Coronavirus outbreak

[menime123]

How are people dealing with the social side of things? There's a degree of lethargy right now in the UK and we're struggling (we being my wife and I) politely managing people's expectations of seeing us.

For example, her friend wants to meet up in a well-known park for a social catch up with her husband and I at the weekend, but my wife has said she's not able to because of the restrictions and is happy go just the two of them at a safe distance and has caused offence by merely suggesting that.

I've also had to tell my sister and mum we can't see them in person and they've kicked off saying "we live on our own" and not understanding the point of an exclusive bubble (they're both openly letting others in their homes!).

It's made somewhat more problematic because we have a relatively new born son and everyone else is somewhat playing the "but we want to meet / see him" card and making us feel bad for wanting to keep safe. I'm not one to be overly dramatic but I'm at that point now where I'm starting to get really pissed off that this thing isn't relinquishing because people can't get it in to their thick heads we all just need to play our part in trying to get the numbers down. Stay home!

Rant over.

Just tell everyone no constantly and only meet people when you suggest it. You don’t need to explain yourself and if people aren’t understanding the restrictions at this point, they won’t ever understand them.

I have the same problem with one of my grandparents - I honestly don’t think they want to understand, which has been a battle. I hadn’t seen them in 4 months and went to visit (standing outside in their garden) for 10 minutes just before Boris announced the new lockdown.

“Come in for a bit, you’ll be alright”
“I’m not allowed”
“But I’ve had my jab”
”You’ve only had one”
”It works doesn’t it?”
”Not for at least three weeks”
“But all my heating is going out”
“Well shut the front room door so it doesn’t”
“No, you come in”
“I’m not allowed”
“Stupid, this”

Congrats on the baby. But don’t be guilted into visiting. My friend went to their niece’s birthday party and she and her 10 week baby caught covid. What a way to start life.

[Thriller]

How are people dealing with the social side of things? There's a degree of lethargy right now in the UK and we're struggling (we being my wife and I) politely managing people's expectations of seeing us.

For example, her friend wants to meet up in a well-known park for a social catch up with her husband and I at the weekend, but my wife has said she's not able to because of the restrictions and is happy go just the two of them at a safe distance and has caused offence by merely suggesting that.

I've also had to tell my sister and mum we can't see them in person and they've kicked off saying "we live on our own" and not understanding the point of an exclusive bubble (they're both openly letting others in their homes!).

It's made somewhat more problematic because we have a relatively new born son and everyone else is somewhat playing the "but we want to meet / see him" card and making us feel bad for wanting to keep safe. I'm not one to be overly dramatic but I'm at that point now where I'm starting to get really pissed off that this thing isn't relinquishing because people can't get it in to their thick heads we all just need to play our part in trying to get the numbers down. Stay home!

Rant over.

This is the issue! Too many people marching on as normal and thinking that if they just “pop round” for an hour it’s fine. I’ve met one friend in a park for a distanced walk, no desire to be indoors with others because a lot of people are still having multiple people round at their house.

There is a real fatigue setting in though, I can see it on people’s face in Teams calls at work - everyone just looks defeated and grey.

[menime123]

The flip side is that everyone is going to go crazy with freedom once they get it again, aren’t they?

[theMathematician]

The flip side is that everyone is going to go crazy with freedom once they get it again, aren’t they?

Probably. I mean... Everyone I know is tired and they want to do all these things they couldn't do for months again.

[Thriller]

The flip side is that everyone is going to go crazy with freedom once they get it again, aren’t they?

Which I guess is why the lifting of restrictions will need to be gradual, I’d imagine something like rule of six will be in place till the end of the year when pubs and restaurants reopen in whatever tier that ends up being. Can’t imagine mass gatherings where people can mix with whoever they like until autumn at the earliest.

On the plus side, people will have missed going out and socialising so much that those businesses that do survive will be absolutely booming for a long time, plus new opportunities will be born out of this - let’s hope for the roaring 20s all over again from next year onward!

[Wayne]

1564 deaths in the UK, bringing the total to 84,767. Absolutely sickening.

Bonkers numbers - yet "only" 47k new cases (the deaths are increasing, as the cases are lessening).

[InFamous]

Bonkers numbers - yet "only" 47k new cases (the deaths are increasing, as the cases are lessening).

But those deaths are coming from the period where cases were far higher. Deaths from weeks of high cases lag behing by two weeks or so.

[InFamous]

The flip side is that everyone is going to go crazy with freedom once they get it again, aren’t they?

This is the fundamental problem and the main thing that people have failed to understand even now. They think we can go from lockdown to not being in lockdown overnight. There has to be a state between the two things where we are not in lockdown but still doing what we are supposed to do to stop the spread. We will be going around in an endless circle because people have failed to understand this fundamental concept. We are completely reliant on the vaccine at this point.

[InFamous]

Pity that the measurements are not helping at all in the UK. Add to that this weird mutation going around in your country :( .

The measures are actually helping. The people dying now were infected three weeks ago, and cases are now coming down which will hopefully lead to a reduction in deaths later. As has been explained to you already, things do not change overnight.

And plus if you read the post of Thornbus above you will see that many people are simply not following the measures and ignoring them. So if people are not following the lockdown rules can you really blame the lockdown for not working. I think not.

[menime123]

We are completely reliant on the vaccine at this point.

In fairness, they’ve said it was just a case of getting through an 18 month period until we had a vaccine, right from the very start. If this mutation hasn’t happened, 2021 would be looking rather bright indeed.

[menime123]

Bonkers numbers - yet "only" 47k new cases (the deaths are increasing, as the cases are lessening).

At this point, a drop is a drop, so I’ll take ‘only’ 47k new cases and see it as a ‘win’.

[InFamous]

In fairness, they’ve said it was just a case of getting through an 18 month period until we had a vaccine, right from the very start. If this mutation hasn’t happened, 2021 would be looking rather bright indeed.

I don't really believe that. Even without the mutation we would still have been in the same position regarding the rollout of the vaccine and the measures in place while that was happening.
Less cases and less deaths absolutely but a similar time frame regarding any full return to "normality"

[menime123]

let’s hope for the roaring 20s all over again from next year onward!

As an old soul, this might be one of my favourite comments on here in a long time. I hope you’re right - I’m so ready to go flapping.

[menime123]

I don't really believe that. Even without the mutation we would still have been in the same position regarding the rollout of the vaccine and the measures in place while that was happening.
Less cases and less deaths absolutely but a similar time frame regarding any full return to "normality"

2/3months ago things were looking pretty good - that’s why Christmas was announced and R was under 1. If the mutation hadn’t happened, I don’t believe we’d be in this total lockdown again.

[SholasBoy]

On the plus side, people will have missed going out and socialising so much that those businesses that do survive will be absolutely booming for a long time, plus new opportunities will be born out of this - let’s hope for the roaring 20s all over again from next year onward!

I am in my last few years/months/weeks of being at an age where I can go to clubs without feeling like a geriatric. If not already. That's why I need this to get moving quickly now!

[InFamous]

2/3months ago things were looking pretty good - that’s why Christmas was announced and R was under 1. If the mutation hadn’t happened, I don’t believe we’d be in this total lockdown again.

I can agree with you on that.

[InFamous]

Anyway one of the most intriguing things for me is what exactly happened to this virus in late summer and early Autumn.

During that period ( from mid June to say mid September) there was "relative normality" in a lot of places. There was a lot of mixing, a lot of socializing, people were definitely out and about and yet we had very few cases. Did the virus somehow go into a dormant period or was it silently infecting people who showed only mild to no symptoms and as such didn't even know they had it? Or was it in a dormant state planning it's next mutation, is it possible that it has some sort of a lifecycle - infect - go dormant - mutate - come back stronger - infect more and faster. I think during the summer most people were really lulled into a false sense of security and the way it just exploded again in November and December having , seemingly, been beaten at one point is actually really crazy.

Michiel any thoughts on this ?

[InFamous]

I am in my last few years/months/weeks of being at an age where I can go to clubs without feeling like a geriatric. If not already. That's why I need this to get moving quickly now!

In gran canaria you will NEVER be the oldest in the club hahah

[jio]

Probably. I mean... Everyone I know is tired and they want to do all these things they couldn't do for months again.

Well, I am pretty sure some things will remain for some people. I don't see life going back to the complete normality of 2019 for a long time after we achieve herd immunity

[SholasBoy]

In gran canaria you will NEVER be the oldest in the club hahah

Hahahaha I still be a spring chicken there for at least another 30 years

[Thriller]

I am in my last few years/months/weeks of being at an age where I can go to clubs without feeling like a geriatric. If not already. That's why I need this to get moving quickly now!

We will be in the Penny before Christmas I guarantee it!

[KEY9481]

New measures in France currently being announced.
More vaccinations, more tests in schools. Curfew everywhere at 6PM.

As for schools, no PE inside, extra attention during the lunch break. Half students in high schools, the other half online.

[InFamous]

New measures in France currently being announced.
More vaccinations, more tests in schools. Curfew everywhere at 6PM.

As for schools, no PE inside, extra attention during the lunch break. Half students in high schools, the other half online.

Imagine being stuck in one of those tiny Parisian apartments from SIX pm. The HORROR.

[InFamous]

Merkel is said to be considering a MEGA LOCKDOWN in Germany as the new strain rips through the country...

According to experts German people are exploiting loopholes in the rules and are travelling MORE now than in the first lockdown.

"The head of Germany's country's disease control agency claimed that Germany has too many loopholes in its coronavirus lockdown rules, and said he believed that people were travelling more than in the first lockdown"
"Lothar Wieler, president of the Institute, said data indicated people in Germany are travelling more than during the first phase of the pandemic in spring, contributing to the virus' spread"

So once again we have a case where people are blaming the lockdown for not working, when it is clear that the lockdown rules are NOT being observed or even implemented in the same way across the states.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-24-hours.html

[theMathematician]

Not sure whether 'normal' people actually travel more than they used to, though... Thinking about it: There have been those people who went to ski regions and especially a lot of celebrities got bad feedback for posting pictures from their holiday trips recently. Either today or yesterday, the German soccer team got bad feedback for having clean cut hairstyles (when barbers are not allowed to work).
On the other hand, I know many people who really just leave the house for work and shopping groceries. And those people desperately hope for numbers to plummet 'Madame X' style. Too bad they're pulling a 'Fine Line' instead :/ .