Feels like Government has abandoned us

[Dustyboots]

They've just disappeared.

We have no idea how long we are locked up for.

Why is this?

lockdown has to continue, the death rate, and infection rate, as well as the admission rate are all too high

"But, everybody in Britain with a child is homeschooling"
Really?

Given they have to review lockdown every three weeks (or so we're told) there must have been a review on 25th Jan. Does anyone remember the outcome of that?

I do know what op means. Yes they're visible but they never really tell us what the strategy is. We're vaccinating wonderfully. And yet end of lockdown seems ever less likely.
Ifv the vaccines don't work as wonderfully as we want (personally I suspect they will) are we all just going to continue with this forever more? Do we get a say in that?

I suspect they are being vague because they just dont know yet. The vaccination program has been going a short while the scientists can try to predict the level of infection but until they have enough data nothing is certain No point in unlocking too quickly the virus doesnt care we are fed up
A conservative government is not usually known for being a nanny state so will want to get the country moving asap
The vaccine program has got to keep moving with a good uptake the more people that refuse it the more chance the virus has

i expect they are keeping an eye on new variants.

@Inthevirtualwaitingroom

lockdown has to continue, the death rate, and infection rate, as well as the admission rate are all too high

At what point do the risks of lockdown, at a population level, outweigh the benefits? The only thing that ever seems to get factored into these things is covid. Furlouhgh ends at end of April, right? I'm holding out hope that then things will have to open up, no matter what.

In 1998 there was a surge in meningitis, a very dangerous disease. I had it and spent ten days in hospital.
If any risk from infectious disease is too high, I assume you all locked down at that time righr?
No of course not. The risks to the nations teenagers was bdalanced against the need for normal life for the population as a whole.
When did we stop weighing up that balance?
For the record, I agree with lockdown and am complying. Once thw vast majority of vulnerable and elderly are vaccinated, most people are protected and nhs can cope I'd like so see some of that balanced approach returning. Rather than let's lock down so no one dies, ever again.

At what point do the risks of lockdown, at a population level, outweigh the benefits?

Ideally never, because lockdown is only in place when the supituatiin is critical. Hospitals are still far too full (ICUs are full). That is in itself dangerous.

The danger period can only be reduced by lockdown, but we can't do anything other than that (though by autumn, when the very vulnerable will be fully vaccinated and the most of the rest of the first nine priorities will have had at least one, and this will have a highly protective effect). How quickly lockdown works depends on how hard it is, and how well people still to it.

The figures are published. We can see how full hospitals are, but we can also see it's slowly beginning to turn (fewer admissions)

Though I can see it's a bit like the threads back in early autumn which were demanding definitions of second wave, and the answer 'sorry don't have numbers, but we'll know when we see it' was never good enough

When did we stop weighing up that balance?

Never. Global pandemic of novel virus is so different to localised spike in a a different transmissible disease.

So the economy is screwed, more so by the day . Is that fed into the mix?
Why does the calculation only consider covid?
Once the vulnerable are vaccinated +3 week, what will we be waiting for?
If vaccinations don't work as we think, are we really happy to continue to live this half life indefinately? When and how do we get to feed into this decision, to prioritise covid control over our freedoms?

They haven't though, have they? You are being dramatic. The news every day is full of what the government is doing. They may be incompetent at times but they haven't "abandoned" anything.

I suppose wjat I'm arguing is ehen rates drop because of vaccine there are still plenty of people arguing a full lockdown is still necessary in case of mutation, or to prevent the un vaccinated people getting it, etc etc. I completely and utterly disagree. We have lived alongside other viruses. Not fun but neither are the restrictions on our freedom.

@Dustyboots

They've just disappeared.

We have no idea how long we are locked up for.

Why is this?

a) They haven’t disappeared.

b) We are not “locked up”.

The last question is irrelevant because of (a) and (b), but it might have something to do with a pandemic.

There is a review on the 22nd.

@CrunchyCarrot

The PM mentioned things would be reviewed on the 22nd of this month because they'd have 'much more data'. Hopefully that will provide more detail re how lockdown will be lifted, schools going back, etc. Hang in there.

Indeed, and we even have a new buzz word.

We will have a "Roadmap out of lockdown."

OP nobody is "OK" about it.

People are getting on as best they can, dealing with everyday life. Any data on the positive impact of the vaccine and lockdown isn't something they can wave a magic wand and create out of nowhere. Time has to go by to understand if the infection rates are decreasing and hospital admissions reducing.

But, everybody in Britain with a child is homeschooling

Really, everybody? I must be the only parent in the UK who works out of the home and physically cannot homeschool my dc. I'm a lone parent and my choice is unpaid leave so we don't eat and lose our home or leave dc alone all day and go to work so yes I certainly do feel abandoned as a lone parent as I'm sure many others do.

I'm in a country where they've managed to vaccinate 3% of the population so far. Lockdown due to be reviewed 5th March and we've been told 'don't expect anything to open on the 5th, or any time soon after, except maybe schools'.

Never thought I'd be jealous of the UK with Boris/ Conservatives in charge: your fantastic vaccination roll out feels the opposite of being abandoned to me. 'Road map' (wanky term) coming as soon as they have more data on the impact of your current lockdown and vaccines. And knowing that a Conservative government actually does really want to open back up the economy as soon as is possible.

States around the world always want more and more power and we like sheep accept it. 70% + of the UK has supported the lockdown. I have been against it on human rights grounds since March 2020 but I am a voice in the wilderness. The world has been walking into a police state.

I get my jab today😁 feeling very positive

We are deluged with information. I have just heard Matt Hancock on the radio. No doubt he is doing the rounds on loads of radio shows.
I watched Boris on the telly yesterday too.

I am an oldie - my childhood was a lockdown- no school til age 5, no car, occasionally saw neighbours, siblings around but much older. Somehow I survived it and am still relatively sane today!!

@PracticingPerson *But various issues have been completely ignored:

• schools (either shut or virus hubs)
• the 3m who got no financial support
• town centres Vs online retail
• failing test and trace
• increased poverty
• enormous unsolvable backlog in NHS treatment*
• etc.

So not abandoned, just really badly managed with regular waffling from our incompetent PM

This ^. At least they’ve finally acted on quarantine & doing something about free and easy international travel in a pandemic. Will be mightily fed up if the next thing they announce is that those who have both vaccinations get to swan off abroad while lower priority people who haven’t had the jab but have sucked up wfh and homeschooling are stuck at home still!

They've not just disappeared? They're where they alwsys are - what do you want them to do? I mean I wasn't a fan of the really annoying daily briefings with them all doing an absolutely appalling job at answering questions and trying to back up their insane decisions...
But they have given us a date OP they've said not before 8th March. How could they give us more. I'm not pro gvmt or how they've handled most things but, they're trying to get the NHS past this winter peak whilst rolling out a mass vaccinations programme of basically the entire country -- I think you do have to give them a bit of chance.
The vaccines take 3 weeks to build up some immunity in so far as we know so you can't realistically say you want an answer tomorrow.

Whether anyone likes it or not it's for the better of societies health. If we open up now, we are making the same mistakes as before. Lockdown can only happen when downtrend is steeply on the downturn. We aren't there yet and however much i hate the present government they are on tv most days, so you are wrong.

You could argue that opening up the economy is for society's health whether people like it or not.

If it helps, DP works for a company that seems to get stock back in before non essential businesses open back up and next week stock comes in...