Move towards more personal responsibility

[Orangeblossom7777]

Just seen this on the BBC. Thoughts?

Move to personal responsibility after Easter, says Hancock
Matt Hancock, who's faced two hours of questioning by MPs from the health and science committees, said there would be a shift to an emphasis on "personal responsibility" rather than social distancing restrictions after Easter - once the vaccine has reached the most vulnerable people.

He said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) had recommended that once all those aged 50 years and over had been vaccinated - group 10 on their priority list - social distancing restrictions that "damage" society were likely to be lifted.

"I think that, should we manage to get the number of deaths, the number of hospitalisations, down sharply because of the vaccination programme then essentially I think we will get to the point where we are protecting the most vulnerable and there [is)] the argument for more personal responsibility, he said.

Thank god. This should have been the approach from the start.

tbe fair the risk factors for the under 50s (apart from specific vulnerable groups who will be vaccinated) are mainly changeable by diet and exercise for example diabetes and obesity

Type 1 diabetes is categorically not changeable by diet and exercise.

I won't be wearing a mask after Easter.

The bottom line is hospital capacity. That's what all the restrictions have been about.

Yes, true, I get that.

Hopefully the people who got confused (and who could blame them the way the media's been carrying on) and thought the aim was to avoid any level of death by any means necessary will be able to readjust their attitudes.

I remember flatten the curve, made sense, spread the cases/deaths out so that the healthcare system can cope. Somewhere along the line it seems to have changed to preventing as many (COVID) deaths as possible until we can have a vaccine for the most vulnerable. Well OK, now it's in sight, OK. But I am delighted to see official signalling that the message isn't going to change to preventing anyone from ever dying of COVID if we possibly can by any means, even though this is where a lot of the public clearly are.

It would also be super to see a concerted effort to improve the healthcare system and increase capacity as a safeguard against the future so this can never happen again. Protecting the NHS by improving the NHS. I won't hold my breath though.

It’s what my family has been doing for years to protect our relative who often ends up hospitalised by what for the rest of us are mild colds

@FreezeFloodlit

Anyway I'm glad to see the government expressing the idea that in the not too distant future, it has to become acceptable from a public health perspective for a certain number of people to die of COVID, because zero COVID deaths is never going to happen.

The bottom line is hospital capacity. That's what all the restrictions have been about.

Anyway I'm glad to see the government expressing the idea that in the not too distant future, it has to become acceptable from a public health perspective for a certain number of people to die of COVID, because zero COVID deaths is never going to happen.

I agree with him. First time ever.

I hope that people consider that when planning their Christmas family visits. It's not safe for some people to meet up, even if the law tells you you can. And we're a few months away from some normality.

This is fascinating. It's clear some people won't feel comfortable socialising and using public spaces normally for a very long time, even if they were doing so last year when they could have caught all manner of diseases that can kill people in poor health or just anyone who is unlucky enough.

I can't really understand it. The meme about staying inside until we eliminate death is supposed to be a joke.

@Racoonworld

I didn’t realise Easter was end of March. Even better! Only 4 months of this to go!

It is, and I do think think the end should be in sight around Easter, but it's with the caveat that we'll need to have cases under control by March and have vaccinated the vulnerable.

It won't be a case of a 4 day binge over Easter weekend. It'll be a phased return to normality. Nor was it long ago that Boris said it'll be all over by Christmas. There was nothing to back that up though.

I didn’t realise Easter was end of March. Even better! Only 4 months of this to go!

@halcyondays

And pre Covid even those lucky enough to get full pay when off sick wouldn’t stay off every time they had a runny nose because they’d very soon get a warning for being off sick too much.

I'd like to see a shift towards people being made to work from home (if feasible) when they're ill, beyond Covid,.

Obviously not everyone can work from home, but it'd stop so much spread of illness in the community if sick people weren't working in offices and were thus off public transport etc.

WFH from this winter, it's nice not to be ill all the time with various colds and viruses that everyone brings in.

Exciting news. Im actually relieved those in power are now talking about this as i was beginning to wonder.

To anyone who thinks it's a bad idea - did you never leave your houses before lockdown??

The list I saw had type 1 diabetics above the over 50s so the 49 year old well controlled diabetic would likely be covered if they get through to those over 50

“ I’d rather we had rules until it’s safe.”

Define safe.

Bluntly, we don’t all not drive so absolutely nobody dies of road pollution related disease or in accidents. We don’t vaccinate against chickenpox to prevent a small number of children becoming ill and dying. We don’t restrict everyone during flu season to prevent flu deaths. We don’t ban the sale or public consumption of foods containing nuts, eggs, dairy or wheat despite a small proportion of people being anaphylactically allergic to them. At some point the needs of the vast majority to have jobs, education, public services, visit family and have normal social lives outweigh the needs of the very small minority who cannot be vaccinated to keep absolutely safe from covid. We don’t keep people absolutely safe from anything else. Or are people seriously suggesting we continue the restrictions of this year indefinitely?

Can we make a nationwide or even worldwide agreement that when this is all over we never ever use to word ‘safe’ again. I can’t cope with hearing it 40,000 times a day forever.

Vaccinate the vulnerable and get on with life needs to be the way forward.

I think Easter might be a bit too early though (Good Friday is April 2nd).

For one thing several millions of vulnerable people will need to have been vaccinated with it shown to be working. And we'll need to be in a good position regarding Covid. The hospitalizations and death rates right down.

At that point then yeah we need to go back to normal, while taking sensible precautions and start to move away from masks and social distancing. At least as a rule.

When will it be "safe"? Because it won't ever be, we won't eradicate Covid.

I feel safe on a personal level. Once there is a vaccine available for the most vulnerable then I'll be happy to take personal responsibility. As a healthy 30 year old white woman I won't be in line for the vaccine any time soon, I'm not waiting until I've had it to start living normally again.

@Lemons1571

What about cev children? 49 year olds with well controlled diabetes (they are not currently on the cv list for a priority vaccine)? Covid will still be rampant among the majority of the population won’t it?

I’m the wrong side of 45 and obese. Have lost loads of weight, but still have loads to go. I don’t think I can “go back to normal” until I feel a bit safer.

That’s why they are saying personal responsibility. Like every other Illness. The most vulnerable will have been vaccinated so the main threat to the NHS sorted. The economy, mental health and general life can’t be put on hold after that risk is sorted. It will be up to everyone to decide what to do, those who want to stay in can and those who want to get back to normal can.

I honestly don't know what the people who aren't happy with this think should happen instead? Should we socially distance until, what, we've eradicated all known disease?

And this can’t come soon enough if you ask me! It fascinates me how much some people seem to be loving the government telling them what to do and how to live. I’m putting up with the restrictions for the sake of public health but once the vulnerable have been vaccinated and there is no risk of our precious NHS falling over, I’d welcome the government keeping its beak out of how I live my life thank you very much. Adults should be think and make decisions for themselves, like we always have done. If people choose to play fast and loose with their lives then good luck to them. Last I checked we weren’t a communist regime and I for one have no desire to live under one!

Exactly how it should be! We do not need a Government to tell us how to live our lives...

Sounds good to me.

Once hospitalisations decrease I don’t see that the benefit of SD restrictions outweigh the harm of them.

It’s always been a balance. Don’t forget that restrictions also have a negative impact on lives and health.

There will come point where we need to get on with life. There were always risks to vulnerable people, even before Covid.

Many won’t bother with personal responsibility so I’d rather we had rules until it’s safe.