Are people no longer bothered by Covid….?

[Iwannabelikeyouohh]

Is anyone actually bothered about Covid?
From places I’ve been recently, everyone is just “normal”

I took my son to a toddler class this morning.

I walked in wearing my mask. Room full of 19 other adults and their toddlers.

Not one single adult had a mask on (expect me)
There was no distancing in the class.
It was as normal as normal can be.

I joined a new slimming class tonight.

Again I walked in wearing a mask. No one else had one on.
All chairs pushed up together, people sat close.

I don’t get it.

How can we go from distancing, mask wearing, avoiding people on walks (which is exactly what it was like) to nothing….

Oh and I’m still wearing a mask in indoor places.

Case numbers fluctuate but are broadly flat and have been for months. That might change over the winter but for now all the data (cases, hospitalisations, deaths) suggest the position is fairly stable.

@CecilieRose I don't think you understand how viruses work- keeping cases low in the short term won't make the virus less of a problem in the future. All it does is delay the inevitable, that it will become endemic- Britain is ahead of the game- once the majority of people catch it then we will have a degree of herd immunity and the virus will become less of a problem and just another seasonal virus like flu or colds.

Nope. I don't wear a mask anymore unless I have to at the gp or hospital.

Other than that I just get on with it.

Yep...it's like living in an alternate universe being in this country. I just returned from working in Switzerland where masks are mandated in all indoor spaces, all public transport, supermarkets, etc. This is how it is in most of the rest of the world

Yep. In France, everyone wears masks, in every public space, rural, urban, wherever.

Plague island is about right. It's a joke here, and many, many people are being selfish and foolish in equal measure.

How long for then? When do we get on with life

Much of the world is doing just that, just with a mask.

@Ickiness

I'm pretty unconcerned by Covid - it's more a case of when I get it than if....

However, based on the many people I know who've had it, Probably 98% of the population have extremely mild symptoms, or no symptoms at all! is quite an exaggeration... Sure, only a small proportion will end up dying or being admitted to ICU, but lots of people will be pretty ill, even if they don't end up in hospital and are largely fine after a week or two.

I am still a bit bothered by it in that I don't want to get it! My reasoning is that I would have to have a couple of weeks off work, and the latest stats on Long Covid are quite alarming, 1/3 of people had at least one symptom 6 months later, including exhaustion, tiredness, cognitive difficulties, breathlessness. I mean I don't want that, or flu, and will be having my flu jab this year for the first time. I'm a single parent and having the whole parenting team (me) out of action at once is never great.

I'm not remotely scared of covid, and go out, meet friends, teach in crowded seminar rooms, but I do wear a mask indoors if I can, especially for being in rooms with 20-50 students, no reason for us to all get sick. Staff are already off with covid and it's disrupting timetables and pushing everyone back online which is the last thing I want.

I'd rather wear a mask and go about my business, I can see lots don't feel the same, but once too many people get covid, even if it's 'not that bad', it's still a few days in bed, and it starts to affect the supply chain, teaching will go back online etc, so I'm amazed that more people aren't prepared to do simple things like wear a mask to avoid cases soaring and all the crap of last year coming back again.

I was never at all worried about my own risk (and had to work through the pandemic anyway so didn’t get to just stay shut inside at any point) and have managed to completely avoid Covid anyway despite no extra precautions. DH had it and wasn’t ill at all, only tested because his sense of smell was reduced.

I would imagine most people who are not classed as vulnerable in any way are not actually worried about their own personal risk of covid.

However I’ve been happy to wear a mask and follow the rules for the protection of others. My mum is CEV and this has worried me than anything else really.

I have also known a number of people all double jabbed who have caught it recently.

If you think you are safe, then you're being foolish.

And it's not just about you, it's about you carrying it, unknowingly and passing it on to people going about their daily lives, often out of necessity.

If it had really gone away, medical places like dentists and opticians would relax all the rules. Mine are staying just as they were.

I’m still wearing a mask in supermarkets and I work in a school so we have doors open all day. Glad to no longer be wearing a mask in school as it’s very hard to project your voice and be animated for young children when wearing one.

Masks and distancing was always bollocks. It made people feel safe and was an utter ballache for everyone. With vaccines it's fine.

@Confitgras

Yep...it's like living in an alternate universe being in this country. I just returned from working in Switzerland where masks are mandated in all indoor spaces, all public transport, supermarkets, etc. This is how it is in most of the rest of the world

Yep. In France, everyone wears masks, in every public space, rural, urban, wherever.

Plague island is about right. It's a joke here, and many, many people are being selfish and foolish in equal measure.

How long for then? When do we get on with life

Much of the world is doing just that, just with a mask.

At this point I don’t really care what they are doing. If you find it better wear one.

And what is the advantage of people who are double vaccinated and have already recently had covid wearing a mask?

I caught it. Double jabbed. Fine. Dh felt shitty and flu like. Again, can't get worked up.

I had a PCR last week and the test centre was so strict, it made me laugh as schools are a free for all, 30 of us in a small classroom and the outdoor test centre wouldn’t let me undo my car window an inch!!!!

@ZenNudist

Masks and distancing was always bollocks. It made people feel safe and was an utter ballache for everyone. With vaccines it's fine.

Oh dear.

Take your head out of the sand.

Suggest you do some reading of the stats, infection rates and people double jabbed who have caught it.

@XenoBitch

Life has to go on at some point. That point is now.

I don't see how wearing a mask stops life from going on?

@Yogsgirl surely the amount of people who had covid in the past three months who are double-jabbed isn't that high, but once after that, they can get it a few months later.

Another reason is to keep the social norm. It's harder to get students to wear masks if half the class aren't wearing them as they just had covid, how could we know which ones have and haven't, and many aren't doubly vaccinated, plus some are CV, so it's easier and better if everyone just wears a mask indoors on campus right now, til cases die down a bit (they are currently soaring).

@ZenNudist

I caught it. Double jabbed. Fine. Dh felt shitty and flu like. Again, can't get worked up.

Oh lucky lucky you.

So your other post about vaccines meaning no one gets it was false.

I expect you are very young and therefore more likely to be fine.

I wonder who caught it off you when you were infectious and wandering around with no mask?

@Yogsgirl

And what is the advantage of people who are double vaccinated and have already recently had covid wearing a mask?

Reducing the risk of catching covid again? We all know that risk still exists, and arguably the strain that's around now is worse than, for instance, the Kent variant that so many people had first time round.

I had noticed the precautions had laxed, I think it is a natural mind over matter thing, when people start to feel comfortable that majority have been vaccinated. Well I have Covid as we speak, and it has not been pretty. So I'm taking it seriously. And obviously when I can go back out again, I will be wearing a mask etc.

@eldersis

Sorry, just like to add. I think people who are "at risk" do need to have personal responsibility. and take their own precautions . Eg I do not think it right to push restrictions on others who are otherwise healthy.

I am all for easing back to normal. but SOMEONE in a hospital environment put their opinions before an at risk person,

But what can they do? It's an airborne virus! Vulnerable people have no choice about using public transport etc. or sitting in a hospital waiting room. It's enormously selfish for people to expose them to covid in places they have no choice about being.

I find wearing a mask mildly inconvenient, but it certainly doesn't stop me getting on with life. Although I am double jabbed and have had covid, I would still rather undergo that inconvenience than increase the risk of catching it again or unknowingly spreading it to other vulnerable people.

I think with all this spread there could be a new strain before long that might dodge the vaccine entirely!

I don't understand how people think life will ever be normal if we have to protect the vulnerable- it doesn't matter whether we all get it now, or get it later- until everyone has had it cases will keep climbing- whether that be now, or later.