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.

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

@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.

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.

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.

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.

@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.

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

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.

I won't be wearing a mask after Easter.

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.

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