Why do some think this will never be over?

[LemonSherbetFancies]

Just reading on Twitter and other sources where people think the government want to keep us on lockdown forever and this won't end until we say it does.
Do people genuinely believe this? What's in it for the government to keep us like this forevermore? I am not understanding the rationale behind these people's thinking.

Some people seem to actively like being miserable

There is no rationale behind conspiracy theories.

I mean, can these people come up with an actual reason for the govt wanting to keep us all on lockdown? One that makes sense?

The government have no desire to keep us locked up? Why on earth would they? It’s awful for the economy, it’s awful for health and it doesn’t make them popular. It goes against everything the Tories stand for. It’s a necessary evil. I think some people just want to see a conspiracy in anything.

These people are nuts. Nobody wins nothing either way. I don't understand these conspiracy theorists that believe the government are controlling us etc

Placemarking as I was wondering the same.

Probably because they want to bash the government for not being able to set dates.

That'll be just like every other government then!

Or they perhaps don't actually realise that it's not possible to set end dates when dealing with a pandemic that could yet be dangerous (the risk of 'armistice wave' and assume the absence of one is conspiracy.

It's not quite QAnon territory, but does require a similar belief in an elite with global control

@HelloThereMeHearties

I mean, can these people come up with an actual reason for the govt wanting to keep us all on lockdown? One that makes sense?

I've asked a few of them when they pop up on threads in MN. All of them have ignored me asking.

Some people are furloughed and love being at home without doing a stroke of work. Some are not sociable and prefer being on their own, and some are just miserable glass half empty people.

Some are so left wing they will blame the government for everything.

Perhaps not this covid lockdown as we know it but people are understandably quite worried about how easily the vast majority of the world’s populations gave up so much personal and social freedoms so easily and to what effect this realisation and the laws rapidly made by world government’s will have on these same freedoms going forward.
For example, it has been made illegal to meet your own family inside your own house, illegal to protest, illegal to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, wedding or new employment with anyone other than your immediate family. Large swathes of alternative science or news reporting have been silenced and blocked across all media platforms and people have been denied access to see their loved ones in hospitals, care homes or other countries.
There has already been talk of certain restrictions under the guise of climate control and some eyes have no doubt been widened at the prospect of how easy it is to convince people that the party line is the only way of doing things. Lots has been learned about physiological persuasion and societal behaviour under the threat of fear.

@Moonstone1234

Some people are furloughed and love being at home without doing a stroke of work. Some are not sociable and prefer being on their own, and some are just miserable glass half empty people.

Some are so left wing they will blame the government for everything.

Yes plus conspiracy nuts on top

& for what actual reason do the government want to keep everyone in lockdown ? I actually think like other posters -- the idea is nuts - They want people to be able to get out and work. I think they are doing a good job of vaccinations , but anyone who thinks the Govt wants us staying at home as A Thing - well - that is Area 51 territory in my opinion.

It just may be ( just may be ) this thing is un precedented so firm and fast dates aren't that easy

So let's just take one aspect of lockdown- the economic impact. Cost to government is huge and we have the highest level of public borrowing since the war.

• government is losing significant income from business rates as many go under
• is spending a fortune on furloughs, business relief and universal credit
• and is spending a fortune on the NHS and social card and additional unplanned NHS and health services - PPE, vaccine, and new long Covid clinics.

A weak economy makes for a very strained Government.

Plus I'm not sure if you noticed but the Prime Minister was hospitalised and you couldn't quite ignore the exhaustion of Matt Hancock before Xmas.

Why would perpetuating the lockdown be in any government's interests? It's a nightmare now, medium and long term.

Keep saying it but if you try you can find the most stupid, bizarre and illogical theories online. Because you can find literally any random view online - like the flat earth society. You do have to deploy your critical faculties. Finding a crazy theory online is like saying you found salt water in the sea.

Really? Do you think it's likely?

Our lockdowns or lack of were a joke.
Kids going back to school in March
Incompetant PM and government.
Nurseries not closing
Too many key workers.
Misinformation, misunderstanding
People not giving a toss/ taking it seriously enough

If we'd had a proper lockdown we'd be a lot safer now.

I think they are running out of optimism and are venting with “This will never be over”

Maybe most don’t mean it literally

They're impatient.

Personally it feels like it'll never be over! I know I'm by no means the worse off but everyday is just Groundhog Day and I'm well and truly fed up. I just want to see my mum and dad and have a bit of normality and I can't see when that will ever happen.

I don't think the government want to keep us locked down forever but I also think they're in a loose loose situation. Let everything open up etc the NHS will fail and ultimately that's down to poor management and funding which is mostly all on the government. Keep everything locked down and the economy is trashed!

It also feels like it's never going to end because they move the goal posts all the time. Last March "it'll only be three weeks", Christmas "you can definitely see your family" and now "this will be the last lockdown", will it? It's already been said Covid is never going to disappear coupled with new variants, I really can't see how it is ever going to end. I really hope I'm wrong and I'm just caught up in the negativity of it all

Yes the never ending goal post moves don’t help but there’s also so much data around now which queries the annual excess death rate, the natural curve of a virus with or without lockdown, the effectiveness of masks, the places the virus spreads most i.e. inside hospitals rather than beaches. All of this available data plus a little bit of critical thinking equals serious questioning as to why we are still locked down even now.

I think we will have to
Learn to live with Covid it’s not going to go completely but lockdown definitely won’t continue once people are vaccinated

I don't think it'll never be over even though dinosaurs existed once and don't anymore

I just don't think it'll be over as quick as people think it will.

I expect despite relaxations we have another winter to navigate of masks with a further inoculation programme alongside flu jab before we are in the best position

I want to get this right now. I'm not sure I can handle another lockdown and up until recent,y I've been managing fine.

So let's just take one aspect of lockdown- the economic impact. Cost to government is huge and we have the highest level of public borrowing since the war

The bit about public borrowing is true, but not the "cost to the government"; it's actually cost them nothing because it's not their money but ours

Do you suppose that many of them have lost their salaries? Ot that they're likely to face mass redundancies? Or even that legions of pen pushers will be expected to return to their roosts once nearly everyone else has?

It may be true that they don't want this to drag on endlessly - though I'm not even certain about that - but let's not pretend the burden's being shared equally

'All of this available data plus a little bit of critical thinking equals serious questioning as to why we are still locked down even now

Answer to that is simple - ICUs are still full, and there are still more covid patients in hospital than at height of first peak.

We need a couple more weeks of the numbers to continuing to drop before we're much down from that. Only a couple of days until the next big announcement. I'll be amazed if the numbers in hospital are nitna major part of the thinking

Why would they lift them is really the question you want to ask, surely?

Economic impact maybe? - well whilst some businesses have failed/ are failing, there are a few that are thriving, filling the revenue gap.
Plus can't imagine they really care about small businesses when they still get their salaries.
Social impact maybe? - be assured that they don't care we can't see other people, they don't care that people are struggling with their mental health, "cos it's not Covid!"
Health impact maybe? - they're saying the NHS is still overwhelmed, people can get long Covid, etc. Doesn't matter that the vaccine reduces transmission, hospitalisations, deaths - "cos new variants right?!"

So really the question is, why would they lift it? No real benefit to them.

Plus I think it's quite amazing you think that they (the Govt) care about us!

I really have no idea what to think these days. However most “best case scenarios” you read about in the news still say “social distancing will still be required”. Ie, hospitality open, non essential retail open, schools open ... “social distancing will still be required”.

The thing is, the thresholds for when is what we're doing necessary & when it is it not... are ill-defined. We don't know the rules for when should it last forever and when should it stop. If the C19 mortality rates are down to ... 4000/yr? 20k/yr -- at what point do we say "Yup we can return to normal life now" No one is having this discussion.

My guess is that PPE use by all hospital patient-facing staff is here forever, now far more than what they did in past. Also a lot of PPE in GP surgeries and many other environments is a new forever thing. Possibly staff all wearing PPE in most care homes (and not just gloves) even though masks/aprons makes the job harder to do well. Forever.

Also that C19 will remain notifiable and trigger legal requirement to self-isolate, possibly for your contacts to self-isolate too. This will last for many years, at least 8.

International travel will become difficult for adults without jab documentation. Lots of MNers are saying now that's perfectly reasonable.

So yeah, some parts are with us pretty much forever, I think -- and I'm an optimist. Or someone who would accept 20k covid deaths/yr anyway.

CEV ppl may campaign for right to wear lots of PPE at their jobs routinely; transparent masks with face shields might be common sight on staff in schools, at least in winter. That won't be just covid related. It will be all diseases they want to avoid getting.

Mass gatherings could return... but There could be more licenses required for large events to be held, depending on the local disease status.

Encouragement to "WFH if you can" in winter illness season might continue strongly in future, which combines with economic strategy for some companies, anyway (less office space to rent or heat), and desire to not commute by many.

All This didn't happen in 1920s because people were more tolerant of harm/death and less controlling and less risk averse.