Breaking News Boris press conference tonight 14/05/21

[Whichjab]

So, is Monday under threat? Change to school masks or hugs?

@Thewiseoneincognito

The next few weeks are going to get interesting on here once the reality sets in that our new wave has started 😑

Careful you don’t set ya knickers on fire with all that thigh rubbing.

Thanks @Staffy1 I assumed as I’d had my first at my GP I’d have to wait for them to contact me for my second...

@frumpety

I suppose the problem is that the things that would work to stop these spikes spreading further would not be looked on favourably by the population and there would be cries of 'police state'.

This is exactly the problem, I think. Nobody wants lockdowns to be used as anything other than a last resort, but people don't seem to want the things that will prevent them either.

Just carrying on like it's 2019 and Covid doesn't exist sadly isn't a viable option. We do need better discussions about what the options actually are and the risks/benefits rather than what seems like basing policy on what will appeal to voters best.

And wtf is with the bitching about unvaccinated people who are either not getting it by choice, or are unable to due to medical reasons. Either way, vaccination is not mandatory. And there’s a lot of research to suggest that mandatory vaccination doesn't automatically increase vaccine uptake. Some people want to wait until there’s some longitudinal data on the covid vaccines to look at long term side effects.. but it really seems like there are people who want to see forced vaccination in some 2021 Nazi style regime, and anyone who doesn’t get vaccinated for whatever reason should be penalised and shut away indefinitely like a leper.

frumpety

I suppose the problem is that the things that would work to stop these spikes spreading further would not be looked on favourably by the population and there would be cries of 'police state'.

This is exactly the problem, I think. Nobody wants lockdowns to be used as anything other than a last resort, but people don't seem to want the things that will prevent them either.

Just carrying on like it's 2019 and Covid doesn't exist sadly isn't a viable option. We do need better discussions about what the options actually are and the risks/benefits rather than what seems like basing policy on what will appeal to voters best.

Exactly this. There needs to be compromise.

@GlutenFreeGingerCake

"Living with Covid" really means accepting a certain level of illness and death, let's not sugar coat it.

Well yes, that's exactly what it means, so nobody is sugarcoating. Just like we live with heart disease, diabetes, flu...

@GlutenFreeGingerCake

"Living with Covid" really means accepting a certain level of illness and death, let's not sugar coat it.

We will never get it to no deaths from covid ever I suspect. Some days/weeks, possible months may be zero in time but none ever - not likely. So yes, sadly, as with most diseases, there will always be some deaths each year.

That's no sugar coating it. It's reality.
People die from flu every year, despite the vaccine.
People die from pneumonia every year.
People die from bubonic plague each year still.

We are unlikely to stop all deaths.
Eventually, as unpleasant as it might seem to some right now, we will need to learn to live with some covid deaths happening and not having resisting in place.

Or do people really think we will stay in some form of lockdown or restrictions for ever?

We can stop international travel in the short term though until a higher proportion of the world's population is vaccinated. Some countries have managed it and they have been able to carry on as normal apart from that.

Depends on how they fair when they do finally open up though?
Once they open the various variants will get in and then it depends on how much vaccine immunity and natural immunity might help keep it at bay I guess.

And how long is short term?
We have had some form of restrictions in place now for over 14 months.

Although we could travel internationally last year it still had some restrictions in place.

And a place like England - we rely on freight coming from overseas. How do we close borders if we still need flights and ferries being freight?

There are two different versions of the India variant. It seems we have so far only found the least problematic when it comes to vaccines here. Though both should still be ok in theory. I think they are right in their continue easing lockdown and gathering of information approach.

@Thewiseoneincognito

The next few weeks are going to get interesting on here once the reality sets in that our new wave has started 😑

Nothing like a little of Friday night Catastrophising huh

@TruelyWonder

There are two different versions of the India variant. It seems we have so far only found the least problematic when it comes to vaccines here. Though both should still be ok in theory. I think they are right in their continue easing lockdown and gathering of information approach.

You mean three.

Oh three then The point still stands. Lets look at the information before we have a panic. Give Whitty and co a couple of weeks. There are now less than 1000 people in hospital etc. Deaths are on average 10 this week etc etc etc

I do think they should have just back tracked on schools and got the teenagers to wear masks until half term though.

Two more weeks won't hurt and probably be a sensible precaution

We all need to calm down. This is very minor.

Yes Spanish flu still exists in some way as a variant, but remember those variants have occurred over 100 years. Covid will probably be kicking around in some form or other in another 100 years. None of which helps us now.

We are never going to be in a position where nobody ever dies from covid ever again. I think most people accept that.

The roadmap was always dependent on concerns about new variants, we have spikes in certain areas of a new variant, how we deal with that will effect the entire country, including the area with the spike. So do we upset a few people for a short time or a lot of people for a long time ?

There are ppl out there who dont have smartphones because they cant afford them and THIS VERY GOVERNMENT told them not to prioritise them over food www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-esther-mcvey-suggests-poor-14210844

Tory Esther McVey says poor families 'prioritise new phones over food
The former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, who was the face of Universal Credit, appeared to blame low-income families' wanting 'new phones' for poverty
There will also be many who cant afford home internet either. The "just book online" attitudes for the under 50s will not work in poorer communities. Oh just do it online is not the answer to everything despite many on here and in RL thinking it is. Its a lazy default setting.

We need to eliminate it, sure open everything next week and then see what happens in a month or so!

And i dont understand why they have not closed the borders, maddness

I see we are back to:
'this is nothing to worry about'
Vs
'this is a disaster'

It is roughly half way between I think!

@picturesandpickles

I see we are back to: 'this is nothing to worry about' Vs 'this is a disaster'

It is roughly half way between I think!

Exactly

Never mind the third wave - we are on to about the millionth wave of media scaremongering that's for sure!

@frumpety

Yes Spanish flu still exists in some way as a variant, but remember those variants have occurred over 100 years. Covid will probably be kicking around in some form or other in another 100 years. None of which helps us now.

We are never going to be in a position where nobody ever dies from covid ever again. I think most people accept that.

The roadmap was always dependent on concerns about new variants, we have spikes in certain areas of a new variant, how we deal with that will effect the entire country, including the area with the spike. So do we upset a few people for a short time or a lot of people for a long time ?

But we cannot continue to lockdown every time a new variant comes out because we'd never stop. This virus will be around, it will mutate, hospitals are not overwhelmed, rates are low, people are getting vaccinated. All of which means it is time to start easing restrictions. Some seem to be happy to keep saying oh another 2/3 weeks and then ease restrictions, but in reality they seem to want no new mutations of the virus and no deaths, both of which are more than likely not going to happen. The reason it's pointed out that Spanish flu is still around is because many seem to think that lockdown back then made it disappear and it didn't. It simply mutated into a less deadly version of the virus.

As an anxiety and depression sufferer, long with having several conditions that put me at high risk. I have had two doses of az. This combined with variants now has me worried of blood clots and of vaccine evading variants. I'm pretty much house bound as it is. Only risk to me is dc attending school. Dh works from home, shopping delivered. I'm deaf and get panic attacks when I cant hear around me so pretty much house bound 😩

@Coldwine75

We need to eliminate it, sure open everything next week and then see what happens in a month or so!

We will never eliminate it.

Not unless we properly lockdown forever! Which some people actually seem to want.

@Vintagevixen

Never mind the third wave - we are on to about the millionth wave of media scaremongering that's for sure!

😂