Current Affairs

[barney]

Removing restrictions will probably lead to.increased activity in a wide area of the hospitality sector, I think you over estimate the supposed reluctance of the general public. We have been out and about 3 or 4 times over the past few days, and we have both been surprised at the numbers of people doing the same.

The restrictions haven’t been removed yet.

A lot of people are saying that they’ll be less likely to go out for leisure activities after 19th July

A lot of people can stay home should they choose to do so.
A lot of people can go out and about and try to get back to some sort of normality, should they choose to do so.
Living under the restrictions that have been in force is not normal, but a small minority is trying to make out that it is.
I can actually remember normal.
So, in a nutshell, you can choose to do exactly what you want, but don’t expect me to do it as well.
Then we can all get along nicely, can’t we?

[Kendhni]

Do you think I should say something my sister or just put my faith in people being courteous and responsible?

Given the choices you have put forward, and the evidence available, I would strongly suggest you choose the 'say something to my sister' option. Far too many selfish obnoxious people that think they can make their own rules up - they live in a me-me-me world.

[Manoverboard]

Do you think I should say something my sister or just put my faith in people being courteous and responsible?

Rules and guidance cannot be appropriate for everybody, your sister knows what she's up against and you should say nothing unless she asks you to ... is my opinion

[Gill W]

How do the immune suppressed cope with winter flu, norovirus, the common cold and countless other infectious diseases, some likely to be far more dangerous than covid, I wonder.

The unmitigated R (reproduction rate) for the delta variant is very high. It has been put at anywhere between 5 to 8. This means it is very infections, and as we are in an increasingly large wave of the pandemic, the chances of meeting someone with the virus are very high.

Whereas viruses like influenza and norovirus have a lower R ( a typical flu virus R is 1.28) and we are not in the middle of a pandemic of these viruses.

This should explain why immunosuppressed people are currently at great risk from catching Covid. Also, they may well have underlying conditions, getting Covid could make them gravely ill.

I will be continuing to wear my mask as I do now, to protect other people .

[Manoverboard]

How do the immune suppressed cope with winter flu, norovirus, the common cold and countless other infectious diseases, some likely to be far more dangerous than covid, I wonder.

Whereas viruses like influenza and norovirus have a lower R ( a typical flu virus R is 1.28) and we are not in the middle of a pandemic of these viruses.

Many years ago my immune system was wiped out, the medics arranged for myself and Mobietta to have the flu jab because the risk without it was considered to be too high.

[screwy]

It seems some don’t need to catch COVID and die, they’ll just worry themselves to death.

[Kendhni]

Do you think I should say something my sister or just put my faith in people being courteous and responsible?

Rules and guidance cannot be appropriate for everybody, your sister knows what she's up against and you should say nothing unless she asks you to ... is my opinion

Disagree, if you can't say or discuss something with family then who can you discuss it with? Maybe the sister would like to have the conversation, even if just to validate her own thoughts. Only Keith will know how to handle his own sister though. However, given the two options as presented I know which one I would choose.

[Manoverboard]

It makes no difference if you agree or not the question was raised by OL and he will decide what is best.

[Kendhni]

It makes no difference if you agree or not the question was raised by OL and he will decide what is best.

Which is pretty much what I said too

[Gill W]

Many years ago my immune system was wiped out, the medics arranged for myself and Mobietta to have the flu jab because the risk without it was considered to be too high.

That really brings it home. If seasonal flu is considered high risk, it illustrates how much more of a risk Covid is.

Have you decided what you'll be doing after 19th July ?

A lot of people can stay home should they choose to do so.
A lot of people can go out and about and try to get back to some sort of normality, should they choose to do so.
Living under the restrictions that have been in force is not normal, but a small minority is trying to make out that it is.
I can actually remember normal.
So, in a nutshell, you can choose to do exactly what you want, but don’t expect me to do it as well.
Then we can all get along nicely, can’t we?

I think everybody would like to go back to how life was in December 2019.

I remember thinking, right at the start of the pandemic, that this is the once in a generation event that changes society and the way we live (in the same way that events like WW1 and WW2 did) Nothing has happened yet to change my mind. It's never going to be quite the same again. I think i accepted this quite early on, and it's a difficult thing to come to terms with. I'm fairly sure that a lot of people haven't woken up to this yet.

In the 'personal choice' situation that is apparently to start on 19th July - we indeed have the choice to discard our masks and go out and about. However, our choices also affect other people. Some people may feel they will have to stay at home - this may not be their personal choice, but a decision forced on them as they feel that an unmasked world presents too many dangers for them. Basically, they are holed up for the forseeable because of other people's choices.

My view on this is the same as it was this time last year when lockdown was first released.. If everybody behaves courteously and sensibly and remembers there's a global pandemic on - it means the we can all have some freedoms. That is preferable, in my view, to some people doing what they like, at the cost of other people's freedoms.

I have to say Barney, I'm a bit surprised at your stance on this. You are the self proclaimed forum lefty - as I understand it, one of the core principles of socialism is primacy of the community over individualism. So I thought you'd be all for protecting society, rather than 'me first'.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I think you are overly optimistic Gill. This is a me first society and if we're relying on others we're stuffed. .

[Manoverboard]

Many years ago my immune system was wiped out, the medics arranged for myself and Mobietta to have the flu jab because the risk without it was considered to be too high.

That really brings it home. If seasonal flu is considered high risk, it illustrates how much more of a risk Covid is.

Have you decided what you'll be doing after 19th July ?

The same as we are doing now although we are getting a little more adventurous.

We had hoped to be doing more following the second jab but I suspect we are now waiting to see how everything pans out with the variants and then to review the situation after the third jab.

[Gill W]

I think a lot of people will be doing similar - I'll see what it's like out and about after 19th July, and then keep to the places that feel 'ok'. Will also be monitoring the daily figures, if I feel they are getting too high, that would also 'clip my wings a bit'

[oldbluefox]

That sounds a pretty sensible approach to me and I'll be doing much the same.

[Onelife]

Do you think I should say something my sister or just put my faith in people being courteous and responsible?

Given the choices you have put forward, and the evidence available, I would strongly suggest you choose the 'say something to my sister' option. Far too many selfish obnoxious people that think they can make their own rules up - they live in a me-me-me world.

Ken/Mob,

I did decide to speak with my sister, and took the opportunity to do the same with my other sister this morning. Whilst it hasn’t altered my sister’s decision regarding her daughter’s participation at the special needs facility it has heightened her understanding of where infection rates could be heading. I’m very close to both of my sisters and expressing my concerns has to a degree reassured me that they won’t let down their guard during the coming months.

Thanks both for your input.

[barney]

All being well, I shall be off to Plymouth on August 14th to watch the mighty Gills and to the Big Sheep at the end of August to see The Maytalls
Should be a good gig.

[Kendhni]

Good to hear you have the reassurance you wanted Keith.

[Onelife]

[Mervyn and Trish]

I have mixed views and nervousness about the next steps in Covid but I am increasingly hacked off with the constant carping by critics.

When Boris delayed the relaxation of the rules he was hammered.

Now he's said the relaxation will likely go ahead in a couple of weeks he gets hammered.

I really wish the critics would come up with some ideas of their own. And that the media would seek out some positive views rather than always look for the negative.

[Kendhni]

You are looking at it wrongly - correlation is not causation (no matter how you spin it). What Johnson gets 'hammered for' is not following the advice that his own scientific team gives him - only the other night Johnson was saying one thing and Whitty something different. Johnsons decisions are driven purely by politics and populist opinion rather than scientific evidence. He is known for 'winging it' in the hope that he might get it right (and sometimes he does, but that is often by luck rather than plan).

[Manoverboard]

Johnson is not the problem ... constant negativity is the problem and regardless of the source.

[towny44]

You are looking at it wrongly - correlation is not causation (no matter how you spin it). What Johnson gets 'hammered for' is not following the advice that his own scientific team gives him - only the other night Johnson was saying one thing and Whitty something different. Johnsons decisions are driven purely by politics and populist opinion rather than scientific evidence. He is known for 'winging it' in the hope that he might get it right (and sometimes he does, but that is often by luck rather than plan).

I didn't realise that you were a fly on the wall of the SAGE meetings Ken, but be careful someone could swat you.

[Onelife]

Johnson is not the problem ... constant negativity is the problem and regardless of the source.

He will have a problem if his gamble doesn’t pay off…the next two months are make or break for his leadership.

[david63]

What Johnson gets 'hammered for' is not following the advice that his own scientific team gives him

Two points here

1. Boris's "scientific team" cannot agree amongst themselves over any matter to do with Covid and when there is a piece of advice given to Boris all those that oppose that advice start spouting off to the media creating an impression that they are right and Boris and the other scientific advisors are wrong.

2. Some of Boris's critics accept that not only does Boris have to take into account the scientific advice but also advice from many other quarters - health service, economy, metal health, businesses etc.. Just because the scientific advice is not the dominant advice does not mean that it is not part of the equation.

Boris may have got it wrong or Boris may have got it right - we will never know because there is nothing to compare it with - and hopefully there never will be.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Yesterday Starmer was saying Boris was being reckless by relaxing rules. Now he says he'll cause chaos by the delay in the relaxation of self isolation rules. Can't he make his mind up?