I dont think life will be normal for years and years

[ssd]

Its the pictures coming out of india, with the recent festival and hundreds of people crammed together, during a second covid wave. This virus will just mutate forever, its too global to contain. Its just never going away. What the hells going to happen to us or our kids futures?
I can't see a way out of this. Science can't catch up, its too far spread to ever get a handle on it.

[Quartz2208]

I think it depends on what you mean by normal - we will come out of this with differences to what we had before - particularly with working from home and I suspect travel. So it isnt going to go back to how it was in 2019.

Things such as booking into places makes sense to me as well

For me normal means being able to go into other peoples houses, walking around and going where I want without the need for social distancing and masks - the freedom to do things such as concerts and theatres and we are making huge strides towards that

[Cornettoninja]

I wasn’t saying you specifically @TheOneWithTheBigNose but I’ve seen plenty of posters on here refusing to even contemplate doing something unless it’s 100% exactly the way they envisage it should be - both ends of extremes. I would say both ends of the spectrum are hysterical in their own ways to be honest.

[TheOneWithTheBigNose]

@Cornettoninja

Maybe - depends how deeply-embedded the hysteria is

Another side to the hysteria is the insistence that everything must return to ‘normal’ i.e 2019. This pandemic has had a massive impact globally no matter what your opinion on it is. It’s not realistic to expect there to be no difference in the way life is now. Everyone has been coloured by the experience.

I don’t think it’s an insistence that everything must return to normal. I really don’t care what changes other people make as a result of their experiences.
I want my normal back, though. The only way I’ve been coloured by the experience is that I now appreciate that my life was exactly how I wanted it. I worked hard to achieve that. So it’s fine for other people to make changes, but I don’t want anyone insisting my life must change. That’s not hysterical.

[StillRailing]

Is heart disease still the biggest cause of death worldwide?

[Cornettoninja]

Maybe - depends how deeply-embedded the hysteria is

Another side to the hysteria is the insistence that everything must return to ‘normal’ i.e 2019. This pandemic has had a massive impact globally no matter what your opinion on it is. It’s not realistic to expect there to be no difference in the way life is now. Everyone has been coloured by the experience.

[thefallthroughtheair]

Maybe - depends how deeply-embedded the hysteria is, and whether people can get their heads around the fact that with a world population of 7 billion, Covid is a non-event at population level, in the same way that flu is a non-event.
Poverty and inequality on the other hand - both increasing and helped along by lockdowns - are another thing entirely and the sooner we stop obsessing about one virus and start actually caring, as opposed to virtue-signalling, about significant issues like these, the better.

[Orangesandlemons77]

*hear

[Orangesandlemons77]

@DenisetheMenace

We shielded for a year because of CEV husband. Youngest child still with us but couldn’t see oldest and first grandchild.

We have had our first vaccinations which have already afforded us high protection, second soon (husband next week, me in June). I walked with my eldest child and grandchild in the sunshine yesterday. It was glorious, children playing in the park, older people playing bowls. I completely forgot about Covid until we got to town and we’re reminded by masks about. It all felt pretty normal to me.

I have absolute faith in the vaccination programme and science. There is no evidence yet that vaccines do not protect against variants. Alternatives are already being worked on, anyway. The 1918/19 pandemic burnt itself out within 3 years, (yes, it was ‘flu not Covid but saw considerably higher deaths) without the benefits of science.

Alternatives are coming on stream, production is ramping up weekly, with concerted effort the whole world could be vaccinated by 2022. Pressure is mounting on first world countries to facilitate it.

Of course we will get back to normal.

This is good to here. Also have a DH in the CEV group, he got the second vaccine dose today. Feeling positive.

[ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia]

“savethegrannies

Dowser you are aware holidays in the Lakes are indefinitely ruled out for all but the wealthy middle classes due to huge price hikes which have come as a result of our ludicrous ongoing international travel ban?
One of many examples of how this pandemic and Govt response to it has created a two-tier society. The I'm-alright jacks-who have worked from home throughout this; and the plebs who have delivered their goods and served them in supermarkets.”

This above comment is a bit harsh but fair comment and pretty much spot on if somewhat a touch over generalised! Just to add many have also capitalised on a few “essential” business opportunities due to the pandemic and artificial limitation of markets and competition for expenditure.

[DenisetheMenace]

We shielded for a year because of CEV husband. Youngest child still with us but couldn’t see oldest and first grandchild.

We have had our first vaccinations which have already afforded us high protection, second soon (husband next week, me in June). I walked with my eldest child and grandchild in the sunshine yesterday. It was glorious, children playing in the park, older people playing bowls. I completely forgot about Covid until we got to town and we’re reminded by masks about. It all felt pretty normal to me.

I have absolute faith in the vaccination programme and science. There is no evidence yet that vaccines do not protect against variants. Alternatives are already being worked on, anyway. The 1918/19 pandemic burnt itself out within 3 years, (yes, it was ‘flu not Covid but saw considerably higher deaths) without the benefits of science.

Alternatives are coming on stream, production is ramping up weekly, with concerted effort the whole world could be vaccinated by 2022. Pressure is mounting on first world countries to facilitate it.

Of course we will get back to normal.

[ssd]

Thanks roses

[Waxonwaxoff0]

@savethegrannies

Dowser you are aware holidays in the Lakes are indefinitely ruled out for all but the wealthy middle classes due to huge price hikes which have come as a result of our ludicrous ongoing international travel ban?
One of many examples of how this pandemic and Govt response to it has created a two-tier society. The I'm-alright jacks-who have worked from home throughout this; and the plebs who have delivered their goods and served them in supermarkets.

I'm one of the plebs who works in a factory and I've got UK holidays booked for this year, they don't always cost a fortune.

[RosesAndHellebores]

@savethegrannies not necessarily. We are going to a UK destination in a couple of weeks. It is very reasonable because I booked it in December with a "change the date option" in the event internal travel was banned in May.

[savethegrannies]

Dowser you are aware holidays in the Lakes are indefinitely ruled out for all but the wealthy middle classes due to huge price hikes which have come as a result of our ludicrous ongoing international travel ban?
One of many examples of how this pandemic and Govt response to it has created a two-tier society. The I'm-alright jacks-who have worked from home throughout this; and the plebs who have delivered their goods and served them in supermarkets.

[Alondra]

I haven't read any answers so I'm just referring to the OP.

I don't think it will be years and years but yes, I don't think life will return to the normal prior Covid until 2024 or 2025. We may like it more or less but until the whole world is 70% vaccinated there will be restrictions specially with travelling abroad.

I don't believe in being an ostrich, the less I know the better I am, it's important to have to be informed to make good decisions specially when they can have serious consequences. It doesn't mean we need to become obsessed with the latest headline, but apply a bit of common sense to the advice from health experts.

The good news is most of the first world will be back to semi-normality next year, same as it is in Australia, where is life has been pretty much back to normal with the exception of travel abroad.

...and of course, we'll just need to get an extra vaccine along with the flu one every year from now on.

[Dowser]

@HelloMissus

It’ll be better when things open up in Scotland.

I’m in England and last week I went out to dinner and had a hair cut. I visited my mam (I know arrest me now).
Last night I went out on the lash in London. It was mobbed. And yeah it got cold but man it was fun. Loads of folk meeting up with mates. Chatting, laughing, drinking.

I’m doing this as much as I can from now on just in case we hit a bad patch in winter and have another shut down.

You do right and if I was 40 years younger I’d be doing exactly the same.
Life is for living

[Dowser]

@HesterShaw1

FFS. Stop watching the news, get off MN, get outside and just bloody do stuff.

Absolutely
I’m in the lakes right now having a fabulous time.
All I can see is people enjoying themselves, outside having a drink.
We had a cracking meal in bowness the other day. Ham hock large enough to sit on.
the steamers were operating . Shops open, bars and terraces were full
Keswick market was bustling
Staff very friendly, pleased to see us.
Get yourselves over here.
You’ll love it.

Life’s too short to worry about what you might not get.

[savethegrannies]

@Sunnyfreezesushi

The real problem seems to be that we would need to vaccinate the whole world every 6-12 months. Vaccine production will improve but how to get it to the poorest people in the world. I read somewhere last night that the EU are preordering sufficient MRNA vaccines until 2025 (vague recollection). We really need to share the technology across the world and help all countries produce their own vaccines.

They will share it. Just for a hefty license fee. All about the money for these companies, it only ever was.

[Rachie1973]

I had my 2nd vaccine Monday :)

Bit delayed due to catching covid in March lol

I’m on the CEV list. Just to brighten the whole thing.....

Never eat a banana when you have no sense of taste or smell. It’s mulch. Gross lol.

That was my worst symptom. The first vaccine likely afforded me enough protection to not be badly affected.

[RosesAndHellebores]

@ssd whilst I don't agree with you and we have seen many thing through different lenses over the years, I know you have been around for years and years and I hope all this starts feeling better for you very soon

[ssd]

Dont know why i cant see it more logically.

[ssd]

But you are right, i should look into it more before panicking.

[ssd]

Bluntness, i had serious side effects from starting medication and I'm waiting on a hospital appointment happening until i can try another type of ssri. Which doesn't help my anxiety.

[Sunnyfreezesushi]

The real problem seems to be that we would need to vaccinate the whole world every 6-12 months. Vaccine production will improve but how to get it to the poorest people in the world. I read somewhere last night that the EU are preordering sufficient MRNA vaccines until 2025 (vague recollection). We really need to share the technology across the world and help all countries produce their own vaccines.

[HelloMissus]

It’ll be better when things open up in Scotland.

I’m in England and last week I went out to dinner and had a hair cut. I visited my mam (I know arrest me now).
Last night I went out on the lash in London. It was mobbed. And yeah it got cold but man it was fun. Loads of folk meeting up with mates. Chatting, laughing, drinking.

I’m doing this as much as I can from now on just in case we hit a bad patch in winter and have another shut down.