So angry at the Government this evening

[Moonme]

I’m SO mad. I haven’t been on this board for months and I was feeling really optimistic about life feeling like it was returning to normal.
It is criminal that they have let this variant in. It’s literally ground hog day. Playing politics with public health to do trade deals (because of bloody Brexit) with India.
I know there is hope that the vaccines will do there jobs but we shouldn’t be in this position. This wasn’t inevitable. Arggh so cross

India wasn’t t put on the red list because Johnson had a visit to India booked to discuss a trade deal, the visit didn’t go ahead but the trade deal did hence why India were not on the red list as the Government didn’t want to upset them no doubt. Meanwhile Patel has been pushing for more Indian student immigration which has been granted (3000). I am waiting for the 3rd wave in our area as 50% of our school has Indian immigrants whose family regularly go back and forth to India, one set of grandparents recently arriving. I fail to see how anyone can be surprised at how this variant is already here. Sheer incompetence where a desperate Tory PM would rather secure crappy trade deals over people dying. We’ve been here before yet people still voted Tory 🤷🏻‍♀️

Indian immigrants whose family regularly go back and forth to India

But this has always been the issue. International travel was banned unless for "exceptional" circumstances. A BA pilot of our aquaintance brought back a full flight from India in April, full of family who had gone out for a "third cousin twice removed" kind of wedding, with "family" from around the globe. It isn't surprising that certain areas have never been out of lockdown when they don't take things seriously. They were all UK residents, and should have gone into isolation, did they? Obviously not.

Anyone remember how twenty years ago the big thing was not using aerosols to protect the ozone.

Yes, because they contained CFC. They no longer do.

I don't want a public inquiry into the handling of Covid 19 next year, or this year. I want Mr Johnson to face criminal charges.

If he had died of Covid, or if he had resigned because of the ill-health it has caused him last year, the country would have been better off. Any one of the possible alternative Tory leaders would do a better job.

@Thefourbells

Your vision of the future is so grim and boring that I wouldn't want to live in it. Everybody living where they are born unless they are a refugee. Never mind the global workplace; just work for your uncle in the next house over.

Not sure how you would know anything about my "vision", as all I've said is I think in a post covid world I think people will need to think twice about moving abroad away from family if they don't need to.

I have had a successful and interesting career BTW, I'm not sitting in my house next door to my mum never going anywhere

There needs to be a balance.

Globalization has caused too many problems for the environment and now a worldwide public health disaster.

To be fair the government are bringing in the army and bringing forward second jabs because of the severity of the threat.

They extended the gap between vaccines for B117. So perhaps they now know that was a bad idea?

But at the same time as saying B1617.2 may jeopardise the roadmap they're opening up on the planned date on Monday and taking masks away in an indoor setting, (Schools.) and ushering us all back to work.

We will be fine for stage 3, it is stage 4 that is questionable princess

I think the government are right to flag to us now that some changes may need to be made, so we can prepare.

Yes it is not the news we wanted to hear, but it is not surprising either. The Indian variant seems to be responsive to the vaccines, so that is the most important thing.

@newnortherner111

I don't want a public inquiry into the handling of Covid 19 next year, or this year. I want Mr Johnson to face criminal charges.

If he had died of Covid, or if he had resigned because of the ill-health it has caused him last year, the country would have been better off. Any one of the possible alternative Tory leaders would do a better job.

I didn't vote for the man but I can't agree. Apart from anything else, it would have been a very anxious moment for the country. People would have felt very uneasy and insecure, even if they didn't vote for him or thought that someone else would be better. If you've ever observed what happens when a country loses its leader suddenly and unexpectedly, it's not great. Even if the leader wasn't that good.

I'm angry too. We were doing well thanks to who he has heading up the vaccination programme and then the bumbling idiot is too late with action every time. What a clown. Fucking furious and I don't doubt he's had this information for days.

@Summercocktailsinthesnow

We will be fine for stage 3, it is stage 4 that is questionable princess

I think the government are right to flag to us now that some changes may need to be made, so we can prepare.

Yes it is not the news we wanted to hear, but it is not surprising either. The Indian variant seems to be responsive to the vaccines, so that is the most important thing.

In the Situation Update part of the minutes from SAGE's emergency meeting on the Indian Variant it says:

8. In the areas where numbers of infections are increasing rapidly under the measures currently in place, an even faster increase can be expected if measures are relaxed (high confidence).

1. If this variant were to have a 40% to 50% transmission advantage nationally compared to B.1.1.7, sensitivity analyses in the modelling of the roadmap in England (SAGE 88) indicate that it is likely that progressing with Step 3 alone (with no other local, regional, or national changes to measures) would lead to a substantial resurgence of hospitalisations (similar to, or larger than, previous peaks). Progressing with both Steps 3 and 4 at the earliest dates could lead to a much larger peak. Smaller transmission advantage would lead to smaller peaks.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/sage-89-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-13-may-2021/sage-89-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-13-may-2021

I think the clue is in the word - if this variant were to have a 40% - 50% transmission rate, they don't know at this stage, and it will take another few weeks. Overreacting will have consequences too princess

Lets wait and see what the actual transmission rates are confirmed as, and the data will be available soon, and based on the findings we can stop at stage 3 (make a few adjustments to indoor interaction etc if need be) The cases now are low enough to allow us some time to consider the data.

@Summercocktailsinthesnow

I think the clue is in the word - if this variant were to have a 40% - 50% transmission rate, they don't know at this stage, and it will take another few weeks. Overreacting will have consequences too princess

Lets wait and see what the actual transmission rates are confirmed as, and the data will be available soon, and based on the findings we can stop at stage 3 (make a few adjustments to indoor interaction etc if need be) The cases now are low enough to allow us some time to consider the data.

1. It is therefore highly likely that this variant is more transmissible than B.1.1.7 (high confidence), and it is a realistic possibility that it is as much as 50% more transmissible. There are also plausible biological reasons as to why some of the mutations present could make this variant more transmissible.

14. The ‘earlier, harder, broader’* principles of responding quickly, taking strong measures, and doing so over a wider geography than where the issues have been identified in response to outbreaks, remain relevant.*Testing, tracing and, in particular, isolating cases remains very important.

It's the government's fault for leaving it too long before putting them on the red list. They will always be new variants though and we need to get on with life now. I have a serious health condition, which causes constant pain and horrible nervous system problems. If we go into another lockdown then for me the suffering I experience every day isn't worth it because there's nothing to look forward to or make me happy. My depression got so bad from January this year.
There's lots of other horrible things, not just covid! We need to learn to live with it.
Also, the rich and elite have still been able to do things. Look at when we couldn't even see family yet Holly Willoughby was having a stylist, hair stylist and make up artist every week for the shitty dancing on ice. The footballers who jetted off to Dubai or could go abroad for training.
I'm not going to live a shell of a life

It's criminal that we still don't have effective border controls, quarantine or test trace and isolate systems.

Highly likely is not the same as proven!! princess

Highly likely is just that, likely but not certain.

You are trying to invent concrete evidence. You are not taking into account the impact on the economy, mental health etc etc. SAGE only have to deliver data, it is not their job to weigh up the data and the impact only to offer the evidence. It is the politician's job to balance the two, and at the moment they are rightly in my view, taking a cautious but realistic road map for now, whilst alerting the public to potential problems. I support their decision to reopen on Monday.

@Snog

It's criminal that we still don't have effective border controls, quarantine or test trace and isolate systems.

It's been what? 17 months since Wuhan?

14 months since Italy.

12 months since April and 1000 deaths a day.

Three months since January where we very nearly reached 2000 deaths a day.

The U.K. government's covid response isn't fit for purpose.

That's how I know Lockdown 4 is coming.

Opening up on Monday isn't going to stop it is it?

@Summercocktailsinthesnow

Highly likely is not the same as proven!! princess

Highly likely is just that, likely but not certain.

You are trying to invent concrete evidence. You are not taking into account the impact on the economy, mental health etc etc. SAGE only have to deliver data, it is not their job to weigh up the data and the impact only to offer the evidence. It is the politician's job to balance the two, and at the moment they are rightly in my view, taking a cautious but realistic road map for now, whilst alerting the public to potential problems. I support their decision to reopen on Monday.

Yeah. That's what people said last autumn too.

People in red countries are flying to turkey etc to be able to get flights back - I know this for a fact , but let’s blame the government , of course it’s their fault , I doubt that any other government could have done any better - this is a once in a lifetime situation, everyone is still learning.

This is such a naive view. The variant would have come in anyway sooner or later even banning India. It’ll be all over Europe and will outcompete other variants. This won’t be under control globally for 3 years or so. What do you want to do seal off U.K. for next 3 years?!?! It’s bonkers people think we can keep viruses “out”. Hope the vaccines hold is all we can do.

Still don't understand why our borders are open, keep reading about people coming here for a two week stay to see their families it shouldn't be allowed

@Oaktree55

This is such a naive view. The variant would have come in anyway sooner or later even banning India. It’ll be all over Europe and will outcompete other variants. This won’t be under control globally for 3 years or so. What do you want to do seal off U.K. for next 3 years?!?! It’s bonkers people think we can keep viruses “out”. Hope the vaccines hold is all we can do.

I agree it isn’t realistic to think we can keep variants out entirely. However had India been red listed earlier, it may have bought us some time. It may have taken longer for the variant to get in, and been brought in by fewer people.

Given that the government is talking about a race between the vaccine and the variant, a delay to this variant taking off here would have been beneficial, even if we couldn’t keep it out forever.

Stop blaming the government.

Start blaming people who are too selfish.

It doesn’t matter what they do now- open Monday / don’t open Monday. Lockdown is coming IMO so you might as well have fun whilst you can (i very badly want to be wrong)
Yes it’s true the Indians varient (and any other varient) will come in eventually. But by stopping people from India coming in without properly isolating earlier, it would have bought time. Time for more vaccinations. Time to figure out what happening with this varient in other countries.
I would love to know the real reasons why they were so late again to get a hold of this. Why were people allowed to come back with notice and then be trusted to isolate at home ffs. Merrily get a coach across the country after touchdown from the worst affected areas.
It’s like a slap in the face after all the sacrifices we have made since October last year!!
One day I hope someone is answerable to this and it’s not just vague waffle excuses

@newnortherner111

I don't want a public inquiry into the handling of Covid 19 next year, or this year. I want Mr Johnson to face criminal charges.

If he had died of Covid, or if he had resigned because of the ill-health it has caused him last year, the country would have been better off. Any one of the possible alternative Tory leaders would do a better job.

And you think you're on the good side. Wishing our Prime Minister dead as the country heads into the scariest time since the war.