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!)

@User135644

Ultimately this is of the government's making. The Indian variant being allowed to run riot was self-inflicted, but the 'i'm done' mentality is all down to the government releasing this end date of June 21st, allowing the media to hype it as freedom day.

Now the data doesn't match the dates - due to their fuck up over the borders - and they have to deal with angry public ready to take their ball home because restrictions aren't being ended/further eased today.

Who cares? If it wasn’t this variant, it would another one. Viruses mutate all the time and new versions will spread. As long as there aren’t huge increases in hospitalisations/deaths it really doesn’t matter. People need to stop obsessing over new variants and case numbers or we’ll be in limbo forever.

I do appreciate this but if we end up in another lockdown, far more people will suffer.

I'm not saying we should open up and it should be no restrictions but more bringing to (some) peoples attention that while they can shrug and say "it's only 4 weeks, I'm ok with going for a meal in a nice empty restaurant and waiting a bit longer for other stuff" without acknowledging the amount of businesses hanging by a thread, while they are under the illusion that this is "just about normal " because it is for them, if that makes sense?

@SurelyNott

Around 1,350 deaths per day in the U.K., and only 8 today WITH (not of) Covid.

It’s ridiculous.

my friend's sister died last week ago very much OF Covid. She was 41.

You can't have it all ways - you can't bleat on about 'all the vulnerable are already vaccinated' and then trot out the same 'they died with, not of, Covid' lines.

[quote Parsley1234]@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[/quote]
Next summer would be a sensible bet. Allow time for the wave that's been predicted in autumn/winter, the pressures that will put on the NHS over winter and then the recovery time over spring.

Also why are you all wanging on about being in another lockdown? We're just extending these restrictions a bit longer to make sure more people are vaccinated. We're not shutting everything down. This directly affects my livelihood, I'm not thrilled about it, but there are so many comments to this effect that it makes me suspicious - you can't ALL be that dim?

There are reports of people circumventing the quarantine rules by travelling through other countries when returning from India.Some of them quite happily talking about it on the media. I wonder how many of them brought the variant with them. Some people will always try and flex the rules, do their ‘own risk assessment’.

Johnson has squandered all of the British people's hard work, expense, innovation and suffering with his utter failure to control our borders at a vital time in our vaccination programme. That's got to worth another 5% uplift in the polls.

I’m over it, now. Work in retail and barely anyone wears a mask while I wear one for 9 hour shifts in the sweltering heat because I have to. Can’t say anything to them because they “might” be exempt but nearly all come in and buy their 20 Benson and Hedges daily.

This thing ruined my pregnancy and maternity leave last year. Am I fuck letting it ruin this summer as well. It’s a joke.

I know we have vaccines and medical systems and practices way in advance of past global pandemics. But from a purely social history perspective pandemics of a serious nature such as this always take at least two years to burn themselves out.

User136544 the numbers would be huge but not as bad as say the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and certainly not as bad as the Black Death in Medieval times when life was grim all round but some estimates ascertain that 50% of Europe was wiped out. Less overcrowding, inside toilets and washing facilities and paracetamol which seem quite simple stuff will have helped and not just the sophisticated stuff like vaccines in developed countries.

Data sets can be scrutinised and experts give their opinions based on these data sets but really we are in such a new pandemic reality with such a different way of living in developed countries than previous pandemics who knows really. I used to be involved in social science research, DH is a scientist though non medical, I have four nieces and nephews all involved in medical research and my brother and his wife are both retired pharmaceutical scientists who were involved with drug development. I know just how much stats can be presented to suit the occasion.

Not that we in England/UK ever actually had a (by continental European, east Asian or Australasia standards) proper enforced lockdown but the current open society will carry on as normal. Sure certain restrictions may continue but these don’t (all) massively impact everyone apart from those particular industries and businesses sectors eg performing arts, international leisure travel outbound and inbound among others. Religious and celebratory mass gatherings eg weddings will be size curtailed still I would guess. Not sure about nightlife clubbing but many have been having underground illegal raves repeatedly throughout the pandemic anyway.

More will be officially released this evening.

Covid: Boris Johnson under pressure as Freedom Day set to be delayed www.gbnews.uk/news/covid-boris-johnson-under-pressure-as-freedom-day-set-to-be-delayed/105403

@everybodysang

Also why are you all wanging on about being in another lockdown? We're just extending these restrictions a bit longer to make sure more people are vaccinated. We're not shutting everything down. This directly affects my livelihood, I'm not thrilled about it, but there are so many comments to this effect that it makes me suspicious - you can't ALL be that dim?

Lots of crazy stuff posted on here. Madness.

Help ! I've woken up and it's 1910!

@PizzaCrust

I’m over it, now. Work in retail and barely anyone wears a mask while I wear one for 9 hour shifts in the sweltering heat because I have to. Can’t say anything to them because they “might” be exempt but nearly all come in and buy their 20 Benson and Hedges daily.

This thing ruined my pregnancy and maternity leave last year. Am I fuck letting it ruin this summer as well. It’s a joke.

Where do you live? Very different here in the Bristol/Bath area.

I very rarely see people indoors without one. People are even wearing them in the outside areas of garden centres. I take mine off if it's quiet and it's outside.

My daughter works in retail and everyone is wearing a mask.

After being given a paper mask at my last hospital appointment, despite wearing a fabric one, I've now caved in and bought some disposable ones. They are much easier to wear than the fabric ones I have and will help in the hot weather if I'm going to be in it for more than a few minutes.

We are going on holiday in the UK at the end of July and I will be happy if the restrictions remain as they are. It's not too much of an inconvenience to us. I do feel for businesses who will be impacted though. Not that I think we have any choice but to be remain cautious.

We're just extending these restrictions a bit longer to make sure more people are vaccinated

The condition for lifting restrictions on 21.06 was that the vaccine rollout must be going to plan - it IS going to plan so where is this "we need more" coming from? How many is "more"?

@RolloTomassi wasn’t there something about variants in the roadmap too?

For people who want everything to open up on 21st June, no restrictions, no SD, no masks. Are you happy to have borders fully open with no restrictions on planes etc?

@User135644

A lot of people were done in 1941 but the Germans didn't care and neither does Covid.

One could say it was the axis powers which were "done" - but in 1945 - and their decision to stop futiley fighting the inevitable was to the betterment of all.

@loginfail

That's why they've had furlough and there's an acknowledgement that we can't open up just to have to lock down again in another month. Eat out to help out didn't help hospitality in the long run.

If the worry now is that a rerun of the "eat out" campaign, or similar, will have the same effect this year as it did last year then it does bring into question the governments' confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign.

They messed up over India. It's that simple.

If we'd had effective border control, we'd be unlocking next week.

@ineedaholidaynow there is indeed, although it's very vague so I'll wait to hear more from the PM on what impact that has and we measure the response.

My query was in relation to the poster who confidently stated "we're just extending until more are vaccinated", when we HAVE already met the vaccine target for the current timeline.

*HOW we measure, that should say!

Maybe happy was the wrong word in my previous post. Resigned and compliant are maybe better words for how I feel.

PizzaCrust and knittingaddict there's an increasing number not wearing their masks here, and about 10% wearing them as a neck strap.

My DD and I work in different sectors of retail. She challenges her customers as they're regulars, the usual excuse is, I forgot.

I'm not as feisty as her, but I won't let anyone get nearer than 2m to me in work if they haven't got a mask on (work actually support us and say we can refuse to serve non mask wearers if they won't distance). One of my colleagues has started challenging customers with them around their necks, most saying it's too hot and they feel awful in them - she says, Oh dear, come back when you're feeling better and walks away. We are only allowed to take them off in work if we're drinking/eating - if we want a chat in our break between this, they have to go on.

Says on the radio, delayed by a month. FGS. So irritating, because of their previous incompetence.

@PizzaCrust

I’m over it, now. Work in retail and barely anyone wears a mask while I wear one for 9 hour shifts in the sweltering heat because I have to. Can’t say anything to them because they “might” be exempt but nearly all come in and buy their 20 Benson and Hedges daily.

This thing ruined my pregnancy and maternity leave last year. Am I fuck letting it ruin this summer as well. It’s a joke.

Not sure where you live but people are far more respectful where I live, yes you get the odd defiant ones but in general people are wearing masks in shops in my city. Perhaps ask your manager for air conditioning if it’s so hot?

@LaurieFairyCake

My chance of death is ACTUALLY ZERO

Well ain't that just swell for you. What about someone you infect who doesn't have your superhuman anti-COVID shield?

You can still have it with zero symptoms and pass it on.

What are you wanging on about

I don't have any 'super human anti Covid shield' - I'm just double vaccinated

All I said literally was ' masks are horrible in the heat'

And you came back with 'better than being intubated'

WHICH WOULDNT FUCKING HAPPEN AS IVE BEEN DOUBLE VACCINATED!

You did NOT say 'what about everyone else you might infect'

You just gave a ridiculous inflammatory statement that I would be intubated!

Ffs debate properly

I will of course be wearing my uncomfortable mask to protect others as I have done all the way through

But I won't fucking be intubated