Do we stop social distancing and masks on 21st June?

[elliejjtiny]

Just wondering as I'm getting mixed messages. I thought that everything was allowed to open on 21st June (providing numbers don't increase again) but social distancing and masks remain. But at our last church meeting (on zoom) the vicar was saying that the guidelines say all restrictions are ending which includes masks and social distancing so the church can open up again with no restrictions in place. I'm not sure about this. Also by then all the CEV, CV and over 60's in our church will be at least 3 weeks post 2nd vaccination on 21st June apart from my 7 year old who is CV but can't have the vaccine until it's licenced for children. There are also other adults and children who aren't CV so won't be vaccinated by then either.

I wouldn’t mind keeping the sanitation stations at the entrance to shops, and after the number of times I’ve caught something nasty after people coughing and spluttering on public transport it might be nice if we adopted the Asian model of mask wearing if you have a cold. As for SD, I think it will be a while before I’m comfy in a crowd again. I’m hoping that people don’t jump the gun though on relaxing rules so infections rise and the dates get pushed back (getting desperate for a hair cut)

@Lansonmaid there’s defiantly some things that would be good to see stay in place and it will be interesting to see if we naturally do things such as walk around people rather than right past, wash our hands more, wear masks whilst shopping.

SD and masks will be with us long after June 21st. To pretend otherwise is very foolish.

Why do we need local businesses though when we can just order off AliExpress & Amazon? I think this is all very privileged and reactionary to want a 1950's high street to consume from, when we have a tens of millions of displaced persons in the world who could use nice living accomodation like the former department stores and coffee shops. Amazon might have tried to put workers in cages but that was for their own safety after all, and why should they pay taxes to fund brexit?!

The 1.9% decrease in USA covid deaths from masking (www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e3.htm USA stats) is something to celebrate, and nightclubs just feed into the worsening alcohol problem since lockdowns began. Either every life matters or none do, surely.

We've got furlough to September by law so come on, they know it's not all over, it must be like breaking bad news to whiny children, that's a chance to get some me-time and catch up with personal projects, I've learned 2 languages, grown a tomato plant, and never had such shiny windows!

Can't wait for 2nd round booster jabs in September to catch the sneaky mutations, then maybe we can unlock for a day or two over Christmas! Safety first!!

I'll still wear a mask after 21st June and I doubt I'll be on my own.

@user1493494961

I'll still wear a mask after 21st June and I doubt I'll be on my own.

Quite right too, everyone should really except those who can't but by then with the Nightingale hospitals now fully geared up easing the overflow like I read today, they should be able to get GP letters and maybe a proper lanyard or a chip or something.

And although flu's disappeared now, here and in Israel where my friend lives, it's bound to be back and that killed thousands every year, so even if covid disappeared they'll stop flu and it's not like people have anything to smile about with global warming anyway.

I bought some plain glass spectacles because your eyes are a vector for infections, I don't really wear them but if someone without a mask was coughing I'd probably feel a bit safer with them on.

I think it is inevitable that there will be some social distancing, mask wearing etc continuing after June 21st...and possibly more restrictions, dependant on rates of hospitalisation and variants.

For us, as a family, our 10 year old is medically vulnerable and has shielded for most of the year...we hope that levels will be low enough, and there will be some sort of protective restrictions, that will enable him to start secondary school...but who knows.

Children's Vaccine trials look set to be ready to rollout a paediatric vaccine programme at the end if the year, although ds's paed hopes medically vulnerable children may be able to access the vaccine earlier than this.

DH works on a military base. They’ve all been wearing masks, hand washing and social distancing yet half of them have had Covid, almost all without any symptoms.

Can’t wait to ditch mask wearing in shops!

@user1493494961

I'll still wear a mask after 21st June and I doubt I'll be on my own.

I think some people will get carried away in June/July but once we're back in September and winter virus season the masks and social distancing will be more widespread again.

@User133847 Yes it's important not to get carried away, remember every person you meet is a hive of possible infections and if not you then someone's nana, I hope we can raise our children as a community to fully understand this and realise that the real freedom lies in being protected from pointless risks. An amazingly high number of people died without even a pre-existing condition:

Figures for COVID-19 deaths with no underlying health conditions are available on Table 5, this means where no other underlying condition was listed on the death certificate.

No pre-existing condition: England and Wales – 4476
www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/covid19deathsbyageanddeathsfromcovid19only

So getting careless and losing sight of the need to be wary and avoid contact just leads to tragedy. Hopefully furlough already being extended to September in the budget means lockdown will carry on until we've got boosters for all the variants.

That's hilarious.. lockdown until boosters for all variants
What happens when they keep finding variants, permanent lockdown?

Well covid precautions completely wiped out flu in Israel: www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/297815

Israel's Health Ministry prepared for the winter, during which there were expected to be simultaneous outbreaks of both flu and coronavirus. However, data from the Israel Center for Disease Control showed that not a single lab test was positive for flu this year.

Throughout the winter, the number of people turning to clinics, emergency rooms, and children's wards due to flu-like winter illnesses was low. For example, the number of people turning to clinics because of flu-like illnesses was close to zero; in the past few years, it ranged from 15-20 per 10,000 people during the same period.

"The numbers of respiratory infections are low," the Health Ministry stated. "We have not yet identified flu activity among the Israeli populace."

We beat flu bigtime with masks!!

And now Mr Netanyahu is keeping that success story rolling with 6-monthly boosters:

"We will be renewing the vax every six months and all children will participate. We plan to vax the population of Israel and most kids twice in the current year."

Compare 2021 to previous years (not just Israel, they just followed closely in China's huge success story).

Go to apps.who.int/flumart/Default?ReportNo=10 and check data 2011 to 2021.

WINNING!

I personally will mask up in the store and avoid crowded places, keep using hand sanitiser

Katy "Quite right too, everyone should really except those who can't but by then with the Nightingale hospitals now fully geared up easing the overflow like I read today, they should be able to get GP letters and maybe a proper lanyard or a chip or something."

I though your first post on this thread was a joke but it's not is it.

The Nightingales are closing so I'm confused by your comments there.

There are three reasons to wear a mask:

1. government order
2. venue requirement
3. personal choice

By June 21st I think it is possible the government will remove blanket order. The government is keen to pretend covid has gone.

However, what is not known is what happens with 2) and 3).

Of course dickheads will ditch their masks as soon as possible. Doesn't mean everyone will. None of us know where we will be in June, how we will feel or what our behaviour will be.

I can see myself wearing one for longer, I can see myself not wearing one - it all depends on what is happening with covid.

Wow, I thought Katy was taking the piss but you're not are you. Terrifying.

Chameleon "Of course dickheads will ditch their masks as soon as possible."

On the Tube, hardly anyone wore a mask in summer before the law came in. In February yes, but by May it stopped, pretty much.

Anyway, I imagine once the law changes it will be masks burnt.

It doesn’t make someone a dickhead for wanting to ditch their mask as soon as legally allowed. It’s fine to hate them and look forward to getting rid of them.

@Witchesbelazy

It doesn’t make someone a dickhead for wanting to ditch their mask as soon as legally allowed. It’s fine to hate them and look forward to getting rid of them.

I don't understand this position, if I'm honest. There are a lot of people who've been very childish about masks. There is of course also a group of people who genuinely struggle with masks.

I do think that the UK has been very foolish about masks, they've been turned into a symbolic item, instead of a neutral piece of equipment.

The implication of what you say is that those who won't immediately stop wearing masks 'like' them. I think that's a childish interpretation.

@Beaniecats

That's hilarious.. lockdown until boosters for all variants What happens when they keep finding variants, permanent lockdown?

There are plenty of people who seem to think that is the solution. You can see your family on zoom, you can replace nights out with your friends with a zoom quiz. You can go for exercise near your home. What more could any human possibly want? Oh and if you're in a situation like Kim where social distancing means your job is seriously at risk, erm well tough. Just erm retrain or something. Virtually of course.

Masks are not neutral. This is utterly infuriating.

@StealthPolarBear

Masks are not neutral. This is utterly infuriating.

How do you mean?

They don't mean anything, any more than wearing surgical gloves or a hairnet, except for those with need for exemptions, who I respect entirely.

I have to ask people to repeat what they say multiple times which is frustrating for both of us. And my hearing is only slightly below par. Social cues are much reduced.

Especially when shop staff are already having to enforce (what might eem like petty) rules and tensions are high.
A member of staff in tesco once had to ask me three times to use a different exit. That could have easily come across as me escalating the situation as she ended up shouting, but I genuinely had no idea what she was saying.
A man accidentally cut in front of me in the queue in Co op. I went to smile to assure him I'd seen how it had happened and wasn't fussed but then realise he wouldn't get the message so avoided eye contact instead.
None of these are big things but they add to the general mistrust and general bad feeling in the population and they will be happening across the country, multiple times a day.

I’m a dickhead then!

I’m not wearing a mask after June. No way. I would like proper evidence they have had an impact on infection rates before I consider it. I think they just make people feel safer and maybe remind people to behave in a more hygienic way. People reuse the same mask sat in the their car or pocket for weeks I would bet. It’s probably even less hygienic than not wearing one.

I’m not spending my life outside the house trying to communicate with my two small children with a mask over my face when I am allowed to communicate with hundreds daily in school without one. It breaks my heart that my two year old asks for a mask sometimes. I won’t live my life with a mask on my face forever once we are vaccinated why would I?

I get some people won’t be vaccinated but that’s true for all vaccinations....