Do you want restrictions to continue beyond the vaccine?

[ciderfromalemon]

Very interested as I’m reading a mix of views on here about this.

Do you think restrictions should continue once all elderly and other vulnerable groups have been vaccinated? If yes, which restrictions should continue and how long for? What point can life return to ‘normal’ (eg do you think there needs to be a perfect cure/vaccine or Covid eliminated completely before normality). If no, why not?

No, of course not, but there's going to be a very tricky period of many months between some vulnerable people having being vaccinated and all vulnerable people being vaccinated.

It will be an interesting social study to see how people behave during that period, but unfortunately, I suspect it won't be heart warming.

of course not...why!!

@Galvantula

Yeah that is fuckin callous cardi.

Also not logical. This is a brand new pathogen, to which very few people yet have resistance. Which causes serious illness and/or complications in large enough numbers to mess up our over stretched and under funded health service.

Get on with it and who gives a fuck of people die isn't really an option, if you want to be treated for non covid illness, for example.

But once the vulnerable have been vaccinated the small numbers of very unfortunate people who do become seriously ill won't have an impact on other hospital treatments.

Restrictions need to be gradually eased as deaths, ICU bed occupancy and infection rates fall. Not based on numbers vaccinated. The vaccinations will hopefully reduce the number of deaths by, say, Easter, thus easing the NHS, but even then, workplaces can't function if too many staff are off with covid at the same time, so we'll need a lot of the remaining working population vaccinated too, simply so that businesses/organisations can continue to operate.

@lunar1

I think we need to reduce the mitigation in clear stages. So gradually reduce the tiers, and gradually reduce distancing and mask wearing. Then if numbers increase we know exactly what caused the increase.

Unfortunately our government are too stupid to come up with an actual plan where we can quantify anything.

Exactly. Look at last Summer. Govt opened up air travel, holidays, pubs, restaurants, etc all virtually at the same time. They even encouraged people to "eat out to help out". So when cases, inevitably, started to rise, they hadn't a clue what had caused it.

I want the restrictions gone ASAP, a full inquiry into the response, particularly its impact on children, a clear plan to undo the damage as far as possible and investment in ensuring we never need to lockdown again.

I want the restrictions gone ASAP, a full inquiry into the response, particularly its impact on children, a clear plan to undo the damage as far as possible and investment in ensuring we never need to lockdown again

This!!!

Once those at greatest risk of hospitalisation and death are vaccinated these numbers should plummet.

Once that's done restrictions need to go. The economy and life need to resume.

People just won't comply even if government tried to keep restrictions in place - which they won't.

No.

When the elderly & vulnerable are vaccinated, covid hospital admissions will reduce massively, the NHS will no longer need to be ‘protected’ and restrictions can be removed progressively. We should be back to something very close to normal by May, at the latest.

@BooksAreNotEssentialInWales

I want the restrictions gone ASAP, a full inquiry into the response, particularly its impact on children, a clear plan to undo the damage as far as possible and investment in ensuring we never need to lockdown again.

I agree, but we need the facts, not a witch hunt. We need to know what worked, what didn't. We need to look at other countries - again, what worked, what didn't. We need an inquiry to form the basis of a proper plan as to what to do WHEN the next pandemic strikes. Hopefully, many countries will do the same, and there may even be some kind of Worldwide inquiry into the whole thing, with a Worldwide plan for dealing with the next pandemic. Lots of different countries have worked together to create the vaccines, so hopefully that will provide the impetus for many countries to work together to come up with a realistic plan for next time.

I think that most people would want to get back to normal as soon as is safely possible. I don't want restrictions to continue for any longer than necessary.

What " as soon as safely possible" looks like should be determined by professionals who know what they are talking about. I'm not one so I'll keep my mouth shut and listen :)

@wildraisins that was kind of what I meant bit a bit more polite

It can't just be "this is rubbish, we're fed up" it has to be logical. Unlike most of the government's responses so far. Which seem to be wait until the last minute then impose restrictions anyway, by which time it's too late and it gets worse and restrictions have to be imposed longer. Which everyone hates. Cycle of shitness.

@galvantula. Presumably all the people who are asymptomatic and all those who throw off the illness after two weeks in bed have resistance. Not enough to give herd immunity though.

Easing of restrictions after everyone, 60+ who wants the vaccine has received it. Plus younger but vulnerable people. End of April? May?

@TroubadorinTrouble

No. As soon as the number of cases and hospitalisations is at a manageable level for the NHS they should start to ease up the restrictions.

This

Absolutely not. As a healthy 30 year old I won't be in line for the vaccine any time soon, I will be happy to live as normal when the vulnerable have been vaccinated.

I'm sure this is the plan from the government as well. Once the vulnerable are vaccinated, the rest of us will be told to get on with it and do personal risk assessment. Yes, some young healthy people may die, but that's true of any illness. The government won't continue to let the economy tank to protect a minuscule number of young healthy people dying of Covid. Harsh but true.

Whitby has explained this at a recent briefing. Once the priority groups are vaccinated there will still be some restrictions. Too many under 50’s catching it all at once, some of whom will have underlying conditions that didn’t make the cv list cut, is still too risky for the nhs. So the gov can only release restrictions gradually while the under 50’s are vaccinated.

Then, at a low level still to be determined, the government will decided that’s an acceptable level of risk for us to live with. And restrictions will be further eased towards removal.