How Much Longer?

[pinkyflloyd]

How much longer do you think covid and restrictions will go on for?

I don't think restrictions will be lifted in 21st June. I don't think things will go back to something resembling normality until next year.

I am still being careful and feel very isolated working from home and not really socialising.

Until we get a new government is my guess.

Until they are absolutely sure it’s ok to lift restrictions presumably.

I'm sorry you are feeling isolated. Are you doing the things the rules allow now? Might be worth doing a few things now as it is hard to tell when things will be lifted permanently.

Why don't you go out and enjoy yourself? No need to be a prisoner.

Until we're all double jabbed. The anti vaxxers will just have to take their chance then.

I think most restrictions will go on 21 June but that things will escalate and by the start of the next school year things will be in a difficult situation. If they are sensible and hold off on easy things like 'WFH if you can' then I think we might be ok.

Not much left to unlock

Why will we be in a difficult situation by September?

Am genuinely confused.

With so many of the vulnerable vaccinated?

I have no idea OP. I am socialising and going out and about. But I will not go abroad and I will not book anything expensive far in advance as I just worry it will end up being cancelled.
I want to get back to normal so much.

@Lassiefromwhere but it is not just down to this country. Lots of places I want to go abroad that will not accept British visitors. Things do not go back fully to normal until we can travel abroad as normal. And that is down to other countries decisions as well.

[quote shakingstevensfan]@Lassiefromwhere but it is not just down to this country. Lots of places I want to go abroad that will not accept British visitors. Things do not go back fully to normal until we can travel abroad as normal. And that is down to other countries decisions as well.[/quote]
Yes. By refusing to implement pandemic border control, we become the country everywhere sensible wants to keep out.

I'm sorry OP. WFH is isolating long term (and shit for customers and clients).

I don't know when we will be in a better - safer - position, but Europe will get there first. European countries are on the way to fully vaccinating the majority of their populations. Many are already down to children over 12 (from June - so later this week).

We need to get hold of more vaccine supplies asap - and finally do something about our borders. That should speed things up.

I am fine wfh. My biggest fear is going backwards with restrictions. We have met up with family today, been in a pub and a cafe this weekend as well as an outdoor attraction. Having to wear a mask to go to a toilet in a cafe is no big deal. As long as we can still go to these things.

Given that cases are rising again, I suspect there will be further restrictions at some point. A friend of mine works in a senior position in health and social care and said that an August lockdown has been discussed.

We’ve coped ok but recently I’ve started to struggle more. My DH has only had one vaccine so we aren’t going out and socialising. We meet family outdoors. I’ve had an awful year for other reasons (mum has advanced dementia) and I’m starting to feel like a caged animal.

An August lockdown!!!!!!!!

I agree. I'd rather we take a few precautions - mask, get on with vaccinations, and restrict the borders (with proper quarantine) than more lockdown. (Obviously if things get out of control, we'll have no choice but I'd prefer to avoid it getting that bad again in the first place.)

August would be horrendous. Lockdown in the heat! We'd be better off doing all we can now to avoid the need. Masks (including in schools), vaccines, border control.

The idea of an August lockdown really depresses me. I hope it will not come to that.

An August lockdown? It has Chris Hopson written all over it.

Yes I agree we should / could be doing more now to avoid a lockdown. Sadly we are just opening up and going for it in many respects.

We are seeing surges of cases for this very reason. Maybe if enough people are vaccinated a lockdown won’t be required?

Who knows? I feel like no one really knows any more.

We’ve never really closed our borders enough to minimise transmission from other countries, so chances are we will just keep being exposed to new variants 🤷‍♀️

I would rather some limited restrictions than another bloody lockdown.

Shamefully I had to Google who he was! I’m in Scotland so I hope that’s why I didn’t know 😳

@BlackeyedSusan Yes, most places are open To keep it as it is now wouldnt affect me personally but the jobs of people who work the larger events must be hanging on a thread by now.

I’m an icu nurse.

We will be in a better (but not perfect) position when everyone has had 2 vaccinations (plus a booster).

But

1. Variants - a new variant could be vaccine resistant
2. The unvaccinated - for whatever reason some won’t have the vaccine, won’t have had two, and covid and it’s mutations will affect these people if they contract it
3. Vaccines only provide so much protection - the vaccines are great but they are not infallible, patients who are vaccinated can still contract covid and become critically unwell, and even sadly die. This number should be much reduced than pre vaccination but could still be significant
4. The nhs has millions awaiting surgery and treatments, we’ve been full on with covid and now with this, I know the general public has decided to hate the nhs again but we can literally only do what we can do