Your thoughts on when life will be normal-ish

[charcb]

I realise this is purely speculative but what are people's thoughts on when we will be back to a semi-normal reality? Knowing what you know on vaccinations, when, according to you, can we expect the most simple of things to be back up and running again? I am referring to the simplest of things such as getting people back to their offices/places of work, having shops/gyms/entertainment venues permanently open, and the like?

I know we are a long way away from normal as we know it and that it may take several years to go back to it so I am not talking to getting back to total normality - ie no masks, no social distance, no restrictions.

Autumn, hoping schools and universities can resume under “normal” conditions by September.

Yes I wondered if it might remain 10 days if you actually had it.....but not for the rest of the household.
....but will there still be testing centres? Are we going to always distinguish between "a bog standard cough" v covid cough....or if your child had a temp for a few days...you wouldnt normally keep them off school for 10 days if they were fine by day 4 for example.

This summer, for a bit before we have another (lesser) wave over the autumn/winter.

I think Corona will just be a way of life from now on, we will still get cases but it will be less once the vaccine has been given out to everyone who will take it.

Quite honestly, I can't imagine ever wanting to go to a pub or restaurant ever again, unless a wide open space outdoors. I never did go to the cinema or festivals or sporting events. I just want to stay away from any people who I think might give it to me. I think we will have a better late spring/summer but infections will rise again next winter, but not to the extent of this year because of the vaccine. Either way, it's very depressing.

@namechangereq that is getting a bit personal, you are accusing me of being mentally unstable when I reply with my thoughts on a post that asks for our thoughts?

There have been pandemics before, but not with a world population this size, and not with an internationally connected world as it is now (people jetting off to other countries multiple times a year)

At this population level, and this level of international travel, pandemics will be on the rise.

How does thinking this make me mentally unstable? Have you seen world population forecasts?

Why are you mental health shaming?

Last summer was lovely but I fear it won't be until next year

@HouseofBrieandBanter

Not mental health shaming. A genuine question / concerm.

Scare mongering posts claiming ‘This is it’ and normal life will never return could really impact someone who is struggling with their mental health due to this pandemic.

Everyone is entitled to their predictions but I think we have some responsibility when posting to think about what you’re actually implying.

But it’s a thread about thoughts

Those are my thoughts

People won’t be reading MN threads like these for facts, it’s for sharing individual thoughts. Mine is just one thought out of millions

@Fizbosshoes

Yes I wondered if it might remain 10 days if you actually had it.....but not for the rest of the household. ....but will there still be testing centres? Are we going to always distinguish between "a bog standard cough" v covid cough....or if your child had a temp for a few days...you wouldnt normally keep them off school for 10 days if they were fine by day 4 for example.

I wonder if it might be the postal tests and a centre set up if there’s an outbreak in an area. Who knows though!

Not for 9-12 months at least, I would think

Once the elderly and vulnerable are vaccinated will we need to continue to isolate and test though? Unless our policy is eradication which it can’t be unless the rest of the world eradicates
It too.

Will the government continue to plough money in to testing when the NHS is not under threat from this virus. We don’t continually test for other illnesses and diseases on a regular basis. Especially if it’s mild in most.

The government won’t care about people on an individual level. They just care about pressure on the NHS and the economy.

The vaccine will be tweaked every year for mutations and will probably be combined with the flu vaccine.

Why test? Mostly to know about hospitalisation in advance. When that goes we might not even test. Hard to know. Maybe in hospitals still for variants.

But it will be easy to get people to live more normally when heightened lock down passes. Emphasis will be on economic stimulus.

If you call normal, no masks, not working from home, not social distancing, hospitality fully open, no restrictions on spectator numbers at sport and concerts, I think we are looking at spring 2022, we will probably start going back to the tier systems and slowly work are way down,

Instead of battling against it, bend and change and get the most out of life in a different way. Its not easy but trying to battle against the tide will make life harder. Acceptance of the situation for now and that it will slowly change and be a fluid change over the next 12 months will make life easier.

Unless we have some kind of passport system to say you are Covid free and have had your jabs,

The problem with the scaremongering in this thread is people will comply less and less gradually with every "lockdown", every restriction will get more grating.

Society will eventually (as a majority) be willing to take more risk to resume as much normality as possible.

This virus is going nowhere, forever. It may mutate to be another cold or we may have to vaccinate more etc but something will give eventually.

I honestly can imagine the richer nations eventually banning all travel to/ from countries with poor vaccination take up / implementation

I think Spring 2022. It’ll be autumn this year by the time everyone is vaccinated, so summer won’t be like last summer if the government has an ounce of sense (oh wait..). I’m in Scotland and Wee Nippy has been quite cautious about lifting restrictions so I think we’ll see a gradual and careful move down the tiers, depending on vaccine rollout happening to schedule, any new variants that leap out of the woodwork and the state of the NHS. Schools will go back normally this August at the latest. But we won’t be down to Level 0 before Christmas this year.

I think this summer will be like last summer and spring 2022 we'll be back to normal (more or less!).

Everyone saying 2022 you do realise there will be no economy left !!!! I think second half of this year and I think the economy will boost too ... I work in that sector

There are some totally bonkers replies on here!
The tories are going to lift restrictions as soon as hospital rates drop. They won’t be waiting until everyone is vaccinated...! I can’t believe people really think that? As long as the vulnerable are vaccinated, that’ll be enough for them to allow the economy to get back on track.

@Thewheelsonthebus23

There are some totally bonkers replies on here! The tories are going to lift restrictions as soon as hospital rates drop. They won’t be waiting until everyone is vaccinated...! I can’t believe people really think that? As long as the vulnerable are vaccinated, that’ll be enough for them to allow the economy to get back on track.

I know right !!!! Suicides are up etc ! Even the doomer Chris whitty said autumn !

I don't think the replies are bonkers it's just people have a different view of what 'back to normal' means. For me back to normal is 2019.

Normal for me would also be having schools open as normal. I would also like to have a hair appointment without it changing every 2 minutes.

Personally I cannot wait to sit in a crowded cinema or restaurant again and I would like to go to the theatre as well the fuller the better!

I think after Easter things will start to look up - last summer wasn't 'normal' but we did still lots of very normal things and it didn't feel too bad. This summer will be even better than that with the vaccine.

Covid isn't ever going to go away now, before Covid every winter there were news stories about the NHS being overwhelmed (although funnily enough no one gave a shit when tens of thousands of people died of flu in 2018), and it will be the same going forward now. Covid will be a seasonal thing like flu.

But I am pinning a lot of hope on Easter for at least some normality to return!

@coronaway

I don't think the replies are bonkers it's just people have a different view of what 'back to normal' means. For me back to normal is 2019.

And that will be this year the economy cannot run with social distancing measures and people need to get back pm public transport etc