Whitty saying we'll still have restrictions next winter

[bathsh3ba]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-55542393

Fan-fucking-tastic. And I don't swear. Honestly don't know how I'm going to get through this.

@ArtemisBean

Cynical me wonders if there's an element of self-interest with Whitty. Presumably he's getting paid for all this advice. Will he be losing out when things are 'normal' again? 🤔

Really?? He looks pretty glum from someone supposedly benefitting from all this. And I doubt he makes up the figures of how many infected people are in hospital!

Op I live in Australia. The state I live in has had one case (someone in hotel quarantine) in the last 150 or so days. We still have restrictions but they are a maximum number at mass gatherings ( I think it’s a max of 2000 people and we can’t travel overseas). We also still in theory social distance so when queuing in shops there is still 1.5 metres between people and you are asked to use hand sanitiser everywhere. Also can’t go to doctor with sore throat etc unless you have had a covid test with negative results. There are also limits on the number of visitors allowed in hospitals.

But apart from that life is really back to normal. Everything is open and people go about their daily lives. I’m sure that these are the kinds of restrictions that he means. Please don’t worry too much

@ineedaholidaynow

Would people break the rules in the Spring if the NHS is still struggling?

I would expect it not to be if the vaccinations are taking effect. If it is then obviously lockdown plus vaccinations aren’t working and therefore they will have to try something else.

@justanotherneighinparadise

Yeah he really didn’t say that. I watched it.

Yes I watched it too, and he didn’t remotely say that.

And now we have the same posters coming out with the same worst case hysteria we see on every thread.. It helps no one to make up stuff and post it like it’s true.

A “grief like process” ,,,words fail me.

@CoffeeandCroissant

What he said was: "We might have to bring a few (curbs) in during the next winter, that's possible, because winter will benefit the virus."

Which sounds like common sense to me. During winter we take extra care with other viruses - flu, noro, wvv, etc. (albeit on a much lower scale) so its obvious that we would need to add covid to our list of things to avoid spreading.

@ArtemisBean

Cynical me wonders if there's an element of self-interest with Whitty. Presumably he's getting paid for all this advice. Will he be losing out when things are 'normal' again? 🤔

I think he's just fixated on the tree and cannot see the woods behind. His remit is minimising death and disease in this pandemic - not so much the long term damage caused by lockdown, certainly not wreckage to the national economy and consequent morbidity.

I hope people won’t put up with restrictions past spring. Once the vulnerable are vaccinated there is no need at all. This is all to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed and they won’t be come spring! I do wonder where all this stands from a human rights perspective especially school closures as it seems especially if this goes on beyond spring that the “cure” is worse than the disease. They simply cannot keep children off school for another 7 months they also cannot expect working parents to home school for that long either, companies are willing to be flexible in the short term but I can’t see my private sector employer putting up with the reduced productivity that comes with balancing work and home school until July!

Whitty also reminded us flu hasn't gone away. We still have the Spanish flu strain in circulation.

He also said people will likely continue to die of this like they do flu.

But there is a socially acceptable level of death and we will reach that.

I think he's right to remind us we aren't going to wake up on 3/10/2021 and covid doesn't exist anymore.

He doesn't mean lockdown.

He means things like wearing masks, maybe new vaccine/ booster, limiting social gatherings.

Covid isn't going to just disappear. It might help.to think if it as being another kind if flu. Every year, especially winter, it kills a lot of people. There'll be a vaccine available and older and vulnerable people will be prioritised.

But it isn't going away! If we are lucky it won't cause too much hassle once we have effective routines and vaccines against it and it's variants.

@ArtemisBean

Cynical me wonders if there's an element of self-interest with Whitty. Presumably he's getting paid for all this advice. Will he be losing out when things are 'normal' again? 🤔

I imagine we’ll still need a Chief Medical Officer, @ArtemisBean, as we did before the pandemic arrived. It’s a position Chris Whitty has held since 2019.

I'm not sure Boris did refuse to say schools wouldn't open before summer.

I think he was just being his shit self and couldn't answer the question.

They have said they will open education first and they hope by March they may be able to lift some restrictions. Therefore they do actually hope after half term they can open up some education. It may be slowly again starting with primary.

But it will happen.

He didn’t say that, Jesus. Go back and listen

A “grief like process” ,,,words fail me.

Yes. The end point is "acceptance".

Pandemics generally last around 2 years. We're one year in. It will take a while to get sufficient volume of the population vaccinated, thus realistically we are looking at another year of on/off restrictions/lockdowns.

If they do put some curbs on our behaviour it might help with some of the other viruses too

@Katie517

I hope people won’t put up with restrictions past spring. Once the vulnerable are vaccinated there is no need at all. This is all to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed and they won’t be come spring! I do wonder where all this stands from a human rights perspective especially school closures as it seems especially if this goes on beyond spring that the “cure” is worse than the disease. They simply cannot keep children off school for another 7 months they also cannot expect working parents to home school for that long either, companies are willing to be flexible in the short term but I can’t see my private sector employer putting up with the reduced productivity that comes with balancing work and home school until July!

If they get the vaccines up and running like they want then kids will be back in school and restrictions eased in March.

And good god. If there is one thing those three men want and will crawl over broken glass for is to get those vaccines in peoples arms. If anyone thinks they are all loving it and not bothered they are very much mistaken.

People need to comply with lock down. Not be out down their boyfriend mates or their grannies house. They need to work from home where possible. Only make essential trips. And do their bit. Whilst they give every vulnerable person a jab. Then we can get out of it.

I’m panicking as it doesn’t seem like students have any support or safety net

@TatianaBis

Pandemics generally last around 2 years. We're one year in. It will take a while to get sufficient volume of the population vaccinated, thus realistically we are looking at another year of on/off restrictions/lockdowns.

It seems Chris witty missed that memo. I think you need to contact him and let him know your wisdom here.

I personally think its going to go on for atleast a year if not more. People aren’t getting vaccinated so it will spread and mutate. Plus with the airports and ports opening people will be bringing it in again. There’s countries that have refused to vaccinate yet. It’s a complete shit situation

@cheninblanc

They also can't promise that all children will return to school before summer holidays. I'm lost for words at how messed up this actually is

I know. Why? Are they now going for an eradication strategy or what? Why can't the kids go back on a rota after Feb half term and then properly at Easter? I thought they had the vaccine now. FGS.

@Katie517

I hope people won’t put up with restrictions past spring. Once the vulnerable are vaccinated there is no need at all. This is all to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed and they won’t be come spring! I do wonder where all this stands from a human rights perspective especially school closures as it seems especially if this goes on beyond spring that the “cure” is worse than the disease. They simply cannot keep children off school for another 7 months they also cannot expect working parents to home school for that long either, companies are willing to be flexible in the short term but I can’t see my private sector employer putting up with the reduced productivity that comes with balancing work and home school until July!

No way are you going to get all the old and vulnerable in the country vaccinated by spring!

I'd think restrictions will ease in April and people will be able to move around again.

But varying levels of restrictions will be with us for another year at least.

"Well, pretty guaranteed it's not going away then, isn't it?"

It was never going away. It is going to be endemic. The WHO have been saying so for a while. But we will have the tools, medicine and strategies to deal with it - better public hygiene, vaccines, tracing (well maybe a girl can dream) and better treatment protocols.

I think what would help us all is communications from a leadership who tell us the truth (they don't know), not string us along like little children with it will ok in 2 weeks no 6 weeks no by summer no by xmas. So I actually find it reassuring to hear someone who apparently has something of a longer view and a strategy not a panicked reactive spluttering of messages.

He said it will end up a seasonal disease like flu.

I thought he spoke clearly. He's a decent bloke imho.

How can they expect home schooling to continue for the entire academic year?? How long are they expecting people to WFH with kids or be payed fat above basic benefits to not work for another year on furlough?

Well said Darcy.

It's like people think we're the only humans in history to have gone through a global pandemic before. Whitty is using best available evidence and not over promising. Very sensible to me.