Normal life is back

[ExmoorValley]

I don't know about you but life where I am is pretty much back to normal, masks in shops falling rapidly. People having a good time. Covid barely gets mentioned now. (and yes I know people are still catching it and a tiny proportion will die)

It feels great. So what happened to the 200,000 cases a day doom scenario peddlers on here? They seem rather quiet.......

In my case, from the people working in the hospitals. Some of my friends and neighbours have relatives working in the local hospitals. They're filling with CV patients. The government aren't hiding anything, they're just not telling people this is happening. They want their economy moving again. If that means that people die, well, so be it

The government are being very transparent with hospital numbers, if anything too transparent, they're updated daily. And numbers in hospital has been around 5800 (give or.take 200) for 18 days. While numbers on ventilation have been at 570 (give or take 20) for 15 days.

I thought it was interesting, almost 50% masked in an outdoor setting. "New normal"?

I hope not! I refuse to wear a mask outside and I don't want to be moaned at by people thinking it's normal!

@stepupandbecounted

Well some of us have had a fabulous day out with all of the other covid lepers and what a brilliant day it has been too!

milky as you are in lockdown elsewhere in the world you are simply
coming across as resentful and angry and trying to pour cold water on our party. I feel sorry that you are still stuck in the covid nightmare, but honestly take hope from our situation here that things will get better everywhere and for you too.

BustopherPonsonbyJones Everything IS pretty much back to normal now with the exception of international travel though. I too have had two overseas trips just about to take a third. Delatron I think is making the point that we need to make the most of all the fun times available now, she accepts that there is uncertainty and we don't know what will happen in the future, but who does? She is simply saying no one knows so why not crack on and make the best of it. Break free from the pit of despair.

I have to say on a personal level, my life IS pretty normal. I don't wear a mask or distance, I am going out everywhere, shopping and for lunch, drinks and theatre. I am struggling to think of what isn't normal now. Hugging friends and kissing people and having a great time. I guess if you are in a chemist or medical setting things might be different, but I am not, so it is fine. I feel happy about where we are to date, thrilled we are back on track. I can't understand how anyone can not be.

balloonrace And your plastic tat from China dried up when exactly? Because I was able to ship anything from Amazon and anywhere else throughout the pandemic next day delivery without the slightest inconvenience, as could most people I imagine. We didn't run out of anything. At no point was there a problem. The biggest problem we saw we had was the Suez canal blockage, nothing at all to do with covid!! So rest assured no one anywhere is expecting China to stop trading any time soon delta or no delta (and what a shame, as the oceans could do with a break!)

That news story about China was from today. I didn't say anything about earlier in the pandemic and neither did the previous poster, who was saying we should keep an eye on what happens in China. It's today they have stopped a port from working in favour of squashing a local covid outbreak.

China doesn't only export plastic tat, they export our lateral flow tests for a start, and a lot of PPE. Hopefully covid won't stop them doing that, but it's not true to say they'll stay open at any cost regardless of covid, as today's news shows.

@lljkk

Little anecdote... outside fruit& veg stall today, popular Thursday market. 14-21 people in Q at any time. Outdoor Queue, outdoor produce, outdoor staff.

7-12 people at any one time waiting in Q were wearing masks.
I thought it was interesting, almost 50% masked in an outdoor setting. "New normal"?

Perhaps people are popping in and out of indoor shops where they are choosing to wear masks so prefer to keep them on? I went to a market stall this week and I had my mask on as I was also going to indoor shops and it's just less faff (and more hygienic) to keep the mask on until I'm finished.

If I have to wear a mask it goes on when I get to the shop door and comes off the minute I come out again. I spend half my time fiddling with it when it's on anyway so I'm sure it doesn't make any difference hygiene wise!

@Delatron

Oh and also accusing people of ‘denial’ I’m not in denial that Covid exists. In fact I’m less in denial than most people who think Covid is going anywhere. It’s here to stay so we need to work out how we are prepared to live with it.

If you are not in denial, then any comments about denial do not apply to you.

But it is a fact that plenty of people are in denial, have been from the start. Denial about the reality of covid has driven people to e.g. refuse the vaccine.

I beg to differ! This really isn't the case if you have young kids. Toddler DD is prone to random temps, which often resolve themselves quickly. Every time she has one, nursery demand a test. It's awful, and she cries her eyes out. I'm then stuck at home with her and her baby sister waiting for results. I know contact rules change on Monday, but DH doesn't work from home, so every time either child gets a temp, we are effectively stuck until we get results. The tests are also awful for young kids.

milky as you are in lockdown elsewhere in the world you are simply coming across as resentful and angry and trying to pour cold water on our party.

What a bizarre response! I am not resentful and angry! I am not thrilled about the covid situation in my area, but I am fine with being in lockdown. It is what it is. I am not 'stuck in a covid nightmare'.

My rhetorical response was to this ridiculous, and aggressive, question by the OP:
What part of 'the vaccines are working' do you not understand?

This thread is full of supposition and accusation. People who point out that this is most likely just a lull are 'doom mongers'. Time will tell, but it is a scientific consensus that this is not at all over (anywhere) and mentioning that does not require a person to be angry!

My rhetorical response was to this ridiculous, and aggressive, question by the OP:
What part of 'the vaccines are working' do you not understand?

I don’t find it that. It’s clear the vaccines are having a huge impact. Without them we wouldn’t be free to do all things we can.

As for ‘lull’ again no one thinks Covid is over but we can have infection rates that don’t require restrictions. Andrew Pollard sounds more positive in article linked below (even though linked due to more negative headline).

One could write, "But the vaccines are working!"

Quite a different tone.

They want their economy moving again. If that means that people die, well, so be it.

Well the economy’s kinda important. All those public services you rely on need the economy moving. All those public sector jobs (do you have one perchance?) I don’t think people have the faintest clue of the economic carnage we’ll be dealing with very soon and how that will impact on public services and jobs. The naivety is staggering.

For the first time in all this I am really quite anxious. We've gone from being told we will all die and/or cause the death of untold others, and we're all potentially walking around with asymptomatic covid passing it on, to from Monday being told that it is essentially all over (England). No more LFT, someone in the house has covid "meh" off you go out anyway.

Just think we are going too far the other way.

The Times reporting today that only 17% London office staff are back in office - 21% in country as a whole. That’s not “normal”. Or maybe it’s the new “normal”?

Yep. We are off on holiday on Monday. We'll it should have been today but dd3 was a close contact.

Pressed send too soon. Everything must be pre booked.

@milkyaqua One could write, "But the vaccines are working!"
Indeed

Crying that is definitely something that isn’t ‘normal.’
Although August is always dead in the city, this is unusual. DH went into his office this week and he said about 20% are in.
That said, it’s not about Covid or the fear of it (they’ve all put their name down for staff social events ). Staff are still being given the choice and are choosing to WFH, especially as it’s summer school holidays.

Come September I would expect an uptick in work place attendance - with a commensurate uptick in cases. But hopefully with the vast majority vaccinated that won’t translate to problematic numbers.

Should add that I’m not expecting levels of in office attendance to ever go back to 2019 levels in London.
Which may well be a good thing for Londoners.

@CryingAtTheDiscotheque

The Times reporting today that only 17% London office staff are back in office - 21% in country as a whole. That’s not “normal”. Or maybe it’s the new “normal”?

Agree. I went into Glasgow from our suburban station on Wednesday morning. In pre-Covid times, the station car park was full 7.30am and all the surrounding streets were full too.

Got a space easily ay 9.30am and the car park was only 50% full at that point.

@milkyaqua

One could write, "But the vaccines are working!"

Quite a different tone.

Probably frustration at the same posts with negative tone.

I wouldn’t have to scroll back but could guess which poster it was to.

@HelloMissus

Should add that I’m not expecting levels of in office attendance to ever go back to 2019 levels in London. Which may well be a good thing for Londoners.

Unless those Londoners work in restaurants, coffee shops, tube stations, as a taxi driver, dry cleaner, office cleaner, events organiser or in any of the thousands of other businesses which depend on lots of people being in central London each day.

I'm not saying work from home is a bad thing in all cases, but if I worked in a sandwich bar or shop in a tube station in London i'd be very worried about my job.

Life really isn't back to normal where I am. I wish! I've had the following:

-We have had to book absolutely everything so a spontaneous day out has been off the cards. Booking time slots with a baby is annoying when you never know when they might nap and what the traffic will be like.

2-Most shops are still demanding masks in my area.

3-I've been to outdoor places that still insist on a one way rule over vast gardens and fields.

4-I've been in waiting rooms that only allow one person in the waiting room at a time in a room that is big enough to seat 20 and plenty of airflow and space.

5-My fat fighters group still wants you to wear a mask whenever you leave your seat, which is pointless because when you leave your seat you are further away from people than when you are sitting down.

6- The children's centre/dentist/doctor all require you to knock in the door and wait outside before going in.

Some of these are sensible but many really are overkill and daft. People can disagree with that but life where I am certainly is not normal yet!

People working from home are choosing to do so now as a lifestyle choice, it is not about covid.

Pre booking things has always been the case here, especially in high summer. Nothing new. What is new is how busy everywhere is! So booking has mainly become essential due to demand, not covid.

If you are still walking around in a mask, the feeling of a lack of normality will remain. If you are free of masks, and are doing 'normal' things again as before, you will feel more of a sense of normality. Apart from when someone passes in full visor and washing up gloves! And then you realise for some people there may never be any normal again

@HelloMissus

Should add that I’m not expecting levels of in office attendance to ever go back to 2019 levels in London. Which may well be a good thing for Londoners.

Yes, I agree - I think many companies are downsizing (also discussed in today's Times article) - not so great for commercial landlords but certainly better for employees to have choice. My office is in London too and it is dead atm (but is always v quiet in August) - interesting to see how things pan out.

TheGenealogist apparently only 10% of workers back in office in Glasgow!

Our dentists are operating normal waiting room again, although they do extra cleaning it is not something I see. Same with our doctors. No one requests masks in shops here. I guess it must be different area to area. No one is wearing masks here bar a few elderly people - which is understandable given their age they may feel they wish to wear one for protection and confidence.