All Covid rules to be scrapped at end of the month!

[Cheekypeach]

🍾

The reality is for much of lock down it has been to protect the vulnerable, to ensure the nhs could treat them, to ensure they were protected as much as possible. As hard as it is, it is now time for Normal life to resume. Society cannot go on like this. The vulnerable now need to protect themselves, masks, social distancing, hand sanitising, whilst the rest of society gets back to normal.

The disruption caused by the self isolation rules is enormous. The overwhelming majority of people are now self isolating, unable to leave fheir homes, to take their kids to school, to shop, to go to the supermarket, to work, for nothing more than a minor cold for a couple of days and no symptoms at all for much of the self isolation time, feeling perfectly healthy but not able to function in society, illegal to go out unless it’s an emergency.

The cost is huge, to schools, hospitals, emergency services, businesses, personal lives, and now far outweighs the risk.

Cev need to continue to take precautions, the unvaccinated too, but the rest of society does now need to resume normal life.

Back to normal' doesn't look the same for everyone though does it? Vulnerable people are going to be even more at risk so their worlds are about to become a lot smaller.

I don't really understand how this makes vulnerable people's worlds a lot smaller... It's not as though places where vulnerable people might interact with strangers will suddenly become risky when they were safe before. There's significant transmission with the isolation rule in place, and it's not like anyone can go to, say, a cafe and think "oh, because of the isolation rule, no one on here is likely to have Covid so it's safe because those who might be infectious would be isolating". If it was that east, we'd have eliminated Covid back in 2020!

It is great news! The economy cannot sustain much more of this, however it is time for people to take responsibility for themselves. I for one will probably still wear a mask for a while longer just for my peace of mind. Social distancing and using hand sanitizer has become a habit, but it will mean the hospitality industry for one can get back to normal.

Easy not east

You’re really naive if you think things will be anywhere near normal because of this.

@treeflowercat no of course nowhere has been 100% safe throughout this entire thing. But to me it's madness to tell people they don't have to isolate when they have tested positive. Granted plenty of people will have been ignoring the rules and doing it regardless especially since
partygate, but I really feel this is a bad move that will open the floodgates.

That's just me. If I have a sickness bug or a horrendous cold I wouldn't go cram myself into a packed theatre/shopping centre/cinema whatever. Our kids get kept off school for 48 hours if they have d&v to avoid spreading to others. Yet suddenly it's fine to parade around while covid positive?

I want normality as much as the next person trust me. We have all missed out on so much. But I just feel sorry for those who are being forgotten about in this whole scenario.

@flapjackfairy

well I have a 7yr old who is extremely vulnerable and hasn't even had his first vacine yet so no popping of champagne corks here. But let's face it vulnerable kids have been sidelined and pretty much ignored throughout this whole pandemic so I shouldn't really be surprised.

This. In exactly the same situation with an 11 year old. I get fucking tired of the line 'but it does not affect children; being trotted out. One of the girls who is under the care of my DS's consultant was hospitalised and is a very long way from getting anyhting like back to normal.

Fucks me off the vulnerable children were not vaccinated months ago.

It’s the right time to do this. I do feel sorry for the CEV but it’s time for everyone to be responsible for themselves and implement their own restrictions if they want to (mask wearing etc). We can’t isolate healthy adults and children forever. It’s damaging to education, businesses, people’s finances and careers. Cases are going down and we have the vaccines and better treatment as well as a level of community immunity.

And no, I’m I’ve got covid and am very unwell with it I won’t be out in society parading it around. But I won’t be testing for every minor cold or cough and I won’t isolate if I’m well enough to be out and about or go to work. We have to use some common sense.

It is time for us to get back to normal,get people back to work
I worry so much about young people ,am sure mental health issues will be horrendous in the coming years
I will stay home if ill,as I always did,but will not have to stay off work when there's nothing wrong with me

@BonnesVacances Indeed. With a bit of luck karma will do its thing and those who don't give a shit about the vulnerable will become one themselves one day.
Right so you're wishing illness on people? Nice.

Broadly speaking this is fantastic news!

However, I hope we don't go back to a culture of having to come to work while ill (which was expected in my industry) and that people feel they can actually take time off when sick. We shall see.

@Overthebow we already do isolate people for other conditions while they are contagious though? If you worked in hospitality and had a sickness bug you'd have to stay off. Kids have to stay off school. And this is a sickness bug which is although unpleasant not likely to kill anyone.

I'm in favour of normality returning but I do think isolating even if only for 5 days and mask wearing in busy places (which is completely straightforward and free and non disruptive for most people) should be the bare minimum.

@treeflowercat

Back to normal' doesn't look the same for everyone though does it? Vulnerable people are going to be even more at risk so their worlds are about to become a lot smaller.

I don't really understand how this makes vulnerable people's worlds a lot smaller... It's not as though places where vulnerable people might interact with strangers will suddenly become risky when they were safe before. There's significant transmission with the isolation rule in place, and it's not like anyone can go to, say, a cafe and think "oh, because of the isolation rule, no one on here is likely to have Covid so it's safe because those who might be infectious would be isolating". If it was that east, we'd have eliminated Covid back in 2020!

Because it's about assessing risk of catching Covid. It was never zero, but now the risk has increased significantly.

My DD(20) now can't go into an indoor space at all. She can't go out anyway as she's been bedbound since catching Covid nearly 2 years ago. She was CEV so was shielding but caught it from DS via school. But a big part of her recovery is to be able to get her out and start opening up her world.

She has severe PTSD from her life being totally fucked by Covid. Knowing that there are now NO protections makes it mentally impossible for her to do that. Treatment and recovery from PTSD is by healing the trauma and staying in safe places. Now her safe place is her home again.

It's so utterly offensive to read shit like Yeah I care about the vulnerable but. The but tells me you have no fucking idea whatsoever how dismissive that is or what it's like to live on a knife edge of illness.

I hope everyone enjoys their champagne.

HallieLA yes, cases are high in primary schools right now. But the disruption is caused by the compulsory isolation, not the actual illness.

Might be the case with kids but schools will still be disrupted by staff closures. So many staff at my school have had COVID in the last couple of months. Only one had it mildly enough to have been able to work from home. The others were all sick in bed for days. (Everyone was vaccinated).

As I mentioned on another thread, there is a suggestion that teachers are exposed to a higher viral load due to prolonged close contact so this might be why they often seem to suffer symptomatically. We generally have very low levels of staff sickness - can't remember anyone being out with flu for example - but COVID has floored many people.

Sorry, should say disrupted by staff sickness.

Very jealous of you lot south of the border. We're stuck with Queen Covid who will keep restrictions for much much longer just so she can be "not Boris".

End of Covid restrictions meet cost of living crisis.

I wonder if the government have planned to lift restrictions early so they can fanfare a short term boost to the economy, before it all goes to hell in a handcart as rising energy costs, inflation and interest rate rises start to really bite ?

The sheer selfishness of some people has been eye opening throughout this pandemic.
I can think of things in normal everyday life far more inconvenient than an lft and a face mask.

It was only yesterday I saw someone at a family centre for pregnant women and small children- midwife, health visitor and pre school. And the first thing this women said was ‘I’ve had to bring my daughter, she’s off school with bad tonsillitis’. It made me think…. What?

@BonnesVacances

It’s a shame these selfish ass folk won’t just reinfect each other constantly, those of us who have actively made an effort and successfully avoided covid throughout this pandemic just have to suffer for the likes of the others.
I really wish my children weren’t school age.

Fantastic news.

So sorry to read about your DD, @BonnesVacances.

[quote Happyfeet45]@Overthebow we already do isolate people for other conditions while they are contagious though? If you worked in hospitality and had a sickness bug you'd have to stay off. Kids have to stay off school. And this is a sickness bug which is although unpleasant not likely to kill anyone.

I'm in favour of normality returning but I do think isolating even if only for 5 days and mask wearing in busy places (which is completely straightforward and free and non disruptive for most people) should be the bare minimum. [/quote]
If I have a sickness bug I’m generating too ill to be leaving the house though, and there is no legal 48 hours isolation so there are loads of people going around in society when they’re feeling a bit better less than 48 hours after.

People will treat covid the same and stay in when actually unwell then go out when they are feeling better. That’s sensible.

Here is the reality...

March 2020 everyone happy ish to protect the NHS and vunerable.

Since the vaccinations moaningnabout vunerable being vaccinated so needing to get back to normal has increased.
Alongside this lots and lots of 'concern' about the poor children from difficult and abusive homes (fair enough) and all the children who have missed education.
I get it is shit for thos kids.

But here is the ironyy .... you are now celebrating that restrictions are stopping and completely forgettingnthe 1000s of children who are CEV and hugely at risk from covid many 9f whom are still waiting for their first vaccination. Some of the 5 to 11 have recieved them in last few weeks but only their first dose and they need 2. Many more are still waiting for that first dose.

It is likely going to be end of april or may begore they have had both the required doses.

So what you really mean is you cared about the old, you cared about the CEV adults, yoy care about the healthy children but you dont give a damn about the at risk children.

A few more months and they too would have had some protection but woo hoo life back to normal for you

I knew I wasn’t going to get my week off work

My only hope now is a wedding I’m going to next week. I will get as many people to breathe on me as poss.

It’s really not fantastic news is it when people will have to labour and give birth alone if their birth partner has covid- which will be more likely thanks to people being able to go and do as they please whilst knowing they’re infected with it.

It’s not good that this will impact the NHS even more, the waiting times are already insane.

What about immune suppressed children and adults who are battling cancer? You’re all just happy for them to not live the last section of their lives just so you can go without shoving a little painless stick in your nose a couple of times a week and not wear a mask?