Is the government preparing is for a New Zealand scenario?

[lockdownbreakdown]

Does anyone else think we are going to be locked down until the majority are vaccinated and then the borders are going to be closed indefinitely to prevent new strains? I definitely get this vibe from all the stuff leaked in the press. It seems to be the only way we can stop new variant from ruining the vaccination programme as we cant vaccinate the kids if we let in new strains from abroad we will be going back into lockdown indefinitely. Thoughts?

@20mum masks were never compulsory here, although in shops you were encouraged to cover your face with a mask or scarf or whatever. Now you have to wear one if you're traveling on public transport. On the first lockdown it was like the end of the world, there weren't any shops open other than places to buy food. Auckland city was like a ghost town and if I remember correctly public transport ran at a bare minimum if at all. We just walked around the block most days and if you saw anyone else you crossed over to avoid them. I found a good distributer that normally supplied restaurants (which were all closed) so we had lots of jalapeño poppers and nice meat delivered and we avoided the supermarket entirely. The latest case is still being investigated but we've just heard close contacts have tested negative so hopefully no lockdown for now. But we're fully expecting and are prepared for another outbreak like the one in Brisbane recently. The meat factory, I don't think they ever figured that one out but we had a local lockdown at level 3 and that contained it.

Yes it certainly feels that way. Not sure how I feel about it and have serious worries over personal finances and job security now. :(

@wintertravel1980

The UK has consistently had a higher excess deaths toll than any other country in Europe, indeed one of the highest in the world.

Not higher than Spain. Here is the relative comparison from FT.

Only goes up to early dec... though the pic was a bit out of focus? so 7 weeks old.

UK excess deaths are now very high.

I think the point you are missing is that our country has done insanely badly.

@fancycrackers we are not a nation of whingers , but it has been a tough year for many, our restrictions have been almost constant in some parts of the uk.
And calling everyone whingers when you don't know what someone may have been through is pretty low really.

@jasjas1973 yes we have done badly and so has most of europe , the numbers need to be looked at more closely , a country with an ageing population may have higher rates or a certain demographic , all that cannot be determined yet , and unfortunately this is also not over , so who knows who will come out of this sooner or if any other variants may appear.

It’s pretty low and very ignorant. Or are you saying the whole nation is whinging?

I think we can only compare in a few years when all this is over. For all anyone knows our vaccination program could be a huge success very quickly. Other countries may struggle. France for example is quite anti-vax. But I wouldn’t be as mean to rub my hands in glee and say ‘oh look France is doing so badly now’ like some posters on here are doing with us. Shocking behaviour really.

@DeusEx

I’m in India. Over 1.2bn people and the cities densely populated beyond anything in the U.K.

Hasn’t eradicated covid by any means but per capita rate is waaay down on U.K. People here are looking with horror at the U.K. for not shutting its borders and not enforcing quarantine - both of which were done for many long months here, along with other very stringent lockdown measures.

Compared to India, the U.K. simply didn’t really lockdown.

We do have incredibly stringent measures. Many people are not leaving home for work or school, just to get food or exercise. And it’s the second time we’re to do it long term.

Really pleased India has approved Oxford Az vaccine though. I hope it starts to kick in. Here too.

@winetomorrow the first uk lockdown was the strictest and people really did limit what they done and stayed away from others and the roads were so quiet.
Weather was better though as well so people could sit in garden which I think helped many.
This time round too many people are going into work that didn't first time. I would of personally preferred a try at a really hard short lockdown to get numbers right down.
They are going down but still high and I think now we just have to hope vaccine is out way out and that the 12 week between jabs also works in our favour.

I think travel in and out of the Uk is going to be near on impossible after next week, I can see the borders closing for the next 6 months at least

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@jasjas1973 yes we have done badly and so has most of europe , the numbers need to be looked at more closely , a country with an ageing population may have higher rates or a certain demographic , all that cannot be determined yet , and unfortunately this is also not over , so who knows who will come out of this sooner or if any other variants may appear.[/quote]
Most of europe has not been hit to anything like the same extent as the UK, both in CV and economic terms.

I'm sure that some people would defend the UKs actions even if deaths were in the millions.

I think we should be campaigning to for all school age children to repeat this year . Children who are starting school to go in as normal and school could make adjustants for the sake of 3 terms . Secondary children would have real chance to take their exams and get extra support

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@fancycrackers we are not a nation of whingers , but it has been a tough year for many, our restrictions have been almost constant in some parts of the uk.
And calling everyone whingers when you don't know what someone may have been through is pretty low really. [/quote]
Exactly. I’m in Scotland where restrictions weren’t even starting to be lifted until July and then we were back in them from September. My dad couldn’t get his chemo because of Covid and now his cancer has returned. My husband has barely worked since March thank goodness for furlough. I lost my own job. For nothing it seems as nothing has done any good.

@jasjas1973 really so itslu , spain have not had large deaths and impacts in economy ? Spains was not that great to start with?
Have you seen germany's numbers now ? Not saying the uk haven't done badly but you simply cannot day no where else in europe hasn't either and its not a competition anyway its a sad fact that europe has been hard hit .

@Delatron

I think we can only compare in a few years when all this is over. For all anyone knows our vaccination program could be a huge success very quickly. Other countries may struggle. France for example is quite anti-vax. But I wouldn’t be as mean to rub my hands in glee and say ‘oh look France is doing so badly now’ like some posters on here are doing with us. Shocking behaviour really.

We get so much like this - whingers, laughable etc etc

It’s like one big pile on. Not sure why when it’s tough enough stuck at home.

Odd

It’s hard to know what the right thing to do is, but I’ve always thought we should have closed our borders immediately. I actually work with someone who lives in South Africa and he came over to the UK for a week in December, and whilst he was here tested positive for Covid. His test before he flew was negative and when he was here he stayed in the hotel the majority of the time except when he visited the office to sort some things out. So most likely picked up the plane!

Well they are managing a lot better than the UK, and if we are not why have none of the nightingale hospitals stayed open. To me there is too much reliance on the vaccine and that's the worry. In 1983 they changed the mental health act and turfed out all the inpatients of many good quality mental institutions as they government were advised that the drugs would do the job, and look where we are now , young people self medicating and no decent mental health services. The virus will be staying is everyone going to vaccinated every year when a new strain mutates? Especially the pfizer vaccine that is telling your body not to react to a foreign virus and switching off its receptors, sounds risky to me. We're made up of viruses etc last thing we need is a man made interference.

@MarshaBradyo fingers crossed! Rolling out vaccinations here is going to be such a huge challenge. And making sure very poor people and minorities get it, rather than just people who can pay for private healthcare...

It’s the lack of travel restrictions, continued use of public transport and lack of quarantining that is what I mean when I say lockdown didn’t really seem to happen in the U.K. In this region they were a given. It was really quite scary here. Multi generational families being the norm meant that you didn’t get the same issues with totally isolated and lonely older people that are a problem in the U.K. though. I have friends who did not cross their thresholds for 5 months.

@Whu020 yes vaccinations are likely every year around the world ? Unless the world eradicates it , then vaccinations would be required.
But that will be worldwide not just here, only a handful of countries have kept low numbers and thats often because travel restrictions are in place .

@Whu020

Well they are managing a lot better than the UK, and if we are not why have none of the nightingale hospitals stayed open. To me there is too much reliance on the vaccine and that's the worry. In 1983 they changed the mental health act and turfed out all the inpatients of many good quality mental institutions as they government were advised that the drugs would do the job, and look where we are now , young people self medicating and no decent mental health services. The virus will be staying is everyone going to vaccinated every year when a new strain mutates? Especially the pfizer vaccine that is telling your body not to react to a foreign virus and switching off its receptors, sounds risky to me. We're made up of viruses etc last thing we need is a man made interference.

Are you anti vaccinations?

They should have closed the borders 12 months ago.

[quote DeusEx]@MarshaBradyo fingers crossed! Rolling out vaccinations here is going to be such a huge challenge. And making sure very poor people and minorities get it, rather than just people who can pay for private healthcare...

It’s the lack of travel restrictions, continued use of public transport and lack of quarantining that is what I mean when I say lockdown didn’t really seem to happen in the U.K. In this region they were a given. It was really quite scary here. Multi generational families being the norm meant that you didn’t get the same issues with totally isolated and lonely older people that are a problem in the U.K. though. I have friends who did not cross their thresholds for 5 months.[/quote]
Yes quarantine has been non existent I agree. Plus those who worked used public transport.

But for so many it really is the tough stay at home stuff that goes on and on atm anywat

No the government is thick to have a plan of any kind , give to two more weeks and they will be rolling out " Eat out to help again " as for a strategy , not unless Borris called his dog "Strategy" they don't have one

@Celestine70 I agree I said that at the very beginning, what’s the point of lockdown when you’re letting thousands of people from all round the world in, we were so worried we would’ve been called racist for closing our borders but it’s ok for everyone else to close their borders, even for France to ban freight!

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@winetomorrow the first uk lockdown was the strictest and people really did limit what they done and stayed away from others and the roads were so quiet.
Weather was better though as well so people could sit in garden which I think helped many.
This time round too many people are going into work that didn't first time. I would of personally preferred a try at a really hard short lockdown to get numbers right down.
They are going down but still high and I think now we just have to hope vaccine is out way out and that the 12 week between jabs also works in our favour.[/quote]
The March lockdown was only strict for the first 2 or 3 weeks. People quickly went back to doing things. A lot of it being so "strict" was the media mistakes re key/essential workers which meant many shops, factories, building sites, etc closed when they didn't actually need to. The owners/managers soon realised and opened up. By the end of April, there was a lot more activity as things opened up (those that never needed to close in the first place).