What's the longest you will put up with restrictions?

[Papatron]

I'm just wondering where people think their breaking point will be with the virus restrictions. If the government extends the furlough scheme beyond April and says we all have to stay locked down, will you obey?
If we're still not free in June or July?
Personally I feel like I could just about take another 3 months maximum.

@PicsInRed

31 March 2021.

Even if it is worse? Like there has been some other mutation and it is worse - that deadline is 100% fixed?

Done with it a long time ago.

Lockdowns don’t work. It’s all pointless. They’re keeping going with it because of the sunken costs fallacy and a Canute style belief that these measures can stem the tide.

The second World War lasted six years...six...years...and rationing in this country went on until well into the 1950s..and now people are upset because they can't go to the pub/go on holiday?

@beguilingeyes

The second World War lasted six years...six...years...and rationing in this country went on until well into the 1950s..and now people are upset because they can't go to the pub/go on holiday?

You mean people are upset that they can't do the things they enjoy the most? How terribly unreasonable of them!

Oh here we go again with the WW2 comparisons . Well yes they really did have no choice, but at least were allowed to be together in between the awful bits.

Also with coronavirus there is a tipping point. Once the elderly and vulnerable have been vaccinated then are we really expected to cower in our houses forever because of a rather nasty flu ?

I'm managing OK with restrictions and support the lockdowns etc but I would not dismiss how hard it has been or characterise it as being just 'can't go to the pub/go on holiday'.

My family have had every aspect of our lives changed and no longer see many people we love.

It is important not to minimse the impact of the lockdown, even whilst we argue they are necessary.

It depends - the vaccination roll out should be complete for the key groups (over 80s plus NHS) by March if they get the timescales right.

If they try to argue for continued lockdown with the most vulnerable vaccinated I'll not be impressed. Similarly if they cock up the roll out and don't manage it by March I'll be expecting significant push back by MPs and the HoL.

As long as they are necessary.

SkySports

It does rather feel like some people love the restrictions almost orgasmic for some to hear the word lock down imposed or more restrictions

"This is childish, of course nearly 100% of people want their old freedom back"

I'm afraid I agree with Skysports. There are people who delight in the imposition of restrictions and making others think they will never end

@rookiemere

Oh here we go again with the WW2 comparisons . Well yes they really did have no choice, but at least were allowed to be together in between the awful bits. Also with coronavirus there is a tipping point. Once the elderly and vulnerable have been vaccinated then are we really expected to cower in our houses forever because of a rather nasty flu ?

I mean that many people have things a lot worse. There's a global pandemic FFS. We have a shit government who couldn't organise a functioning track and trace system and a cheerleader PM who tells us what he thinks we want to hear.

The vaccine is here...so I don't think that sucking it up for a little longer is a big ask.

As long as it takes. DS and I've gone a year without seeing any family, as none live locally and haven't seen any friends since September.

Unlike other posters, I don't mind locking down at this time of the year, as I like hibernating. As long as I can get out for a 30 minute walk every day, that'll do me.

@beguilingeyes but it's a lot more than people not being able to go to the pub or on holiday. Old folks in care homes have scarcely seen their loved ones since March, ditto for disabled children in care. Our DCs education has been massively fragmented and their physical and mental health compromised .

And yes we can criticise the government for a lot of their actions, but at least they put in multiple orders for vaccines so hopefully we can get moving with a vaccination programme asap as we're now in a better position- vaccine wise - than a lot of countries.

As long as it takes, as it's not up to us. We have to follow the restrictions until things are better! Until the NHS can cope better! We can't just stop because we are fed up. What do you plan on doing in three months when you begin to feel fed up? Will you begin breaking the rules at that point?? None of us like the situation, but we have got to keep going with it! We are all in the same boat, or we should be. We aren't all just going to rebel, the majority of us will continue to follow the restrictions, as hard as it is. I'm not dismissing how you feel, it's really hard, but we don't have a choice in the matter really.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

It's interesting to see it's often the same posters who insist, over and over again, that they'll accept this for as long as it takes It's not really anyone else's business of course, but I'd love to know what their employment and financial positions are

Mine is that I'm retired and very fortunate to be in a position where I'll never want for money, and my own answer is about 3 months to see if the vaccines make any initial difference ... because if they don't we're back to finding a way to live with Covid, which I expected would be necessary right from the start

I was working up until July. I'm now on universal credit, with most payments for credit cards etc frozen for a few months so I can minimise debt, and I've used up savings to reduce it as much as possible. I've taken out an overdraft for those things I can't pay, and expecting my car to have to go back at some point.

I care for my parents, and for me I'm still waiting to see if the vaccine will work if they ever publish research on it.

I will do as long as it takes. On December 23rd we had no itu beds in wales, and Cardiff Vale have got volunteers trained tin promotion to come in and assist with covid.patients.

People can call it virtue signalling, martyrdom whatever they want (as long as I can call their actions selfish and short sighted of course). The reality is that while covid has been going on minimal surgery has been taking place. And people banging on about that are at the same time moaning about restrictions. 3 health boards in Wales now have had to cancel all routine and elective surgery. If that is going to change the virus has to be managed.

So no, I'm not living in some gilded cage where I can afford to not worry and just happily plod along, but I'll be damned if I don't do what I can, so that people waiting for surgery actually stand a chance of having it.

@FancySomeChips

As long as it takes.

The only answer

It's an interesting question. In my head I am prepared for this until after Easter. Then I'll be asking questions about vaccine roll out.

As long as it takes really.

No point having stop/start lockdown where businesses spend money to get back open and ready, then it all goes to shit again when there is too much mixing and it's wasted.

It has to be long enough to be effective and the vaccines have to be rolled out efficiently and effectively.

So far it's been apply restrictions when it's already too late and levels are high, so it takes ages to reduce. Then throw it all open and go back to applying restrictions too late.

Understandably people are fed up. We can't just mess it up forever though - the "normal" everyone wants back will take longer to arrive if we just keep spreading it :(

People who say "as long as it takes" do not in any way like being restricted or the fact that it's affecting people's livelihood and their mental health. There just isn't any other way since we (i.e
the governments ) completely messed up by trying to ignore the threat and pretend it wouldn't happen here. 😣

It’s always the same people on these boards, banging on about how they’ll do this for as long as it takes. And then acknowledging that they actually quite like living like a hermit and never seeing anyone. Nb living exactly as you’d choose anyway isn’t the heroic selfless sacrifice you seem to think it is.

@MoltenLasagne

It depends - the vaccination roll out should be complete for the key groups (over 80s plus NHS) by March if they get the timescales right.

If they try to argue for continued lockdown with the most vulnerable vaccinated I'll not be impressed. Similarly if they cock up the roll out and don't manage it by March I'll be expecting significant push back by MPs and the HoL.

The vaccine rollout to vulnerable groups will not complete until June.

If restrictions are lifted early, numbers getting ill will remain too high.

And if restrictions are lifted too late, the economy is further trashed and we encounter all the downsides of lockdown with little of the life saving benefits.

There is no trade off between economy and health, sadly, it is both or neither.

Our government have fucked up both. Better not to repeat the same mistakes if possible.

Careful what you wish for all those that want to come and live in Australia. It’s not as though Covid doesn’t exist here. Depending which state you live in there are restrictions to various degrees including compulsory masks in Victoria. Unlike the UK Police here are more than happy to use their resources to arrest and fine people for breaching restrictions.

State borders here close with little notice and there are strict Police checks at the borders (do doubt some Mumsnetters would love that!). Not much point booking any trips apart from within your state as you could end up having to cancel or quarantine on return to your home state.

The downside of having such low numbers (some states have zero cases outside quarantine) is the authorities will be very reluctant to let Covid back into the community and stop hotel quarantine for overseas travellers, even after everyone has been vaccinated. After telling us all this time that they are keeping us safe from the ‘wicked and deadly virus’ it would be bad political move for state premiers to suddenly say ‘it’s okay for people to get sick and die now’ even though people get sick and die from flu, sepsis and all kinds of other illnesses every year. As a consequence, it’s unclear if we’ll ever be able to travel freely again.

So far it's been apply restrictions when it's already too late and levels are high, so it takes ages to reduce. Then throw it all open and go back to applying restrictions too late

I agree with this but I don’t think that proves restrictions don’t work, it proves that we have inept leadership in place to apply them.

Lockdown 2.0 should never have had a strict end date applied. Maybe the emergence of the new strain would have been spotted and contained earlier if we’d continued another week or two.

... the vaccines have to be rolled out efficiently and effectively

Unfortunately "have to be" isn't the same as it actually happening - especially taking into account the mess that's been made of practically everything else

We've all heard Bojo's latest spiel about spring being the time he expects things to improve, but if too many inconvenient questions are asked about vaccine rollout he'll almost certainly tell us another mutation's been found, "but don't worry, our world-beating teams are onto it"

@2020quelhorreur I can only speak for myself but I hate living like this but understand that it’s necessary because it’s bigger than just me. My aim is to get through this as quickly as possible and if that means short term restrictions so be it.

I suspect that there’s a disconnect with peoples definitions of short term. I’m fully expecting for this to be the state of play (waxing and waning seasonally) for at least two years based on previous pandemics. Winter was always going to be a fucker but in context it’s still short term. This has been broadly my expectation since the start of this although it still punches me in the gut every time new levels are implemented. You have no idea how much I long to be proved as over reacting.