More half term circuit breaks on the way!

[3asAbird]

Not sure totally true but irreversible means nothing.

Its seeme a plausible possibility.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/government-starts-planning-firebreak-covid-24707119
Appears over October half term and Xmas holidays be optimum time.

When I think back to last year Wales 2 weeks circuit break dident do much good.
Neither did November mockdown closing businesses but keeping schools open.

We don't have any mitigating measures in place for school no distancing , masks .
No vaccination even 16 to and 17 year old won't be vaccinated in time.
Kids will be back from holidays with no need to quarantine.
They can also go schools if parent or siblings test postive.

This all sounds like a recipe for disaster especially we now being told double vax doesn't block transmission .

Surely putting hepa filters in schools and monitoring ventilation with CO2 monitors would be much cheaper than a full lockdown, I don't understand why they aren't considering it, all NYC schools are doing this and there's good evidence it's effective. Also rolling out vaccines to teens would undoubtedly be helpful.

NHS are prepping for high non-covid intake over the winter, including pediatric admissions as in Aus there was a spike in respiratory illness after lockdown.

Feels like we're stuck in limbo and I'm so bored of it all now. This do nothing then shutdown when it gets scary is just not good governance. So much they could be doing.

@TheKeatingFive

I often wonder what the ‘I’m doing what I want’ group would say if it was their child/mother etc who was denied treatment due to the nhs being overwhelmed with Covid patients or if they were left to bleed out at the side of the road after a car crash because there was no ambulance coming due to them all transporting Covid patients.

I constantly surprised at the faith people have in the health service to ‘save’ them. I didn’t have that to begin with. Perhaps because my FIL died of a heart attack 3 years ago purely because the ambulance didn’t get there in time.

We can’t keep locking down to save the health service. All we’re doing is shoring up many long term problems in order to mask the fact that the health service isn’t fit for purpose and will require a radical overhaul to function effectively in the future. Let’s start having those conversations and taking action now, rather than keep kicking the can down the road with lockdowns.

Covid is here to stay. If we need to radically reimagine our health service to deal with that, let’s face it head on. Locking everyone down when things get hairy was only ever suitable as a short term solution. Humans aren’t designed to live like that.

I don’t want a lockdown. However, I do want a functioning health service and I don’t think we had that back in January. I can’t imagine that you’d be impressed if you died unnecessarily because the nhs had reached capacity (I mean obviously you’d be dead but you know what I mean).

I don’t think it is an unreasonable expectation that our emergency services should be able to respond in a timely fashion. I don’t think the answer is lockdown but as an emergency measure it worked. I agree that we need to have a conversation about how we ensure the nhs is fit for purpose but I worry that the covid situation will be used to privatise the nhs for profit making and that we will all suffer as a result.

Agree but tbh I don’t find food shopping fun. Most of the things I like to do were shut down (restaurants, pubs, clothes shops, trips abroad).

Neither do I and I don't do it, I use Ocado. All I'm saying is just because the government talks about limiting it to essential shopping for example, people don't have to take notice of that. I've seen people on here having a go because someone dared to go to the shops more than once a week - pathetic.

I can’t imagine that you’d be impressed if you died unnecessarily because the nhs had reached capacity

I don’t think just ‘any cost’ is worth paying to save the nhs.

I also think that continuing lockdowns would mostly serve to avoid difficult questions around the nhs. I strenuously object to this.

If the health service only works when periodically, everyone stays at home and leads very limited and unnatural lives, then we have to admit it isn’t working. And do something about it. Most people were prepared to do that until the vaccines came, but not as a semi permanent way of life. No way am I living like that.

To be fair, I think a reckoning for the nhs was coming anyway. Covid has radically changed the issues involved, but to cling to the way things were when it manifestly isn’t working is crazy.

We hit 60,000 cases a day recently. The death rate barely went above 100. The NHS may be overwhelmed by other things; bad flu season etc but there is zero argument for a lockdown again. I haven’t read a single one.

Agree with @TheKeatingFive if the NHS is overwhelmed with a population that is practically fully vaccinated and a death rate in double digits daily from a disease then we may need a new plan. Lockdowns are not the answer obviously.

It’s odd
This discussion seems so stale and irrelevant to me.

My children and I are now leading a completely normal life. Restaurants without face mask, shops, swimming, theme parks, holidays….

It won’t happen. There’s no argument for it.
And even if there was, at this point, I wouldn’t comply with lockdown in terms of not seeing family and friends. Not. A. Chance.

Lockdowns were never going to work as a long term solution.

The economy wouldn’t survive and eventually people would stop complying as you cannot expect people to never go near another person for the rest of their life.

@Marmitemarinaded

It’s odd This discussion seems so stale and irrelevant to me.

My children and I are now leading a completely normal life. Restaurants without face mask, shops, swimming, theme parks, holidays….

It won’t happen. There’s no argument for it.
And even if there was, at this point, I wouldn’t comply with lockdown in terms of not seeing family and friends. Not. A. Chance.

I agree

It’s now out of date. Why discuss it. Unless some posters are missing it all but me no way.

@FloFlower

I often wonder what the ‘I’m doing what I want’ group would say if it was their child/mother etc who was denied treatment due to the nhs being overwhelmed with Covid patients or if they were left to bleed out at the side of the road after a car crash because there was no ambulance coming due to them all transporting Covid patients.

I’m sure this would be happily accepted as a consequence of others ‘doing what they want’. Am I wrong?

If we lockdown then we won’t have a choice about doing most things. The govt will shut the gyms, the shops, bars and restaurants. It’ll be shit and we will largely have no choice but to go along with it.

However, I don’t think it will happen. I’m really hopeful that the vaccines will get us through this next winter and that things will be a lot better by spring.

I would blame the government for not putting more money into the NHS. It is not the job of the general public to protect the NHS. We pay tax and it is the job of those in power to ensure that money is spent correctly.

Not everyone has kids, what's the point of basing everything around school terms. I only see my kids in university holidays and we actually want to go out!

I would blame the government for not putting more money into the NHS. It is not the job of the general public to protect the NHS. We pay tax and it is the job of those in power to ensure that money is spent correctly

^^ this is spot on. I said something very similar a few months ago and was, of course, jumped on! This "protect our NHS" narrative is ridiculous nonsense and completely ignores the fact that "our NHS" is not fit for purpose and hasn't been for years.

@QueenofKattegat

I would blame the government for not putting more money into the NHS. It is not the job of the general public to protect the NHS. We pay tax and it is the job of those in power to ensure that money is spent correctly

^^ this is spot on. I said something very similar a few months ago and was, of course, jumped on! This "protect our NHS" narrative is ridiculous nonsense and completely ignores the fact that "our NHS" is not fit for purpose and hasn't been for years.

Absolutely. Just yet another way to blame the general public for government incompetence.

@gogohm

Not everyone has kids, what's the point of basing everything around school terms. I only see my kids in university holidays and we actually want to go out!

Hate to break it to you but they are not that bothered about you personally. If it happens, it will happen at the time least disruptive to the majority.

I don't know if it will be needed, but it is obviously a possibility, I can't understand why anyone is surprised this is on a 'maybe' list somewhere in government.

It wouldn't be a lockdown, just increased restrictions.

Actually if it had to be half term that would suit me better as I have no desire to go anywhere when there are kids everywhere!

Spending time with vulnerable family last Christmas, when no-one was vaccinated and cases were sky high, was pretty stupid

And this is an example of what happens on here when you dont pre empt the inevitable tirade by reminding people that support bubbles were "allowed" for carers from 3rd December onwards. Im a carer so was included in that.

Ive had my vaccine but my 85 year old parents refused theirs. Am i supposed to stay away indefinately. Including last week when an ambulance was refused for DM after she fell and had a head injury. To please some random on here Nope

@Xtraincome To those of us lower down the economic scale yet another Christmas lockdown would look like it allows for those more well off to go on holiday in the summer.

Spending time with vulnerable family last Christmas, when no-one was vaccinated and cases were sky high, was pretty stupid

Balance of risks though surely, like everything else in life.

Plenty of people were careful to limit their own exposure prior to visiting family.

Also, how many people won’t live to see another Christmas? Many other things can get you other than Covid. That possibility played into decision making too.

My friend's Dad died this year. I have no idea if they spent Christmas together last year but I hope they did.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

My friend's Dad died this year. I have no idea if they spent Christmas together last year but I hope they did.

My friend's dad died (of Covid) in mid-January after seeing his family at Christmas. He caught it from them.

The icecream van guy said his GP anticipated some form of lockdown no later than November or December.

I won't stop seeing my family and any friends that want to ever again.

@Manzanilla55

The icecream van guy said his GP anticipated some form of lockdown no later than November or December.

@pommedeterre

I won't stop seeing my family and any friends that want to ever again.

Me neither I’ll see them no matter what.

Never ever ever again will the government meant dictate who I can and can’t see and on what terms

They can dictate it
But I simply will ignore