2021 do you feel positive or negative?

[Claire0406]

Just wanted to see if people are feeling positive or negative about next year happening? I was feeling rather negative but I am slowly seeing light at the end of the tunnel 

[Crazyfool01]

we did a snap poll of our virtual meet last night and night before .... and everyone was positive about it happening .... probably 15 different people ... means absolutely nothing but thats the way people feel right now ...

[jparx]

Feeling very positive. They were looking at how to bring festivals back with things like testing before the news of the vaccine, so now the confidence is very high. We have to see how the rollout goes, and of course it needs to be approved first, but yeah I’m feeling good about it.

Put it this way - I’m back to thinking about the lineup again and who could play, which hasn’t really been on my mind since it was cancelled. 

[Steveb72]

Feeling quite positive now after the vaccine news.

[Matt42]

Feeling very positive. I think some are underestimating the shift in dynamic which is about to happen. The second a vaccine starts rolling out and the vulnerable start getting it, there will be a huge growing pressure from the events industry to reopen and get things moving again.

Also - the second it becomes clear that the vulnerable are covered, just you try and keep people in their homes. Lockdown compliance and favourability of the government will completely plummet.

Of course there are going to be calls from some people that we should be locked in our homes till everyone has the vaccine, but I think their influence is about to drop off rather fast. I think people will notice the level of cautiousness can’t stay the way it is for much longer.

My gut prediction - the government is about to launch a campaign on Britain being open for tourism again. On the same lines of help out to eat out we are going to see a big hospitality push and people will be desperate to get stuck in.

I mean this in the nicest way. I’m someone in my mid 20s happy to stay at home and play my part if it’s for the good of the population and I don’t put others at risk. If the vulnerable have been vaccinated then I don’t know why I need to comply anymore? 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Matt42

[Ozanne]

Yep it’s going ahead next year. 

[Matt42]

If you think adherence to social distancing and stay at home orders isn’t great at the moment, imagine telling these people on top of it that the vulnerable aren’t really at risk anymore.

People are already having gatherings and going to illegal raves under the current measures. Imagine what it’s going to be like if you keep telling people to stay at home when a vaccine exists.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Matt42

[circus92]

I have gone from "not a chance" to "its happening" gradually over the last few weeks.  Call it blind optimism, but I now really do think it will happen, and I am also getting a strong gut feeling that all 3 headliners will return as well.

It will happen and its going to be epic!

[Hugh Jass]

Cautiously optimistic.

[ShakeyCrash]

I am confident it’s happening now and largely agree with @Matt42. The big danger to me was the court of public opinion and I see this being on our side now if the vulnerable are protected. Will see you at the front with @crazyfool1belting out lover! 

[Crazyfool01]

3 minutes ago, ShakeyCrash said:

I am confident it’s happening now and largely agree with @Matt42. The big danger to me was the court of public opinion and I see this being on our side now if the vulnerable are protected. Will see you at the front with @crazyfool1belting out lover! 

Steady .... I mean I agree with the rest .... but me singing is not something anyone wants to happen  

[Ayrshire Chris]

I am optimistic, Mrs C reckons it’s positivity on everything that will keep us from getting too low and gives us all hope. It’s no use getting negative thoughts. If we stick by the social distancing and consider others as well as ourselves we will get through this and will be queuing up at those gates come June, waiting anxiously  for them to open and us oldies rushing to the long drops! 

[Crazyfool01]

3 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

I am optimistic, Mrs C reckons it’s positivity on everything that will keep us from getting too low and gives us all hope. It’s no use getting negative thoughts. If we stick by the social distancing and consider others as well as ourselves we will get through this and will be queuing up at those gates come June, waiting anxiously  for them to open and us oldies rushing to the long drops! 

Is that part of a festival routine for you then ? Aren’t you in worthy view ?  

[sime]

I'm a 'possibly'. I can't see it happening next year but I would be very happy if things become safe enough with enough of a vaccine rollout, to be proven wrong.

[Ayrshire Chris]

2 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

Is that part of a festival routine for you then ? Aren’t you in worthy view ?  

Yes so it’s a rush to the plush portaloo now, though I do miss the dash from gate A dragging all our stuff to the first available long drop before the hike up to Hitchin Hill! 

[Copperface]

Too soon for festivals. Other restrictions will have been loosened but still cant see mass gatherings such as this being sanctioned By June/July.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54949799

[Matt42]

5 minutes ago, Copperface said:

Too soon for festivals. Other restrictions will have been loosened but still cant see mass gatherings such as this being sanctioned By June/July.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54949799

At what point though does this virus become less of a threat than the flu?

If COVID numbers drop to flu numbers or even less than flu numbers why should things be locked down? 

Bare in mind that politicians have to balance what the scientists and the economists say. Scientists don’t care about the economy. They’d keep us locked down until everyone on the planet has been vaccinated.

If transmission is halved by 2021 then at what point do you have to consider COVID as less of an issue than the regular flu?

Ive not usually been a lockdown sceptic but if this continues with effective treatment and a vaccine then the scientists are going to lose me. Sorry.

[zahidf]

2 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

At what point though does this virus become less of a threat than the flu?

If COVID numbers drop to flu numbers or even less than flu numbers why should things be locked down? 

Bare in mind that politicians have to balance what the scientists and the economists say. Scientists don’t care about the economy. They’d keep us locked down until everyone on the planet has been vaccinated.

If transmission is halved by 2021 then at what point do you have to consider COVID as less of an issue than the regular flu?

Ive not usually been a lockdown sceptic but if this continues with effective treatment and a vaccine then the scientists are going to lose me. Sorry.

I (to my own shock) agree with you. If there is a vaccine, people will adhere long enough for vulnerable people to get it, but I dont think people are going to stick to social distancing past that point. 

[Copperface]

Never said locked down.

I have written that most other restrictions will have been loosened gradually and most things opened up. Large festivals will be  last on that list though. You can still open up for tourism in a controlled and measured way, you can open pubs and restaurants in a controlled and measured way and that is likely. Distancing and masks are here for many months yet while the vaccine programme is implemented. So there will be a gradual semblance of normality restored but to me, full normality would be something like large festivals etc, so we might be nearly there, but not quite. Enough relaxation of restrictions to placate most people will suffice.

[zahidf]

1 minute ago, Copperface said:

Never said locked down.

I have written that most other restrictions will have been loosened gradually and most things opened up. Large festivals will be  last on that list though. You can still open up for tourism in a controlled and measured way, you can open pubs and restaurants in a controlled and measured way and that is likely. Distancing and masks are here for many months yet while the vaccine programme is implemented. So there will be a gradual semblance of normality restored but to me, full normality would be something like large festivals etc, so we might be nearly there, but not quite. Enough relaxation of restrictions to placate most people will suffice.

I dont think social distancing stays past end of March if (as the govt has said before) the over 50s are vaccinated by end of March.

[Copperface]

2 minutes ago, zahidf said:

 (as the govt has said before) the over 50s are vaccinated by end of March.

Where have they said that? Don't forget Johnson said normality would be back for Christmas. 

I'll back scientists over the No10 spin machine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54371559

[Matt42]

12 minutes ago, zahidf said:

I dont think social distancing stays past end of March if (as the govt has said before) the over 50s are vaccinated by end of March.

If vaccines are going into peoples bodies by the end of this year I can’t see us being in any nest of a situation we are now in June.

[zahidf]

8 minutes ago, Copperface said:

Where have they said that? Don't forget Johnson said normality would be back for Christmas. 

I'll back scientists over the No10 spin machine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54371559

Bingham told the private investors that the over 50s and vulnerable would be vaccinated by easter

[Copperface]

Yup. So like I said. The Government have never said that then.

[henry bear]

24 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

At what point though does this virus become less of a threat than the flu?

If COVID numbers drop to flu numbers or even less than flu numbers why should things be locked down? 

Bare in mind that politicians have to balance what the scientists and the economists say. Scientists don’t care about the economy. They’d keep us locked down until everyone on the planet has been vaccinated.

If transmission is halved by 2021 then at what point do you have to consider COVID as less of an issue than the regular flu?

Ive not usually been a lockdown sceptic but if this continues with effective treatment and a vaccine then the scientists are going to lose me. Sorry.

Unfortunately it's not as straightforward as vaccinating all the vulnerable first. The Pfizer vaccine uses the live virus, and these aren't suitable for those with weakened immune systems (i.e. some of the most vulnerable, and a lot of them). These people will need a vaccine based on the dead virus, and the UK has bought 60m doses of the Valneva vaccine for these. Trouble is, testing hasn't started yet, and it's not expected to be rolled out until the second half of 2021. So, we all have to play our part until then. Even if the likes of you or I have been vaccinated, and/or don't hold too much fear of contracting the virus, we can still carry it and infect others, so there will have to be measures of some kind in place until everyone is safe.