Is it just me or is this board getting a bit quieter?

[bumbleymummy]

That’s a good sign, right? :)

Quite positive…

I was musing on how bad people predicted it would be

We’ve had schools back for weeks and still re hospitalisation

It's one of many risks out there.

Yep. Which we usually mitigate against. Eg. Still drive but use seat belts and have speeding limits.

I've mitigated the covid risk as I have the flu risk by getting my family vaccinated where possible.

Employers want us back in - kids have to get to school and college for their education.

We wear masks in shop and on public transport - this is currently life - it doesn't need endless discusion in our family - it get's mentioned when someone is waiting for an appointment for vaccination or has to do a test. But this is apparently callous disregard .

remaining relatively constant

Yes constantly high. Unlike in western Europe, our near neighbours.

There are far too many people who still want to be working from home, have closed borders, have schools closed, endlessly test even though they have no reason to etc.

I've not seen anyone suggesting that? I've been busy recently so perhaps I missed something. Simple and easy mitigation measures, the same as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, etc. Well that's a different thing.

The only mitigation that Spain has and we don’t is compulsory masks (my family all live there). So is that what you mean by mitigations? Masks?

I was musing on how bad people predicted it would be
We’ve had schools back for weeks and still re hospitalisation

Our high area rate is finally dropping but hopsitlisation has remained low.

Vaccination uptake is high here - and we've had high rates a lot in last 18 months - to point you wonder who the hell is still catching it. (Secondary school kids but they are getting them vaccinated fairly quickly here now)

And Spain don’t require anyone entering the country to take a Covid test as long as they’re vaccinated, don’t have free LFT’s (you have to pay for them from a pharmacy or clinic) and don’t encourage asymptomatic testing, so you could argue that they actually have fewer mitigations.

Tbh vaccination for secondary won’t stop that many infections

30k by one modelling reported

Ds was a positive post-vaccination, as were his friends

the alternative is standing on the beach flapping your arms at the sea telling it not to come in.

Or we could just, you know, do the same as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and many other countries around the world. Living with it, as it literally living with it, hence easy and simple mitigation measures. Same as speeding limits and seat belts.

In a free democracy, poor decisions, let alone genocidal ones, get called out. We may not be able to stop the killings and the Long Covid damage, but we sure as hell don't have to stand by and accept or welcome it. It's why we have enquiries.

Slinging a piece of fabric round your shoulder in the car isn't in anyway equivalent to mask mandates indoors in my opinion.

Plus we've never been at all clear about what impact they're having, when worn improperly (like most people do.)

The option exists for people to wear medical grade masks which actually do offer some protection to the wearer. Surely that's a better route than relying on the chin strap wonders?

I know the poster in question has a 'thing' about smoking, but smokers getting a bit cold doesn't strike me as a similar imposition either. No one has to smoke.

@TheGrumpyGoat

And Spain don’t require anyone entering the country to take a Covid test as long as they’re vaccinated, don’t have free LFT’s (you have to pay for them from a pharmacy or clinic) and don’t encourage asymptomatic testing, so you could argue that they actually have fewer mitigations.

Spain has mask mandate.

Yes, I said that above. I spent the summer there, my family are from Spain. So are you saying that masks are the one mitigation we need to have numbers like theirs?

@TheGrumpyGoat

The only mitigation that Spain has and we don’t is compulsory masks (my family all live there). So is that what you mean by mitigations? Masks?

I think people who claim they just want 'sensible mitigations' like masks rarely actually mean that. Scratch the surface and they invariably want a whole load of other restrictions too. Often they'll say 'we should keep social distancing' as though it were a minor thing, instead of something which makes thousands of businesses unprofitable and is a pain in the arse for much of everyday life too.

hence easy and simple mitigation measures

They aren't that though. Not for everyone.

They may not even be particularly effective.

Scratch the surface and they invariably want a whole load of other restrictions too. Often they'll say 'we should keep social distancing' as though it were a minor thing, instead of something which makes thousands of businesses unprofitable

Quite

My point being that yes they have a mask mandate, but they also don’t have many of the other mitigations we have. So do you think masks are more important than testing when entering the country, asymptomatic LFT testing etc? And if we dropped those things but introduced the mask mandate we’d go from our 40000 cases a day to their 4000?

So we're back to masks again. And the same old arguments.

And because we (the UK) are a high risk country, Spain has more stringent entry requirements for us than for travellers from lower risk places. Eg. Canada, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Wouldn’t we see greater disparity in numbers England v Scotland if a mask mandate did that much?

Wouldn’t we see greater disparity in numbers England v Scotland if a mask mandate did that much?

Well that's the question that no one ever answers

@Tealightsandd

And because we (the UK) are a high risk country, Spain has more stringent entry requirements for us than for travellers from lower risk places. Eg. Canada, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Do they? I just had to show I was vaccinated. My children didn’t need anything.

My family are all flying over to visit from Spain next week. They have to do a variety of tests to enter the U.K, but nothing to return to Spain.

@TheKeatingFive

Scratch the surface and they invariably want a whole load of other restrictions too. Often they'll say 'we should keep social distancing' as though it were a minor thing, instead of something which makes thousands of businesses unprofitable

Quite

Rubbish. For example myself. On other threads I've been vocally arguing against full-time permanent WFH. It's not healthy and it's devastating for the national economy.

I support simple and easy mitigation measures.

I support simple and easy mitigation measures

And what are they? Masks? Or what else?

My family in Spain were completely bemused when I told them we’re encouraged to take 2 LFT’s a week. ‘What, when you’re not even ill?’. They have to pay 17 euros if they want an LFT.