On the 21st June is that it for good?

[Daisiesarecute]

I find this hard to believe tbh, will absolutely all restrictions end on June 21st? So no more restrictions on our lives apart from masks and SD? So we can go back to normal like it was in 2019?

We're all complying to a fair degree because until last Monday everything was closed! You can't go shopping and go the pub if they're not open. You still can't eat in a restaurant or travel or go to the theatre...try not complying with those...

Sometimes it feels that this is how life is now and we'll never get back to 'normal' and it's depressing me.

I bought tickets to see Tom Jones at Shepherds Bush Empire in July and I'm really not sure it's going to happen.

There's less compliance at the moment.

But more do feel "safe" if they've had a vaccine and doing lft.

What's worrying is the number of people I know of who use and trust the lft for symptoms rather than the pcr, not least so that a new variant can be traced.

I'm feeling rather despondent about the autumn as kids catch so many coughs and fevers! I'll be constantly taking days to test my own kids and self isolate, or self isolate if my bubble bursts (and being in 6 bubbles at school as I'm ppa, that's going to happen!)

That's very disruptive to education; it makes me think that some restrictions will be brought in at times to keep schools open and hospitals under control.

@RoseRedRoseBlue - no one ever said the vaccine was the only answer or indeed the magic bullet

To be honest I think we’ll see another lockdown. Until the pandemic is declared over we’ll have certain restrictions too.

It would be crazy to just go back to normal come June 21st.

Those people crammed in a nightclub will be vaccinated. Those wearing masks in schools will not.

If society is safe enough for adults to mix mask-free in a night-club - almost the most ideal place for infection you could conceive of - then it's safe enough for children to be in classes without masks.

Are you seriously saying that adults (who can be vaccinated and are more vulnerable) will get back completely to normal, but children (who can't and are far less vulnerable) will be forced to endure Covid restrictions for the foreseeable future. That's preposterous and ridiculous!

think now they’ve said it, it will be really hard for them to backtrack. So many people are holding onto the May and June dates. I really don’t think the majority will comply with another lockdown anyway. Life feels pretty normal to me right now and there’s no way I’d go back to it.

FGS if we open too quickly the virus will get out of control again. Having schools open is a huge contributary factor. With schools open before Easter R0 was

@beguilingeyes

We're all complying to a fair degree because until last Monday everything was closed! You can't go shopping and go the pub if they're not open. You still can't eat in a restaurant or travel or go to the theatre...try not complying with those...

Sometimes it feels that this is how life is now and we'll never get back to 'normal' and it's depressing me.

I bought tickets to see Tom Jones at Shepherds Bush Empire in July and I'm really not sure it's going to happen.

I think 'normal' may be a long way off but there will still be plenty to look foward to over the summer. I'm sure concerts etc will go ahead by July, they might just scaled back a bit in terms of numbers and be more outdoorsey. See plans Edinburgh festival. A good compromise IMO.

I have never understood why people are saying ‘if there’s another lockdown I won’t comply’ - you have no choice but to comply if nothing is open! If you still can’t go to work, a shop, cafes, yoga, stay at a friends/relative’s, pub, holiday etc then you are most definitely complying whether you like it or not. We don’t get any choice in the matter 🤷‍♀️
I would like all restrictions lifted now. Couldn’t give a shit about the random variants they keep spouting on about. It’s going to keep happening, may as well get used to it & crack on.

@Tumbleweed101

There is a change in the feeling when out and about now. People have the tools they need know such as easy access to testing - can do a LFT before visiting someone, for example. Vaccination for the vulnerable groups has either been done or is available. The restrictions will become less necessary.

I do wonder why my children need masks in class, for example, if everyone at school has had a negative LFT.

My 16 year old had a negative LFT test followed by a positive PCR the same day . Before you ask , he had a cough and DH made him do an LFT at home . I insisted we also book a PCR test later that day as he had symptoms and that is what the guidance says.

False negatives with LFT tests definitely happen

@Tumbleweed101

There is a change in the feeling when out and about now. People have the tools they need know such as easy access to testing - can do a LFT before visiting someone, for example. Vaccination for the vulnerable groups has either been done or is available. The restrictions will become less necessary.

I do wonder why my children need masks in class, for example, if everyone at school has had a negative LFT.

Unfortunately, not everyone in schools takes part in later flow testing that’s why.

My 16 year old had a negative LFT test followed by a positive PCR the same day . Before you ask , he had a cough and DH made him do an LFT at home . I insisted we also book a PCR test later that day as he had symptoms and that is what the guidance says.

Which is exactly why they're for twice weekly asymptomatic screening and NOT with symptoms.

The issue is that symptoms can be cold like; a colleague with what she thought was a cold tested positive on a lft and otherwise would have carried on coming to school. A mother then tested her child with a lft too and he tested positive, then pcr, she must have had reason to suspect something.

Hopefully with vaccines and twice weekly lft, then tests before large events etc, we can keep the lid on things. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets out of hand quickly in winter though. And worst case scenario is a situation like London just before Xmas.

(My husband suggested we use a lft on my toddler who developed a barking cough this week; because I know the guidance I knew that wouldn't cut it and toddler would be sent home from nursery anyway, and wasn't the right course of action. Negative.

It was tempting as I knew full well it was a normal cold. Such extremely low case rate round here. But we can't risk it and it risks knocking out lots of kids and their parents if it were cv and the lft failed. )

I feel life is pretty much getting back to normal. Ok many things we can’t do but compared to only a couple of weeks ago many we can. Half glass full approach and patience is what is required.

Summer will be, at a minimum,like last year. The problem will arise if international travel requirements are relaxed too much. Also some minimal restrictions may be needed in autumn/winter. Cases will rise along with deaths sadly but I think things must deteriorate badly for another lockdown and schools to shut. My ds did point out if schools shut in sept to Dec every month has been tried 🤣

There will never be a mass uprising but people are already starting to relax and do as they please as much as things being closed allows. Our local cafe has been serving outside for ages for example.

Things might not fully ease but there will be a very quiet very British revolution of simply doing as we please. We aren’t the most compliant as a nation.

@CarrieBlue

I'd like to think so, if people can be crammed together in a hot sweaty environment shouting and singing and dancing then there's no need at all for our dc to be sat wearing a mask in school

Those people crammed in a nightclub will be vaccinated. Those wearing masks in schools will not.

Those wearing masks in schools will likely not get particularly ill though will they?

It's not about the individual it's about society

It doesn't matter if a person is unlikely to be ill... and that's probably true for most clubbers... but as a society we need to keep infections low so the nhs can resume normal service and so we can avoid home grown vaccine escaping mutations

On a personal level, until ds can be vaccinated it will be hard to think about 'normal' (he is 10 and has shielded until now)

So parts of India and Brazil thought they had achieved some sort of herd immunity due to previous infection. Then, a new variant caused mass reinfections on a large scale.
We are going to hopefully have herd immunity through vaccination quite soon. However, we do not know for how long the vaccines or which vaccines or in which age groups immunity and or reduced transmission will last. We do not know how vaccine induced herd immunity will react to new variants which will invariably come in. We do not know what will happen amongst children who are not yet vaccinated. Obviously if there is an unlikely mutant strain which is dangerous for children we will go into lockdown again.
I think we will have some sort of normality this summer and people need to enjoy it for their mental health and make the most of it, albeit trying to be as safe as possible. Nobody knows what will happen come October/November yet. To some extent, government need to loosen restrictions precisely because if there is need further lockdowns/severe restrictions people need to be able to have had some normality in the mean time. Government seems to think that we need most of the population to accept the vaccine, so hopefully most people will comply with that.

@midgedude

It's not about the individual it's about society

It doesn't matter if a person is unlikely to be ill... and that's probably true for most clubbers... but as a society we need to keep infections low so the nhs can resume normal service and so we can avoid home grown vaccine escaping mutations

Ah right so let's continue punishing children so adults can go out on the piss. Disgusting.

i do wonder why my children need masks in class, for example, if everyone at school has had a negative LFT

Because many parents refused consent, you can report a negative result without ever opening the test packet etc.
Masks in school are sensible given the lack of distancing, the allowed mixing taking place socially as well as those who think the rules don’t apply to them.

I think masks and SD are here for a while, even after 21st June as a lot of younger people won’t be fully vaccinated

In the autumn there will be boosters, and possible masks and SD continuing

No I don't approve of "punishing" children so adults can go on the piss.

I wasn't giving an opinion of what relaxations I would approve of.

I guess you would approve of continuing restrictions for all until the virus is gone despite the impact that would have on jobs which would hurt children more than a mask ever could ?

I was just explaining why children would still need to be careful and why adults could in some circs be less careful.

Actually I think it's stupid to take mask wearing as punishment. Hopefully most children are more adult about it

@midgedude

No I don't approve of "punishing" children so adults can go on the piss.

I wasn't giving an opinion of what relaxations I would approve of.

I guess you would approve of continuing restrictions for all until the virus is gone despite the impact that would have on jobs which would hurt children more than a mask ever could ?

I was just explaining why children would still need to be careful and why adults could in some circs be less careful.

Actually I think it's stupid to take mask wearing as punishment. Hopefully most children are more adult about it

Absolutely not no, if every restriction went tomorrow I'd be very happy.

But if you're going to relax everything else, masks in schools should go too. To be honest I don't think it was ever a good idea.

It essentially I'd a punishment for not being vaccinated, if everyone vaccinated does not need to wear one.

My childrens private schools are starting to arrange fixtures with other schools from next term and are considering allowing parents to spectate (after 17th May).

So yes I am expecting life to be normal soon. I have sports day in my diary, I have theatre tix bought and I am delighted that my summer will be normal.

@luckylavenderm There have been several times when Boris has said something along the lines of vaccination being the only way out of this.