When will this shit end?

[Copperface]

14 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

If it was ever important the UK would not be pursuing the policies it has done.

It might explain the caution which *appears* (hopefully) to be in evidence now re lifting of restrictions in relation to infection rates . Even he might have understood that finally and takes heed of advice.

 "The important issue is to really watch very closely what is happening, so that if infections start to increase and that we do everything we can to decide whether it is a good moment to take another step in unlocking."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56095552

 

 

[squirrelarmy]

🤦‍♂️

Edited February 17, 2021 by squirrelarmy

[zahidf]

Here is some more of what Prof Sir John Bell (see earlier post) has told the science and technology committee.

He said:

It’s not plausible to imagine a world where we vaccinate the whole country and everybody believes they are still in a place we were in six months ago, it’s just not reasonable... I think we are going to have to allow people to adapt their behaviours appropriately if they have actually had the vaccine.

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

1 hour ago, MrBarry465 said:

Working from home is actually a way of unlocking the economy more.

We've been saying for decades everything is too 'London centric' well nows the chance to make the change...

Working from home doesn't necessarily unlock the economy more - infect it can actually harm big parts of the economy. Town centres are dying anyway, take away employers from town centres and they die quicker. Barnsley where I used to work at lunch time the town was full of council staff, DWP staff, Legal and General staff and college kids. Take that away and lots of businesses have no customers. 

Employers moving from London to other places and employing staff in offices there spreads this lunch time and early evening economy. 

I've gone for a very agile workplace with hot desks etc... Something local authorities and other public sector organisations have been doing for a while now to being home based as a result Tesco gets more of my money than before. 

Edited February 17, 2021 by RobertProsineckisLighter

[gooner1990]

40 minutes ago, st dan said:

I think those that don’t adapt to this new way of working will see their best employees leave, and will struggle to recruit new talent in the future.
The 9-5 / 5 day a week has been officially killed I think, as people have had a year of tasting the new work/life balance and have seen the benefits it brings.    

I get what you're saying 🙂 But I think you might underestimate smaller businesses and old fashioned places of work that won't just suddenly say you can work from home.

In my team a lot of us are getting frustrated as getting hold of managers seems to be a constant problem as they are always in 'teams meetings' with other managers (what about only they know as they never did that level of meetings when we all worked in the office!)

[eFestivals]

27 minutes ago, Copperface said:

It might explain the caution which *appears* (hopefully) to be in evidence now re lifting of restrictions in relation to infection rates . Even he might have understood that finally and takes heed of advice.

 "The important issue is to really watch very closely what is happening, so that if infections start to increase and that we do everything we can to decide whether it is a good moment to take another step in unlocking."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56095552

You seem to be locked in an endless loop where the fact of vaccinations can't penetrate.

They'll of course need to keep an eye on infection rates as they unlock, but only in relation to any hospital load it creates.

They're not going to pause unlocking just because infection rates rise. They'll only pause unlocking if infection rates rise as well as there being a surge in hospitalisations.

The future and not a distant future is the virus circulating as freely as it's able to, in the same way as flu does.

Ps: that quote makes clear that unlocking will not definitely be paused if infections rise, which can only be the case if other factors have greater importance than the infection rate.

Edited February 17, 2021 by eFestivals

[Fuzzy Afro]

1 hour ago, MrBarry465 said:

I'd say the pandemic 'ends' when everyone has been fully vaccinated. I personally won't consider the pandemic 'over' in my world until I've been fully sorted. And thats around September. 

In the UK or worldwide? 

[hodgey123]

 

This is a lot better than expected isn't it?

 

[fraybentos1]

If you're making the argument about variants then by definition you're saying we are fucked for the long, long term cause they are always gonna be there even if the UK is fine in 6 months or whenever.

[zahidf]

1 minute ago, fraybentos1 said:

If you're making the argument about variants then by definition you're saying we are fucked for the long, long term cause they are always gonna be there even if the UK is fine in 6 months or whenever.

yup. losing argument to keep lockdown and restrictions in places 'just in case'

[Ozanne]

 

[fraybentos1]

1 minute ago, hodgey123 said:

 

This is a lot better than expected isn't it?

 

Hmm yeah a bit. It's hard to know what to believe with the vaccines atm, sometimes seems like they are downplaying what they think they'll actually achieve. Scotland and Wales both way down on last week still tho and will probs continue for 3 weeks based on what I have heard at work. But again who knows, that might have been a worse case scenario.

[hodgey123]

3 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

If you're making the argument about variants then by definition you're saying we are fucked for the long, long term cause they are always gonna be there even if the UK is fine in 6 months or whenever.

I think this is a brutal way of saying what I was trying to convey last night!

[zahidf]

I  do think the policy tool of lockdown is something the public health people won't want to give up easily which is why they are moving the goal posts from hospitals to cases.

 

Post Covid, What if they start saying that we need lockdowns every winter because of flu every winter? will the govt go along with that?

[st dan]

Just now, hodgey123 said:

I think this is a brutal way of saying what I was trying to convey last night!

It’s also madness because both in the UK and throughout the world, we have never adopted a zero risk policy with anything have we? Life never has, and will never be totally safe and there are risks involved with many aspects of life. Vaccines for the strains we have been dealing with are all we can hope so, and they will be adapted each year as new variants arrive. It’s crazy to think there is any other way to tackle this. 

[DDave]

8 minutes ago, hodgey123 said:

 

This is a lot better than expected isn't it?

 

Had mine today, unexpectedly quickly tbh. 

What time do the pubs open?

[BobWillis]

7 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

Hmm yeah a bit. It's hard to know what to believe with the vaccines atm, sometimes seems like they are downplaying what they think they'll actually achieve. Scotland and Wales both way down on last week still tho and will probs continue for 3 weeks based on what I have heard at work. But again who knows, that might have been a worse case scenario.

If this is how much they can still do with an alleged lower supply, and i believe they said in the press conference on Monday that they are now actively “reserving” second doses, then they are absolutely flying through this program. 

[hodgey123]

4 minutes ago, st dan said:

It’s also madness because both in the UK and throughout the world, we have never adopted a zero risk policy with anything have we? Life never has, and will never be totally safe and there are risks involved with many aspects of life. Vaccines for the strains we have been dealing with are all we can hope so, and they will be adapted each year as new variants arrive. It’s crazy to think there is any other way to tackle this. 

Agreed 

[Copperface]

30 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

You seem to be locked in an endless loop where the fact of vaccinations can't penetrate.

They'll of course need to keep an eye on infection rates as they unlock, but only in relation to any hospital load it creates.

They're not going to pause unlocking just because infection rates rise. They'll only pause unlocking if infection rates rise as well as there being a surge in hospitalisations.

The future and not a distant future is the virus circulating as freely as it's able to, in the same way as flu does.

Ps: that quote makes clear that unlocking will not definitely be paused if infections rise, which can only be the case if other factors have greater importance than the infection rate.

Of course the vaccinations will have a major effect.

Infection rates will only need to be kept under control, not eliminated. If there is a local flare up somewhere then local measures would have to be taken, especially if a worrying variant is involved and the if retro designed boosters are needed to control that variant then that will be done if it is needed. A decent local track and trace system will hopefully help control that.  This happens with TB and other notifiable diseases now.

[gizmoman]

21 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

 

Winter respiratory disease fades as winter ends, what a shock!

[Ozanne]

Just now, gizmoman said:

Winter respiratory disease fades as winter ends, what a shock!

There’s still a month left of winter. This is showing the effects of the lockdown.

[HydraD]

1 minute ago, gizmoman said:

Winter respiratory disease fades as winter ends, what a shock!

The Thames was frozen 4 days ago, pretty sure it's still winter.

[gizmoman]

2 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

There’s still a month left of winter. This is showing the effects of the lockdown.

Correlation does not imply causation as the scientists keep telling us, lockdown may have had an effect but this is the same pattern you see every year with respiratory diseases.

[efcfanwirral]

31 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

If you're making the argument about variants then by definition you're saying we are fucked for the long, long term cause they are always gonna be there even if the UK is fine in 6 months or whenever.

 

27 minutes ago, hodgey123 said:

I think this is a brutal way of saying what I was trying to convey last night!

Ha and a more articulate way of saying what I've been trying to say too! 

[Copperface]

11 minutes ago, gizmoman said:

Winter respiratory disease fades as winter ends, what a shock!

Or, is that the end of the Christmas mixing spike?