Will 21st June go ahead?

[Mrgrinch]

I desperately need to know. Of course we won't until they tell us, but what are your thoughts?

Very mixed opinions in the media. Lots of advice to delay but Boris saying there's nothing he can see that would make us deviate from the roadmap.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9636255/SAGE-expert-calls-June-21-Freedom-Day-delayed-weeks.html
Sage warning against reopening.
Gotta keep the FEAR up! 👌👌👌👌
'Just a few more weeks folks.'
'oh shite there is another variant'
`a few more weeks it is'
'people aren't complying. Quick BBC interview a few tearful ICU nurses'
'this Xmas will be our last in lockdown, honest'
Etcetera

bleating about vaccines

Yes how irrelevant they are. How can people mention them. Such an irritating phrase all round.

No one on here knows which way this will go yet, just the usual worst case people saying the same.

@MintyMabel

Even the indian variant concerns seem to have settled somewhat - case numbers are stabilising in the hotspots and the number of deaths is still very low.

You obviously aren't hearing what is being said. Ravi Gupta on the Today show, was quite explicit that we are on the potential verge of a third wave.

I recall a thread about opening up, it was before the indian variant was here, I said this exact thing would happen with the plan to open up. A new variant would emerge and we'd hit a third wave. Everyone rounded on me, bleating about vaccines and how we wouldn't ever see another wave because we are just so much better than all these other places. And yet....here we are.

It isn't about deaths, it is about stopping the spread to avoid hotspots where a new, potentially vaccine resistant, potentially dangerous to younger people variant.

Our kids are being sent into large gatherings, mask free, every day and are now far more likely to be infected, the largest group infected in the past month is 10-14 year olds. You want to risk our kids for the sake of a few more weeks of restrictions?

Yep, I'm happy to risk it and I have young DS. There's no evidence that it is any more dangerous to younger people or that it's vaccine resistant.

@MintyMabel

Even the indian variant concerns seem to have settled somewhat - case numbers are stabilising in the hotspots and the number of deaths is still very low.

You obviously aren't hearing what is being said. Ravi Gupta on the Today show, was quite explicit that we are on the potential verge of a third wave.

I recall a thread about opening up, it was before the indian variant was here, I said this exact thing would happen with the plan to open up. A new variant would emerge and we'd hit a third wave. Everyone rounded on me, bleating about vaccines and how we wouldn't ever see another wave because we are just so much better than all these other places. And yet....here we are.

It isn't about deaths, it is about stopping the spread to avoid hotspots where a new, potentially vaccine resistant, potentially dangerous to younger people variant.

Our kids are being sent into large gatherings, mask free, every day and are now far more likely to be infected, the largest group infected in the past month is 10-14 year olds. You want to risk our kids for the sake of a few more weeks of restrictions?

Yep, and this time last year we were on the cusp of the 2nd wave triggered by Bournemouth Beach it having failed to turn up as predicted after the VE day congas, or a nice weekend at Easter. It also failed to turn up because of people queuing at Primark and then heading to the pub.

It did turn up when the usual cold/ flu season developed and movements from poorly controlled areas through the summer (despite extensive local lockdown) mixed more with the rest of the country through the universities then gradually leached through communities.

And we were all unvaccinated then.

We've heard "expert cries of a new wave" quite a few times and this is not the most substantial circumstance for it.

As vaccination is rapidly reducing this to cold/ flu status, absolute numbers becomes meaningless in terms of NHS pressure (and flu kills tens of thousands despite vacvination, so that is something we have always lived with).

@MarshaBradyo

bleating about vaccines

Yes how irrelevant they are. How can people mention them. Such an irritating phrase all round.

No one on here knows which way this will go yet, just the usual worst case people saying the same.

All the signs are there. It’s pretty obvious how it will go.

Opening up on the 21st is more likely than not to be followed by a shutting down again.

To be honest a lot of people are now doing what they want anyway. Restrictions past 21 June hit the economy the biggest, most people now are not counting how many people they have round to their homes. The private school I work at are ditching the masks after half term and are very busy planning various leaver balls and speech days..... although not quite sure they are doing the right thing. My DD state school (primary) are extremely strict still.

I hope its all OK for the 21st. We have a comedy gig booked for the 24th that we made over a year ago. It will be a much needed relief from the last 18 months or so. Although it's outdoors so should be OK either way 😁

There's no evidence that it is any more dangerous to younger people or that it's vaccine resistant

You clearly don't understand how variants work.

Yep, and this time last year we were on the cusp of the 2nd wave triggered by Bournemouth Beach it having failed to turn up as predicted after the VE day congas, or a nice weekend at Easter. It also failed to turn up because of people queuing at Primark and then heading to the pub

Re-writing history there, but ok.

Yes how irrelevant they are. How can people mention them. Such an irritating phrase all round.

More specifically then, bleating that "we've got vaccines, it won't happen" Because apparently people thought that having half the population half vaccinated was enough and the fact that millions of vaccines were sitting on a shelf in vials was enough to protect us from a virus.

Every single time people have claimed we're different from and the fact is, we aren't.

But if you want to ignore me, fine. Perhaps listen to the actual scientists who are actually looking at all the actual data and have suggested we are at the beginning of a third wave. They have been pretty accurate so far.

@MintyMabel

There's no evidence that it is any more dangerous to younger people or that it's vaccine resistant

You clearly don't understand how variants work.

Yep, and this time last year we were on the cusp of the 2nd wave triggered by Bournemouth Beach it having failed to turn up as predicted after the VE day congas, or a nice weekend at Easter. It also failed to turn up because of people queuing at Primark and then heading to the pub

Re-writing history there, but ok.

Yes how irrelevant they are. How can people mention them. Such an irritating phrase all round.

More specifically then, bleating that "we've got vaccines, it won't happen" Because apparently people thought that having half the population half vaccinated was enough and the fact that millions of vaccines were sitting on a shelf in vials was enough to protect us from a virus.

Every single time people have claimed we're different from and the fact is, we aren't.

But if you want to ignore me, fine. Perhaps listen to the actual scientists who are actually looking at all the actual data and have suggested we are at the beginning of a third wave. They have been pretty accurate so far.

I don't care at this point any more. I'd rather take the risk. I've never been afraid of Covid.

I'm getting back to normal as much as I can, but for me personally I don't think I'll see much change after 21st June either way.

I've been in the office since early March (which I've been happy about)
Visited family (and stayed overnight)
Eaten out (indoors)

It's just whether or not I have to wear a mask, but they always said that masks might stay anyway.

I really hope they do open up, but I fear that they wont. Then as a PP said there will be another variant and it will get delayed and delayed and all the "sorry we're locking down forever, I'm afraid" can give themselves a big pat on the back for being so clever.

We can't do this forever, lots of industries rely on opening up. I don't mean to an individual level either. I don't believe it will be for a few more weeks either. Then who cares about people's mental health. Let just do what we've always done and push it under the carpet. After all nothing else matters but bloody Covid.

SD and masks will remain into the Autumn IMO.

You clearly don't understand how variants work.

What do you mean? A variant can have a range of variables, and there are many of them.

Our Prime Minister ended the lockdown on December 2nd when we had 100,000 new cases a week and there had been 12,000 covid deaths in November...

So probably.

With similar success.

And then as the cases rise, and R goes up, so will the hospitalisations.

We have just driven through a popular cotswold area and it is absolutely heaving! No social distancing hardly any masks. Not saying people can't enjoy this beautiful warm bank holiday but honestly it's worrying. Shops here are heaving too. Wish I had the courage to stay and enjoy the weather and the river but its too much for me. Hope this sort of thing doesn't derail the 21st.

1 reported death today

You can't compare Texas to the UK. They have less than a third of our population and have 2.8 times our land mass.

@Daisydoor12

I hope it’s delayed slightly. Basically life is pretty normal now ok there’s some things you can’t do festivals, weddings over 30 etc but compared to where we were and allowed to do not much to complain about. Why risk taking that final step which could knock everything off course be happy for the freedoms we have at the moment until more data energies on Indian variant.

While I’ve become increasingly anti-lockdown, I do agree with this. We have a large amount of freedom at the moment. I’d rather live like this a while longer than risk another full lockdown.

I really, really want restrictions to be lifted for everything outdoors. Transmission is far less common outside. Inside stuff I think has to be decided on a local basis.

"I don’t know about UK data but Bahrain is regularly reporting deaths of citizens in their 30s and 40s, which suggests it is more dangerous for younger people now."

Bahrain are largely using a Chinese vaccine which has less good efficacy so not a useful comparison.

*"There's no evidence that it is any more dangerous to younger people or that it's vaccine resistant

You clearly don't understand how variants work."*

Is there any evidence that it is more dangerous in the UK to younger people or vaccine resistant? Are people being hospitalised in the UK as likely to need ICU as previously, or more/less?

I'm usually surprised at how little discussion there is whether any steps are being taken to increase NHS capacity - either now or for autumn. Does Labour/Lib Dems ever ask about this? (I know you can't create staff from nowhere, but, for example - any steps being taken to increase available oxygen piping, after being told in the autumn that this was a problem last autumn? Any politician followed this up?)

I hope they leave things as free as they are now for a few weeks before hopefully removing all restrictions.

I have a son in his 20s and the science journal articles about the risks to male fertility and possibly of ED from Covid show me it is not something I want to put him or any other young men at greater risk of for the sake of a few more weeks.

I'd like to see actual evidence that the new variant is more dangerous to younger people, not just vague scare mongering anecdotes about what's happening in various random faraway countries.

I reckon they will delay....To review in 5 weeks.....which will take us to beggining of August..... This evening ,all the media seem to be saying the 3rd wave is on its way