If you think it's too soon for normal life to be resuming...

[TheVampiresWife]

...when do you think it won't be? What criteria would you like to see met?

I've seen lots of posts here saying that the trials going on in Liverpool/hospitality reopening/the pencilled-in end to restrictions in June and so on are all happening too soon. If your thinking is along these lines, why so - do you think we should be aiming for zero covid before things reopen fully? Or are variants your main worry? And if you do feel this way, will you continue to SD/stay home/not participate in large events etc beyond June?

My own thinking is that we're in a better position now than we've been since all this began - the majority of adults have had at least one vaccination (and vaccines have been proven to reduce transmission), rates are incredibly low or suppressed in many areas and over 60% of people have antibodies. But I'm interested to know why people may feel differently.

I think it’s high time we were getting back to normal

As others have said, I fear that the government is about to squander the UK's current good position (yet again!) by allowing foreign holidays too soon. From what I've read, the South African variant is in quite widespread circulation in France, so if the government allows holidays to France to resume this month it's inevitable that the SA variant will soon be in widespread circulation in the UK too. There appears to be a big question mark over how effective the AZ vaccine is against the SA variant.

I also have reservations about reopening indoor service in pubs at a time when a large proportion of our adult population (ie those under 40) have not yet been vaccinated. Every person who contracts Covid is a potential opportunity for the virus to develop a dangerous mutation, so we should be trying hard to keep prevalence rates low even in young age groups.

As for those suggesting that people who are concerned about opening up too early can just stay in, I despair at their stupidity. Do they really not realise that lots of people have no option but to come into contact with lots of other people (eg factory workers, teachers, police officers and people who work on public transport to name but a few)?

Personally I'm living my life while I can! Live for today.

I think the govt have finally got the balance right with opening up timetable this time with 5 week gaps to assess impact and to allow the vaccination protection to embed . Never felt that way before

I am sure that some nuances of restrictions will be either too much or too little but the overall plan seems ok

Its the idiots who have already decided they will do what they like that annoy me

I think it’s high time we were getting back to normal
This is exactly why the government needs to take care not to reopen things too early. If we allow cases to escalate (particularly due to imported variants) we are at risk of rocketing infection rates and another cycle of lockdowns. The government should be focusing on how it can maintain relative normality for the longer term, rather than short bursts of relative normality that then result in a need for lockdowns.

@TheVampiresWife

...when do you think it won't be? What criteria would you like to see met?

I've seen lots of posts here saying that the trials going on in Liverpool/hospitality reopening/the pencilled-in end to restrictions in June and so on are all happening too soon. If your thinking is along these lines, why so - do you think we should be aiming for zero covid before things reopen fully? Or are variants your main worry? And if you do feel this way, will you continue to SD/stay home/not participate in large events etc beyond June?

My own thinking is that we're in a better position now than we've been since all this began - the majority of adults have had at least one vaccination (and vaccines have been proven to reduce transmission), rates are incredibly low or suppressed in many areas and over 60% of people have antibodies. But I'm interested to know why people may feel differently.

I've seen lots of posts here saying that the trials going on in Liverpool/hospitality reopening/the pencilled-in end to restrictions in June and so on are all happening too soon.

I've seen a couple of people with this view, but most of the "play it safe" group see these for what they are - trials to assess future risk - they're not themselves a significant risk.

So it kind of makes the whole question you've posed rather odd - if you'd asked "Do people think the relaxations currently occurring are happening too soon?" it would have meshed with your final para - but instead you appear to be restricting your question solely to people who either don't get that these are trials, or don't understand how they work.

I think social distancing should stay until all adults have been offered a vaccine dose - as others have said we're risking new variants spreading by opening up before younger people (who are more likely to transmit the virus) have been vaccinated.

I reckon the roadmap was announced when the govt thought it was likely that all adults would be offered a dose by 1st June instead of the end of July- so 21st June would have allowed time to build immunity. This was before the reduced supply and restrictions to first doses in April and May so far but they don't want to backtrack now.

As far as the trials go - they are exactly the right approach, whether we get down to zero covid or not, cases will still arrive in the country. We need to know what is risky and what is not so that any restrictions imposed in future are limited to ONLY things that have an impact.

e.g. While it's known that LF tests don't pick up as many cases as PCR tests, they are better with the higher viral load cases (still miss quite a few, but not as many). Now is this related to transmission? e.g. if LF tests pick up 90% of people who are actually going to infect others and those they miss aren't contagious, then with the benefit of vaccinations as well, the risk of a new outbreak becomes quite low.

If people/some MPs are saying variants are now the threat (and that vaccines are not the panacea we were told they were last year) then the only logical option is to aim for zero covid.
I can't see how there is an inbetween.
If they are aiming for zero covid though they should at least be transparent about it instead of leaking bits and pieces to newspapers.

@user1487194234

I think it’s high time we were getting back to normal

i’m guessing you have been vaccinated?!

for someone who hasn’t, it’s actually still quite unnerving that everyone wants to return to normal and there is the prospect of variants coming into the country..

If I worked in the travel industry right now, I'd be retraining as a covid marshall, the way things are going.

@TheFuckThatIGave

Responding to the title only:

... then stay the fuck at home and stop bitching about other people enjoying their legal freedoms!

I'm thoroughly fed up of the whinging going on.

No one was. It’s lovely you feel safe.

@Confusedaboutlots there will always be the prospect of vaccine resistant variants going forward, though. We can't really halt normality indefinitely, just in case. The surge testing that's been going on seems to have done a good job of keeping a lid on VoC for the time being, given that infection rates continue to fall (although that could equally mean that those variants are not vaccine resistant, which is brilliant news if true).

Also remember that vaccination cuts transmission, and if you're not vulnerable your chances of becoming very ill with covid are incredibly low anyway.

I suppose this is the harsh reality of what living with covid looks like.

@savethegrannies

If people/some MPs are saying variants are now the threat (and that vaccines are not the panacea we were told they were last year) then the only logical option is to aim for zero covid. I can't see how there is an inbetween. If they are aiming for zero covid though they should at least be transparent about it instead of leaking bits and pieces to newspapers.

They were not presented as the panacea

They always said they would likely vary the vaccine to match variants and the timing would not be perfect but would help manage the impact down, over a period of time, as they do with the flu.

They have said this, and that they are NOT aiming for zero covid, but instead how to live with it several times....

The difference in attitudes between the vaccinated and unvaccinated is almost comical at times. I suppose that’s natural but it’s awkward if you’re in the mid/lower age ranges. This week I’ve had my in-laws pressurising me to commit to a holiday in July and my university dissertation supervisor asking how much longer I’m going to be wearing a mask (she’s in her late 50s and has had both doses!) - I’m late 30s and still waiting to be invited for my first.

It’s brilliant that people feel safer now but there are a LOT of people who have followed all the rules to protect the vulnerable for over a year now, still waiting for their vaccine call-up, that are now being looked at like they’re Covid-phobes who need to loosen up. It’s not that; I’d just be gutted to end up with Long Covid in the last few weeks before getting vaccinated.

Roll on July

Tuesdaysintheazores - I think we should sending more help to India before vaccinating people with such a relatively low risk. The risk of variants is real and no of us is safe until everyone is safe, especially with such porous borders.

I am enormously looking forward to the relaxations on 17 May and now that numbers are low it really feels like good timing to be able to:

• visit other people's houses
• have up to 30 people in the garden
• stay over with relatives
• get back to concerts & museums etc.

However, I don't feel that there will be enough time between 17 May relaxation and 21 June to fully see the impact of these quite significant relaxations so I am concerned about the possibility of another fuck-up.

I really, really don't want us to end up back in another lockdown this autumn/winter.

@nordica

I haven't been invited for a vaccination yet (I'm 38) and I do feel like no one gives a shit about whether I catch covid now or not, even though I've done everything to protect others throughout (as well as worked all the way through, no furlough here...). Especially as the majority of people I know - including my age and younger too - got their vaccines early either through their work, by luck if their area was ahead or due to something like a high BMI putting them into group 6. They now feel "safe" and I can see on public transport and elsewhere people are not keeping their distance or even wearing masks now.

It's not as easy as just "stay at home if you don't want to catch covid", either. What about people in their 30s and 40s who need to go to work, take public transport, have kids at school etc.?

I'd be much happier to maintain the current level of restrictions until early July for example when the 30s and 40s age groups have at least had their first jabs + a few weeks to build immunity. We've seen over and over how the government has moved just a bit too soon and infections have gone up again.

I feel it is safe to open up, but at this point I (33) am going to be mega annoyed if I get covid or my wife does after having spent a year not getting it through our own mitigation.

Most 30+ will get one dose in the next 4 weeks.

I’d like foreign travel to wait until June personally, everything else is fine, even clubs etc. I just think allowing 100,000s tourists per day is asking for trouble. But if almost everyone is vaccinated, then it might be manageable.

@Doomsdayiscoming 100 percent agree with you!

I'm not vaccinated but couldn't wait to get back to normal !

yes exactly! as a healthy 36 year old i know i’m low risk but after 14 months of sacrificing my rights and freedom to protect others as well as reduce my chance of long covid, it will be ridiculous if i now get covid because people don’t want to wear masks or socially distance before all adults are vaccinated.... just because they are now vaccinated.

now i know i’m benefiting from others being vaccinated but let’s not pretend that there are zero cases in the uk - there are more cases now than there was back in early march 2020 and that will only increase. also yes i know that variants and covid will always exist in some form but it would be a lot easier to live life freely and normally when i’m blimming vaccinated with at least one dose against the variant that has been freely recently circulating in the UK at least.

it feels like giving up 1km before the end of the marathon.

i won’t apologise for wanting one more month of caution after the 14 months i and others have already sacrificed.

I think it is the time to progressively open things up. To vaccinate everyone, including children.
Regarding travelling abroad, if it was up to me, that would be proper banned for another year, maybe longer. Only essential travel, variants are being a huge issue!
If we do this right, and wait till all countries have it under control, and everyone is vaccinated, this could be the very last lockdown! Fingers crossed!

I would like to see everything open up without any restrictions - masks, social distancing etc as soon as everyone has been offered a vaccination. I would also like to see foreign travel heavily restricted until next year - essential journeys only, not holidays and proper quarantine for those coming into the country. I think we are almost there domestically if we can protect our borders for a bit longer.

Whatever level of covid we allow to continue, it will grow and spread if we don't suppress it hard - and there are no plans to do that.

So that's why there'll be another wave soon, and probably another lockdown.

Because the government have no plans to do what would be necessary to prevent another wave and another lockdown.

(A policy of max suppression such as New Zealand's where they can safely have 300 guest weddings and 50,000 at a gig. )

So "when" and "too fast" aren't really the issues. It's more a case of "How soon do you want your next Lockdown?"

there are more cases now than there was back in early march 2020 and that will only increase

We don't know for sure how many cases there were in early March 2020. Certainly by mid March there were many more than currently. And we have no way of knowing by how much cases will increase, given vaccines slow spread and cases are incredibly low at the moment in most places.