Is life never going back to normal?

[JuneMoonstone]

I feel incredibly lucky that I've lived 44 years of a normal life. I am heartbroken at the way life has become. Like so many others, I feel like I am existing, not living. I don't see any point in making plans, I don't feel any hope for the future. I was feeling quite positive about the progress made in the UK with vaccines and seeing the infection rates and death rates lower. However with the news about the rest of Europe going into lockdown due to escalating infection rates, I can't help but feel that we are never going to get out of this bloody mess. I cannot help but believe that we will have to live our lives under constant restrictions forever now because of this virus. Is life really going to be shit from now on? Will I ever be able to, for example, go into a busy pub on a Friday night and watch a live band and have a bloody good time again? Will we have to wear face masks permanently in public places from now on? I get a very strong feeling that this will be the case. It's my daughter I feel for the most. She's just 5 years old. What kind of a life is she going to have?

@dividedwefall

Why build the Nightingales if they already knew they couldn't man them or provide special care with them? They could have been used to house ICUs and COVID wards and kept ordinary hospitals COVID free.

I suspect they underestimated the number of NHS who'd either be off with covid, or vulnerable/isolating so having to work from home or in "safer" areas of the NHS.

My neighbour works in the NHS and says that there are some areas where more than half the staff havn't set foot in their normal workplace for a year!

@dividedwefall

Why build the Nightingales if they already knew they couldn't man them or provide special care with them? They could have been used to house ICUs and COVID wards and kept ordinary hospitals COVID free.

Somebody made a lot of money from the contract, and the government got many positive news cycles out of them.

[quote EarringsandLipstick]I'm really surprised at some of the responses.

We have to ask: what differentiates this pandemic from others?

Absolutely, in terms of the current, most restrictive, limits for individuals and society, we will return to, not normal but (annoying term, I know!) a new normal which incorporates most of what we are used to.

But more widely, the pandemic was absolutely expected by epidemiologists, in this form. It arose from the ability of this virus to transfer from an animal to humans. Most likely bats, perhaps via another animal host (pangolin has been suggested). It happened, not because this is in any way new, but because the management of our planet is having very serious consequences: population growth means much more chances for close contact between infected animals & large groupings of people (eg the wet markets in China, which are huge) and our decisions re: deforestation & removal of natural habitats, particularly in Asia, of species like bats, meaning they come to live in much closer proximity to humans.

Bats are important, as they have such strong immune systems apparently, that viruses that survive in them, are very potent.

In terms of normality, we need to want that to look different. In a local, more medium-term sense, it means accepting some restrictions for a longer period, as we won't be Covid-free, and the likelihood is vaccines need to be repeated in less than a year (tho later developed vaccines will give closer to a year's immunity).

But in a longer-term, we have to address sustainable population growth, destruction of habitats, and the way we live our lives - ultimately the demands we put on the planet. We shouldn't want to go back to normal in that respect.

BBC Seriously did a great programme on this 'The Jump'. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p099fd8q[/quote]
Completely agree with this. We need a new normal, certainly in terms of how we engage with nature.

Our way out of this limbo is a cure.

LOL

but the doom mongers are predicting lockdown again over the winter and the vicious cycle starts all over again

Might as well rename the UK Narnia then and be done with it.

There were lockdowns and restrictions with the Spanish flu

The states that had the harshest restrictions had the healthiest economy when it was all over

Not in England there were not. Unless you can provide evidence that I may have missed (unlikely).

All that tells us is that England is slow to learn anything - with the predictable result! In NZ there were various restrictions and some public events were cancelled or postponed with Spanish flu.

@unsoliciteddickpic Have you read the book about the Great Reset. What you are saying sounds great in theory, but I can't but help that this is already the master plan, and the easier we go along with it the better. It feels uneasy, sinister. Someone always stands to profit.

[quote Tryingtryingandtrying]@unsoliciteddickpic Have you read the book about the Great Reset. What you are saying sounds great in theory, but I can't but help that this is already the master plan, and the easier we go along with it the better. It feels uneasy, sinister. Someone always stands to profit.[/quote]
Didn't you start a post a while back about the Great Reset? FWIW the idea has been around for some time, and isn't the tinfoil hat stuff that's been pedalled more recently.

If social distancing continues much longer I'll be too old to have children (can't date at the moment which pushes marriage back which likely means I'll be infertile once I'm at a stage to have children).

@Suzi888

“Waxonwaxoff0

ilovesooty
Well we can't please ourselves and go back to normal if our normal is going abroad on holiday.

And if travel isn't permitted that's that.
It will be at some point. Foreign travel won't cease to exist, it's a big money maker.”

Erm I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but foreign travel HAS in fact ceased for the regular holiday maker.

We were told “get the vaccine, get back to normal”. But that’s not the case is it.... and no one seems to have died of anything apart from covid since March 20.

I think things will return to normal eventually, fingers crossed!

Temporarily international travel is paused for many reasons, although not all reasons. It will return again relatively soon, including for holiday and leisure. International travel was permitted last summer and Autumn. It will be again fairly soon I suspect.

And re deaths. I think you'll find people have died of all manner of things this past year. What you see on the news re covid deaths and in social media claiming that only,covid matters is not the case. Dh's dad died of,cancer. My nana died of heart failure - she had covid at the time but it isn't mentioned in her death certificate. My other nana died of a blood clot in her brain. Dh works involves seeing a lot of,death certificates - contrary to popular belief most don't mention covid.

Yes, we will return to normal at some point. But, like with all pandemics, it takes a bit of time,

It's got to get back to normal...I need to see my mam in her care home, give her a hug, paint her nails and pamper her. It's been over a year now and she deteriorates each day:'(

I'm going to be in a small minority but my belief is we will get back much closer to 'normal' sooner than you think, OP.
Covid is not going away, true - it will get to the point where it will be in the population and some will be seriously ill and die, tragically, just as they do with flu, but it will not overwhelm the NHS. We will be vaccinated regularly and some social distancing/masks etc may remain for a while. In other words, we are going to learn to live with it and societies/economies will start to function again. There may also be sporadic flare-ups and lockdowns in future, but we will deal with them. We may not be at the beginning of the end of this current situation but we are getting there. At this stage, the only thing we can do is try to find enjoyment where we can and crack on with life as best we can. Think of the positives - we live in a relatively rich country, many of us benefit from tech to stay in touch with friends and family and to do our jobs, we have had furlough/benefits, we have the vaccines which are an amazing achievement and we have the NHS. Without wishing to downplay the magnitude of this crisis and the suffering, human beings are incredibly adaptable and resilient and that is what will sustain us. Imagine how much harder this would all have been 50 years ago, or how much harder it was in 1918. It's hard to see the hope when you are in the middle of a crisis, but it's there. We will come through.

I’m hoping the vaccines will get ahead of the virus, enough for us to function again albeit with distance and masking for a time. As variants emerge its just the scientists keeping up - like with the flu vaccine.
I’m hoping that our immune systems will be primed enough to limit the impact of future infections.
I have it in my head that 2021 will be bringing us out of the mess..,with 2022 become normal life again. I hope so, can’t cope with the thought of this going on much longer.

@Re5pectred

It's got to get back to normal...I need to see my mam in her care home, give her a hug, paint her nails and pamper her. It's been over a year now and she deteriorates each day:'(

That sounds really hard and people like you have my full sympathy. I hope you get to see her soon

@midgedude

*There were lockdowns and restrictions with the Spanish flu

The states that had the harshest restrictions had the healthiest economy when it was all over*

I think you are referring to this paper by some US central bankers and academics. They found that it was not just a matter of aggressive restrictions being beneficial for the economy in the medium term but that the earlier the lockdown the less economic damage. Their point is that it is the pandemic itself that is causing the harm, not the lockdowns.

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=3561560

I think you're being a bit over dramatic - in many countries it is perfectly normal to wear masks in flu season - good! Not being jostled by strangers in public - especially by sleazy men - a win win - neither of these will kill us, nor will not constantly flying abroad for holidays - not very green of us anyway was it - maybe the "new normal" will be better - kinder more considerate, calmer and more green, you need to rethink your whole attitude

What is it about Covid 19 that makes it different from all the other pandemics in the past, in that our way of living will be changed permanently?

I think the media, including social media, has a great deal to answer for here. The hype, scare stories and conspiracy theories, are just ridiculous and have got totally out of hand. I do my best to avoid all of these.

It will get back to normal but I will take quite some time, probably another year or so. Remember that we are way ahead of the curve with our country's vaccination programme, and ultimitely this will help us.
I think it's just a case of being patient for a while yet.

Vulnerable people have been offered the vaccine. This means the NHS will not be overwhelmed as the vaccines hopefully lessen the effects of Covid19 for those who are likely to be hospitalised.

Many countries outside of Europe have gone back to normal. There aren’t many deaths within 28 days of testing positive. I want society to open up fully now. We are alive, but not really living at the moment.

People in America in the state where my parents live are wearing face masks (well, they're SUPPOSED to), but they're overall doing whatever they want, legally. Americans can travel to the UK, no problem, as long as they do the tests and self-isolate, etc. They're vaccinating a lot of younger people over there (spreaders), and rates are falling incredibly quickly, despite all the anti-maskers and Trump supporters. People just have zero tolerance for following the rules, so the governor didn't even try to impose a lockdown. We will get there eventually.

A lot will go back to normal I’m sure.

It will speed up a lot of things that would have happened anyway - increased wfh as we’ve got the tech to do it, and COVID has proved that it works. Which saves travelling and can be environmentally friendly, even if it’s not good socially, although I’m sure we’ll find a balance. Decreased foreign travel which would have happened anyway for environmental reasons.

And hopefully there’ll be less soldiering on with a cold etc, and keeping germs to ourselves.

But generally speaking most things will eventually go back to normal, or as good as in a different way.

What we need to do is invest massively int he NHS - both infrastructure and personnel - so that we can cope with a situation where lots get sick. Sorry if that sounds a bit heartless but it’s going to happen again at some point with the way we’ve treated the environment.

Thank you.

Other pandemics ended after a few years. I expect it will be the same with this. We have the challenge of global travel I guess, but then also the medical advances of vaccines.

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

What we need to do is invest massively int he NHS - both infrastructure and personnel - so that we can cope with a situation where lots get sick. Sorry if that sounds a bit heartless but it’s going to happen again at some point with the way we’ve treated the environment.

I don't think that sounds heartless, I think that's the reality. The NHS has been chronically underfunded for years which has led, in small part, to this situation. We need to invest in it to make it as strong as it needs to be for the future. Not sure the current government are the ones to do it, however.

Not read all the posts but just reading the last few I'm sure this will be an unpopular opinion..

I started my covid journey last January living in complete fear and telling all my friends and family they needed to stay indoors for the sake of the vunerbable (hitting me hard because my dad was very ill).

However... I have now done a complete flip reverse!!

I just think that soooo many things don't add up and we are being lied to. As much as I hope it does return to normal I do feel like more people need to realise what is going on.

-Yeah or year deaths aren't that much higher (over 50k people died of flu in winter 2017/2018) the only difference is we didn't hear about the daily death toll then and have it thrust in our faces from every angle of the media!

-Deaths are up from other causes due to cancer treatments being delayed / doctor check ups being put off not to mention the suicides and the ones that are bound to come from the depression that will hit some people who may have lost their livelihoods!

-Deaths WITH covid are also counted for ANY reason within 28 days of a positive covid test. This is in black and white on the news /government broadcasts. On the gov website it actually says 60 days. That is a HUGE number of people that will be put down as covid when in fact they died of something else, and that's before you even factor in the false positives!

-Millions of people die each year from smoking / eating junk food but the governments aren't stopping all of that so it can't be about saving lives otherwise cigarettes would be banned! And no it's not about money becuase this is costing billions! Also not about annoying people by taking away their addictions as they have taken away people's livelihoods and basic human rights like socialising!

-The government /big pharma don't exactly have a good track record with honesty.

-The vaccine is still in trial stages until the end of next year and Johnson and Johnson are about to start testing on infants!! Why would anyone put their baby forward for this when babies have such a high survival rate and covid has probably killed less babies than flu!!

-The government have a contract with the advertising companies for covid until 2023, implying that this will still be going then!

• it's not even a true vaccine, its new technology that hasn't been tried and tested before now and there isn't even any proof that it reduces the risk of catching /spreading infection so WHY on earth is this mass 'vaccination' being pushed!?

-If it was about saving people in carehomes then why did the government make such an obvious error at the beginning of the 'pandemic' and now continues to isolate people with dementia which can be the biggest killer!?

These are a just a few of the points I'm concerned about that are making me now question things.

Every one needs to make up their own minds (maybe not just watching the BBC which has affiliations with Bill Gates) but this is the conclusion I have come to.. That there is more to this than meets the eye.

I hope it will go back to normal becuse more people will wake up and push back.

3 weeks to flatten the curve they said and look where we are.. Living in fear and uncertainty

Sorry to everyone who has lost someone in the past year or can't see their families, it's heartbreaking