Coronavirus.

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
I bet more people will go maskless today because of the heat than otherwise would have. I'm already dreading it and I'm only going to be wearing one for about 10 minutes at 9am in Sainsburys.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Had the misfortune to visit a McDonald's in Wales yesterday morning. Very busy, lots without masks. The guy on the door tried to manage things, but the answer was the same every time. I'm exempt mate, said with a massive smirk. I noticed none had Welsh accents.

I'm out for a bit, my partner doesn't get her second jab till this week and I can see we're about to have a massive problem again. Freedom day my arse, let the bodies hit the floor :(
 

rudie111

Well-Known Forumite
Perhaps everyone should just chill and have a bottle of wine/gin.

I know I have and feel much better for it.

My guess is none of the armchair Covid experts on here (whatever side of the fence they are sitting) are qualified epidemiologists or have any influence upon government policy, so falling out is pretty pointless.

Besides, it's only a matter of time before Withnail posts up telling us all what we should be thinking, if only we were as intelligent as him.

Alcohol kills covid:pint:
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Today is an anxious day for lots of people. Lots of us are a bit scared, some of us are not. It's okay to be scared, even if we can't fully articulate why we are. It's okay not to be, but we all know we've got to respect each other.

Unfortunately this government breeds divison, and policy decisions have been made for the economy in the main. In my opinion the best way to help the economy is to keep everyone safe, but what do I know?

Lots of us have asked questions in this thread, lots of us have answered them. Lots of us have different views. We aren't going to change the others mind, we are still scared, and that's okay (that isn't something I should write).

We might get lucky and this grand reopening might be another gamble they'd win, but it wouldn't have been hard to mandate stuff and still open up a bit. We are all going to be sensible and wear a mask, but that protects others, not us. The jab protects me to a large degree, but not completely. That's why I'm scared.

And I'm farking angry. How many millions of people have put themselves on the line for the common good to throw it all away? I was proud of helping with the vaccination roll out but to become a breeding ground for a vaccine resistant mutation is sticking 2 fingers up at that.

Carole, I think largely we all have the same views, and unfortunately we can't all articulate why we want to, but a lot of us just want to wait a little bit longer. And by a little bit it might be a year. And yes, we'll have to put things on hold as we've already done.
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Just saw this tweet. Think it's pertinent. The government is even trying to create division in our lovely Stafford Forum community.

Screenshot_20210719-075718_Twitter.jpg
 

The Notorious A.N.T.

Well-Known Forumite
I haven’t made any personal attacks.
I’ve just asked reasonable and pertinent questions
Most of which you’ve not actually answered.

If anyone is being attacked right now, it’s me. I’m being attacked right, left and centre for my views.

As you said in an earlier post, you don’t know what’s going on in anyone’s lives.
But for the record, I’ve just spent the last hour sitting on a bench in the church yard, sobbing my heart out.
Hi @Carole, you have hit the nail on the head there. No one on here knows what is going on in anyone else's lives, it is just a bunch of 'strangers' talking sh@te about the town we live in (or it is meant to be!). It certainly is not worth getting upset about but if you are feeling a bit fragile at the moment I would recommend taking a break from the forum as it is too easy to get involved in a 'debate'. I have done it myself in the past.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Infections were rising rapidly, younger people still haven't had the full vaccine. I really don't understand why we couldn't wait another month to at least let anyone who wants the jab to have it. This decision should be based on circumstance, not a calendar decision made in different times.

We've abandoned hope of visiting my partners parents before the baby comes, I've not even met them yet. Plan was to drive anyway, her mum isn't well and no chance we want to infect her, but I suspect we'll be on everyones red list anyway for a while. I'm so glad I kept the caravan in Wales!
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
Infections were rising rapidly, younger people still haven't had the full vaccine. I really don't understand why we couldn't wait another month to at least let anyone who wants the jab to have it. This decision should be based on circumstance, not a calendar decision made in different times.

We've abandoned hope of visiting my partners parents before the baby comes, I've not even met them yet. Plan was to drive anyway, her mum isn't well and no chance we want to infect her, but I suspect we'll be on everyones red list anyway for a while. I'm so glad I kept the caravan in Wales!

It was meant to be “data not dates” but here we are.

Honestly (and this may not be a welcome thing for some to hear) I think the rollout of the vaccine had the wrong priorities entirely. CEV first absolutely, and healthcare staff, carehome residents, etc. But then we should have started on those in age ranges that are spreading it the most because they still have to go to work, potentially can’t even self isolate because they won’t be able to pay their rent, etc. That means anyone in employment. Jabbing the retirees did very very little for reducing spread because they aren’t going to be the ones spreading it anyway one would think.

I wonder what position we would have been in today if that approach had been taken. Of course we’ll never know, and people will clamour on about how “we didn’t know the vaccine reduced spread!” despite that just being something we were told, something basically every vaccine in the past has done, and because the population can’t be trusted to behave and don’t understand percentages.
 
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tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
It was meant to be “data not dates” but here we are.

Honestly (and this may not be a welcome thing for some to hear) I think the rollout of the vaccine had the wrong priorities entirely. CEV first absolutely, and healthcare staff, carehome residents, etc. But then we should have started on those in age ranges that are spreading it the most because they still have to go to work, potentially can’t even self isolate because they won’t be able to pay their rent, etc. That means anyone in employment. Jabbing the retirees did very very little for reducing spread because they aren’t going to be the ones spreading it anyway one would think.

I wonder what position we would have been in today if that approach had been taken. Of course we’ll never know, and people will clamour on about how “we didn’t know the vaccine reduced spread!” despite that just being something we were told, something basically every vaccine in the past has done, and because the population can’t be trusted to behave and don’t understand percentages.

I thought surely key workers needed it first. Jab the critical, then the people that care for us, then the workers that keep us ticking over. Anyone on furlough could wait, hell I'd have made losing furlough be a punishment for breaking the rules. I often hear people say yeah, but nobody could have done any better. I'm not sure of anyone apart from the USA that had the resources we did and failed so spectacularly. Especially given our size and geographic advantages.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
I thought surely key workers needed it first. Jab the critical, then the people that care for us, then the workers that keep us ticking over. Anyone on furlough could wait, hell I'd have made losing furlough be a punishment for breaking the rules. I often hear people say yeah, but nobody could have done any better. I'm not sure of anyone apart from the USA that had the resources we did and failed so spectacularly. Especially given our size and geographic advantages.

Furlough is a business grant not a personal one so that’s a bit iffy.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Furlough is a business grant not a personal one so that’s a bit iffy.
They could put the person on unpaid leave? I just feel that with almost zero consequences for actions we saw more bellends than necessary, that trip to Mcdonalds yesterday really made me realise how many just don't care about others. All were under 30 I'd say, nearly all were male but a few women, 2 were laughing at the customers in masks, while stood way too close to a pregnant woman who really didn't look happy :(

Annoying thing is they could just say if you don't want to wear a mask use the app and order from the car park? But everyone is afraid of annoying the fragile little non mask wearers, if they were really that ill they'd not be breaking the distancing as well.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Called into Tesco on the way into work this morning, most folks seemed to be using the sanitisation station and I only spotted two non mask wearers, one customer and one staff member.
That the main Tesco in town? TBH I've been mainly in Morrisons in Stone through all this as it felt safer, Stafford felt like a free for all early on and it's just as quick to head to Stone from this end of town.
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
Yup, main Tesco.
Has anyone else been out and about yet today? Any behavioural observations re masks, distancing etc?
 

The Notorious A.N.T.

Well-Known Forumite
They could put the person on unpaid leave? I just feel that with almost zero consequences for actions we saw more bellends than necessary, that trip to Mcdonalds yesterday really made me realise how many just don't care about others. All were under 30 I'd say, nearly all were male but a few women, 2 were laughing at the customers in masks, while stood way too close to a pregnant woman who really didn't look happy :(

Annoying thing is they could just say if you don't want to wear a mask use the app and order from the car park? But everyone is afraid of annoying the fragile little non mask wearers, if they were really that ill they'd not be breaking the distancing as well.
The problem with easing restrictions is that a significant proportion of the Great British public simply can't be trusted/relied upon to do the right thing (especially when alcohol is involved!). We went to Classic Ibiza at Weston Park on Saturday night. It was meant to be socially distanced with everyone staying within separated 3m x 3m squares which had been marked out on the ground. In the squares behind us there was a lashed-up hen party who kept coming into ours dancing or just generally messing about. At one point I went to the bar & there were signs everywhere telling people to wear masks. Were the p@ssheads wearing masks? Were they heck! (same with the toilets etc.).
 

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
Only spotted one maskless person in Sainsburys this morning though I presume it's a time of day when the more cautious people shop anyway (as there are usually lots of elderly folk around). I dare say it may be different later, though I also have no intention of engaging in whatever the mask-avoider version of "curtain twitching" is. All you can do is look after yourself and set a good example.

The discussion with Carole must have (genuinely) subconsciously influenced me as today is the first time I've shopped without wearing gloves since the pandemic began! I know there isn't a great need to wear them but I initially did for so long because I found they stopped my habitual face-touching whilst out and about, plus just added a layer of extra peace of mind when you can peel them off outside the shop and bin 'em. But today I thought sod it, left them in my bag and used the sanitiser stations instead.... promptly squirting a suspicious drip down my trouser leg during my first ever attempt at using one.

So there you go, "fweedom day" is upon us, we've all fought it out about our differing viewpoints and I'm already peeling back the layers of fear-inspired protection.
 
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Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
The problem with easing restrictions is that a significant proportion of the Great British public simply can't be trusted/relied upon to do the right thing (especially when alcohol is involved!). We went to Classic Ibiza at Weston Park on Saturday night. It was meant to be socially distanced with everyone staying within separated 3m x 3m squares which had been marked out on the ground. In the squares behind us there was a lashed-up hen party who kept coming into ours dancing or just generally messing about. At one point I went to the bar & there were signs everywhere telling people to wear masks. Were the p@ssheads wearing masks? Were they heck! (same with the toilets etc.).
I rolled my tickets over to next year because I really didn't fancy it, think it would have made me anxious.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
I've realised this morning that no one bothered to get anything out of the freezer for tea tonight, so I may have to venture out sooner than I wanted. But from reading about others trips to the supermarket this morning, maybe it won't be as bad as I think.

Or maybe I'll just send MrLittleme.
 

Zylo

Well-Known Forumite
Unpopular opinion no doubt, but i'm glad most places are giving people a choice, and not forcing anyone to do anything.

good for PR from a certain pub to make it on the news though.

if you want to be careful you still can be- but if you're confident, and double jabbed.... each to their own.... I could be really careful in pubs etc, but what's the point i'm surrounded by people at work, it's only a matter of time, probably hopefully like most people now i'll be ok.

It's all about peoples choices in the end of the day, and I respect them all

you have people that havn't gone out due to wanting it to be normal before they do, and you have people that still havn't gone out due to worried about catching it, and think it's not worth the risk.

Either way, noone is right and wrong anymore, you live how you want to, it's gone past the stage of trying to "contain" it now..

and when there's 50k cases a day now really, I don't think masks have made that much of a huge difference, yeah it'll get to a silly amount now due to nightclubs, but that's more to do with everyone being very close together.
 
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tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
and when there's 50k cases a day now really, I don't think masks have made that much of a huge difference, yeah it'll get to a silly amount now due to nightclubs, but that's more to do with everyone being very close together.

I think this is due to many people stopping bothering and claiming exemption, and the new variants. Does anyone have data on cases of jabbed vs not?

EDIT: Sure I read somewhere that the average age of hospitalisation has dropped massively, now in the 40s, but can't see the article offhand. That could be for many reasons though, could be because less people are getting it when jabbed and it's a natural drop as the older generation are vaccinated, or could just be that all the older ones susceptible already died.
 
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