When will this shit end?

[steviewevie]

5 minutes ago, Punksnotdead said:

Yeah, I want my jab & I want it a.s.a.p. I'm clinically vulnerable & I want to feel safe. I'll worry about others abroad once I've been jabbed. If that makes me selfish then so be it - I won't be losing any sleep over it!

That wasn't the point of what Ozanne said...he was saying as a young, fit, sexy young man he would delay his jab if meant someone vulnerable in a poorer or chaotic country like Iraq getting one. I don't think that's unreasonable or worth all the comments really. For someone vulnerable like yourself that's a different matter.

[Paul ™]

Just now, DeanoL said:

Who are the vast number of people out of the country at the moment? This was an issue for NS/Aus, as they closed borders early, but we've been in a global pandemic since March last year now. So either people have been out of the country since before then, in which case they should be able to hang on a few more months, get a visa extension etc. or they travelled abroad during a global pandemic, and now want to come back - when it was always clear that this sort of thing was on the table, if only because NS/Aus did it right away.

I dont have exact numbers, but there are certainly plenty just in Portugal who come over for the winter months either in live in vehicles or have 2nd homes and come to escape the shitty UK winters (I believe the term is swallows?).
Algarve campsites are full of UK plated vehicles that will now need to return to the UK by 31st March. 
Not to mention all the ones along the Spanish Costa's, South of France etc who do the same.

Travel certainly wasn't restricted for coming abroad last year, and it's only recently that any mention of potential border closures has arisen along with the very recent introduction of negative tests. In fact when we left in September, there was no restrictions, border closures or mandatory tests for the UK, France, Spain or Portugal. 

So I dispute your statement that it was always clear that this sort of thing was on the table, when no one knew what course the pandemic would have take 4-5 months ago.

How many people realistically thought this is where we would be now, 12 months later and only now they are talking of closing the borders, hotel quarantines etc... which won't happen anyway so it's a moot point.

[Greenelk]

2 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

 

I wonder how many Britons support the same restrictions for when they want to go to the Canary Islands later in the year...

[zahidf]

6 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

These Scottish vaccination figures are getting concerning, only around 11k done yesterday just announced. I know it is a Sunday but it's not picking up enough (quite the opposite)

Its the Sunday effect and snow. One days slow figures wont worry me too much. 

[waltere]

1 hour ago, MrBarry465 said:

100% correct. Very much fed up of 'live with the virus' as it's pretty clear that at the moment - thats simply not a viable strategy.

 

'Living with the virus' hasn't yet had the opportunity to be tried in a primarily vaccinated country though, which is something which will, presumably, make a huge difference.

[JoeyT]

6 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

 

Not commenting on the contents of this particular poll but am I the only one that is sceptical about YouGov's surveys in general?

Most of the time I must admit I think they're full of shit.

[steviewevie]

5 minutes ago, Greenelk said:

I wonder how many Britons support the same restrictions for when they want to go to the Canary Islands later in the year...

yeah, definitely....lots of people agree with restrictions until it effects them.

[gigpusher]

6 minutes ago, Greenelk said:

I wonder how many Britons support the same restrictions for when they want to go to the Canary Islands later in the year...

Was just thinking the same thing. British people (not all obviously)  seem to excel at wanting restrictions for others but are shocked at the thought of the same restrictions applying to themselves. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

4 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

Was just thinking the same thing. British people (not all obviously)  seem to excel at wanting restrictions for others but are shocked at the thought of the same restrictions applying to themselves. 

Same people that went to the beach in summer and expressed shock and outrage that other people had the same idea as them.

[Zoo Music Girl]

15 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

That wasn't the point of what Ozanne said...he was saying as a young, fit, sexy young man he would delay his jab if meant someone vulnerable in a poorer or chaotic country like Iraq getting one. I don't think that's unreasonable or worth all the comments really. For someone vulnerable like yourself that's a different matter.

I agree - we (the not vulnerable among us) are effectively all delaying to let the vulnerable go first anyway, aren't we?

[Ryan1984]

20 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

Not commenting on the contents of this particular poll but am I the only one that is sceptical about YouGov's surveys in general?

Most of the time I must admit I think they're full of shit.

Well, it was set up by the vaccines minister in a previous role so they are Tories...

[Simsy]

22 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

That wasn't the point of what Ozanne said...he was saying as a young, fit, sexy young man he would delay his jab if meant someone vulnerable in a poorer or chaotic country like Iraq getting one. I don't think that's unreasonable or worth all the comments really. For someone vulnerable like yourself that's a different matter.

Exactly. I'm young-ish, healthy and can WFH so I expect to be at the back of the queue. Why should the UK be allowed to buy up enough vaccine stocks that I get my jab before an old person in Iraq, a nurse in Haiti or someone with an underlying condition in Cambodia? It's a problem with unfair global distribution, but there's not much I (or @Ozanne) can do about it as individuals.

[zahidf]

 

[zahidf]

2 minutes ago, Simsy said:

Exactly. I'm young-ish, healthy and can WFH so I expect to be at the back of the queue. Why should the UK be allowed to buy up enough vaccine stocks that I get my jab before an old person in Iraq, a nurse in Haiti or someone with an underlying condition in Cambodia? It's a problem with unfair global distribution, but there's not much I (or @Ozanne) can do about it as individuals.

Well the UK spent billions on vaccine development so we can get priority access.

I'm all for equitable access for poorer countries, but we have a responsibility to limit the spread in this country as well. So I'm all for getting my vaccine asap

[zahidf]

 

[Ozanne]

36 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

That wasn't the point of what Ozanne said...he was saying as a young, fit, sexy young man he would delay his jab if meant someone vulnerable in a poorer or chaotic country like Iraq getting one. I don't think that's unreasonable or worth all the comments really. For someone vulnerable like yourself that's a different matter.

That’s a bit too much, I most definitely am not fit 😜

6 minutes ago, Simsy said:

Exactly. I'm young-ish, healthy and can WFH so I expect to be at the back of the queue. Why should the UK be allowed to buy up enough vaccine stocks that I get my jab before an old person in Iraq, a nurse in Haiti or someone with an underlying condition in Cambodia? It's a problem with unfair global distribution, but there's not much I (or @Ozanne) can do about it as individuals.

Yeah exactly 😃

[DeanoL]

41 minutes ago, Paul ™ said:

I dont have exact numbers, but there are certainly plenty just in Portugal who come over for the winter months either in live in vehicles or have 2nd homes and come to escape the shitty UK winters (I believe the term is swallows?).
Algarve campsites are full of UK plated vehicles that will now need to return to the UK by 31st March. 
Not to mention all the ones along the Spanish Costa's, South of France etc who do the same.

Travel certainly wasn't restricted for coming abroad last year, and it's only recently that any mention of potential border closures has arisen along with the very recent introduction of negative tests. In fact when we left in September, there was no restrictions, border closures or mandatory tests for the UK, France, Spain or Portugal. 

So I dispute your statement that it was always clear that this sort of thing was on the table, when no one knew what course the pandemic would have take 4-5 months ago.

How many people realistically thought this is where we would be now, 12 months later and only now they are talking of closing the borders, hotel quarantines etc... which won't happen anyway so it's a moot point.

NZ and Australia had their borders closed at that point still. 

Also not sure on the idea of people with second homes in Europe that can't afford a premium flight home or to isolate in a hotel for two weeks. Maybe they could sell their second home to pay for it?

[xxialac]

42 minutes ago, Greenelk said:

I wonder how many Britons support the same restrictions for when they want to go to the Canary Islands later in the year...

Yes, I suspect it's a vote of jealousy for many, who think that if they can't be abroad due to their own circumstances (e.g. they take one annual holiday in the Summer), then no one should be able to.

[superhands91]

2 hours ago, Mimo said:

Strongly disagree.

Having followed a zero covid strategy NZ are in the highly enviable situation of being able to throw huge resources at any cases that do occur and squash them quick. Imagine how many people they’ll have working on that single case right now. If there is a larger outbreak they could just lockdown for 7/8 weeks again and get rid of it, then back to normal having suffered minimal deaths.

For them at least that’s a viable strategy for as long as they need it to be, especially when they have the motivation of looking at the awful cost the virus has inflicted on other societies such as ours.

The city of Brisbane (2.5 million+ people) did a full lockdown for 3 days over a single (1) case of the UK variant. After no more cases were found lockdown was eased, masks were mandatory for a further 11 days. Now back to normal, everything open. The strategy has worked well. 

[fraybentos1]

53 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Its the Sunday effect and snow. One days slow figures wont worry me too much. 

Nah our figures up here have been on the slight downward for a few days now. Also wasn't snowing really up here over the weekend. Need a big pick up over next week or so.

[Crazyfool01]

Bath and West opening today .... hoping to do 1300 per day ... 7 days per week ..... one of many starting today I believe 

[st dan]

3 minutes ago, superhands91 said:

The city of Brisbane (2.5 million+ people) did a full lockdown for 3 days over a single (1) case of the UK variant. After no more cases were found lockdown was eased, masks were mandatory for a further 11 days. Now back to normal, everything open. The strategy has worked well. 

Isn’t it a dangerous strategy in the sense that mild or asymptomatic cases may be missed, and if life is more or less back to normal with no masks/social distancing etc that could lead to ‘super spreader’ events? 
Not knocking this position at all and I’m glad it’s working well over there (think we’re all very envious) just curious to see how it pans out. I would have thought it would be very difficult to effectively manage if/when travel is back to pre-pandemic levels?

[fraybentos1]

32 minutes ago, Simsy said:

Exactly. I'm young-ish, healthy and can WFH so I expect to be at the back of the queue. Why should the UK be allowed to buy up enough vaccine stocks that I get my jab before an old person in Iraq, a nurse in Haiti or someone with an underlying condition in Cambodia? It's a problem with unfair global distribution, but there's not much I (or @Ozanne) can do about it as individuals.

That's the thing though- it's an easy thing to say when there is 0 chance of it ever actually being an issue. That's why it was highlighted as virtue-signalling.

[xxialac]

Debenhams is to close as a business on the high street.

It was founded in 1778, before the likes of Charles Dickens was born.

These are truly transformational times... 

[Ayrshire Chris]

1 hour ago, fraybentos1 said:

These Scottish vaccination figures are getting concerning, only around 11k done yesterday just announced. I know it is a Sunday but it's not picking up enough (quite the opposite)

I was a bit surprised at that as well. Our local GPs seemingly are concentrating on care homes and those shielding in their houses. Hopefully once this is done it will ramp up in the community.