Seems reasonable.

I have very mixed views on strategies adopted by Governments- not just in the UK It seems it is not just politicians fumbling around in the dark, but 'science' and Health experts too, regarding how to handle the pandemic.

As someone in a higher risk category (oldie) I understand the frustration of the younger generations who are far more likely (but not 100% guaranteed) to experience non-life threatening relatively minor symptoms, regarding the constant changes of policy. Nevertheless, it is MY responsibility to avoid high risk areas and situations (which we as a couple have done throughout) e.g. we wear masks and social distance whenever we are in close contact with people. We use disposable glove and sanitiser gels at places like supermarkets (available at entrance of all supermarkets over here).
It is OUR choice as to the level of risk we are prepared to take.

There is no doubt that self isolation, distancing and masks are in place to restrict the rapid spread and so prevent the Health services from being totally overwhelmed as some areas were at the start of the pandemic. To that end it worked. However, as time goes on the evidence suggest that currently the system is well placed to cope (the Nightingale hospitals were underused as were the extra 'pop-up' hospitals over here).

My own view is that blanket 'lockdowns' are too restrictive and quarantining is an ineffective sticking plaster

Sooo.... I would lift 'national' blanket restrictions/quarantining post holiday. If spikes occur combined with rapid increases in hospitalisations, Red zones (quarantining) could then be implemented locally.

IMHO in summary, given the only long term answer (still some way off) is immunisation, no amount of precautions will create a watertight prevention of spread and so it is a balance between preventing the Health system being overwhelmed/ minimising damage to economies, individual people/household lives and getting as many people (herd immunity??) exposed to the virus.

The current policy is overcautious, merely delaying the inevitable and causing huge problems for too many people. I am no scientist so have no evidence to support my view but , then again, there has been so much change in advice passed down by organisations like WHO and medical researchers my opinion is as good as the next man.

A sort of mass hysteria seems to have overtaken us all. Given so far this year there have been over 90 million births and whilst Coronavirus has been attributed to around 800,000 deaths, around 1.35 miliion people die from road accidents every year. Whilst every death, whatever the cause, is a personal tragedy for someone, the World will still continue to turn and life will go on.

 

This is fair enough. I’ll leave you with this.

So if I'm someone who works in a shop, I don't have to wear a mask.

I go next door to another shop and I have to wear a mask.

The staff next door come into my shop and they have to wear a mask.

While they are in their shop they don't have to wear a mask, but I do. They come to my shop they have to wear a mask I don't. All the customers do though...

Me and all the customers from their shop and my shop go to a restaurant two doors down and non of us have to wear a mask.

I'm in a shopping centre, don't have to wear a mask until I actually go inside a shop, a shop with all the same people who were in the shopping centre without a mask, now have to wear it inside the shop, with the staff with no masks...

Someone in Wigan can go the pub with 100 strangers, but they can't sit in their mums front room. Go 5 minutes round the corner and they can go where they want.. but only with a mask.

So if masks work why can't you wear a mask in your mums house if you live in Greater Manchester?

I can go on a plane next week, but I have to wear a mask the whole time, what in flight meal would you like to order....alcohol and other refreshments available on the flight, so I have to remove my mask to eat or drink and I can take as long as I want to eat my food and consume my drink??

People have to self isolate for two weeks when they return from certain places but not others, aren't we all in the same Airports when we get back? Can't you just go to a drive through test place and get tested and results back within 48 hours so you don't have to isolate.

Titus Magee is totally right - the whole thing is just a load of ballox and I'm bored of it too. I just want to get on with life and this government is doing all this for control. Kids heads are fücked. This isn't the new normal its a load of ****.

 

That argument doesn't stand up when you look at the lasting effects of coronavirus and the fact it has been shown to be far more devestating when you look at the death rate of those who contracted the virus in care homes where people were sent back with Covid.

No moral high ground just looking at the facts and listening to those on the front line who are warning against a second spike being worse than the initial outbreak.

We just accept that we can't do things in this country to support business and jobs long term so we should just get back to normal and take it on the chin.

We voted marginally to leave the EU and stand on our own two feet but this pandemic has shown how frail and one sided our economy is when we are buying into this rhetoric that we can only achieve the bare minimum and that's that.

We are so far behind other countries in tracking the virus and the support through furlough although on the face of it looks fantastic doesn't nearly offer enough depth to support where it is actually needed long term as they are doing in Germany.

We shouldn't be in this position we let the virus get out of control and now we are going to use the most vulnerable in society as collateral to get back to normal and some people think that's ok?

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/...OOK-asks-Sweden-proof-got-terribly-wrong.html

If only we had shown this bulldog spirit we are suppose to have and braved it more like Sweden.

 

Tedious is an understatement. I've hardly read this board for about a week now because of this. The same people posting the same thing, arguing about the same point over and over and over again. Just like Brexit.

 

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/emily-owen-death-ruled-suicide-in-inquest-1-6803721

I wonder what the total is for people who have killed themselves because of worries over the virus.

 

Get searching we need a graph or a quote from a scientist or summat. Jump to it.

 

You raise Sweden, I raise you USA and Brazil, not some tiny Scandinavian country with minimal through traffic.

 

There was a 41% increase in suicide in children during the first 56 days of lockdown.

From The National Child Mortality Database:

In 2020, during the 82 days before lockdown, there were 26 likely child suicides and a further 25 in the first 56 days of lockdown

COVID-19 related factors were reported by CDOPs to have contributed to the likely suicide in 12 (48%) of the 25 cases identified during lockdown. The reported COVID-19 role varied; restrictions to education and other activities, disruption to care and support services, tensions at home and isolation were all listed.

 

Noticed some of that too, some of the people going crazy about people going to beaches (when they were allowed to) were straight down the pubs when they reopened.

 

Since the end of February I've been out twice: my wife will be going out today for the first time since then too as it is our anniversary. In all that time I have only travelled to work in my car and gone no further than a mile from my home to shop once a week and to the chemist. I have been to a local pub where you have to book a table and it was surprisingly empty. I didn't go to a beach or anywhere else. As you know I advocated a strict and reduced lockdown period but this was fantastically mis-managed. We are not in lockdown now though and haven't been for a few weeks. Infection and mortality rates have reduced significantly to the point where the expectation would be that people try to get back to 'normal' wherever possible. I took what I believe to be a sensible and considered approach during lockdown and I am taking the same approach now we are out of it. Are people disappointed that I am not advocating people stay at home for another year or so and thus prolonging the misery? Don't we have to try to move things along? What do you think we should be doing right now?

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ER-warns-SAGE-scientist.html#comments-8653639

Someone finally admitting it's unlikely we will ever get rid of it, so we need to learn to live with it and get back to normal.

 

I'll raise Sweden too. We can enter Greece with no restriction. So too could the swede's, that is until last week. As of the 10th August as a consequence of their increasing rates they now have to provide a negative test within 48 hrs of entry. Not so good for good old Sweden.

 

Some people would only be satisfied if everything was the same as before though. It can't be the same as before, until we get a vaccine.

 

Of course I was. Neither the dog or me are lovers of the great indoors.

On top of that given his breed he needs regular exercise. For both his mental and physical well being.

An 'hour' once a day isnt enough for him. He needs that two or three times a day. Otherwise its neglectful.

A typical day outside of lockdown is out at 5:15.

Walk upto a field. Half hour with his ball in and out the undergrowth. Walk home. I cover 6 miles as a minimum.

Mid morning he is out again. Either with his chums and the dog walker or me.

Evening time back out with me. Good couple of miles walking and retreving.

Regardless of the weather.

Not exercising him enough causes him to be stressed and sets off his anxiety.

On top of that 'social distancing' went out the window. When his routine changed to one long walk a day I bumped into more people down little rat runs snickets fields and footpaths in one day than i ever did taking him out first and last thing.

Lets not even discuss the well documented effects of lockdowns on peoples mental health.

Theres more people in the mindset of Joyn Peachy ie hitting the dark places than the likes of the sofa dwellin ticket grifters like you.

And what you may have forgotten or will never realise is that the bond between a man and his dog is unbreakable. It is unconditional. To the extent if i had to choose between my dog or one of your family. Ill send flowers.

 

Have a couple of their albums, brilliant.

 

Let me just say I wasnt referring to you and I'm sorry if it felt like I was. More to the groups of people I have seen via Facebook who are arms round each other posing for photos in beer gardens. Not for a moment would I imagine that was you. I was just poiting out the irony of it. One person in particular who is a friend of the mother in law, was down the pub the day they announced they were shutting. Then spent weeks sharing posts shaming people for leaving he house. Pubs opened and she was straight back in.
I agree with much of what you have said we do need to try and move things along and be cautious as we do.
We may not agree on all the measures that were taken but I do appreciate that unlike some you are happy to actually have a reasonable discussion about it.

Happy anniversary, have a great time.

 

1. I have a dog
2. WTF is a "sofa dwellin ticket grifter"

 

The media at it again having as the main headline the twelve hundred infections and how Scotland have had their biggest rise in infections for two months and it's still only a few over hundred.

They won't mention another day on day fall in covid hospital patients for the number getting closer to going under 800. Yorkshire and the North East had another hospital drop to only 81 patients now. 5 got admitted to hospitals in Yorkshire and the North East in the last 24 hours how will our local hospitals cope with the influx.

 

480 in hospital today in England