To just want a normal summer?

[User89044]

I always supported the previous lockdowns imposed by the government and disagreed with the viewpoint of some people that we should just lock up the vulnerable - probably biased as I was a shielder. But I've now reached my breaking point. It all felt so positive and I've spent all afternoon reading posts of people wanting Monday not to go ahead and to lockdown again now. I just feel if we lockdown now we won't be unlocking until May 2022? Because I feel like there will be problems again all through autumn and winter due to the nature of the virus during those seasons. Is there no way we can have a normal summer before another year of lockdowns?!

I initially felt so anxious about the virus and was warned at my vaccinations that they may not be as effective for me (though I am 32 I am immune-suppressed). But I just feel like I've been vaccinated now and soon all those at risk of serious consequences who can and want to be vaccinated will be too. Is it unreasonable to want some normality before another winter of hell?

There's still quite a few people (including your age group) not vaccinated. Once everyone (adults) have been offered the vaccine, sure. Your post comes across a little "I'm alright, Jack, " for now.

@ArchbishopOfBanterbury

There's still quite a few people (including your age group) not vaccinated. Once everyone (adults) have been offered the vaccine, sure. Your post comes across a little "I'm alright, Jack, " for now.

I'm sorry if it comes across that way but please remember I've been shielding all this time so my experience of the pandemic has been very different to most. I would say the vast majority of healthy people in their 30s and 20s recognise their risk of covid affecting them more than mildly is exceedingly low and would likely agree with me that a normal summer would be beneficial for mental health and the economy.

It’s clear the government are transferring responsibility into people

I’m 100% in favour of this as some people would lock us down forever

Vaccines ARE working to prevent severe disease and thankfully Boris has made it clear it’s hospitalisations not cases that matter

Bolton hospitalisations are all currently people who should have been vaccinated

I’m still expecting my summer holiday abroad

Anyone not vaccinated has a ridiculously low chance of dying of covid that’s what people don’t get

It’s itrational behaviour

In entire pandemic, only 440 people under 40 (who weren’t in groups 1-9) have died

Oh and they died ‘with covid’ so acfually could have had stroke of car accident or anything

People keep talking about a winter surge - it's quite ridiculous as there is no evidence of covid being seasonal yet, never mind WHICH season it will attach itself to.

That leads to the false notion that summers are OK, winters are bad. Nope - the waves have largely been a consequence of the status of restrictions. It's quite likely the virus will eventually become seasonal, but right now, that's of no consequence.

Currently the issue is that infected numbers are growing rapidly - not nationally, but that's irrelevant - there's currently nothing to contain the growth of the new variant to certain areas, so it will spread. If we stay on our present course, within a matter of weeks, the Indian variant will be national and cases everywhere will be on a sharp trend upwards - this isn't in dispute.

By July, we'll be well into Wave #3 - the full consequences of this are uncertain as further mutations are likely to occur.

@bookworm1632 and what of Wave 4 when the new variant emerges in 3-6 months time?

There wine be a wave 3&4. Data from India proves vaccines work to prevent severe illness and death

Cases won’t matter if people are only mild/moderately unwell

Bolton hospitalisations are all currently people who should have been vaccinated

According to Matt Hancock this morning, out of 18 in hospital, 5 had had one dose and 1 (frail) had had two jabs. It is not correct to say this has only affected vaccine refusers.

@PurpleDaisies

Bolton hospitalisations are all currently people who should have been vaccinated

According to Matt Hancock this morning, out of 18 in hospital, 5 had had one dose and 1 (frail) had had two jabs. It is not correct to say this has only affected vaccine refusers.

The vaccines aren't 100% though so this will always happen.

@PurpleDaisies

Bolton hospitalisations are all currently people who should have been vaccinated

According to Matt Hancock this morning, out of 18 in hospital, 5 had had one dose and 1 (frail) had had two jabs. It is not correct to say this has only affected vaccine refusers.

I think the point might be that the other 12 people were eligible for the vaccine but didn't take it. That's a big problem. We don't know when the 5 who had 1 dose had that dose (it might have been yesterday!)

I think the point might be that the other 12 people were eligible for the vaccine but didn't take it.

That’s a funny definition of “all”.

We don't know when the 5 who had 1 dose had that dose (it might have been yesterday!)

Don’t you think that might have been something Matt Hancock would have been keen to point out if it were true? We can’t know for sure obviously but he was keen to add the “frail” caveat to the person who had been vaccinated twice.

The vaccines aren't 100% though so this will always happen.

It was wrong to state that all the people in hospital in Bolton were eligible but hadn’t been vaccinated. One third of them have had at least one vaccine. Yes, there will always be a degree of breakthrough infection but that wasn’t what was being said.

I don't know think people will accept anything else now op, we need to go and do normal things, have dc play dates, swim, eat outside at pubs, go on holiday in UK, have lessons in person, go to the theatre and cinema, and musuems and London then fine, lock down again but we all need to live I can't see how contouring) Continuting this lock down would help unless it's full again with school closed.

I can’t see how continuing this lock down would help unless it's full again with school closed.

Why not? The current restrictions got the cases right down, even with schools open. Delaying easing further would buy more time to vaccinate more people before the Indian variant becomes dominant. We can still meet outside at pubs, do lots of normal things, swim, go on outdoor play dates etc...

Schools closed purple.

Purple do you not see how many lives are affected by not moving to tomorrow’s stage?

1/10 pubs and restaurants have gone under this year

Do you really think the current risk - all hospitalisations and deaths are reducing still and evidence from India shows vaccines work in preventing serious illness - is bigger than all those lives affected by not moving forward?

Any delay should be based on proven data

We shouldn’t be further ruining lives because people are scared

The data doesn’t show it’s a concern yet

@Puttingouthefirewithgasoline

Schools closed purple.

Schools are open now and have been for a while.

The data doesn’t show it’s a concern yet

Sage and the joint biosecurity centre have raised concerns about replacing the restrictions now. Those have been widely reported.

You only have to look at what’s happened throughout the whole pandemic response. We’ve waited and waited letting the situation get out of control so ultimately we’ve needed to lock down harder and for longer than acting earlier would have meant.

No we haven’t waited and waited

We’ve left it until the balance of virus outweighed lockdown

Lockdown and restrictions come at a cost you know

From day 1 we were told it’d be a series of stop/starts based on the overall balance of effects

@PurpleDaisies at what point is it enough? Even after the over 18s are vaccinated that still leaves the under 18s able to catch and spread the virus. In addition it's looking like this variant continues to transmit regardless of the vaccine. Who knows what the next variant will bring? It's possible a new variant could evade the vaccine in the future and we will always struggle to keep up with boosters. At what point do you decide you want to live your life free of restrictions? Could you do this for another 5-10 years?

Cases are still low, media and government are whipping up fear unnecessarily. As someone else said caution yes blind panic no.

@Watapalava

Purple do you not see how many lives are affected by not moving to tomorrow’s stage?

1/10 pubs and restaurants have gone under this year

Do you really think the current risk - all hospitalisations and deaths are reducing still and evidence from India shows vaccines work in preventing serious illness - is bigger than all those lives affected by not moving forward?

Any delay should be based on proven data

We shouldn’t be further ruining lives because people are scared

The data doesn’t show it’s a concern yet

Pubs are closing down at a rate of one every 12 hours That was a headline from 2019 and demonstrates that the pub industry was already in serious decline. It demonstrates that many were already not financially viable in the longterm. So yes it's unfortunate that some estimates say the closure rate could be twice of previous years, but let's be honest if they were really strong business ventures they'd have made it through like the other 90% have managed.

do you not see how many lives are affected by not moving to tomorrow’s stage?
Do you not see that it would be preferable for the entire country and economy to not have to go back into a full lockdown situation full stop and that this could be prevented by keeping the status quo as it is today and not permitting indoor reopening tomorrow?
Those already desperate to eat out or drink are doing so. Many places have already diversified to allow them to continue trading in some form. Not ideal, but better to trade at all than be in a full on lockdown again for everyone. And again in context, hospitality makes up only about 3% of the British economy. As of early March (22 Feb–7 March 2021) the ONS reported that 43% of hospitality businesses were trading, so actually in effect we're pushing this for about 1.5% of the economy.

The data and scientist have been saying the Indian variant is a concern for weeks. The data is now showing that in the UK this is now evident. So do you think throwing everything to the wind and reopening for maybe weeks is preferable to perhaps keeping everything open as it is today for maybe the rest of the summer is not preferable? Or actually do you secretly enjoy full lockdowns more?

But @BusyLizzie61 where do you see this ending? We could carry on and try and get a handle on the Indian variant but another one will come along in a couple of months time with goodness know what mutations. How long can we keep going for with this half life? Yes some people will feel cautious and May choose to essentially stay in lockdown but even people like me who are highly vulnerable want something to live for beyond sitting indoors!

@RedcurrantPuff

Cases are still low, media and government are whipping up fear unnecessarily. As someone else said caution yes blind panic no.

SAGE scientists and the joint bio security centre are whipping up panic? They are urging caution with relaxing the current restrictions. They advised against ditching masks in schools. The government isn’t listening.

I’m not arguing for stricter rules than we have now. I’m with the scientists saying to pause Monday’s relaxing further just as we’re in a moment of danger.