What do you think should happen?

[Jourdain11]

Rather than, "we're going to lockdown again, aren't we?" I'm interested to know what people think should happen.

I think we should avoid lockdown at all costs. I'm also not in favour of restrictions being brought in, unless they are ones where it is clear that the benefits broadly outweigh the negatives.

If we need to have mandatory mask-wearing in public settings, proper masks should be provided at a set rate or free of charge. This would be expensive, but IMO would be a better use of funds than endless asymptomatic testing.

I do think that ultimately, asymptomatic testing needs to stop at some point. I'm not sure cases are such a useful way of measuring the impact of Covid any more and it creates a lot of public anxiety.

I also think that Covid has exposed a lot of health inequalities and these need to be addressed, so that the population can generally be in better health. Social prescribing is a good idea, but it isn't used widely or effectively enough.

I am against lockdown, closing school and work from home orders.

I am also against weird, pointless and ill-thought-out measures, like substantial meals, etc.!

I would be on board with localised restrictions if they were necessary.

I wouldn't expect anyone to.

People who really are CEV are at risk from any illness, not just Covid. And most will have ways of taking precautions and keeping themselves safe.

@TreaslakeandBack

I think mandatory mask wearing, make it a lot harder to be unvaccinated eg Covid pass like France , bring back isolation if someone in your household has it, work from home. I think we should bring this in ASAP. We can’t lock down again.

I don't understand why people think mandatory mask wearing will make such a difference. Cases in Blaenau Gwent were over 1100 per 100,000 yesterday. That's a staggering number.

Everything should go back to how it was pre pandemic. No more restrictions. No more testing, no more isolating, no boosters. Enough is enough. People have given up enough it's time to go back to normal

Nothing. We learn to live with it. And I am absolutely not on board with local restrictions as we were royally screwed over in our rural area of Lancashire last time. If this is a journalist/ government thread trying to see whether people would be on board with further lockdowns; you can stop me from spending my money in shops and restaurants, you can force me to let the families that I work with down by making me work from home, you can stop my child receiving his full education but you can’t stop me mixing indoors with family and friends.

@LiquidSodaCrystal

I think we should accept that the NHS should be a Covid/pandemic and urgent care service, and work out a way of paying for primary and routine care. (Insurance type.).

I've just bought private health care insurance. I think it's a good idea for those who can afford it to do so. I'd rather do my bit to reduce pressure on the NHS by using private healthcare rather than restrict my life again.

I would prefer they worked out a decent workable system, with affordable/subsidized premiums for all than continue to pay for the NHS as it is, as well as American levels of insurance.

And premiums go up hugely after about aged 50 don't they?

Re-engage the volunteers that helped with covid vaccine earlier in year to get boosters and 12 upwards vaccinated if want.

Sit firm... Ride it out

@almaonao

I smell journalists or other marketing professionals trying to cook up appetite for a 'circuit breaker'

Go away.

It's not journalists. It's the government.

They know it's likely they'll have to do something similar to last November otherwise all that party dress/ cinnamon latte/Christmas present /Christmas food buying doesn't happen in December.

For those saying go back to pre-pandemic normal, have you looked at a school or hospital recently? This IS (not was) a once in a lifetime pandemic. (The NHS issues are far far more complex than just covid though).

We should be doing everything now that reduces spread without obstructing education and employment/ the economy from continuing. That means seriously paying attention to vaccination, mask wearing, distancing where possible (including working from home if able), asymptomatic screening and symptomatic testing. It might not be enough, but now is the time to act. If not, it is inevitable that tougher restrictions will come.

Round here they are cancelling all the outdoor fireworks which Inevitably lead to people socialising in doors instead. Stupid gesture politics.
If you want people to be less likely to socialise indoors have lots of outdoor events instead. Encourage people to sit outdoors in public places. Put gazebos up on village greens or local parks. Encourage bars and restaurants to set up outdoor stalls.

Tell people to work from home. Easy wins. Who cares if costa has to close a few branches.

I agree with @TreaslakeandBack.

Masks, masks, masks. Can't understand those that consider them a matter of "personal responsibility". We all have a responsibility to each other. And yes, many don't wear them correctly - they need to be educated /penalized! £50 quid for not wearing your mask correctly on the tube. Money allocated to the NHS.

@LiquidSodaCrystal, private insurance does not work that well in the States, where I'm from. People die because they can't afford to go to the doctor/A&E.

@WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor

Round here they are cancelling all the outdoor fireworks which Inevitably lead to people socialising in doors instead. Stupid gesture politics. If you want people to be less likely to socialise indoors have lots of outdoor events instead. Encourage people to sit outdoors in public places. Put gazebos up on village greens or local parks. Encourage bars and restaurants to set up outdoor stalls. Tell people to work from home. Easy wins. Who cares if costa has to close a few branches.

I mean, the people who work in the Costas might care. We can't save all jobs but it's a bit shit to say "who cares" when you're discussing someone's livelihood.

Exactly. It's not just "Pret over saving lives". It's the people who work in Pret, their suppliers, the delivery drivers who deliver their supplies...

Lot of disingenuous or VERY stupid posts here.

WFH if possible. Masks on public places. Distancing where possible. Stronger push for boosters, and I am broadly in favour of vaccine passports as long as there are clear indications of how they will be temporary.

No more lockdowns unless the vaccines fail.

And working from home is really shit for a lot of people, and often has a negative effect on productivity.

At the very least government should update the list of symptoms associated with Covid. Quite bizzare that we're trying to control the spread of a virus when nobody know what the symptoms of the virus are.

@changingstages

Lot of disingenuous or VERY stupid posts here.

WFH if possible. Masks on public places. Distancing where possible. Stronger push for boosters, and I am broadly in favour of vaccine passports as long as there are clear indications of how they will be temporary.

No more lockdowns unless the vaccines fail.

See, I think this is disingenuous.

Wfh = bad for the economy
Masks = unless they are actually the right type, more or less Covid Theatre
Distancing = bad for the economy
Boosters / vaccine passports = you cannot actually force people to be vaccinated if they don't want to be.

There are a lot of issues with these supposedly "simple" measures.

Nothing.

@almaonao

I smell journalists or other marketing professionals trying to cook up appetite for a 'circuit breaker'

Go away.

This. The Tories have so far bent to the will of whomever shouts the loudest. It’s a popularity contest. If people start crying out for restrictions then we will end up with them.

There is no need, IMO.

@Jourdain11

Exactly. It's not just "Pret over saving lives". It's the people who work in Pret, their suppliers, the delivery drivers who deliver their supplies...

Yes! I agree! I get so pissed off when people dryly comment that it’s all about saving Pret

The vaccine programme is by far the most effective measure we've had and giving the opportunity for eligible people to take it up and have the boosters is the most useful priority.

Beyond that, personal choice. People have their positions and they're free to continue with them. People can continue double masking and shunning all company or going on mass waves and snogging everyone in sight and all the other ranges of actual behaviour inbetween.

Masks are discriminatory in terms of usage, behaviour towards exempt people and people with social/ communication difficulties or development needs. They stop people being fully human to each other because the human brain is attuned to facial patterns and 2/3s of those are obstructed. The average way that they are used and the quality of them means that their usage has minimal benefit and does not outweigh their social and environmental costs. People are free to wear them if they wish, so there is no need to compel people to wear them.

Social distancing will finish off a lot of businesses that have barely survived since March 2020. There isn't the money to bail them out yet again. It's not as harmless as staying a few feet further away from someone else.

Vaccine passports are socially divisive and set an unwelcome precedent for government policy to interfere with personal lifestyle choices. The demographic most likely to go to mass events is not the demographic most likely to be seriously ill. The vaccine is effective at reducing the spread of cases and the severity, but a venue full of only vaccinated people is not going to be "Covid Safe". The majority have been vaccinated of their own choice anyway.

Ironically the most effective measure is the least discussed, ventilation. Mainly because unlike a mask or sanitiser, you don't see it. But public places do generally have the fans on more than before and windows/ doors open. I'm definitely struggling to hear over the low rumble of the fans in shops now, but that is for a good reason.

Cases do not rise for ever and ever. The profile of cases is in the younger age groups with minimal impact on the NHS and has been for some time without the mass killing of grannies. This will continue until everyone's been exposed and developed immunity/ is up to date on vaccines. Breaking that up with lockdowns is counterproductive. It's "good" that cases have built up over the summer and early autumn, not being bottled up until the regular flu season starts.

Society needs stable normality, and the mental security to be able to make plans and see them through to fruition. Having your life turned on and off to satisfy the whims of the paranoid is having a huge cumulative impact building up. There are a lot of exhausted people on the edge of their coping threshold after 3 lockdowns and umpteen variations of restriction. The nice-to-haves that are the first to be stolen by lockdown/ restrictions are the value added things that keep people ticking along happily. It's not wise to break too many people at the same time, and mental health is one of the most broken areas of public services/ NHS anyway.

Boosters first and foremost - volunteers / centres etc as before

People listening to messages - eg boosters, LFT before seeing vulnerable, masks I really don’t care that much but if people are concerned about numbers wear a mask

Masks everywhere inside and vaccine passports

I don’t think I’d do anything at this point except speed up/expand boosters and run a public information campaign encouraging vaccine uptake.

Most other interventions either wholly pointless, or too harmful to either mental health or the economy, or both.

Masks are discriminatory in terms of usage, behaviour towards exempt people and people with social/ communication difficulties or development needs. They stop people being fully human to each other because the human brain is attuned to facial patterns and 2/3s of those are obstructed

Agree with this. As much as many people emphasise that they (or sometimes their kids) ‘don’t mind’ wearing masks, I do wonder they are doing to our collective psychology at a societal level, especially where children and young people are concerned. They are certainly not the easy, harmless measure they’re made out to be, and do not allow for normal, convivial human interaction.