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Original poster

Meeting outdoors in small groups and outdoor sport next month

117 replies

Mrstiggywinkle1 · 05/02/2021 11:16

Just read an article saying once schools have gone back on 8th March, that they will allow small groups to meet outdoors and outdoor sports to start up again.
Then an unlock from there, starting with outdoor dining/drinks in pubs and restaurants before indoor.
I’m personally hoping the domestic tourism industry opens up in late March or early April so my family can come here and visit from the north east, we are in the south west. Also have lots of friends who work in the local tourism industry here.

So things are looking up and I feel much more optimistic than I did 2 weeks ago.

OP posts:
higglepiggley · 05/02/2021 13:50

They've never said all schools will open again on march 8th?
I got the impression that's the earliest date for a return for some year groups and it will be phased

NettleTea · 05/02/2021 13:51

I cant see them opening any travel within the country until after Easter. Easter is early this year - just 3 weeks after the first inklings of possibly getting schools back. The last thing they are going to want is half the country spreading all over 3 weeks after that. They will wait until the schools go back at the earliest if they have any sense at all

BarbaraofSeville · 05/02/2021 14:22

@Sparklingbrook

Mmmm. Outdoor dining in March. I'll not be first in the queue.
Well all the pubs and restaurants round here spent September and October building outdoor sheltered and heated dining spaces only to be closed completely before they had chance to use them Sad.

I'm also not holding my breath about much happening from 8th March. With schools, if anything, it will be phased opening from that date, probably meaning that only a minority of DC will be back at school this side of Easter.

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2021 14:23

Our local pub had some pods and blankets and heaters which they got to use for a few weeks but I didn't fancy them much.

BelleSausage · 05/02/2021 14:23

@MNnicknameforCVthreads

Again, personal attacks instead of calm discussion. Says it all really.

speaksofty · 05/02/2021 14:29

We were still dining outside here in December!!! We were the last to be locked down, and along with good heaters and blankets we had a blast! So if they do the same this spring, I can see the same happening. It was very popular and everywhere had a wait list.

I will be putting on a coat and some gloves and going out!! The first chance I get as will most of my friends. I can't wait!!!

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2021 14:34

We were still dining outside here in December!!!

You are clearly way more hardy than I am. I don't fancy it but happy to wait until the rush is over or even Summer.

MargaretThursday · 05/02/2021 14:49

why hasn't anyone come up with an easy and cheap test we can all do at home 3 times a week to prove negative to having the covid

But let's say 25% the country take you up on that. That's 17 000 000 people doing that.
3 times a week is 51 000 000 tests a week. Who's paying for it?
At a penny a test that will be about £200 million a month.

MNnicknameforCVthreads · 05/02/2021 14:53

@BelleSausage

I’m sorry if you feel my comments were a personal attack on you. I just find it odd when people write something that does not tally with the source they are quoting. I shall re-phrase my questions, referencing your 12.18 post on this thread:

  1. Why is only 30% vaccination going to stop schools opening and relaxation of other rules thereafter when these represent the vast majority of hospital and death cases?
  1. Why might cases of PIMS slow down opening of the schools when the experts say it won’t?
peak2021 · 05/02/2021 15:19

@PilatesPeach am broadly in agreement with you about gyms, though I would be tougher and shut down any that fail to abide by whatever restrictions such as numbers would be put in place.

BelleSausage · 05/02/2021 15:34

Thank you for your polite post.

Here are your answers:

  1. The vaccination rate is crucial because of hospitalisations. While vaccination of the elderly will lower the death rate it won’t get rid of the threat of overwhelming hospitalisations. ICUs are now full of the middle aged and although they won’t die they will be ill for long periods and clog up the hospital system. Reopening too soon risks putting the NHS under strain again.

  2. Again, this is about hospital capacity rather than deaths. It’s also about life changing illness. Re-opening too fast and too soon risks creating a cohort of kids with long term life changing health issues. Vaccination won’t stop kids spreading to other kids. It also won’t stop another mutation. The virus adapts to available hosts.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/02/2021 15:38

@MargaretThursday

why hasn't anyone come up with an easy and cheap test we can all do at home 3 times a week to prove negative to having the covid

But let's say 25% the country take you up on that. That's 17 000 000 people doing that.
3 times a week is 51 000 000 tests a week. Who's paying for it?
At a penny a test that will be about £200 million a month.

Plus unless the test is absolutely foolproof and done by/ in front of an independent witness, it means absolutely nothing.

Was the person with the negative proof actually the same person who was tested and was the test conducted to the standard required for the result to be reliable?

Because there's absolutely no incentive at all to fake a negative test, oh no...

murbblurb · 05/02/2021 15:40

trouble is a lot of people don't differentiate between sport and spectator sport. Good luck getting the kids footy team together without the parents all breathing over each other, which isn't safe even outdoors.

and all cramming into restaurants for one commercial festival after another may make money but will put us straight back into rocketing cases.

nancy75 · 05/02/2021 15:42

DH works for one of the largest pub chains, they seem to have May bank holiday (the early one) as the time they think they’ll reopen & have had this date in mind for some time.
I think pubs & restaurants will open at around the same time.

nancy75 · 05/02/2021 15:47

After the first lockdown outdoor sports was one of the first things to restart - I work for a tennis club & I know we had group lessons running for at least 2 weeks before shops were allowed & use of courts was allowed before that (and before kids went back to school)
Some sports really are very low risk outside - it’s easy to distance in a tennis court!

SqeakyHindge · 05/02/2021 15:50

School doing staggered return from 8th March I thought?

mootymoo · 05/02/2021 15:51

I could see them allowing outdoor dining knowing it's still cold and wet, smart move!

CaffineismyBFF · 05/02/2021 15:57

Rather than speculate, would it not be sensible to just wait it out and see what the government ACTUALLY do?

speaksofty · 05/02/2021 16:04

8th of Feb we will know 🍷

BarbaraofSeville · 05/02/2021 16:04

I agree caffeine no-one can predict what we're going to be allowed to do from one week to the next at the moment. We seem to be getting somewhere with vaccinations and lower numbers of infections but all these new variants are worrying and it's clear from previous rule relaxations that allowing people to meet up sooner than safe just brings us back to square one or even worse.

MNnicknameforCVthreads · 05/02/2021 16:06

@CaffineismyBFF

Rather than speculate, would it not be sensible to just wait it out and see what the government ACTUALLY do?
Nah, where's the fun in that?! Much more fun to argue about it calmly discuss it here Grin
BarbaraofSeville · 05/02/2021 16:07

Plus most of what is published in the tabloids can be taken with a large pinch of salt, as it clear from the language that is peppered with a liberal handful of 'could' and 'may'.

I could be a millionaire next month. I may be a size 8 next year.

Neither impossible, but also quite unlikely.

MNnicknameforCVthreads · 05/02/2021 16:15

@BelleSausage

Thank you for your polite post.

Here are your answers:

  1. The vaccination rate is crucial because of hospitalisations. While vaccination of the elderly will lower the death rate it won’t get rid of the threat of overwhelming hospitalisations. ICUs are now full of the middle aged and although they won’t die they will be ill for long periods and clog up the hospital system. Reopening too soon risks putting the NHS under strain again.

  2. Again, this is about hospital capacity rather than deaths. It’s also about life changing illness. Re-opening too fast and too soon risks creating a cohort of kids with long term life changing health issues. Vaccination won’t stop kids spreading to other kids. It also won’t stop another mutation. The virus adapts to available hosts.

Maybe. I think there's definitely room for debate and further statistical analysis on these points:
  1. I think there are still more >70s in hospitals than
HesterShaw1 · 05/02/2021 16:17

@speaksofty

My best guess will be this:

Schools reopen in full on or before the 8th of March
Outdoors group of six can meet up outside only
Outdoor sports allowed again
Restaurants and shops reopen at the end of March
Gyms, beauty salons etc
Hospitality - hotels etc reopen in time for Easter
Pubs last to open and may take longer inside, but can serve outside drinks
Travel - who knows....

Sounds reasonable.
HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur · 05/02/2021 16:21

I hope schools don't open fully from 8th March, we need to take the sensible, gradual approach. I also think we need to consider the in out effect on the children - they'll just be getting back into the rhythm and then it'll be Easter. However I'm pretty sure this government will bow to pressure any get all back in school asap on 8th March.