When will this shit end?

[DeanoL]

10 minutes ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

Which is absolutely fine if you’re perfectly happy living like that. For me and many others though, the social distancing lifestyle takes a horrendous toll on mental well-being, so we are prepared to take that tiny risk in order to get our lives back. Much like we take the risk of being hit by a bus any time we leave the house. 

And if lots of people do that it'll spread like wildfire around that group, meaning your chances of catching it will head towards 100% with no distancing in place. Obviously the chance of getting seriously ill from it will be low, but odds are you'll get it - and from there it's a 1% chance or so of hospitalisation. 

Which means people like me will stay in even more, but maybe for a shorter time, as the vaccination of the vulnerable, plus those who are doing that will be getting immunity through catching it, means herd immunity might be reached quicker!

 

[Fuzzy Afro]

1 minute ago, DeanoL said:

And if lots of people do that it'll spread like wildfire around that group, meaning your chances of catching it will head towards 100% with no distancing in place. Obviously the chance of getting seriously ill from it will be low, but odds are you'll get it - and from there it's a 1% chance or so of hospitalisation. 

Which means people like me will stay in even more, but maybe for a shorter time, as the vaccination of the vulnerable, plus those who are doing that will be getting immunity through catching it, means herd immunity might be reached quicker!

 

That’s a personal decision for everyone. But I’ll celebrate the day that the pressure on the NHS is low enough that we can be afforded the freedom to make that decision individually. 

[Ozanne]

4 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

This is a genuine question but should the world go back to normal? Or this is an opportunity for a new/better way of doing things?

Just to add. By saying this I mean how many people looking back have realised that the way things were made them unhappy. The commute being replaced with WFH, more time with families, more money in the pockets etc. Why do things have to go back to normal, can’t society change and evolve to find a better way?

[Crazyfool01]

7 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

Why are you having to talk to your boss over public social media? I know you work for a huge company but surely there’s a better way to get your issues sorted. 

its not over public social media ... Its a PM ... and ive done absolutely all I know including talking to many other people and working my way up the chain .... im not sure quite honestly what else I could have done ... !!

Edited December 11, 2020 by crazyfool1

[parsonjack]

The absolute irony of the guy in Lanzarote on BBC news complaining that his Christmas is ruined due to the fresh need to quarantine.  'It doesn't appear much thought has gone into it' he says.

🙄

[efcfanwirral]

 

16 minutes ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

Since March has been the first time in my adult life that I’ve been able to sleep 8 hours a night whilst having time to relax, exercise, do hobbies etc. My 8 hour working day is exactly that now. Previously it was up at 7am, leave at 8, start at 9, finish at 5, home at 6. So really more like 11 hours. 
 

I wouldn’t even accept a job that wasn’t pro WFH anymore. 

Wait til you add socialising and gigs in evenings/weekends alongside the improved sleep and more spare time, more relaxed etc. No more feeling like you have to make the most of the short hours of "freedom" around the work day (and if you were anything like me, putting so much pressure on you actually end up not doing anything with that time). The best part of home working is yet to come...

 

 

[xxialac]

4 minutes ago, parsonjack said:

The absolute irony of the guy in Lanzarote on BBC news complaining that his Christmas is ruined due to the fresh need to quarantine.  'It doesn't appear much thought has gone into it' he says.

🙄

I'm sort of with him.

He got a negative Covid test on arrival and the incidence of Covid is lower than in the UK.

Plus people properly wear masks there unlike in the UK.

[Mr.Tease]

12 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

This is a genuine question but should the world go back to normal? Or this is an opportunity for a new/better way of doing things?

I'd like it to be, but we live in a country where Labour's proposal for free fibre broadband for all (which could have laid infrastructure for future economic and societal development) was greeted by the BBC as "broadband communism".

There's such a ridiculous hostility to any new ideas and a complete lack of any curiousity towards new ideas by the media that I think we're stuck doing the same old things until they break! 

[Simsy]

22 minutes ago, mikegday said:

I’ve found having less pressure to go mingle and less shame on declining invites, along with the benefits of not commuting (more time, no train cancellation stress) etc. Has actually been better for my mental health. I know my mate in work who has spells of time off with anxiety has also benefited greatly. I don’t see this talked about much - it’s always about people who’s mental health has deteriorated. Be interested to know if anyone else on the forum has benefited in some way mentally from this year? Sounds bizarre but me and my mate can’t be the only ones? 

I think a lot of the people who are suffering are extroverts, hence why you hear about it! The introverts are quietly sat at home, enjoying the lack of stress/anxiety that they normally get in their open-plan office.

I'm loving WFH and want it to carry on once this shit ends (although I'm missing my commute, I used to walk to work so I really need to get out and exercise more now).

[Ozanne]

1 minute ago, Mr.Tease said:

I'd like it to be, but we live in a country where Labour's proposal for free fibre broadband for all (which could have laid infrastructure for future economic and societal development) was greeted by the BBC as "broadband communism".

There's such a ridiculous hostility to any new ideas and a complete lack of any curiousity towards new ideas by the media that I think we're stuck doing the same old things until they break! 

I agree and I think it would be a wasted opportunity if we didn’t find new and better ways of doing things. Taking my work as microcosm, so many people are happier working from home, their commutes aren’t even long but their days and well-being is better. You look at other areas too, the high street, schools etc there are ways to do things better and I worry people just want everything back to the way it was.

You can see this in the summer when the government pushed people to go back to offices all because the rich landlords were losing out. You are right there seems to be a fight against change in this country and it’s such a shame that we can’t really see any progress because of it. I want people’s lives to be happier and better; I feel this is a good opportunity to push for that. 

[parsonjack]

2 minutes ago, xxialac said:

I'm sort of with him.

He got a negative Covid test on arrival and the incidence of Covid is lower than in the UK.

Plus people properly wear masks there unlike in the UK.

I take the point but I have very limited sympathy tbh.  We're in the middle of a global pandemic and it's been obvious for months that things change rapidly.  He took the risk and it didn't pay off. To suggest the Govt decision wasn't adequately considered is, as I say, somewhat ironic.

[Leyrulion]

22 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

This is a genuine question but should the world go back to normal? Or this is an opportunity for a new/better way of doing things?

My university isn't. A huge project has started about never going back to normal. 

All the Innovation with remote access will stay. Online lectures could be permanent with the spaces repurposed for more interactive teaching.

[mikegday]

3 minutes ago, Simsy said:

I think a lot of the people who are suffering are extroverts, hence why you hear about it! The introverts are quietly sat at home, enjoying the lack of stress/anxiety that they normally get in their open-plan office.

I'm loving WFH and want it to carry on once this shit ends (although I'm missing my commute, I used to walk to work so I really need to get out and exercise more now).

I agree. I seen something at the very start saying those who usually suffer from mental health problems in ‘normal’ times are actually doing better because now everyone else is living and doing things the way they prefer. Whereas those who don’t tend to suffer with mental health problems and anxiety in normal times will suffer now.

[fraybentos1]

1 hour ago, xxialac said:

So if I've understood (correct me if I'm wrong) you're suggesting:

• Work from the office
• No limits on how many people can meet, including indoors
• No social distancing
• All mass events ok including indoor arenas, albeit with prior tests

That sounds like a recipe for disaster to do all that - especially the no social distancing and indoor mingling part - until we get to herd immunity/greater vaccination numbers.

And we won't be there by Summer.

I mean I haven't really thought about the ins and outs of what i would support and as I say it depends on deaths and hospitalisations. If we keep being fixated on the number of people having the virus when the death rate plummets then I think that is silly.

I think working from the office phased return from spring time seems fine to me tbh. And yes I think social distancing should go in a phased way when deaths drop too. Why shouldn't it be eased?

Indoor gigs maybe not but outdoor ones with testing if required yes. 

[mikegday]

9 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

I mean I haven't really thought about the ins and outs of what i would support and as I say it depends on deaths and hospitalisations. If we keep being fixated on the number of people having the virus when the death rate plummets then I think that is silly.

I think working from the office phased return from spring time seems fine to me tbh. And yes I think social distancing should go in a phased way when deaths drop too. Why shouldn't it be eased?

Indoor gigs maybe not but outdoor ones with testing if required yes. 

The only thing I wish you would change is death rate to hospitalisation rate but that’s your opinion. As I’ve said, in my opinion,  being ill enough for hospital but surviving is still very bad and should be avoided!

[Euphoricape]

https://metro.co.uk/2020/12/11/uk-coronavirus-r-rate-rises-to-0-9-to-1-13738197/

Escalating again quickly after lockdown lifted.. Could we be in full lockdown again before Christmas even...?

[Ryan1984]

32 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Just to add. By saying this I mean how many people looking back have realised that the way things were made them unhappy. The commute being replaced with WFH, more time with families, more money in the pockets etc. Why do things have to go back to normal, can’t society change and evolve to find a better way?

I think my place has compromised on three days in the office/two from home but I’m hoping they will be flexible on that (the other way round would be perfect for me).

We’ll also be moving office again so I’m very pro a WeWork solution. Be interesting to see what happens.

[steviewevie]

40 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

This is a genuine question but should the world go back to normal? Or this is an opportunity for a new/better way of doing things?

No, it shouldn't go back to normal, but it probably will.

[fraybentos1]

4 minutes ago, mikegday said:

The only thing I wish you would change is death rate to hospitalisation rate but that’s your opinion. As I’ve said, in my opinion,  being ill enough for hospital but surviving is still very bad and should be avoided!

I meant both sorry, I just couldn't be bothered typing hospitalisations again cause I always spell it wrong! But I meant deaths and serious illness. Once that is lowered a lot then open up imo.

[steviewevie]

Do we know how long immunity lasts with these vaccines? If last 6 months or less than maybe relaxing everything by the summer might be tricky.

[Paul ™]

37 minutes ago, parsonjack said:

The absolute irony of the guy in Lanzarote on BBC news complaining that his Christmas is ruined due to the fresh need to quarantine.  'It doesn't appear much thought has gone into it' he says.

🙄

Well depend when he returns, but 10 days quarantine now so as long as he is back for the 15th, then he will be fine! 

[mikegday]

3 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

I meant both sorry, I just couldn't be bothered typing hospitalisations again cause I always spell it wrong! But I meant deaths and serious illness. Once that is lowered a lot then open up imo.

And then if opening up causes hospitalisations to increase we reapply brakes? Or just keep going regardless? Isn’t that sort of what we’re doing now anyway? Relaxing and applying brakes. The relaxations would just become greater and greater as hospitalisations decrease?

[fraybentos1]

Just now, mikegday said:

And then if opening up causes hospitalisations to increase we reapply brakes? Or just keep going regardless? Isn’t that sort of what we’re doing now anyway? Relaxing and applying brakes. The relaxations would just become greater and greater as hospitalisations decrease?

It's a balancing act I suppose.. but yeah if there was a big surge in hospitalisations then restrictions couldn't keep being loosened. My view is that when the most vulnerable are vaccinated then this won't be an issue. Plus by summer time I think there will also be a sizeable minority of the population who have already had the disease and are now immune too. 

[Ozanne]

28 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

My university isn't. A huge project has started about never going back to normal. 

All the Innovation with remote access will stay. Online lectures could be permanent with the spaces repurposed for more interactive teaching.

That’s interesting to know. The use of the internet and improved connectivity into regions that didn’t have it before will only be a good thing. It’ll show in areas such as teaching as whilst in person teaching will definitely be needed, teaching virtually will also be a good way to reach out to more students. 

10 minutes ago, Ryan1984 said:

I think my place has compromised on three days in the office/two from home but I’m hoping they will be flexible on that (the other way round would be perfect for me).

We’ll also be moving office again so I’m very pro a WeWork solution. Be interesting to see what happens.

My work have left it to departments, mine are basing long to work from home but go in when you want and at least once a month for team meetings. It’s giving power of decision to people so they can decide what works for them I think should be a factor in any new way of doing things. 

[gooner1990]

47 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

My university isn't. A huge project has started about never going back to normal. 

All the Innovation with remote access will stay. Online lectures could be permanent with the spaces repurposed for more interactive teaching.

Interesting.

I work at Oxford University, and I've not heard about any movements towards that....(yet!)