Anybody else feeling very conflicted about today’s announcement?

[Wherediditgo]

I (as many are) have been waiting for this day since March last year. I remember believing Boris when he said ‘12 weeks to turn the tide’
I remember thinking how great it would be when we could go back to our old lives.

Ive never really worried about catching Covid. I’ve seen the stats. I’m 3 weeks post 1st jab. I don’t necessarily think that masks make much difference (not the ones most of us wear) and I’ve always thought that lockdown measures have been overly harsh in some instances and have worried about the state of people’s MH and financial positions.

Now, all of a sudden, I feel afraid. I read that they’re scrapping almost everything on 19th July and I can’t get my head around it. I all of a sudden feel anxious about going back to ‘normality’

Does anyone else feel this way?

I’m cross that this announcement has come too late to save many of this summer’s music festivals.
Young people have sacrificed too much.

All over 40's will be double vaccinated by July 19th, it said tonight.
That certainly is a huge number of people.

And all over 28's by September?

I think it's all going to be fine. We'll handle the peaks that will come in the next 2 months.

Then Whitty has to make sure nhs can handle the inevitable strain of September flu. I too think it will be ok.

Over 18's by sept.

What's all this talk of still having to isolate for 10 days? All restrictions are being lifted.

@bakewelltarty

I don't understand this 'personal responsibility' rubbish. I'm not free to make my own decisions. I have to commute to london to work. No face masks or social distancing at work or public transport. Where am I free to make my own decisions?? Oh yes I suppose I could always quit my job and go on universal credit instead.

You probably couldn't. If you quit a job voluntarily you are not entitled to it as far as I know.

Just a technical point...

@Oblomov21

All over 40's will be double vaccinated by July 19th, it said tonight. That certainly is a huge number of people.

And all over 28's by September?

I think it's all going to be fine. We'll handle the peaks that will come in the next 2 months.

Then Whitty has to make sure nhs can handle the inevitable strain of September flu. I too think it will be ok.

Me too. There’ll be posts predicting worst but I agree with you

No. I'm very, very happy.

@beigebrownblue

In the main I'm also going with the approach somehow developed over the past year and a half which kind of amounts to

'Prepare for the worst and then if it's better than that you will get a nice surprise'..

make sense to anyone?

Yes. I agree.

@musicalfrog

What's all this talk of still having to isolate for 10 days? All restrictions are being lifted.

Test Trace and Isolate is remaining for now with some changes later in the summer for under 18's and double vaccinated.

Test, Trace and Isolate has an important ongoing role in managing the virus and reduces the risk of potentially dangerous variants spreading. The Government expects the Test, Trace and Isolate system will remain necessary through the autumn and winter.

Continued take-up and compliance is essential to supporting the country in living with the virus through autumn and winter.

Symptomatic testing will continue to be available. Tracing and isolation will remain key to monitoring and containing the spread of the virus, augmented by use of the NHS COVID-19 app (though checking in or providing contact details to venues will now be voluntary).

Regular asymptomatic testing will continue to help find cases and break the chains of transmission. It will help the transition as people manage their personal risk, whilst also protecting others. It will be particularly focused on those who are not fully vaccinated, those in education, and those in higher-risk settings such as the NHS, social care and prisons. People may also wish to use regular rapid testing to help manage periods of risk such as returning to the workplace, after close contact in a higher risk environment or when spending prolonged time with a more vulnerable individual. Community testing will support local authorities to focus on disproportionately-impacted and other high-risk groups.

The Government intends to exempt people who have been fully vaccinated from the requirement to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case, with a similar exemption for under 18s (as above). Anyone who tests positive will still need to self-isolate regardless of their vaccination status. Further details will be published in due course and the changes are likely to come into effect later in the summer.

Until at least the end of September, self-isolation enforcement and support will otherwise continue as it is now. Positive cases and close contacts who cannot work from home and would experience financial hardship from isolation may be eligible for the £500 Test & Trace Support Payment or financial support from their local authority. Practical support for isolation will also continue to include a medicines delivery service and assistance provided by local authorities.

Yes, I have mixed feelings. I’m sick to death of masks, but also concerned about the rising cases and unvaccinated children. Hospitalisation have apparently gone from 1 in 10 cases to just under 2 in 100. This is still not great, so I don’t know so many people are so blasé about covid.

I too feel conflicted.
I’m single jabbed so far and the prospect of being in a queue with people practically touching you and not being able to say anything makes me nervous.

@RevolvingPivot

Hi. I'm probably being really thick. Can someone explain why on the 19th July people won't be passing the virus on? I don't understand. Or are cases so low that hardly anyone will have it to pass on?

The plan isn’t to stop it being passed on. But to avoid peak and winter flu / illness at same time.

Yes. The plan is to kill and disable people now, so that those people are already dead before winter. Of course it's a flawed plan. It ignores the strong possibility of causing a vaccine resistant strain. I read a good article earlier. England is listening to unqualified politicians over scientific experts.

People keep talking about restrictions and opening up. The experts including the WHO explain that 'living with' a disease that kills and disables means opening up BUT with sensible precautions, i e. masks. When it comes to masks it's like drink driving or smoking indoors. Personal responsibility doesn't protect you from other people's poor decisions.

Boris will be long gone from government by the time the full extent of the long term damage becomes apparent. Obviously there's the many avoidable deaths, but longer term the focus will be on Long Covid.

Let's hope at the very least that the UK government will start to vaccinate CEV children.

I feel massively conflicted. Overall, I think it’s the right thing to do. They can longer justify having such harsh legal restrictions in place now the risks are so dramatically reduced.

But I’m 6 months pregnant and have only had one jab so feel quite vulnerable personally. I think pregnant women have been really disregarded when it comes to vaccinations (and just in general over the last year). We’ve been told that we’re vulnerable and at risk of pregnancy complications, but not prioritised for vaccination. Now cases are set to soar and very many pregnant women won’t be fully vaccinated for months. It feels like we’re just sitting ducks really.

I wonder whether Boris will extend personal responsibility to smoking indoors?

Increased rates of smoking would certainly give the battered economy a much needed boost. Unlike spreading Covid, smoking contributes a net gain to the economy (taxes paid in + lower pension and social care costs).

Thank you @jumpbounce I hadn't realised.

I was hoping for step 4 but thought they would keep more of the ‘easy’ rules like masks and even the 1m+ rule especially in shops/public transport etc where people need to go. I worry for vulnerable people who can’t be vaccinated or for whom the vaccine hasn’t worked - how are they going to go about daily life with the numbers rising? They will feel less safe and less free.

I can’t wait to go running (parkrun) and singing again. I think parkrun are going to apply their Covid framework anyway which I think is a good thing. I would like some mitigation in choir too but don’t know what we will get there. Can’t wait to go and sing hymns in church too but again some distance might be good.

I have felt safe in trains and in restaurants at stage 3 - not sure how safe it will feel now. Personally I can avoid both if I am worried I guess. Will be lovely to be able to meet inside with the wider family now.

Looking closely at the guidelines there will still be guidelines for making workplaces safer so it isn’t all going to go completely away but will be harder to enforce.

I would like vaccines to be offered to ages 12+ but I know it is controversial. Without it though we just aren’t quite going to be immune enough as a population. Long Covid does affect children and I think (but of course don’t know) that the risk of that is greater than the vaccine.

I feel flat about it tbh but I think that’s because we don’t know what’s going to happen with kids isolating from burst school bubbles and that is my biggest issue at the moment

would like vaccines to be offered to ages 12+

The UK's problem is we don't have enough. It's a choice between boosters for the vulnerable (particularly if they had AZ and need the extra protection of a mRNA vaccine), or children.

The best hope is we get more supplies soon.

In the meantime though we should at least be vaccinating CEV over 12s

@StylishMummy

Not at all concerned and elated that the general public are being given the freedom to choose their approach to Covid and managing risk.

So much for collective responsibility

It does nicely sum up the Conservatives though. Look after yourself and screw the impact on anyone else.

I don’t understand how having a peak in July will prevent us having one in winter? We had a peak over last winter. 6 months later we have another. So surely the next peak will be in the winter again. If 6 month cycles are typical

@Turquoisesol

I don’t understand how having a peak in July will prevent us having one in winter? We had a peak over last winter. 6 months later we have another. So surely the next peak will be in the winter again. If 6 month cycles are typical

They're hoping enough will die in this peak, so that they're already dead, freeing up space in the hospitals and morgues for the next lot.

They're ignoring that this policy risks causing a vaccine resistant strain, and also the long term impact (financial as well as health) of Long Covid.

I personally think he should have waited until 80% of the population had had their second vaccination. It’s 60% ish at the moment.. And then do the lifting of restrictions. It just doesn’t feel safe enough yet.

Wales have got it right in my opinion, they are much more cautious. But I have to say I hate wearing a mask.

I don't believe him, sadly. I'm more than ready to bin the rules, anyone else is free to carry on wearing masks and distancing.

I hit peak restrictions at weekend when I met my family for coffee at a wetherspoons and was greeted by the manager wearing a mask, visor, radio and bloody bodycam, who radioed through to other staff to follow us and enforce that we didn't sit together as there were 7 of us (1 x 4 in a household, 1 x 3 in a household) even though we asked and wanted to sit on 2 tables of 4. It was ridiculous, I won't spend a penny in there ever again.

I’m not sure how you can take personal responsibility, yes you can choose to not go to the pub or eat out but many will have to go to work, supermarkets etc and with no masks, distancing and likely no isolation after contact.