Plan B

[edisonbulb]

Are they nudging us to plan B with the presser on Sunday the articles in the papers the headlines on Sky and BBC being the worst in Europe.

I can't see another lockdown happening but masks easy fix and work from home well for some.

@Lostinacloud France surely is stronger than U.K. in fighting infringements of the people’s freedom?

And what happens after your point 5?

@QueenofKattegat

What do you honestly think masks will do? Scotland have mandatory masks - look at their case rates.

The vast, vast majority of people will keep the same mask in their car/coat pocket and pull it out when forced to wear one. What use do you honestly believe this is?

Masks are a measure to appease the anxious. Nothing more.

Without meaning to spark a controversial discussion because I’m also guilty of this sometimes , it could be reasoned that the “responsibility” lies with people to use masks properly. There’s enough evidence that they work to reduce transmission - not that the government have been great at publicising that, in fact quite the opposite.

Having said that, I used to live in a really densely populated country where wearing masks was/is normal, so what might seem easy/logical for me, might not be the same for people who haven’t experienced that. Incidentally, that country has relatively low levels of covid (compared to the uk anyway) despite a rubbish government response. They think masks have really helped stop transmission in its tracks (outside of families at least).

@confuseddotcom090

Some random comment on daily Mail few months back said her husbands printing firm had the posters for the planned November lockdown.

Make of that what you will. I feel like government think it's an option worth planning for.

There is no appetite for a lockdown.

@confuseddotcom090 oh yes remember how they announced lockdown 1,2 and 3. Not with a new conference but by posters....

Posters on MN also claimed their friends in the NHS were briefed on August and September lockdowns.

Masks are pointless in almost all instances and fabric masks are the most pointless. A virus is so tiny that you can't see it under a microscope. Does anyone truly believe that a pretty piece of patterned fabric is any kind of barrier against something so tiny? Woman in the veg aisle of the supermarket this morning, fabric mask with nose poking out. I thought it made a good example of utter futility. Why bother to wear such a pointless thing and then have your nose poking out? But that's mask wearing, utterly fucking pointless!

IMO, if the govt wants to do something concrete to bring infections down it should get on with the roll out of third doses to all over 50s and it should make vaccines available to anyone over the age of 12 at a walk-in centre. Surely we know by now that making the vaccine as widely and easily accessible as possible is the best way to get people to take it? They need vaccine clinics in shopping centres, high streets and anywhere that makes it easy for people to get that dose, whether it's their first, second or booster.

Forget masks and forget lockdowns - we're all over them!

@zafferana

Masks are pointless in almost all instances and fabric masks are the most pointless. A virus is so tiny that you can't see it under a microscope. Does anyone truly believe that a pretty piece of patterned fabric is any kind of barrier against something so tiny? Woman in the veg aisle of the supermarket this morning, fabric mask with nose poking out. I thought it made a good example of utter futility. Why bother to wear such a pointless thing and then have your nose poking out? But that's mask wearing, utterly fucking pointless!

And yet study after study after study have shown that masks do work...

@zafferana
Yeah, I think that’s one of the misunderstandings about masks. Virus particles are tiny so fabric masks aren’t great, but virus particles can also be spread on those tiny bubbles of spit (can’t think of the technical term!) that fly out when you cough, sneeze, sometimes even talk… even fabric masks are good at blocking those much larger particles. Hence why I said they reduce transmission, and reduce the viral load that can spread from an infected person. Not perfect but not useless. As long as people use good quality masks and don’t half-arse it.

Mask wearing does reduce transmission but the government seems to have done everything to make people think it is pointless. There are studies showing it does reduce transmission but yes it would be better if FFP2 masks were mandated like in other countries as they definitely do filter out 95% or so of viral particles.
However people forget viral load is important. Even a cloth mask will stop a large percentage of droplets from someone coughing or sneezing. They may not stop all the virus escaping but they will stop the droplets the virus is mainly contained within and will reduce the amount of virus escaping. Therefore others will have a reduced viral load which increases the likelihood of your immune system being able to beat it before you show symptoms l, particularly in vaccinated people.

They tried @Dancerinthedark01. There have been protests in over 200 towns and cities every Saturday for 13 consecutive weeks but the French government are making it harder and harder for people to avoid the vaccine and so earn their “vaccine passport qr code”.
As a human being over the age of 12, you are no longer entitled to free testing if unvaccinated. Home tests are not widely used and can’t be used to obtain a QR code for the vaccine passport.
All employees who work in places where the vaccine passport is required are also subject to supplying their vaccine passport so for any unvaccinated waiter working 5 days per week, this involves a weekly cost of 50-75 euros. There are other job categories with mandated vaccine requirements including firemen, nurses, doctors and care home staff - not the police or gendarmes though!
Apart from that, you need a vaccine pass to enter;
Restaurants, cafes, bars, theme parks, tourist attractions, museums, cinemas, theatres, gyms, fitness classes, fairs, large events, town events, stadiums, sports teams, kid’s sports tournaments, local sports clubs and even some school events like parent’s evening.

It is almost impossible (or very costly) for anyone to remain unvaccinated and so many have begrudgingly been vaccinated and dropped out of the protests.

I know plenty of people welcome mass vaccination and so may not be so worried to hear that this is the outcome but as over 83% of the uk population over the age of 16 have been doubly vaccinated, why is this necessary in the uk?

There is also something extremely uncomfortable about sitting in a cafe and watching healthy people being turned away because they don’t have a passport.

Of course it's on its way. It infuriates me as I have a child at uni and I don't want it. I actually made a post the other day and bet my house on it, maybe I should've added the savings too.

Boris will call a presser, restrictions such as masks and WFH will come back. Possibly bubbles as some schools have been told to do this anyway.

Let people spend over half term. Firebreak of holidays is just not enough. Waning immunity, shit. November and December it's not enough and boom lockdown.

All so avoidable if people did not bury their heads in the sand and say its fiiiiiiiine. It's not.

We have zero mitigation
Waning immunity
A shit booster roll out
Just in time for winter

Oh and some of the highest Covid statistics in the world.

I am going away this weekend and I'll enjoy some great nights out. Whilst I can!

@edisonbulb

I just don't know why they don't mandate mask now. It's not that difficult.

Because we can't wear masks for eternity.

@Itisasecret

Of course it's on its way. It infuriates me as I have a child at uni and I don't want it. I actually made a post the other day and bet my house on it, maybe I should've added the savings too.

Boris will call a presser, restrictions such as masks and WFH will come back. Possibly bubbles as some schools have been told to do this anyway.

Let people spend over half term. Firebreak of holidays is just not enough. Waning immunity, shit. November and December it's not enough and boom lockdown.

All so avoidable if people did not bury their heads in the sand and say its fiiiiiiiine. It's not.

We have zero mitigation
Waning immunity
A shit booster roll out
Just in time for winter

Oh and some of the highest Covid statistics in the world.

I am going away this weekend and I'll enjoy some great nights out. Whilst I can!

Maybe you are right. Reading on here though there would be a lot of protests at another lockdown. I am not sure Boris would dare.

It will be a VERY good cover up for supply chain/fuel issues. Of course it's the plan. There will be nothing to do anyway. The eventual lockdown because the dropped the ball on COVID will divert from that.

He's covering up one issue with another.

@Itisasecret if we lockdown it will be Jan. no one would do a Christmas one again.

Although most experts agree we won't need a lockdown.

[quote covidwoewoe]@Itisasecret if we lockdown it will be Jan. no one would do a Christmas one again.

Although most experts agree we won't need a lockdown.[/quote]
Let's see shall we? They said that last time and the last time.

It is pretty obvious to me what the future is holding, so I'll be out enjoying myself as much as possible and telling my children to do the same.

It is so predictable now.

And yet study after study after study have shown that masks do work...

What studies have shown is that masks are helpful in crowded places with no/limited ventilation and only if a) everyone wears one b) everyone wears a decent grade of mask and c) everyone wears them properly. On the street or in spacious or well ventilated places they are unnecessary.

Another winter wfh would probably push me over the edge to be honest.

UK kids: what we having in November for tea?

Government mam: shit with sugar on.

I was hoping we would soon be following the likes of Denmark and Norway and lifting all restrictions...

I think there will be an increase in restrictions this coming winter.
The government do tend to sow the seeds via the press to gauge reaction prior to an announcement, or even just to sway public opinion.
The latest example was an article on BBC website today concerning a new delta variant. It's not a variant of concern yet, but enough to write a story on it, to plant that little seed in people's heads.

@Milkbottlelegs - yup agree. I think it'll push a lot of people over the edge.

@UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername - In Ireland, 90% of adults are vaccinated. Only 30% of ICU patients are unvaccinated. That means that 70% of the ICU patients are coming from only 10% of the population. The unvaccinated are very definitely having a disproportionate impact on the health system.

I assume that is a typo as only 30% of ICU patients are vaccinated, meaning 70% of ICU patients are coming from 10% of tkd population. The 30% who are vaccinated also include some with compromised immune systems for whom the vaccine did not work so they are in effect unvaccinated.

How can they lockdown when furlough has ended? Will they bring that back? Will they bring back the UC uplift? I can't see them doing either of those things so really can't see a lockdown happening. They might do the mask route, but I'm with the masks are useless brigade. Or at least they are in the UK and our masks.

The best way to help our situation is make vaccines easily accessible for boosters and teenagers. DD1 (13YO) hasn't heard about hers. We have given permission and she has said she want's it, but hasn't heard a thing about when. I'm getting more info from MN about the rollout.

@Itisasecret so you know more than the scientists? Good for you.