All restrictions to be gone by May?

[LemonSherbetFancies]

Anyone else see this?
I would be really pleased if this happened and we could return to normal life.

Absolute bollocks, furlough scheme until april, apparently pubs open earliest 1 may, do not even guarantee a UK summer holiday let alone leave the country, I cant see anything being any different by may except maybe kids back at school

This craziness was supposed to be temporary

The 70 mph national speed limit was supposed to be temporary.

55 years later and it's still here.

The thing I’m wondering is how long the vaccines provide immunity for...? No one seems to know yet.

That’s because the original trial volunteers, who are still being monitored, show no sign yet of their immunity waning... or at least, if they do, it hasn’t been published. The first volunteers on the Oxford trial were jabbed in April, so 10 months ago. We will only know how long immunity lasts when theirs starts waning. No news is good news.

I’m hoping it will just be an annual booster job but what happens if people start catching it again after 3 months / 6 months before we’ve realised the immunity has worn off...?

As above, we will have advance warning because they are still monitoring the trial participants. If a booster campaign is needed, whether annual, after 3 years, whatever, we will know. Although given what we now know about variants, that may well be the driving force for booster campaigns rather than immunity waning.

@PuzzledObserver

The thing I’m wondering is how long the vaccines provide immunity for...? No one seems to know yet.

That’s because the original trial volunteers, who are still being monitored, show no sign yet of their immunity waning... or at least, if they do, it hasn’t been published. The first volunteers on the Oxford trial were jabbed in April, so 10 months ago. We will only know how long immunity lasts when theirs starts waning. No news is good news.

I’m hoping it will just be an annual booster job but what happens if people start catching it again after 3 months / 6 months before we’ve realised the immunity has worn off...?

As above, we will have advance warning because they are still monitoring the trial participants. If a booster campaign is needed, whether annual, after 3 years, whatever, we will know. Although given what we now know about variants, that may well be the driving force for booster campaigns rather than immunity waning.

Yes this is how I see it, well put

Can't believe some of you think we will only be back to normal this time next year. I am of the belief that by summer, everything will be back to normal. No social distancing, no masks etc. The only thing that they will be careful about is crowds so no gigs or festivals until next year. With that said, these vaccination passports could ease that issue.

@LemonSherbetFancies I’m happy to come back to this thread in September and you can tell me how silly I was over nothing

TBH this is how I’ve felt through the whole bloody thing. It would genuinely be lovely to be proved wrong.

Oh I hope so. I originally thought this might be the case, but am trying to be realistic. I'm thinking things might not be completely back to normal, but perhaps a little more ordinary than they are now. As long as things head in the right direction, I'm happy.

Any indication when gyms can open ?

I don't see why things can't go back to normal within the UK at that point? Just close borders to keep new strains out until the rest of the world catches up with vaccinations

But...... but...... long covid and new variants and zero covid strategy!!!!!!!

Personally seems a bit optimistic but I’ll dance in the street if it happens.

I think there will still be some restrictions in place. I think schools and shops will be open

Last May was very warm and sunny, so fingers crossed for this May to bring sunny weather, so that we can relax in the sun, knowing that the worst is behind us.

I think restaurants and pubs will do well once they reopen, as some people might want to make up for lost time. #Holidays abroad will probably become possible by late summer, but I think there will be extra measures in place, with extra costs to pay for them.

What you really mean is it would be lovely if this pesky virus just fucked off by May. Tory lockdown sceptic MPs wanting it to happen doesn't make it likely. Look at the individuals calling for it- all the Brexit liars who have failed utterly and lied constantly. Not to be trusted.

The sooner we rid of restrictions the better. The whole country needs to return to some sort of normality we can’t carry on like this

No I think we will be back hopefully to rule of 6 then.

@defenbaker the weather picked up remarkably by March last year. We spent the weekend away the last weekend in February and the weather was glorious. By the time I’d pulled dd out of school (about a week before lockdown) we were spending a lot of time out in the garden already.

We’re in Essex so have a bit of an advantage with the weather but it was lovely. Even a change in weather right now would do so much to lift my mood.

@Bagelsandbrie

The thing I’m wondering is how long the vaccines provide immunity for...? No one seems to know yet. I’m hoping it will just be an annual booster job but what happens if people start catching it again after 3 months / 6 months before we’ve realised the immunity has worn off...? (Doom and gloom I know)!

@Bagelsandbrie if it turns out the vaccine doesn't provide sufficiently long lasting immunity then at some point we will have to just accept it as part of life and get on with it. Yes people will die, yes the health care system will struggle, difficult decisions will have to be made but life will have to go on.

We have become very insulated from death in the west but the reality is we don't have a right to life. Or a guarantee of a long life. We may have to learn to accept that.

Any relaxation of the rules should be data driven not date driven.

@Cornettoninja You're lucky in Essex, I gather you have a bit of a microclimate there. We do alright down here on the south coast, but I don't recall last March being especially sunny (although maybe it was just eclipsed in my memory by the amazing May weather). The forecast for this week looks quite mild, and they said we might get sunshine, with 16 degrees, on Friday. Quite an improvement from the arctic weather we had last week, let's hope the forecast is right.

@CovidHalloween

Any relaxation of the rules should be data driven not date driven.

100% agree.

I want restrictions to be eased too. And I don’t think we need zero cases for that to happen. Not sure what the “right” number is - but whatever we/the scientists decide it is, decisions should be led by that.

I hope so op but it is a bit optimistic 😕

blimey - still winter - lets stop wishing our winters away! - I agree some sunshine is needed but frosty cold sunny days are what makes the british weather so lovely!

Well. I was up for believing this bullshit until you mentioned the daily Mail.

I would have believed you more if you said your five year old wrote it on a piece of scrunched up paper.

I have a (UK, fully refundable up to a week before) week away booked for May half term so fingers crossed!

We have become very insulated from death in the west but the reality is we don't have a right to life. Or a guarantee of a long life. We may have to learn to accept that.

Oh what the heck - let's all just die all ready. The UK death toll is pretty high anyways -