Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[ToffeeTim]

It makes no sense to have big restrictions after most of the population have been given a vaccine. We need to open up fully in the summer and then prioritise those going in and out of the country to make sure we know if any new strains are coming into the country. Limiting travel and keeping our borders monitored is the way to get the country up and running again.

I'd hope there are full stadiums at football next season. We are basically saying the vaccines are poor or ineffective if we persist with restrictions after everyone has got one. That's not a good message at all to be sending out and the conspiracy theorists and sceptics will use it.

I'm happy to be patient and wait and allow the process to be carried out over the spring, but come the summer we need to have normality. Summer is the right season to do it as well.

 

[BlueToff]

It makes no sense to have big restrictions after most of the population have been given a vaccine. We need to open up fully in the summer and then prioritise those going in and out of the country to make sure we know if any new strains are coming into the country. Limiting travel and keeping our borders monitored is the way to get the country up and running again.

I'd hope there are full stadiums at football next season. We are basically saying the vaccines are poor or ineffective if we persist with restrictions after everyone has got one. That's not a good message at all to be sending out and the conspiracy theorists and sceptics will use it.

I think the main thing will be timing.

It'll be mid-autumn by the time the entire population is fully vaccinated, and I think they'll bottle it allowing full crowds back to matches or even concerts.

I don't think they should, because I agree with you - I just think they will.

 

[ToffeeTim]

I think the main thing will be timing.

It'll be mid-autumn by the time the entire population is fully vaccinated, and I think they'll bottle it allowing full crowds back to matches or even concerts.

I don't think they should, because I agree with you - I just think they will.

Outdoor events probably should be back to normal before stuff like indoor gigs, if we are being logical about it.

I do think we'll see a big difference come June or July, but I think we'll have a long period of lockdowns or something close to lockdowns until then. I'm happy to wait it out for now, as long as we see the benefits come the summer.

 

[tsubaki]

It makes no sense to have big restrictions after most of the population have been given a vaccine. We need to open up fully in the summer and then prioritise those going in and out of the country to make sure we know if any new strains are coming into the country. Limiting travel and keeping our borders monitored is the way to get the country up and running again.

I'd hope there are full stadiums at football next season. We are basically saying the vaccines are poor or ineffective if we persist with restrictions after everyone has got one. That's not a good message at all to be sending out and the conspiracy theorists and sceptics will use it.

I'm happy to be patient and wait and allow the process to be carried out over the spring, but come the summer we need to have normality. Summer is the right season to do it as well.

I agree that we need to reopen, but without an effective test, track and trace system we are inviting the same sort of disaster that we’ve just had. Establishing it must be the Governments top priority.

 

[ToffeeTim]

I agree that we need to reopen, but without an effective test, track and trace system we are inviting the same sort of disaster that we’ve just had. Establishing it must be the Governments top priority.

The vaccine is the top priority. If we don't allow normality after it's been given out, then people will lose faith in both the government and the vaccine.

 

[Tipp blue]

If I was looking at things through the "tier system" I would imagine we'll do something like this:

March - schools reopen

April - none essential retail

May - restaurants, Cinemas, pubs that serve food

July / August - pubs and the rest

September/October - stadiums/concerts providing you've been vaccinated.

Thats probably an achievable time frame. Providing of course new strains that are vaccine resistant don't come along.

 

[tsubaki]

The vaccine is the top priority. If we don't allow normality after it's been given out, then people will lose faith in both the government and the vaccine.

With respect, it isn’t - the vaccine is going to help defeat this wave of the virus, but relying on it as we are is an admission of failure.

If we’d established after the first lockdown a proper system to quickly identify and isolate people with this and stop community spread, we’d not have had the second lockdown and thousands / tens of thousands would still be alive. We wouldn’t need to vaccinate our way out of this.

If we don’t have such a system after this, sooner or later a new variant (or a new virus) is going to come along and we will end up in lockdown again.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

With respect, it isn’t - the vaccine is going to help defeat this wave of the virus, but relying on it as we are is an admission of failure.

If we’d established after the first lockdown a proper system to quickly identify and isolate people with this and stop community spread, we’d not have had the second lockdown and thousands / tens of thousands would still be alive. We wouldn’t need to vaccinate our way out of this.

If we don’t have such a system after this, sooner or later a new variant (or a new virus) is going to come along and we will end up in lockdown again.

Does track and trace really work in western societies?

I just couldnt see it working - my mate for example sticks by the rules but doesn't have the NHS app thing on his phone out of refusal.

Plenty of people who would make it ineffective imo

 

[ToffeeTim]

With respect, it isn’t - the vaccine is going to help defeat this wave of the virus, but relying on it as we are is an admission of failure.

If we’d established after the first lockdown a proper system to quickly identify and isolate people with this and stop community spread, we’d not have had the second lockdown and thousands / tens of thousands would still be alive. We wouldn’t need to vaccinate our way out of this.

If we don’t have such a system after this, sooner or later a new variant (or a new virus) is going to come along and we will end up in lockdown again.

Not convinced at all on track and trace. Think its just a term used by people to criticise. It relies on full cooperation from the public and that's not likely.

The vaccine will become a regular thing, probably annual for lots of people. They are the only way back to normality.

 

[arminisgod]

If I was looking at things through the "tier system" I would imagine we'll do something like this:

March - schools reopen

April - none essential retail

May - restaurants, Cinemas, pubs that serve food

July / August - pubs and the rest

September/October - stadiums/concerts providing you've been vaccinated.

i think they will open pubs and restaurants on mass. Like last summer

 

[tsubaki]

Not convinced at all on track and trace. Think its just a term used by people to criticise. It relies on full cooperation from the public and that's not likely.

The vaccine will become a regular thing, probably annual for lots of people. They are the only way back to normality.

That ridiculous though; having proper track and trace is exactly how countries have stopped this successfully.

We also won’t know what way the virus is evolving quickly enough to develop updated vaccines without it.

 

[bigjonny]

People in the industry are hoping gigs will be back around October/November.

I’ve got a ticket for Fairport Convention from last May , I hope they’ve been staying in at their age.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Yeah, or have it run for the first few months that you have to get a negative test within 24 hours to enter (like Everton before Xmas).

There's solutions that are workable for the time being when we first get back to stuff like that - whenever it is - but it shouldn't be a long-term thing.

I stress again, this virus didn't pop up because people go to concerts. It came about because of wet markets or something more sinister and the Chinese government covering it up.

The response after that from every country is a completely different matter altogether.

I am sure that there will be many lessons learnt from this disaster but from a UK/Western perspective the key factors would have to be around preparedness, be that at our borders, or health care, or the ability to track, trace and suppress, etc. The reality is that exposures to novel pathogens will continue because of behaviours in countries that have cultural norms of poaching and bushmeat trade and consumption as well as desires for exotic meats, such as the wet markets you describe in certain cultures globally. This will no doubt mean that intentional interaction with wildlife will continue. Industry and access to resources in remote areas too will be another critical risk, especially when considering globalisation and travel hubs. The impact of this pandemic will also not have been lost on those that wish to do us harm, too. These factors would seem to suggest that preparedness and monitoring are going to have to be constant in the short, medium and long term. Although it seems odd to say, we have in some respects dodged a bullet with Covid-19 as it could have been a lot worse - mortality rates, afflicting the young etc. Hopefully, though we will be better prepared for the next round, whenever that may be.

 

[Tubey]

If there was ever any doubt the WHO is beholden to China, today erases all of that doubt.

Disgrace.

 

[grandjoeblue]

If there was ever any doubt the WHO is beholden to China, today erases all of that doubt.

Disgrace.

Of course they haven't found anything. Any relevant information will be long gone. Whole process reminds me of those guided holidays of North Korea that people go on.