More stringent measures next week?

[AchillesLastStand]

From the Guardian just now:

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/10/stringent-uk-covid-measures-needed-within-a-week-leak-reveals

but can you go to work @sausagepastapot?
or are your colleagues trying to cover you?
are you isolating
not visiting shops and pubs and spending your cash

@Muchtoomuchtodo

Wales are onto weekly reviews of the restrictions now rather than 3 weekly, that means there are 2 more before Christmas Day….

I wouldn't be surprised of we were back online learning for a week or two in Jan until everyone had booster.

Yeah, I won't be not seeing friends and family. I don't see them doing a full lockdown anyway. Maybe restrictions on the number of people who can meet and no big events. Pretty obvious that covid was man-made now. Most pandemics last 2 years.

Even if it is mild, the guidelines will still expect people to isolate and 10 days is a long time not to be able to go to work. In Scotland they are asking all family members to isolate too ( so I've heard ) which will cause even more problems I can imagine. They either let people with mild cold like symptoms back out into the community, or they expect people to sit at home with the cold remedies.
I've heard many experts this morning , mostly doom and gloom, but nobody has really addressed the isolation times or how that might affect the community as a whole
Those wfh are able to carry on, but not everyone does of course.
We then go back to protecting the NHS again.
How will they will sell us another lockdown ?
I doubt many will do it for a 'mild ' cold. Plus people are much more skeptical now than they were before.
It is a dilemma of mammoth proportions.

I've had it very recently and felt really rough.
I wouldn't wish it on anyone at all
I know I recovered , but the thought of getting this new variant is depressing to be honest.

@GoldenOmber

Yes, it is two years in now, we are all fully aware of the need for NHS capacity. Plus, I worked on COVID response including looking at NHS capacity in the first wave; believe me, I know what an overwhelmed NHS would have looked like.

But lockdowns were not done to ‘flatten the curve’. Lockdowns we’re done to absolutely flatten the curve as much as we could u til we knew if vaccines were going to work out. Because when you lift the lockdown, COVID comes right back and now you are dealing with that on top of all the other NHS issues caused by lockdowns.

We should do what we reasonably can to mitigate the worst effects of omicron, but we should be honest with ourselves about what ‘reasonably’ and ‘mitigate’ look like in a post-vaccine world. Locking down again and again and again and again is not it.

This.

[quote Autumndays123]**@Mickarooni* what on earth do you mean it isn't likely? So you think this is the last variant and then we're all saved? Get a grip. If you want to protect yourself you* lockdown, don't drag everyone else down with you[/quote]
@Autumndays123
what on earth?!! Why on earth do you assume I want to lockdown? That’s quite funny that you took that from my post.

It isn’t “likely” that clinically extremely vulnerable people will succumb to another variant. If you think that’s true, prove it.

I clearly said I’m happy to protect myself but I’m not “dragging anyone down”. I actually am anti restrictions and I’m more than happy to do my own risk assessments. I don’t need the government to dictate what is and isn’t safe.

@the80sweregreat

Even if it is mild, the guidelines will still expect people to isolate and 10 days is a long time not to be able to go to work. In Scotland they are asking all family members to isolate too ( so I've heard ) which will cause even more problems I can imagine. They either let people with mild cold like symptoms back out into the community, or they expect people to sit at home with the cold remedies. I've heard many experts this morning , mostly doom and gloom, but nobody has really addressed the isolation times or how that might affect the community as a whole Those wfh are able to carry on, but not everyone does of course. We then go back to protecting the NHS again. How will they will sell us another lockdown ? I doubt many will do it for a 'mild ' cold. Plus people are much more skeptical now than they were before. It is a dilemma of mammoth proportions.

People just won’t test. Either out of selfishness or an absolute need to work to support themselves. Or because the official symptoms still don’t reflect the emerging common symptoms of Omicron (or indeed of Delta). I do have sympathy with those who can’t afford to test and potentially isolate. Not much for those who won’t test because it will cramp their social life.

@GoldenOmber

Do people really think covid will just disappear? Or do they really think there will be a vaccine found that works against all variants?

Honestly I think many people just aren’t thinking beyond the immediate future. So if you say “but if we do this now, then we’ll be doing it every year, won’t we?” they’ll tell you that we won’t and you’re being ridiculous, but can’t really explain why not.

We are, probably, going to have on going restrictions for years to come.

Why wouldn't we? allowing elderly/vulnerable (and that includes a lot of people you might be working with) to die off is unacceptable, we've the 6th highest obesity rate in the OECD rankings.

Economies don't function if people are too scared to go out and about.

Yes a wide spectrum vaccine is more than possible with the mRNA vaccines currently in use/development.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

we need carers and care packages care agencies are in dire straits - increase their wages, let their hours be more family friendly - treat them better, with more respect

Could most care home residents afford an increase in fees to pay for those better wages? They are already paying an average of £3,500 a month. I know councils pay something towards the fee for those who are hard up, but councils have no cash to spare to pay for increases.

I think we should have online learning for jan giving time for everyone who wants a booster to have one.

Personally working in a secondary when I’ve read my 2 jabs only offer me between 0-45% against new variant is scary

I don’t need the government to dictate what is and isn’t safe

We need scientists and public health experts to tell us, not politicians. They’ve got a vested interest in keeping the population happy (for votes).

I’d rather get medical information from a doctor not the prime minister. Sadly that’s not what has happened with covid. Now we have the ridiculous situation of people thinking they know better than what scientists are telling us.

but the scientists can only warn the government and the public.

and the scientists are warning we need the boosters

Why wouldn't we? allowing elderly/vulnerable (and that includes a lot of people you might be working with) to die off is unacceptable, we've the 6th highest obesity rate in the OECD rankings.

I believe they should be given enough support to isolate and that they need to take responsibility for this. The rest of us, however, need to get on with it. I’m not putting my life on hold for strangers. Why would I?

Why wouldn't we?

Well, because it has a massive and damaging impact on people’s lives, and even if you only cared about health, health is more than the absence of one specific virus?

“Sorry you’re going to have to spend your last three years in a care home isolated from all those who love you, Mum, but you know visits and hugs and seeing our faces is just far too dangerous. Maybe we can have one of your children come and wave at you through a window sometimes? We’re doing it for your own good. No you don’t get a say in your own good, Mum, don’t be so selfish!”

But even if you’re all right with that: what do you think happens at the end of those years? Because we could lock down for twenty years, massively wreck people’s lives, and then unlock… and coronavirus will still be there.

Yep those who want to lockdown should be allowed to do so, at their own expenses. That means finding a job that will let you work from home, or failing that, sign up for universal credit. There is absolutely no reason why the rest of society, 95% of whom will get nothing but a mild illness if they even catch it in the first place, should lockdown and ruin their lives.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

but the scientists can only warn the government and the public.

The scientists warn the government. And the government decides what action to take, not scientists.

If I go to the doctors for treatment, I don’t expect a middle man to “spin” it for me, or decide only to do part of what is suggested.

This government is mainly relying on boosters with minimal restrictions on everything else. Ever since the vaccines came along, that’s been their approach, and it’s not what scientists recommend.

@paranoidnamechanger

Why wouldn't we? allowing elderly/vulnerable (and that includes a lot of people you might be working with) to die off is unacceptable, we've the 6th highest obesity rate in the OECD rankings.

I believe they should be given enough support to isolate and that they need to take responsibility for this. The rest of us, however, need to get on with it. I’m not putting my life on hold for strangers. Why would I?

Around 30% of the adult pop. are obese, that approx 15m people, many of whom would be working, with around another 15m over weight.

Who is going to do their jobs whilst they isolate and diet? or pay their bills etc

@Autumndays123

Yep those who want to lockdown should be allowed to do so, at their own expenses. That means finding a job that will let you work from home, or failing that, sign up for universal credit. There is absolutely no reason why the rest of society, 95% of whom will get nothing but a mild illness if they even catch it in the first place, should lockdown and ruin their lives.

Because that 5% will end up breaking the nhs. That’s the whole point of lockdowns. Not to protect the 95%

ok, you have broken your leg but you cannot get an ambulance let alone be admitted because the nhs is overwhelmed - the staff have to isolate due to the virus - either because of them or their children/friends.

@Iggly so lockdown forever then?

People don't trust the scientists either !
I had never heard of any of these people in 2019 who are now household names ( Profs JVT, Chris Whitty , Patrick Valence, Dame Sarah Gilbert etc)
I knew there were chief medical officers and the like, but never had any reason to know that much about them or what they did.
People now don't seem to think they know what they are talking about ( I know that is rubbish , but it's how some people think !)
People do not trust anyone anymore
I listen to the experts on tv, I know that they know more than I'll ever know, but not everyone is like me or my own dh. Plus a few also contradict each other too.

You only need to read the comments online to know that people are so anti everything.
It is actually scary how ill informed many people are including many of my own colleagues
It's not even worth trying to engage with a few of them they are convinced it is a ' plandemic'
and nothing more.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

ok, you have broken your leg but you cannot get an ambulance let alone be admitted because the nhs is overwhelmed - the staff have to isolate due to the virus - either because of them or their children/friends.

In some peoples minds, there is no need to isolate, you just carry on with your lives, if you ve broken your leg, perhaps take more care next time? Why should i pay taxes for your carelessness?

Wow that is a shocking attitude.

How about accident then or an asthma attack etc. Lots of reasons people go to A and E but people tend to assume its "other people."