To think they should pause meeting inside

[LastOrdersMaura]

In the last person to be overly concerned about the virus but the SAGE minutes show that there is something to be concerned about.
I think the economy can't take anymore and I really feel for all the businesses who are gearing up for opening on Monday. My friends cafe hasn't opened since October last year so she missed all the Christmas trade and has no outside seating. Her customer base are mostly elderly so unlikely to come out for takeaway. It would likely bankrupt her to hold off opening any longer.

The mixing in people's houses seems the least destructive part to hold off on. I know a lot of people have been looking forward to it but prolonged contact in a small space seems to be a major factor in transmission.
I'm looking forward to seeing others for a drink in their houses but I can see how it can go wrong. Most people aren't able to go for a meal in a restaurant every night of the week. I could however go to a different friends house every day, even multiple friends houses! Then if that friend does the same, that's a lot of indoor mixing. We have small children so the likelihood of them SD'ing is unlikely. Then there's older siblings at school, working parents, nursery etc leading to an increase in transmission. I feel restaurants are quite safe in comparison.
Those who want to will mix indoors anyway but it might make some think twice or not accept as many invitations. It has no impact on the economy. Yes it will have an impact on mental health but I think we're screwed on that part anyway. Anxiety is through the roof!
I'm fully expecting people to tell me to fuck off but this is the most sensible decision that BJ could make in light of the new variant. I'm not a lockdown lover, frankly as I haven't had a lockdown due to working out of the house throughout. I just want this to be over, properly over, not just kicking the can down the road.

I agree OP. But it seems that most people have been meeting inside anyway over the past few months so changing the plan isn’t going to make much difference

I wouldn't care if people made their own risk assessments but I think a lot of people will try to make up for lost time and see everyone!
I get why people are suffering. It's awful making plans with someone you really want to see and then it rains and you have no alternative. It would be so lovely just to say come over instead. But I just don't want it to be taken away again.

I think the panic over the Indian variant is forgetting that their heath care system and probably living conditions has played a major part in the devastation we are seeing. You can't just assume that the same will happen in the UK because it's an entirely different situation, I strongly believe the effects of not opening up again would be far worse here.

I don't mind keeping meeting up inside, as pp said our economy and people's lives can't cope with more lock down.

BUT BUT BUT I do hope it's law that windows and doors open are a must.
It's a simple effective way of easing the spread and viral load and most places have a window.

"In fairness people going to other peoples houses doesn't help the economy."

I completely disagree. I think it has a huge huge effect. It makes people feel confident. People start going places, booking things.

It will affect restaurants, bookings, pubs, hotels, it will affect cinema, going to the theatre, stage shows, Andrew Lloyd Webber etc.

The company I work for does a lot of printing, for hotels, shows, carnival cruises. All jobs are on hold atm.

Going round peoples houses, is tyr next step in BJ's planned relaxation. It effects our social happiness. Makes us feel comfortable and that things are finally starting to get better with Covid and that we are slowly moving along the lines with the guidelines: May 17 and then June 21. It affects how we feel. And THAT affects the economy hugely.

Everyone I know had had at least one vaccination. Most both. I've had my 2nd since March. Rates here are very very low.

I can't wait to start having my closest 2 friends round inside.

@LastOrdersMaura pleased to hear it. A quick look at Mumsnet on any given day will unearth loads of these types.

@Puttingouthefirewithgasoline how would that law be enforced? Totally impractical.

May 21. Coldest May in years. Great!

I'll be ignoring it if they do that and so will many others I expect.

I get where you are coming from but I think we’re too far down the road now and no one would listen. You arrange a garden meet up and it starts raining so people just go indoors.. that’s what is happening already. The government needs to move legislation in line with where most of the country is at to keep it any way meaningful.

Infection rates will be gone up but this even prior to Indian variant was known and accepted. Whitty and Johnson already said this - May and June dates would cause R rate to go up but it has to happen at some point. At least know the vulnerable have all had a chance at a vaccine.

My family live over 300 miles away, I have kids in school so have to wait for school holidays to drive up, I cannot just pop in for a catch up or meet outside for a quick cuppa, I haven't seen them for over 6 months and i have no choice but to stay over as they are so far away. Lots of people have already had chance to catch up with family outside, it was too good to be true that it wouldn't all fuck up again before I had the chance to see mine and have some much needed change of scenery.
Unless there are strict travel restrictions I am going.

@Oblomov21 - are you a virologist, epidemiologist? Just wondered on what basis you think the Indian variant isn't that bad?

No.

I meet 32 young adults 6 times a day, 5 days a week. I haven’t any family (apart from my DH and DC) but I consider my two closest friends as my family and I want to be able to sit and talk to them in comfort.

I'm not a legal expert but don't you think it's a good idea?
All throughout this crisis when I've mentioned to a business can we open a window, they think it's because I'm hot.

I disagree.

I'm fully vaccinated, so is dh. So are our parents. Several friends have now had at least one vaccine. The younger ones haven't yet but will do once available.

The weather is atrocious. It's cold and it's wet. We can't socialise outside most of the time now, so if indoors is banned then that's it for socialising for the time being.

I'm fed up of the only people I'm allowed to see indoors being my colleagues or the children I teach. I need to see my family and friends properly again.

The doctors in my hospital are quite concerned by the Indian variant and are hopefully pragmatic enough to factor in the difference in lifestyle, health care, living conditions etc.
We could say no domestic indoor mixing until June in the knowledge that some people will break the rules. It might at least make some people think about how many people they have over or how close they sit etc. It might make some switch to a garden setting/ park etc. It might help in some small way. Or bubble system where you can meet six people per two weeks?

It's houses and mixing where they feel the main cause of transmission is.

I don't know what the right or wrong thing to do would be and appreciate there are much bigger things to consider than my child, everyone is impacted etc etc, but I just wanted to share how sad I am that the variant has brought any easing into question, for everyone's sake.

My 3 year old has just been through a big surgery and a hospital stay and all she kept saying was she wanted to get better soon so that she could have a play date at her friend's house again and also see grandparents. She asks every morning if she's better enough yet and if lockdown is over yet. We're planning an inside meet next week and she will be so excited if it goes ahead. It seems like such a small thing for her to ask for after everything and as grateful and overwhelmingly lucky as I feel that she's ok and we were able to access the surgery, I do feel a little bit sad it might be taken away.

OP we have all lost something due to the pandemic. No one can ever say the pandemic/lockdown was good for them.
Some families have been through traumatic experiences during the last year and 2 months.

I'm sure they more than anyone want to spend as much time as they can socialising with family and getting a semblance of normality back in their lives.

We've been in lockdown more than we ever should have and people will break the rules whether we are put back into lockdown or not.

The Gov 'pausing' it won't do a thing. Too many people are fed up.

@LastOrdersMaura

The doctors in my hospital are quite concerned by the Indian variant and are hopefully pragmatic enough to factor in the difference in lifestyle, health care, living conditions etc. We could say no domestic indoor mixing until June in the knowledge that some people will break the rules. It might at least make some people think about how many people they have over or how close they sit etc. It might make some switch to a garden setting/ park etc. It might help in some small way. Or bubble system where you can meet six people per two weeks?

Nope.

We gotta move forward somehow. Otherwise we will be in a never ending cycle.

If you don’t live near family this would basically be a ban on meeting them. My 14m old has not been legally allowed to see his grandparents or aunt since October except outside which isn’t feasible due to the distances involved. If we had an emergency and my parents weren’t around or if we died our ds would be going to someone he didn’t recognise. This is about a lot more than it being uncomfortable to meet a friend in the rain. Most other countries haven’t had long term bans on seeing people in private homes and aren’t in a worse position than us for it. I don’t think any government should have the right to stop people seeing their family for over a year in any case. It’s too fundamental. And if you allow mixing in restaurants but not in homes you are basically saying that only people who can pay can see their family which is all kinds of wrong.

The problem is last it seems some people keep following rules and save everyone else or rather carry that small part of the population who doesn't and I didn't think people want to bother anymore....
We closed our borders to India far far too late.

And now we all have to suffer.

I would not mind if gov said.. We know our SWOT, we excel at blah but we are weak in blah so we've got the world's best blah to help us with blah.

We've tried our best.. But I don't feel our best has been tried. So people won't bother.. And it's so lax, so easy to leave the current hot spots.

No, it shouldn't be paused. Enough is enough. Noone is/will listen anymore anyway.

I don't think they should pause meeting full stop.
It's time for us all to get on with our lives.
If the curtain twitchers want to hide behind their sofas indoors, that's their personal choice. I genuinely feel sorry for such folk as I think their mental health is shot and their assessment of risk has become completely skewed.
I've followed the increasingly non-sensical rules from day one.
No more.

[quote LastOrdersMaura]@KurtWilde but it has worked for most of the country now. I hate lockdown and have personally lost quite a lot personally due to the lockdown (not the virus, the lockdown) but I can't pretend that I don't feel that same dread as I did when the schools were opening after the Christmas break. The vaccine is a game changer but we don't know this variant yet.[/quote]
Then you stay inside and let the rest of us crack on.