Eat out to help out

[Givemethechocolate]

I heard in the news that this could possibly be coming back. What do people think of this? Do you think it contributed to increased cases of covid?

Even if it does increase cases I'm not understanding the issue if the vulnerable are vaccinated. We need to live with Covid.

Cases did not rise during the eat out to help out. The numbers started going up in September when all the schools and universities went back. Its a great idea if done during summer hols and IF numbers remain low!

We need to live with Covid

Exactly, we can't hide away forever.

I think people will be really keen to eat out once more so don’t see the need for subsidies.

@PuppyMonkey

Isn't the point though that it'll be completely different this year? By, say, August (if that's when they do it again), we'll be in a much better position with the vaccine rollout - most of us will be as fully protected as we possibly can be against the virus making us very ill? And the vaccine may help against transmission too??

I mean, I don't think The Government will actually do it again as everyone will slag them off for it, but I bet my local will do their own half price thing tbh.

Is nobody else on the thread ever going to the pub again?

It seemed safe but it wasn't 100% safe, not with an airborne virus about.

Covid secure is a load of bollocks. Safe as can be, yes, but not actually, 100% safe.

People need to acknowledge the risks they are taking. "Yes, we know it's a risk but we're happy to take that risk to support the food and drink business." This is less disingenuous than, "oh there were screens. It seemed safe." And if people who say this stuff are not being disingenuous, they need to educate themselves a bit more because, in that case, they are taking risks (with their health and the health of others) that they don't understand. No masks in a room with others for over an hour = a chance of catching the virus if someone in the same room has it.

This is from September 2020:

Stephen Reicher @ReicherStephen

Todays National Statistics make for very interesting reading.
They confirm the argument that infections are spiking not so much because the public are behaving badly but because they are following bad policy set by the government...

93% of people report wearing facemasks,
81% say they are avoiding physical contact with others,
only 13% of people say they have socialised with more than 10 people
and only 14% of people say they have socialised with more than 2 households.

Most people are following the rules.

By contrast, the proprtion of people working at work has risen to some 60%
while the numbers working from home has halved to some 20%

• even though figures suggest that half of all workplaces are not socially distanced.

Similarly the number of people going out, drinking out and eating out ('to help out') has risen sharply -
eating out from some 10% to nearly 40%.
It has dropped in the last week, but remains much higher than before.

In sum, the numbers getting exposed to infection because they are doing what the Government is telling them to do
vastly outweighs the number being exposed by breaking COVID restrictions.
And yet the Government blames the public for the situation we are now in.

We ate out loads when the scheme was on (and afterwards) and we didn't catch covid, nor did I hear of any cases associated with the places we ate or get any notifications from the app.

Found this article from 11 Sept showing the rise in infections, you can see them steadily going up from late July and then very steeply as we reach September. My kids only went back to school the week beg 7 Sept and I know a lot of others went back around then which I think is too early to solely blame the schools and universities.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54116939

Thought gov wanted to reduce obesity not encourage it. Think getting gyms and vouchers off membership or sumit would be better.

@pursuedbyablackdog They're not mutually exclusive. I'm borderline underweight and go to the gym 6 days a week usually. Still enjoy going out with my family to lovely restaurants/pubs, it's about the experience, not stuffing our faces with greasy crap.

Whilst I’m not suggesting there was zero case transmission from restaurants, the above is not statistical evidence that is where it was contracted. Some schools go back late August, shops were open, it was only available a few days per week, other measures had been lessened etc. Causation vs correlation and all that.

It was horrific to work. Monday to Wednesday became like a manic weekend. The bosses wanted to cram in as many people as possible. Still technically socially distanced and Covid secure, but averaging 50% more diners each night, than a usual Saturday. Extra staff needed for EOTHO days and then quieter the rest of the week.
If the scheme could have been spread out, rather than just Monday to Wednesday, it maybe wouldn't have been so awful.
I would never work another one.