Announcement tomorrow?

[Donatella]

Is there any definite plan for a formal announcement tomorrow of the plans for the next step? I haven't seen anything, just curious what time it will be (as that often indicates whether it will be major news or not!)

Aren't the vaccines meant to prevent the latter option?

Yes, but only if you've had both! And even if you've had (and they have had 3 weeks to kick in) there is still a chance you can get it and pass it on. Still get hospitalised. Still stuff up the NHS which is trying to deal with the backlog of non-COVID operations/conditions/appointments created by the last wave of COVID.

The infection rate is shooting up in the young who have not been vaccinated. If we need to delay freedom day to prevent this then, we have to.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy

mask wearing in the heat is pretty unbearable

So is being intubated, being put in an induced coma, almost dying, spending 2 months in ICU then being registered as disabled.

Which would you prefer?

It's not a choice of one or the other.

The much-maligned ‘conspiracy theorists’ who predicted that this thing was never meant to end and that every time restrictions are supposed to end, they’ll find new excuses to keep them (with the latest being ‘variants’), have been proven right.

No they haven't. It's a global pandemic. It was always going to be a 2 year thing if not more depending on the speed they can get everyone (in every country) vaccinated. Those of us who listened to the science and not the government knew it was likely to be a case of stop start restrictions for much longer than the 12 weeks they originally stated.

Unfortunately most people don't do much reading beyond headline soundbites, so I understand completely why they feel the goalposts keep changing. They actually don't. The government just haven't been honest with us because they didn't think we could take it. But IMO it would have been better to warn people.

I know the virus isn't done.

I really don't care. Don't care if I catch it, I've never been bothered about catching it.

I didn't catch it before when very exposed. I still might I guess. I'm fully vaxxed now so it can try its best with me if it likes. Obviously I'm lucky that I'm not vulnerable, but the most vulnerable are vaccinated now. If you're worried lose weight and take omega 3 fish oils. And let us get on with life! We're a nation of chin wobblers compared to other places, look at the US!

So we're fighting alpha covid with the vaccines developed against alpha which then have decreasing efficacy against beta and gamma and you can bet that delta will be with us before too long upping the R rate get again which has gone from 3.5 to 8. I have a horrible feeling that since the game is not overwhelming the NHS that there is no end in sight. At least not until spring again and furlough is coming to an end. The only glimmer of hope is Andrew Lloyd Webber may go to prison (for the crime of Cats alone + the movie) - so there is something !

Back in January, we were told by Health Secretary Matt Hancock that once the “most vulnerable” had been vaccinated, our freedoms would be restored. But then we had to vaccinate the over-50s. The over-40s. The over-25s
Now we’re told that we should delay the June 21 unlocking until everyone has had their second jabs. After that – rest assured – it’ll be ’until the children are vaccinated’. And then ‘we need to wait until everyone has had their booster jabs’

The much-maligned ‘conspiracy theorists’ who predicted that this thing was never meant to end and that every time restrictions are supposed to end, they’ll find new excuses to keep them (with the latest being ‘variants’), have been proven right. The question everyone needs to be asking is: If restrictions aren’t lifted in high summer when deaths ‘with’ Covid-19 fall to close to zero, as they have done this month, then when will they ever be lifted?

@AlecTrevelyan006 exactly how I feel. All conditions for lifting restrictions on 21.06 have been met (except the vague caveat about variants now seems to be overriding everything else). Deaths are as low as they're likely to ever get. Seasonality is perfect.

Now we're speculating about yet more targets, while the leisure and hospitality industries are burning under capacity rules and mask mandates. What are we actually aiming for?

you can bet that delta will be with us before too long

It already is, the Indian variant is delta.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy

Aren't the vaccines meant to prevent the latter option?

Yes, but only if you've had both! And even if you've had (and they have had 3 weeks to kick in) there is still a chance you can get it and pass it on. Still get hospitalised. Still stuff up the NHS which is trying to deal with the backlog of non-COVID operations/conditions/appointments created by the last wave of COVID.

The infection rate is shooting up in the young who have not been vaccinated. If we need to delay freedom day to prevent this then, we have to.

But most vulnerable people have had both haven't they? And it doesn't affect the younger/less vulnerable badly for the most part, as I understand it. This was how the jab was meant to be the way out of this. Seems it's not. I've had the first one and wondering why I bothered tbh

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy

Aren't the vaccines meant to prevent the latter option?

Yes, but only if you've had both! And even if you've had (and they have had 3 weeks to kick in) there is still a chance you can get it and pass it on. Still get hospitalised. Still stuff up the NHS which is trying to deal with the backlog of non-COVID operations/conditions/appointments created by the last wave of COVID.

The infection rate is shooting up in the young who have not been vaccinated. If we need to delay freedom day to prevent this then, we have to.

I'm a young person who only got my first vaccine 2 weeks ago. Restrictions were never there to protect people like me, they were there to protect the elderly and vulnerable. The odds of me ending up in hospital if I catch Covid are TINY and I'm happy to take that chance. So are most younger people I'd wager.

Oops I lack Johnson's classical training should have said epsilon which is a bit of a tongue twister so let's hope for all our sakes it stops at delta. Wouldn't it have ebeen better to do just A,B,C,D, etc rather than appearing clever?

www.businessballs.com/glossaries-and-terminology/greek-alphabet/

Agree with @AlecTrevelyan006 and @RolloTomassi

There is absolutely no case for delaying, the current doubling rate for cases is very high, too high for a delay, so if there's any doubt that the vaccines do not work, then the only case is for more restrictions to get the increase rate down - closing indoor mixing and schools would likely achieve this.

Anyone who is suggesting simply waiting is being utterly dishonest, they might simply be saying it because they don't believe people would accept more restrictions, but it's crazy. Of course I imagine most of the people who are calling for it are of course people perfectly happy with the current restrictions because they don't actually restrict them much - they can still go to the restaurant - and are actually pleased that everything is so much less required.

I think one issue in this country is the test and trace system. It’s not a great system but you then get many people not following it either eg giving false numbers and then thinking they are so clever doing that

If we can contain and track the virus, much easier to relax restrictions. Bit like the Government test events, people do the tests so they can go to the event but don’t bother to do the test after the event. Really doesn’t help.

I want us to get back to normal but all the I’m not going to bother following rules/guidelines/testing people aren’t really helping, just prolonging the agony.

The DM have had it right every single time. ie they have an inside source. It is absolutely the case that it’s being delayed by another week. Despite all the vulnerable having been vaccinated.
I think they’ll up the numbers for weddings though.

Don’t understand it at all. Are there a lot of socialists in SAGE? Because obviously the economy is irrelevant to these people.

@Snapemalloy

The much-maligned ‘conspiracy theorists’ who predicted that this thing was never meant to end and that every time restrictions are supposed to end, they’ll find new excuses to keep them (with the latest being ‘variants’), have been proven right.

No they haven't. It's a global pandemic. It was always going to be a 2 year thing if not more depending on the speed they can get everyone (in every country) vaccinated. Those of us who listened to the science and not the government knew it was likely to be a case of stop start restrictions for much longer than the 12 weeks they originally stated.

Unfortunately most people don't do much reading beyond headline soundbites, so I understand completely why they feel the goalposts keep changing. They actually don't. The government just haven't been honest with us because they didn't think we could take it. But IMO it would have been better to warn people.

Such a condescending post.

Whether you listen to the science or listen to the government, the goalposts have changed multiple times, as the goalposts are the level of restrictions and what tests need to be met in order to relax them.

Another 4 weeks, not another week

Back in January, we were told by Health Secretary Matt Hancock that once the “most vulnerable” had been vaccinated, our freedoms would be restored. But then we had to vaccinate the over-50s. The over-40s. The over-25s
Now we’re told that we should delay the June 21 unlocking until everyone has had their second jabs. After that – rest assured – it’ll be ’until the children are vaccinated’. And then ‘we need to wait until everyone has had their booster jabs’

The much-maligned ‘conspiracy theorists’ who predicted that this thing was never meant to end and that every time restrictions are supposed to end, they’ll find new excuses to keep them (with the latest being ‘variants’), have been proven right. The question everyone needs to be asking is: If restrictions aren’t lifted in high summer when deaths ‘with’ Covid-19 fall to close to zero, as they have done this month, then when will they ever be lifted?

All of this - though you forgot "The whole world must be vaccinated"

The two usual responses are "It would be much worse without restrictions" (ignoring there's been no cost/benefit analysis done) and "But the variants!!!" (disregarding that there'll always be another)
If these two points are ever addressed I'll start to take "We have no choice" seriously, but until then, no

As for suggestions that this madness will end when furlough does, what's to stop it being extended again? After all by the time the real bills roll in this bunch will be long gone, calling in the return favours with the cronies

In the meantime I'm coming round to the view that this will end only when the government have achieved their aim of privatising the NHS

Weirdly enough I have never written or spoken the word sheeples in my life.

I am at the end of my rope this morning.

Greenfingerswouldbehandy

It's definitely not a choice of mask wearing or intubation

I'm 50, double vaccinated and healthy - my chance of getting ill is practically negligible- my chance of being hospitalised is almost zero

My chance of death is ACTUALLY ZERO

The 14 people who are double vaccinated and have died are all over 70 with conditions

Mask wearing in the heat is HORRIBLE

@bollihigh

The only glimmer of hope is Andrew Lloyd Webber may go to prison

😃

@sadperson16

It is much much more than not wanting to refer to him by his full name. After all, Mr Johnson is not so very hard to say or write is it?

It is all sheeples waiting for their mate to drip feed them the next piece of crap. But its OK because its Boris, he has funny hair and a little son with funny hair too.

Sheeples?

You've just weakened your credibility by at least 50% and your IQ by a similar amount. Surely you havent just said that word sincerely? Without irony?

The two usual responses are "It would be much worse without restrictions" (ignoring there's been no cost/benefit analysis done) and "But the variants!!!" (disregarding that there'll always be another). If these two points are ever addressed I'll start to take "We have no choice" seriously, but until then, no.

^^This.

Some people don't seem to appreciate that you can actually be too careful.......lockdown forever and you'll ruin industries, businesses, families, the tax take drops, benefits get clobbered, ....even things like teenagers careers disappear over the horizon.....

There has to be some balance but I'm sensing precious little of it in some of the debate.

@Snapemalloy so if science followers knew it was going to be 2 years can you give some guess when things will get back to normal or will they never ? I’m so over this life

6 pm tonight just said on bbc breakfast

The other thing about ‘just another four weeks’ is that overlooks the fact that many of the things due to happen can’t simply be pushed back a month.

I have two things I’m due to attend end of June early July. If, as expected, restrictions continue then at least one of the things simply isn’t going to happen. Not sure about the other one - it’s already been rescheduled twice.

I know a chap organising a commercial event for end of July. Couple of weeks back he told me that if there was any delay in lifting restrictions - even by a week - then the event is going to be cancelled. They will no longer have confidence they could go ahead and will be at the point where they have to make their final financial commitments so it will be cancelled.

After tonight’s announcement how people are going to be confident of planning, organising, booking anything for august or September? I’ve got tickets for a show in October and I’m not even sure if that will go ahead.

We can’t live forever without living.