Will the new variant affect your socialising plans?

[User135644]

After things looking promising, the panic is back over this new variant which is causing devastation in India; and has been allowed into this country, some might say due to laxity from the government.

Although things are going ahead as normal on Monday, will it affect your plans at all? I'm not sure i'll feel comfortable in an indoor pub or restaurant yet, but i'm due a vaccine soon so in my case what's a few more weeks after 14 months?

I've got indoor activities booked up for every weekend until July and I won't change them unless we're forced to. Lots of museums, theatre visits, days out, short breaks, restaurants, a festival. We're not seeing people outside our household group but we miss going out to places. I'll continue taking DD to five different indoor toddler activities every week. My DS and I are getting our second vaccines next week, and DH has had his first shot.

God no.

Airborne virus 50% more transmissible than the last one - which was already 70% more transmissible than the first one?

In an indoor setting?

With 46% of the country completely unvaccinated?

Only 29%!of the country fully vaccinated?

And 99% of the country champing at the bit to get out there and mingle because our government's inept handling of covid has kept us in restrictions for 12 months out of the last 13?

What could go wrong?!

@OnTheBrink1
Do you mean why has no one been in the house?
Obviously no one could come in during the initial lockdown. Then as soon as support bubbles were allowed, I bubbled to support my parents and kept as isolated as possible to be able to visit them regularly. I have been into their house.

So currently self isolating as DS and I have Covid! Would love to know what strain.
Once free we will be doing as much as we can. DH and I are fully vaccinated (that went well ! and DS will now have antibodies.
However most of our friends are still feeling understandably very cautious.

It won’t change my plans, I’ll be see my parents indoors if the weather necessitates, but we’ll do outdoors as much as we can anyway. I’m not a hugger in normal times.
I am not intending to go in to any pubs and restaurants etc anyway. I just don't feel comfortable doing it yet regardless of what the rules are. I’m fortunate that I find the current rules fine and not difficult to follow.

I’ve had my first jab and my parents have had both. I’ll see friends outside for now.

We haven't had anyone other than my mum's hairdresser in the house for the entire time from the first lockdown. Out of the blue I got a letter & email telling me I'm CEV a month ago, I don't know what has changed from March 2020 to make me CEV, I haven't been anywhere other than the hospital since then.

Yes it will affect my plans. I plan to do more and see more people to make the most of it while I can.

@Alfaix how severe was/is your Covid?

Yes now thinking I’m going to bring forward some plans just in case we’re restricted again, so now this is changing my social plans as going to do more than I was going to.

I tested positive on Monday so early days but I guess mild. I feel tired, have a cough and cold symptoms and smell has gone. DS8 is asymptomatic but positive-,test and trace think he got it at school and gave it to me.

Yes it will almost certainly fuck up my wedding plans. Moved wedding from last June to this June as we were still in lockdown. Was feeling tentatively hopeful for around 50 people in the garden (our original venue has completely shut down so this was plan B) but I think we can probably get stuffed now.

Nope. I'm in Manchester and we have been locked down forever. I'll be out and about everywhere I can be as soon as I can be.

Will be making the most of all the things we can now do
Time to get back to normal

Nope I'm in Scotland where they are very trigger happy about increasing lockdowns. I've got loads in the diary for meals out, meet ups and holidays over the summer on the basis I'm ramming it in in case we go back to lockdown or any of them get cancelled at least I will have done some things.

It will probably accelerate my plans because I want to make the most of it before the court of public opinion forces closures again.

I'm so fed up of it, there will always be variants and mutations all this stop start is just delaying the inevitable. People need to get their vaccines and yes the so called vaccine passports need to be brought in for this reason .

Also the government need to stop blabbing every time someone farts . It causes hysteria from the gutter press and the public and probably clouds sensible decision making

No made the mistake last summer of being extra cautious. As a result haven’t done anything indoors other than shops since March last year. No eating put, no cinemas or museums, no bus or trains, not been back to church. Haven’t socialised with anyone outside family.

Not making that mistake again. Will be seeing my brothers and their kids and my parents, eating out and going out. The kids have suffered enough. Other than one brother and obviously the kids we have all had the vaccine. I have second one today, if it’s not safe with vaccine then we will never be able to see anyone.

No. I'm fed up of it all. I've been seeing friends indoors for a few weeks already (when the weather necessitates it).
I'm CEV, but fuck it...if I die, I die; I'll be dead so U,won't care and living so isolated like this isn't any better so I'm happy to take my chances.
I've just had my 2nd jab and most of my friends have had at least one so I think it's a pretty low risk anyway, although it wouldn't stop me if it wasn't.

*I won't care

I am already falling behind as I am outside only for socialising and happy to stick at that, so this change doesn't change my view, just reinforces it for now.

It won't change work (sometimes in, sometimes home) or school or DP's work (public-facing) or my other activities like shopping etc.

Only in the sense that I’ll be doing even more in case the Powers That Be lock us all down again. Will be seizing every opportunity I can, indoor and outdoor, over the next few weeks.

@JeanClaudeVanDammit

It will probably accelerate my plans because I want to make the most of it before the court of public opinion forces closures again.

Same

No.

I felt like indoor stuff was too soon anyway (live in an area of high transmission) so was planning to hold off on that a bit longer.

Am happy to socialise outdoors and use public transport when quiet though. In fact am meeting a group of friends later for drinks outside, travelling by train, and taking DS to the seaside camping next weekend.

I wouldn’t have been going to the cinema or anything indoors though yet anyway, and the new variant has just confirmed that for me. I’d like to see how it plays out- particularly locally where we’ve always been in higher restrictions than the rest of the country.

I’ve had one jab but am under investigation for long covid and possible heart damage, so feels right to be more cautious than doing the “maximum you can do” for me.
Also DS is at nursery so we have lots of contacts through that, which am very mindful of.

I understand others being eager to get back to normal though.

Socialising - no, I'll carry on with that.

But I think it might be the last nail in the coffin for my hopes of a summer holiday abroad