Is anyone still fearful?

[justgeton]

Not that long ago people were panic buying, watching the news as many many people died, clapping the nhs.

We're clearly heading in the same direction.. but so many people are now ignoring it.

Why?

Yes lockdown is horrible. But the alternative isn't?

I can see all pov. I'm not trying to start another debate on whether we should lockdown or not; more why the massive swing? Is it that people don't think it's scary anymore?

An 18 month run on the NHS if we let it rip or restricted access for 10-20 years whilst we deliberately slow burn Covid if there is no vaccine / treatment forthcoming...

Is it that clear a choice? I’m really not sure.

Just to be clear... I'm in the middle... old enough for risks to be increasing but not so old I'm hugely at risk. I'm also recently retired from a senior role in the NHS so I have first hand knowledge of the impact on that.

That's what scares me the most. Hugely in fact. We will all be stuffed if health care is.

@justgeton

I have to say I'm a little horrified at the 'lm alright Jack' attitude.

Will your view stay the same if ITU continues to fill, the nhs struggles to treat any other emergency and any planned treatment?

We can't escape the fact that 600 Itu beds were filled yesterday. Probably more today.

You seem to be annoyed because people aren't frightened.

To be clear, I follow all the rules (even those that make no sense) and try, to extent I can, to protect others. I appreciate there are others to whom the virus poses a much greater risk. However, am I afraid of it for myself? No.

I think we’re being incredibly short sighted about the NHS.

If we keep locking stuff down we will just not be able to fund it in the medium term to the degree that people expect. Its remit will have to change drastically or people will have to start paying.

So while I understand the immediate fears of it being overrun, the long term implications of the measures taken now to protect it will be immensely damaging.

We should have our sharpest thinkers focused on how we can manage its resources now, without reducing economic activity any more than strictly necessary. Because if we can’t do that, it’ll be disastrous regardless.

Not afraid of the the virus.

Very afraid of lockdowns, mental health and economic implications. Terrified for children’s well-being if they stop things like team sport again (especially those played outside - that would just be utterly stupid).

I live carefully and minimise my contact with vulnerable people. I do not socialise indoors, shop minimally, get deliveries when possible, sanitise and wear masks religiously. I do not see my elderly parents other than outdoors socially distancing. I am being responsible. It’s not a case of I’m alright Jack. No more than vulnerable people expecting non-vulnerable to lock down to protect them and disregarding people’s job loss, mental health breakdowns and children’s education impact.

I will continue to be responsible but if this government takes anything more away from my children I will be at my wits end honestly. There are other risks than just covid.

I actually feel more fearful now than earlier in the year.

The numbers are rising far too quickly at the moment and no sign of slowing.

We can’t keep everything locked down. We need more testing available and quicker results.

I remember being scared twice - the first time watching the news before lockdown when it was getting closer and closer and nobody knew much about it - my son has a heart condition so wasn't sure how it might affect him. The second time when I couldn't get much food at the supermarket and was worried it would get worse and worse and I couldn't book deliveries for my parents at all and I thought we might run out of food. Since then I haven't been scared at all. I've not broken any rules but personally am not fearful in the slightest.

"We're losing jobs, homes and our mental health.

The threat of the virus is trivial compared to these."

And all the countries that have had the least economic damage are those that have controlled the virus - because those with money have more sense than to spend it doing the risky things that keep other people in work.

The best way to preserve the economy is to keep levels of the virus low through winter. When new treatments are developed, and several are looking promising, people will be out spending again. Vaccines are not the only way out of this.

I think we need through one winter with restrictions of some kind.

What pisses me off is the reactionary approach from the governments rather than an announcement of a plan , a strategy of any sort.

The question was are you still fearful. I’m not scared. I’m following the rules, I understand some restrictions are needed, but the virus is not something I need to fear.

This.

OP you seem to think that not being scared means not following the rules. That’s not the case. I am following the restrictions. I am not scared.

Need to get through

I'm not afraid of the virus. I'm afraid for the economic and social effects. I'm afraid of what the future will look like for my teenage DS and my baby nephew.

And all the countries that have had the least economic damage are those that have controlled the virus

Because they caught it early and containment was possible,

That ship has sailed for most of Europe.

@SoUtterlyGroundDown

OP you seem to think that not being scared means not following the rules. That’s not the case. I am following the restrictions. I am not scared.

To put it a different way though... lots are no longer following the rules because they are no longer frightened

I’m fearful that our hospitals will become full of seriously ill Covid patients which will cause the health service to grind to a halt again. I don’t see how this will be avoided given that numbers of ICU admissions are doubling every week.

I don’t understand what the “just let it go” people think is going to happen, or what they want the NHS to do with the very sick patients.

I know the government should have done more to shore up the NHS after the first wave, but it didn’t, and here we are.

I don’t want to be locked down. I want to see my family and I want to go on holiday. I’m truly fed up of all this. But without a functioning health service all the rest falls apart.

To put it a different way though... lots are no longer following the rules because they are no longer frightened

That may be true, but it’s not true of anyone I know.
Is keeping people in a state of perpetual fear the best way to manage this?

Yes. I'm very high risk from Corona virus. I'm about a one in three chance of needing support with breathing.

So I'm pretty scared.

We have children at secondary school in enormous bubbles and all bubbles are mixing on crowded unventilated buses. So just not safe at all even though I rarely go out.

A number of different issues there.
Why am I not fearful of Covid? Because it is a mild disease for most, even those more vulnerable to it.
Why am I "ignoring it"? I'm not; despite my personal views, I abide by all regulations on gatherings, travel, social distancing and mask-wearing.
Is the alternative to lockdown more "horrible"? I strongly suspect not. At the moment, all social and economic policy is being driven by one virus, despite mounting evidence of the physical and mental health, educational, social and financial implications of that.
As to why the swing now (if there is a swing, and I am not sure I am necessarily seeing that), my view has only strengthened over the last 6 months that lockdown is not the way to "save the NHS", and instead the way to kill it. It is not truly open for business and has not coped at all well with anything other than Covid, and there will simply not be enough money to keep it going in its current form due to falling tax revenues.
Lastly, I think that it has become clearer over time that the oft-floated view that "governments wouldn't destroy their economies if it wasn't necessary to save lives" is sadly not valid. Plenty of people, including some in governments across the world are doing very well indeed out of lockdown and there is the possibility of it finishing off many things that politicians - especially on the right - find problematic, like publicly-funded health and social care, small businesses and the high street, and rights to protest.

I have to say I'm a little horrified at the 'lm alright Jack' attitude.

But why are you horrified? Saying "I'm not a afraid of Covid" or " I don't agree with the measures" is not the same as saying "I won't follow the rules". Why would you feel reassured by people feeling fear who have no particular reason to do so?

Lots of people have no good reason to be afraid for themselves, either because they have alread had the virus, or because they are in a low-risk category. And yes, I know there is still a small risk that a person in a low-risk category could die of Covid. But we take that level of risk every day by getting in a car, crossing the road or walking down the stairs etc!

I think "I'm alright Jack" in the sense that I've had the virus. I'm not scared, but I still follow all the rules, because... well... they're the rules!

I'm not afraid of catching it (have already had it) but I do have a feeling of impending doom as the government has completely fucked it up regarding its response and not preparing for what's coming

I’m not scared of getting it anymore. There’s been more research and the death rate is very low (and even lower got my age group). I’m terrified of further lockdowns, isolation, the economy tanking, people’s livelihoods ruined, no money to fund the NHS and education so large public spending cuts.

I don’t believe in any of it anymore. In fact, I never did but as I was pregnant I was paranoid.

You’d probably all have me down as a batshit conspiracy theorist if I told you what I really thought.

But, I’m still following the rules. Always have done. My own personal views don’t mean that I’m not sensitive to the views of others.

@lazylinguist

I have to say I'm a little horrified at the 'lm alright Jack' attitude.

But why are you horrified? Saying "I'm not a afraid of Covid" or " I don't agree with the measures" is not the same as saying "I won't follow the rules". Why would you feel reassured by people feeling fear who have no particular reason to do so?

Lots of people have no good reason to be afraid for themselves, either because they have alread had the virus, or because they are in a low-risk category. And yes, I know there is still a small risk that a person in a low-risk category could die of Covid. But we take that level of risk every day by getting in a car, crossing the road or walking down the stairs etc!

I think "I'm alright Jack" in the sense that I've had the virus. I'm not scared, but I still follow all the rules, because... well... they're the rules!

Except compliance is waning by the day and it's clear from other threads a lot of people have no intention of following the rules.

So do you think the fear factor needs to be ramped up then OP? Like back at the start when the government (and this was a deliberate strategy) made everyone fear for their own personal safety? Do you think it’s healthy for the population to live in fear for a prolonged period of time?
What’s your solution?