't be shielding again. I will hug my kids at night, I'll cuddle and read to them, snuggle on the couch and watch movies with them and I'll sleep in the same bed as my dh and live alongside him. And I will be a bad shielder. Fuck em.

My child is type 1 diabetic and so pleased to be back at school. If as someone mentioned they are added to the shielding list we are going to suffer majorly with mental health problems. She just won’t be happy knowing everyone is at school but her. I really hope they don’t have to shield if it does happen again.

@FourTeaFallOut

No one is saying that shielding should be compulsory. If people who are at high risk do not want to take precautions to protect themselves, that should be totally up to them.

Yes, without the kind of vitriolic judgements seen on this thread and gleeful value judgements about being sent to the back of the queue.

There are now several known factors which affect a ability of a person to overcome Covid19; Age, gender, weight, health conditions, pregnancy, BAME and A blood type. Surely someone should be able to come up with a scoring system to work out if people need to shield. Age, weight and previous health conditions would be harder as a sliding scale would be needed but surely still possible. It makes more sense than shutting down whole economy.

Fourteafallout that I agree with. :) :) whatever is best for you. I will partially shield because of my parents, but I wont be staying in for another extended period. Enjoy the hugs :)

Bad shielders lol. Some people like to feel superior, can't change that :) It's like overweight saying smokers shouldn't get treatment etc etc Always makes me laugh.. lifes too short. Currentlt deciding whether to go back, find the post and reply, or whether to leave it. The latter would be the most sensible...

Caringcarer. Id like that - im morbidly obese and asthmatic, but only 40 so risk factors which meant I chose to shield first time, but no idea what the real risks are..

I guess hearhoovesthinkzebras will be shielding again, I hope they are okay!