We cannot cancel life, to preserve every life

[Slytherin]

I actually find myself agreeing with a Tory for once...we’ve given up so much and the goalposts keep moving, yes it’s an unpredictable situation, but it’s also unsustainable long term. The idea that this summer will be possibly worse than last summer makes zero sense, when we have a vaccine roll out that far exceeds any other nation (except Israel) currently.
First it was let’s get the elderly and vulnerable vaccinated, then it was let’s get the over 50s vaccinated, now we’ve got members of SAGE suggesting restrictions have to continue until everyone, including children are vaccinated and beyond, because of the possibility of new variants. Professor John Edmunds said some would have to stay “forever” last night on Peston.

We must at some point live with an element of risk. I’m in no way suggesting we lift lockdown yet, but suggesting that things won’t have much improved by the summer, is, in my opinion encroaching into dangerous territory.

The government were over promising before, now they’re under promising. There’s got to be a middle ground, people’s mental health cannot sustain this level of pessimism and not having a single thing to look forward to. Everything gets dangled like a carrot, then taken away at the last minute. It’s beyond cruel.

Then it’s the mixed messages, Matt Hancock telling us he’s going on a summer holiday to Cornwall and he’s all booked up and Grant Shapps then telling nobody to even consider booking a holiday abroad or domestically this summer.

Yes, I support restrictions to save lives and support the NHS, but I don’t support the way the government are handling this once again. And I don’t support these restrictions indefinitely, especially when the majority of the at risk groups have been vaccinated.

www.channel4.com/news/we-cannot-cancel-life-to-preserve-every-life-tory-mp-sir-charles-walker-on-lockdown?fbclid=IwAR2RnQNKwJoQ4FSBxT9oTbwbFOCTWcIU9wD9WdYkTEA2sVlJ1posWZAfmsU

Completely agree. Part of me wonders whether because of the absolute shit show that was the management of Christmas, whether the government are trying to spin this narrative of “oh really we’re not sure we will be having a summer this year ATALL” so that they can look like heroes in a few weeks when they announce significant lifting of restrictions. Wishful thinking on my part I’m sure.

@Slytherin agree completely.

I wonder what compliance will look like once all the over 50s are vaccinated and they can no longer bully young people with 'don't kill granny'.

We have to live, and live a life that is actually worth living, not this form of hell that it currently is or some half baked version of it forevermore.

It won't be for much longer, vaccinations are going well, numbers will keep going down and we'll be out of this!

I agree and have felt like this since summer. This is not living at the moment it’s existing and the damage is monumental both financially and mentally. It just isn’t fair to keep it going any longer and people seem to forget this virus has a 99%+ survival rate for most people. We can’t keep healthy people locked away, ruin futures of our young people and children to protect the vulnerable anymore.

Agree. The average age of people who’ve died from Covid is older than average life expectancy. Death is part of life. People have to die of something.

It won’t happen OP. I’m certain of it.
Part of me thinks these stories are put out there to test the waters - and I think the majority of sane people won’t accept restrictions indefinitely.
I know I won’t.

the real damage will be once we do re-open everything only to find so many businesses haven't survived!

already our depleted town centre has lost majority of smaller businesses which were hanging on

2 more pubs seem to have gone now,2 hairdressers and a cafe were all boarded up with to let signs yesterday as well

@HermioneWeasley

Agree. The average age of people who’ve died from Covid is older than average life expectancy. Death is part of life. People have to die of something.

except many younger people who have survived are now ill with long covid

I am close to my limit, I cannot continue like this for much longer.

I don’t know where my limit is, but the thought of this being life for years rather than months. I can’t do years of this.

Months maybe.

Not years.

There has to be some kind of end to all this or else what is the point.

Agreed - how the fuck can this year be worse than last with a vaccine/ even with new variants, by its very nature it should become less deadly (even if more contagious). And to be honest if the vaccine doesn’t help we may as well lift restrictions as there is no solution.

@mrsmercedes it's a new virus. Like thousands of others it can cause post viral symptoms. Like flu does, like glandular fever and many others. Yes it's another risk. Is that sufficient to keep everyone locked up in their homes, not earning, not living? I don't think so.

People have been mixing for ages now - in and out of each other's houses etc as they've had enough. Numbers haven't 'sky-rocketed' it's always something like 100 in 100,000 or something ridiculous like that. And even then many of those 100 won't even be that unwell. Just open stuff up and be done with it already! My fiancé is nhs frontline and agrees with me fully so nothing anyone says on here is going to make me think otherwise. It's just stupid now.

except many younger people who have survived are now ill with long covid

Unfortunate but not even close to being a good enough reason to keep everyone locked up.

Completely agree. It’s insanity to think living like this is sustainable for much longer.

Agreed. I'm getting fed up of the blackmail of 'don't kill granny'. I'll be dead inside mentally myself soon, let alone granny.

I am starting to sway. I'm confused. Is there something they're not telling us? Is this going to affect kids more than they're letting on?

At first I was willing to comply totally to keep older and vulnerable safe. When groups 1-5 and definitely up to group 9 are vaccinated, why can't we ease up up morenor less completely? The line is fine and the balancing act precarious. But I'm scared I'm missing something.

except many younger people who have survived are now ill with long covid

What's the answer then? Because certainly in younger age groups, the harms being done by repeated lockdowns and this miserable way of living are still far more prevalent and worse than long covid.

If it's the case that covid is causing such widespread death/ongoing health problems in young people, why aren't they a higher priority for vaccines? Surely that would be the right thing to do, to protect people who should have 40, 50, 60 years ahead of them? But we're not doing that (I have doubts if boosters and tweaked vaccines are needed that younger people will ever see a vaccine).

It can't be both ways, the young can't be deemed to be low risk enough to delay vaccinating, but also high risk enough that we all need locking up forevermore.

Agree OP. This needs to end ASAP. Enough is enough now.

I agree, we can't carry on like this.

I think people will start to protest against the restrictions just like in other countries.

Agree.
Surely at some point we will have to acknowledge that humans thinking they can control nature is ridiculous?
This is a virus, a natural thing, with awful consequences that nobody wants, but really as much as we try to control nature, inevitably we know that it wins, one way or the other.
To think otherwise must be incredibly arrogant, surely?

Agree. The impact on children and young people is bordering on criminal. It cannot last much longer.

Oh please not this again.

We will be locked down until the indicators are better. We will lift the restrictions slowly, more slowly than last year because we fucked it up last year. Probably still not as slowly as we should. If things go our way the unlocking will be smooth. If things don't go our way we will have to lock down again.

What more do people really think can be said? It isn't a conspiracy, a plot, a story, a plan, a hoax. It is just shit and we (humans as a whole) are not in control of when this ends. We may be able to gain control at some point, but right now, we are not in control.

The problem lies in the mixed messages that the government has sent out from day one.

Ask any scientist and they have known from the start that we are in this for the long haul.

I wish the government had acted sooner on so many fronts - but above all else I wish they had been clear with everyone that this is not going to go away quickly and some aspects of this last year will have to become a way of life for the foreseeable future.

Their bumbling responses have been a disaster: failing to close borders in the first place; eat out to help out - how confusing was that?; back to school for one day because it is "safe" then closing schools the next day; test and trace - what a joke! - I could go on. And on.

But fundamentally they should have been saying - this is serious and we will have to adapt our way of life for a long time to come out the other side.

The scientists knew this and still know it - but the politicians mindset is not going to acknowledge this openly.

Agreed. I think what they're doing with the vaccine not being the end messaging is actually backfiring though, because now people will just think what is the point. People won't accept living like this forever, I know I won't and am ready to see friends indoors now that the most vulnerable have been vaccinated. The fact I have many offers from my friends for this let's me know others feel the same. Just fucking done, I need to live, not exist.

I’m honestly done with it. My “gran” has booked holidays because she’s had her first dose as has her ass hat of a husband. Why are my children missing out on education and socialising to save her selfish ass. Nope.

When the old vaccinated folks are ignoring the rules made to pretext them, my children will be out playing with friends I will be visiting my parents my in laws etc.

Government/sage can’t lock us all down all at once if we don’t allow them too. I say all of this as someone who’s been following the rules but I’m not going to keep putting my children’s lives on hold for other frankly.

Old people die that’s a fact of life. It’s perfectly normal for old people to die trying to save them all is on a practical level pure stupidity.