Step 3 confirmed for 17th May

[NorthOxonian]

The problem in the NW is being caused because the variant of concern is spreading through unvaccinated sections of the population. Personally I would only open up for unvaccinated people in the first instance. I have had both jabs and feel a lot safer going about my business than I did a month ago

You certainly can't open up in that way, it'd be age discrimination. And frankly, considering the sacrifices my generation have made to protect those at risk (who are almost all over 60), it'd be disgusting if we had to endure continuing restrictions for months while the rest of society opens up.

 

[westv]

And then when we get to September people will start telling everyone winter is coming and we'd better not open up fully yet, let's wait until 2022. Then in Spring 2022 people will start saying everyone needs a booster so we cannot open up until they are all administered. Then it will be Autumn again.......

I just cannot agree with people like that have these opinions. You'll have us locked up for good if you get the chance.

And the other thing to consider is that we will never get to 100% vaccination so are people going to keep saying forever that we need everybody vaccinated?

 

[Drogba11CFC]

More information about that will be released on June 14th.

Martian variant.

 

[Darandio]

And the other thing to consider is that we will never get to 100% vaccination so are people going to keep saying forever that we need everybody vaccinated?

Indeed. It was mentioned this morning about the Zero Covid Cult going into overdrive for the next few weeks. They've already started here.

 

[Glenn1969]

It needs 85% to be vaccinated to get the spread low enough for the rest to be considered protected. I'm expecting to be jabbed every 6 months and wearing masks for another 4 years. If that's the price of normality I don't mind

 

[roversfan2001]

The problem in the NW is being caused because the variant of concern is spreading through unvaccinated sections of the population. Personally I would only open up for unvaccinated people in the first instance. I have had both jabs and feel a lot safer going about my business than I did a month ago

So us younger people have had to sacrifice huge chunks of our lives to keep older people safe, and now have to stay in even longer just so you feel safer? Sorry, but no. That’s not how this works.

 

[Darandio]

It needs 85% to be vaccinated to get the spread low enough for the rest to be considered protected. I'm expecting to be jabbed every 6 months and wearing masks for another 4 years. If that's the price of normality I don't mind

That's what you see as normality. Or you expect that for the next four years to reach normality? Either way I despair, I really do.

 

[westv]

I'm expecting to be jabbed every 6 months and wearing masks for another 4 years. If that's the price of normality I don't mind

I'd rather poke my eyes out.

 

[Glenn1969]

The latter. The global pandemic won't end until the whole world has had access to vaccines

 

[Darandio]

The latter. The global pandemic won't end until the whole world has had access to vaccines

Then shoot me now.

 

[NorthOxonian]

The latter. The global pandemic won't end until the whole world has had access to vaccines

What makes you think that'll happen within 4 years? Large parts of the world have massive instability or corruption. We know from experience that eliminating a disease through mass vaccination is far from easy and could take a very long time.

So would you be happy with restrictions for 10 years? 20? The rest of your life? That's how long elimination could take.

 

[Glenn1969]

I'll be happy with jabs and masks forever if that's what it takes for a normal life

 

[roversfan2001]

I'll be happy with jabs and masks forever if that's what it takes for a normal life

Are you on the wind up? That isn’t normal so if that what you’d be happy with then you’d be happy for normal life to never return.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

IMHO the June 21st date will change to September. For it to happen in June it needs all over 18s to have been offered a jab

Not acceptable under any circumstances.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

I'll be happy with jabs and masks forever if that's what it takes for a normal life

That's not a normal life.

 

[brad465]

The latter. The global pandemic won't end until the whole world has had access to vaccines

This is the first pandemic in which the way to try and end it seems to be to vaccinate (effectively) everyone. No previous pandemic, whether be any flu type, Plague ones or others relied on vaccinating everyone to end, but they all still ended. Furthermore, many of the subject pathogens are still in circulation, even if only seasonally (flu viruses) or in low amounts (plague bacteria).

It seems to be that this one has come down to vaccinating everyone because something is needed to cover/justify all these unprecedented/untested restrictions we copied from the CCP in Wuhan, and/or because we think we're so exceptional that we can "beat this" and not suffer much as a consequence.

 

[Darandio]

I'll be happy with jabs and masks forever if that's what it takes for a normal life

You know for a fact that isn't normal so are therefore trolling.

 

[dk1]

Face to face is considered higher risk than side by side.

I think it’s because you face someone. That’s exactly though what you do on most trains so I don’t really get it.

 

[Scotrail12]

I'll be happy with jabs and masks forever if that's what it takes for a normal life

Not quite so sure that masks forever = normal but you do you.

 

[david1212]

As ever, the key measure will be Hospital occupancy. No doubt in my mind that if that remains at around current levels (or even a touch higher) and broadly stable in a month’s time, then we’ll still be good for step 4.

There will be some very close attention being paid to hospital admissions in areas where cases of the Indian variant have increased.

I agree.

I can't see that happening as the "problem" with the Indian variant is only an issue with a tiny part of the country at the moment.

The trouble is we were at that point around Christmas time when we were jesting about how the "new improved" Kent variant apparently had built in GPS such that it didn't go north of Watford Gap!

I've just read that the UK allowed ~20000 arrivals from India between April 2 and April 23. Indian variant or not why ??? We were being to keep local, (anti)social distance, minimise our number of contacts etc. It makes my blood boil ....

20,000 arrivals allowed from India despite warnings about surging new variant - LIVE

At least 20,000 passengers travelling from India were allowed to enter Britain despite warnings about a new strain that had emerged there.

www.standard.co.uk

This is my fear now. Back 3 weeks ago everything was looking good for step 4 from 21st June. I don't think step 3 will create a big spike in the infection rate but this Indian variant might. Bojo is already making comments.
Individually / personally and for business within the UK we need something close to a normal summer as proposed not what happened last year with most proposals delayed or curtailed.

..... I'm expecting to be jabbed every 6 months and wearing masks for another 4 years. If that's the price of normality I don't mind

A third vaccine jab in the autumn then annual vaccine jabs I can live with. However wearing masks and normality are mutually exclusive.

 

[Lampshade]

Not quite so sure that masks forever = normal but you do you.

Pretty sure it’s a troll.

 

[Watershed]

Indian variant or not why

Presumably because these people had the right to enter the UK, e.g. by virtue of being British citizens.

Unlike Australia we haven't turned people's passports into paperweights. Well, not yet...

 

[Yew]

To stop the virus spreading in a largely unvaccinated section of the population and reaching those among the vulnerable for whom the vaccine didn't work or couldn't have the jab

We can't endure the harms of restrictions just to satisfy your myopic need to eliminate all death from the virus.

 

[Bikeman78]

There also comes a point where compliance is going to drop sufficient low that it calls into question whether a law should exist which isn't respected by most. Lots of people, especially groups, slip off their masks once on the train, especially DOO ones.

That's certainly what I've been doing recently on DOO trains. Plenty of people will have something to eat or drink and then "forget" to put the mask back on. It only goes back on if they get off at a staffed station.

 

[Jonny]

IMHO the June 21st date will change to September. For it to happen in June it needs all over 18s to have been offered a jab

Why bother? Plenty of them will say no - as they should, given their very low odds of a serious case of proper COVID if infected.

 

[Bikeman78]

Why bother? Plenty of them will say no - as they should, given their very low odds of a serious case of proper COVID if infected.

I wouldn't have been bothered if I'd never had the vaccine; as it happens I did have the first one a few weeks ago. The amount I've been out and about, the virus would have got me by now if it was going to.

 

[island]

I think there is an argument that the day 2 and 8 post arrival testing required by the UK is a forced medical procefure.

Perhaps, but that doesn’t seem to me to make it illegal. You may be thinking of section 45E of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 which prevents regulations under that part of the Act from requiring a person to undergo medical treatment, but it would be very difficult to argue that a test is a medical treatment.

With other procedures, you can change your mind right up until the point you receive the procedure. That is the point of consent. What if someone decides they don’t want to put things up their nose having landed back into the U.K.?

If someone fails without reasonable excuse to take day 2 and day 8 tests in the prescribed manner they can be issued a £1,000 FPN or prosecuted.

 

[headshot119]

I'll be happy with jabs and masks forever if that's what it takes for a normal life

I've read your posts in several threads, you're nothing more than a common internet troll.

 

[Jamesrob637]

It feels like the last 5 weeks have been semi-normal.

From tomorrow it's going to feel somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters normal.

Once everything is open and no masks are mandated, it'll feel 90% normal.

I base this purely on what the majority of the public saw in daily life pre-COVID.

 

[Cdd89]

If someone fails without reasonable excuse to take day 2 and day 8 tests in the prescribed manner they can be issued a £1,000 FPN or prosecuted

Incidentally, I wonder if you agree with my understanding of the regulations, which is that there is no ability to enforce the taking of a day 8 test. This is because in the section describing the circumstances under which a day 8 test is to be undertaken, it indicates that for—

a day 8 test, P undertakes the test no earlier than the end of the seventh day after the day on which P arrived in England

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/568 - Paragraph 10. (2) (b).

This indicates that you can take the test any time you like from day 8, with no upper limit, which could include deferring it indefinitely. I don’t see any reference to “as soon as reasonably practicable” (there is, by contrast, for offshore installation workers). But the regulations are very long indeed - it’s possible I’ve missed something!