Restrictions could be over by 21st June

[ChocOrange1]

Following the prime ministers announcement, the road map suggests that (subject to the usual caveats) we could be free of restrictions by end of June. Thoughts? Too soon? Not soon enough?

This is Christmas all over again and I think the fuckers are going to take it back and fuck us over in May.

They were always going to open up in summer. Question is, whether they hold their nerve over winter and keep things open.

I can't see me being any thinner really but I will be happier! Happy for people who have been so miserable.
I feel sad for those that have lost so much too.
It's a mixed bag of emotions.

@Anna12345678910

There's an election coming. Announce this then have an election. Everyone is so thankful that the past wrongs will be forgotten and the Tory party will again take victory.

Do you know what I think you are spot on.

They said more people will die is that because the vaccine can't work for all or because not everyone will have had it?

[quote Parker231]@xenia - if your DD decided on May instead she can have 30 guests and it’s only a few weeks longer to wait from the March allowing of a four guest wedding[/quote]
How do you know how many guests are allowed?

My easter holiday rescheduled from last Easter is obviously cancelled- I said we should go for October half term, but no, DH thought better reschedule a whole year as by then we'd definitely be able to go and everything would be open - we could have gone in October and pretty much everything would be open...

Oh well, we paid for it in December 2019, if it happens in 2022, its going to feel like a freebie.

I'm now looking at beach holidays on the Med for August... Sun lounger, a pile of books on the old kindle, a charming young man making me cocktails, waving at the DCs happily half drowning DH in the pool...

21st June is a Monday. Friday of that week is payday. My money is on the NHS being overwhelmed that weekend, with people without covid.

The full roadmap document on gov.uk says they will carry out a review once we get to step 4 / 21 June about which long term measures need to be retained - masks, distancing, working from home etc. And that until the review is complete the WFH instruction and distancing etc will remain.

So it won't be everything back to pre-covid on 22 June, which was how It originally sounded to me from reporting (hence looking at the full doc).

@Chailatteplease - step three of Boris’s announcement for 17 May refers to weddings with 30 guests

@poppycat10

Don't get rid of your masks, if we carry on wearing them in the winter we might avoid flu etc.

No thank you love. I am joining @Sparklingbrook bonfire. Adios masks! Whenever that is

Another one who has to wear masks at work and hates then and the mask spots. I shall be very happy to get rid and you can take your chances with flu like before.

Patrick Vallance mentioned in the press briefing that masks may reappear in the winter months

@ineedaholidaynow

Patrick Vallance mentioned in the press briefing that masks may reappear in the winter months

Thankfully it's not down to what he and Whitty dictate

Patrick Vallance might think that masks are a good idea in winter. Most people working in public health have always wanted us to wear masks during cold and flu season. They have always been a good idea. Unfortunately, if people aren't dying in huge numbers, it'll be hard to make a convincing argument that we should be forced to wear them, and I'm not convinced enough people will volunteer to do so.

It’s because people die, we aren’t immortal. Same as people die from flu every winter even those who have had the flu jab

Sorry my above post was meant to quote @gigity

I'm fully aware we are not immortal 😒 my question was will the extra deaths be amongst the people who have the vaccine or people who don't?

@MargosKaftan

Patrick Vallance might think that masks are a good idea in winter. Most people working in public health have always wanted us to wear masks during cold and flu season. They have always been a good idea. Unfortunately, if people aren't dying in huge numbers, it'll be hard to make a convincing argument that we should be forced to wear them, and I'm not convinced enough people will volunteer to do so.

I was discussing this with a friend and I would now wear masks if I had a cold and think I will be a bit grossed out if people are coughing around me without one. When you think about it, those who go to the office (as opposed to jobs that are more difficult to take sick leave) when unwell are an absolute menace even without covid.

One of the saddest/most frustrating things looking back is the cultural resistance to masks at the outset.

There are bound to be hitches. We won't get to June 21st without dome problems. That's only realistic.

Parker , yes we read that yesterday BUT it is utterly open ended. She could move the booked church wedding date from mid March to a later day and that later date then be put off. Some brides have put off weddings 3 times already as the state holds out a carrot of a future date but you never quite make it like Prometheus bound on the edge but never quite getting over.

Mid March 4 guests is definitely lawful so she is sticking to that. If and when bigger things are allowed she can have a bigger wedding party including guests from abroad who are friends of the groom who would in a world without legal restrictions have been there.

So now it is fingers crossed to see if the priest will now listen to her - she already told him it was very likely mid March would be one and got him everything he needed from wedding licence to baptismal documents. If he decided to do none of his required steps then we will be having to find another church but hopefully not.

With respect re weddings, its been said from day one that the crisis was likely to last 12 to 18 months. Its been obvious since September there was going to be a problem over the winter with a second wave. (and the scientists said it was highly likely from the very beginning but everyone conveniently chose to ignore because they didn't like the sound of it).

If you were booking a wedding for March and wanted anything more than the bare minimum you weren't paying attention and were taking a huge gamble.

I find it hard to have sympathy for couples who have rebooked 3 times. Either go with the bare minimum or be realistic. If you have rebooked 3 times you havent been remotely realistic.

Plenty of people have shielded for months and had to be patient. Couples kicking off because they couldn't have their big day in that context dont really cut it for me.

And Xenia given you are someone who prattles on about how you should always think and work hard to get good jobs etc by paying attention to what jobs are 'worth having' it does show up how you have a very real blind spot to reality.

My daughter booked one wedding day in March 2021 and got engaged in Dec 2020. So she is not one of those having to re-arrange 3 times. However I think some people don't understand how often and how differently the rules changed last year eg from 19 Dec in London all weddings of any kind even with no guests completely banned until 8 March 2021. Before 19 Dec I think i9t was 13 guests allowed. At one point last year it was 30 guests. In March from memory it was no one. (there have been exceptions for the dying but not those on cancer treatment).

She had considered a bigger thing in Oct 21 but when approaching hotels they said if they are banned you have to m ove it to the year afterr is just became silly so she booked and stuck with the one date only mid March 2021 and hopefully that will go ahead with the 4 guests.

I am not sure I have a blind spot to reality particularly.