So happy tests are to be axed

[Wizzbangfizz]

So according to reports they are going to stop handing out LFT and will be stopping mass testing - this is excellent news for both the tax payer and the environment and surely marks a clear path this whole thing becoming endemic

It certainly seems that there is a section of society that is thrilled to see life more difficult for the vulnerable .

@onanotherday

Wow...just when you think this bloody government can't get any worse!! Today we reached 150k deaths..

In Johnson's own words this week 'we aren't out of the woods yet.' I wonder what the medics think🤔

So the poor and vulnerable will have to fork out more...and if people don't want to test that's OK the virus knows not to pass it on.

I suppose the only light at the end of the tunnel is some Tory backbencher has got the gig to make them...

But what are the death stats for the last 5 years.

Our gov here (jersey) have made a fuss about the 89 deaths we’ve had. And how deadly the virus is. In the last 5 years 2018 was the highest year for deaths here.

I’m not making light of covid or the deaths it has caused. But put it into perspective.

This would be a PITA - I test for work as I work in close contact with people and it reassures my clients but as I’m self-employed and not a key worker, I will have to buy them in if they do bring this in. Which is yet another cost for a very new, very small business. I just hope they aren’t too expensive.

People will stockpile free tests

@ZenNudist

People will stockpile free tests

Yeah or sell them on.

@chaosrabbitland

praise be to the goods , could this mean that when i go to work in the pharmacy /everyday beauty store im in , i wont be constanly getting bloody moaned at , asked inane questions , such as when are they coming in , and where else has got them , all in a whingey voice and pained expression , and oh my god , the fucking arse they get when they havent got the code and we arent supposed to be giving them without the code , . but some of them moan so much we have to give them one without anyway .

cant wait for this to start taking effect

How terrible for you to be troubled by worried people in the midst of a pandemic. Let's hope you show them more empathy.

Yeah or sell them on.

How much does this happen in countries where they are not free?

@slashlover

im quite happy working with them , the insanity surrounding lateral flow tests is mind boggling and reveals the stupidity of people , if people that dont need them for work are still that desperate to get them , then im sure they will be happy to pay

How are people stupid if they want to take a lateral flow before meeting an elderly parent? Or to get out of isolation at day 7? By work do you mean everyone with a job or just essential workers?

You may be aware that some people probably can't afford to pay so will either need to isolate before seeing family or just not see them at all?

I don't need them for work but I test twice a week because I go to an office. It's the sensible thing to do.

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/08/end-mass-jabs-and-live-with-covid-says-ex-head-of-vaccine-taskforce

I'm not sure what I think of that. It's basically giving up.

But are they stopping testing or just saying you have to pay for it yourself?

I envision other countries closing their boundaries to us for holiday travel.

An endemic is when they have a stable virus that has a predictable outcome like the flu every year.
This coronavirus is still all over the place.
How can it be classed as an endemic at this stage?
Yes to this! Of course we want it all to become the same scenario as the flu, but I don't want to find out in years to come that our kids have worse lung or heart function because of covid

What happens about testing for close contacts then? When my dc had Covid over Christmas the rest of us were told to do LFTs every day for 7 days. There were 5 of us testing, plus my positive dc also had to test on days 6 & 7 to end isolation early. So we used more than 5 boxes of tests in a week - and could have been more if any of us had caught it from her, therefore extending the testing period for the rest of the family. That would have been a very expensive week if we'd been paying for the tests...

@Ellieboolou33

Thank fuck for that!

What I was just about to post!!!!! Well said

[quote GiveMeNovocain]@chaosrabbitland can't believe the hard time you're getting here. Sadly some members of the public make it very hard to like them especially when you work in the coal front daily. I wonder how many people have work in a shop? I have done. I had to be polite, not actually like people moaning at me. On the day the shop closed and I lost my job I had such a nasty customer they stuck with me for 20 years. The people who serve you are human too and your behaviour has an impact[/quote]
i work in retail and customers do moan. Chaosrabbit seems particularly vicious about their customers though.

How will this work if someone in your home tests positive? At the moment there’s the option for a fully vaxxed person to take a daily LFT and not have to isolate with them. They aren’t talking about axing self-isolation altogether, so is that going to mean that if someone tests positive then you’re going to have to fork out for tests?

@Infracat You should try being disabled. People really don't give a fuck about us.

end mass jabs and just live with it is just an opinion from Dr Clive Dix, does not mean it will happen

You guys are going to have to pay for them then? I don't get the excitement, living in a country where we have always had to pay for home tests (but could get them free with some jobs).
Can somebody who is excited tell me why this is good news? Is it a tax thing?

@MarshaBradyo

Yeah or sell them on.

How much does this happen in countries where they are not free?

Not at all. They aren't that expensive.

[quote UsernameInTheTown]@Infracat You should try being disabled. People really don't give a fuck about us.[/quote]
I don't think that's really what Dix proposes, is it?

It's about ending mass jabs, not ending all jabs.

I would expect that, if you are vulnerable, then you'll still be eligible.

But I suppose the point is that the rest of the population will not because they don't need it.

It's a good move, as it will save a ton of money that can be better invested in schools, the NHS, care provision, and so on.

@MissPeregrine

I suppose it will help the numbers to go down….

Exactly! You only have the virus if you test positive anyway.

Fab news and about time too!

This is the best news I’ve heard in a loooong time.

Am I only one who thought OP meant that LFTs were now being called "happy tests"

Even though who in world feels happy taking one... was this the ultimate irony? I've read far weirder statements from MNers, so it didn't seem impossible OP really did want to call them "happy tests"

• personally can't wait for all this craziness to end, fearing it never will because so many people like authoritarianism & cotton wool why don't they all move to China then

If they can’t keep up with demand-people suddenly don’t need tests.
It’s how they work in government.