What is pissing you off the most?

[paz1967]

What gets me is thinking back just a year ago. The biggest concern of the country was Priti Patel being a bully and the official leaving of the EU.

I could shake hands with people. You could go to a cafe or restaurant any time you wanted. My daughter went to ballet every Saturday and swimming every Wednesday.

Unused to go into Nottingham regularly. We went to football matches with thousands and thought nothing of it. Queueing for shops was something teenagers did with fad brands or tech heads did at 4am outside Apple stores.

The last event I remember going to was a charity event hosted by the freemasons, and it was brilliant. I think back to that and it feels like a completely different world and a different life. A year on and it feels impossible to imagine that world existing again. But we are social creatures and we simply can't live like this forever

On a personal level its really made no difference to me. (business has suffered a lot)

I prefer animals to people as some will realise so im working on farms and then being at home with the 'pet farm'. A simple wholesome life.

Dont get me wrong I still have all my boys toys, motocross, old classic truck, cars, iracing set up, gaming and all that jazz. But I spend more time feeding donkeys and seahorses than I do speaking with people.

What Ive found during this period is that more folk want to do shit the way I do it :~:)

 

[Calvin Plummer]

From a scientific point of view though, how will masks/social distancing make a difference to a virus that has been shown to superspread even with them, or to a vaccinated population?

Try seeing the consequences of no mask and no social distancing. Besides which we allowed this to spread without any real rules in place.

I'd love to be able to tell you this will magically go away, I just don't see how. Especially given it's propensity for mutations, and vaccine resistant ones at that.

I'd guess a couple more years of masks and distancing as we perfect vaccines and track and trace so we have an early warning system in place and then lockdown effected areas hard.

So some degree of normality will return but some adjustment will be required too.

As ITTO says until the next one too. The strain we put on the food planet and our eating habits mean it's when not if the next one strikes.

 

[Pope John XXIII]

Try seeing the consequences of no mask and no social distancing. Besides which we allowed this to spread without any real rules in place.

I'd love to be able to tell you this will magically go away, I just don't see how. Especially given it's propensity for mutations, and vaccine resistant ones at that.

I'd guess a couple more years of masks and distancing as we perfect vaccines and track and trace so we have an early warning system in place and then lockdown effected areas hard.

So some degree of normality will return but some adjustment will be required too.

As ITTO says until the next one too. The strain we put on the food planet and our eating habits mean it's when not if the next one strikes.

I'm struggling to understand how we achieve a balance.

We beat it or we don't.

Masks have not kept it at bay, at all. I'm not being anti mask. But the reality is a bigger wave than before has beaten the masks.

Can you explain how you see a balance working and in what circumstances you imagine an open economy with just masks and social distancing working?

 

[Calvin Plummer]

I'm struggling to understand how we achieve a balance.

We beat it or we don't.

Masks have not kept it at bay, at all. I'm not being anti mask. But the reality is a bigger wave than before has beaten the masks.

Can you explain how you see a balance working and in what circumstances you imagine an open economy with just masks and social distancing working?

We don't is the answer then...it is not going away.

We have to choose between ignoring it, which you seem to be advocating, or finding a liveable balance. That will mean masks and distancing until everyone is vaccinated, have efficient checks at borders and we have a effective track and trace programme in place. Then we can return to what you consider to be normal but is actually quite a modern construct. However when it next mutates or springs up then we lockdown hard on that area.

Masks and distancing were never about stopping, just slowing it down.

 

[Pope John XXIII]

We don't is the answer then...it is not going away.

We have to choose between ignoring it, which you seem to be advocating, or finding a liveable balance. That will mean masks and distancing until everyone is vaccinated, have efficient checks at borders and we have a effective track and trace programme in place. Then we can return to what you consider to be normal but is actually quite a modern construct. However when it next mutates or springs up then we lockdown hard on that area.

Masks and distancing were never about stopping, just slowing it down.

I'm not advocating any solution, certainly not ignoring it

The point I am making is that I don't think there will be a balance that can be struck. I think we will either defeat this through vaccines almost totally or we will eventually have to choose to live normally with it, with all the additional deaths and consequences.

I don't believe in an eventuality where a balance can be achieved through masks and social distancing. I don't believe this virus is likely to be kept in a constant suppressed state.

I am not advocating a solution, but predicting what I see as likely outcomes.

 

[Will.NFFC]

I'm not suggesting we will be in lockdown forever but masks and social distancing will become the norm for many years. They're common place in other parts of the world so yes we can adapt. How we work will also change.

How can social distancing become the norm for many years?

Do you mean then that you can’t be close and hug loved ones for many years? That a generation of young uni students/adults will have to accept that they’ll never experience a night life in their generation and enjoy parties that’s just how it is? It absolutely cannot and should not become part of the norm.

I’m sure if you were to ask millions of people would you rather take your life into your own hands or live in a world for years of social distancing, there’d be a strong preference.

 

[JC21]

How can social distancing become the norm for many years?

Do you mean then that you can’t be close and hug loved ones for many years? That a generation of young uni students/adults will have to accept that they’ll never experience a night life in their generation and enjoy parties that’s just how it is? It absolutely cannot and should not become part of the norm.

I’m sure if you were to ask millions of people would you rather take your life into your own hands or live in a world for years of social distancing, there’d be a strong preference.

I'm well aware of the uber original 'tin foil hat' comments that will come my way mate but here's food for thought

 

[Ingy]

I wonder how all this is affecting birthrates? Are couples already living together more likely to try to start/increase their family or due to people not meeting anyone new is there gonna be a dramatic decrease?

 

[Calvin Plummer]

How can social distancing become the norm for many years?

Do you mean then that you can’t be close and hug loved ones for many years? That a generation of young uni students/adults will have to accept that they’ll never experience a night life in their generation and enjoy parties that’s just how it is? It absolutely cannot and should not become part of the norm.

I’m sure if you were to ask millions of people would you rather take your life into your own hands or live in a world for years of social distancing, there’d be a strong preference.

It's not about their life though, that's a false equivalency. You're putting other people's lives at risk through irresponsible behaviour.

Again though once we have an effective annual vaccination programme that adapts to new strains, track and trace that's trusted and works, then we can return to normality to a large extent and just react when we get outbreaks.

Again though with how we eat and treat the planet it's a question of when, not if the next one strikes.

 

[Calvin Plummer]

I'm not advocating any solution, certainly not ignoring it

The point I am making is that I don't think there will be a balance that can be struck. I think we will either defeat this through vaccines almost totally or we will eventually have to choose to live normally with it, with all the additional deaths and consequences.

I don't believe in an eventuality where a balance can be achieved through masks and social distancing. I don't believe this virus is likely to be kept in a constant suppressed state.

I am not advocating a solution, but predicting what I see as likely outcomes.

I think your own feelings on masks are shading your opinions. If the choice was between your son and returning to normality which would you pick?

Vaccines will allow us to get most of normal back.

 

[JC21]

I think your own feelings on masks are shading your opinions. If the choice was between your son and returning to normality which would you pick?

Vaccines will allow us to get most of normal back.

'untested' vaccines

 

[Will.NFFC]

It's not about their life though, that's a false equivalency. You're putting other people's lives at risk through irresponsible behaviour.

Again though once we have an effective annual vaccination programme that adapts to new strains, track and trace that's trusted and works, then we can return to normality to a large extent and just react when we get outbreaks.

Again though with how we eat and treat the planet it's a question of when, not if the next one strikes.

Hate phrases like ‘irresponsible behavior’ to describe seeing family and interacting... especially after a year without it.

I’m saying do you think it’s right to expect us to not go to pubs or be close to loved ones for years should a vaccination programme take that long?

 

[Calvin Plummer]

'untested' vaccines

Define untested?

 

[Calvin Plummer]

Hate phrases like ‘irresponsible behavior’ to describe seeing family and interacting... especially after a year without it.

I’m saying do you think it’s right to expect us to not go to pubs or be close to loved ones for years should a vaccination programme take that long?

I dont think it will take years, and pubs shouldn't be in the same sentence as family.

Is it right that people should die so you can have a pint?

 

[Will.NFFC]

I dont think it will take years, and pubs shouldn't be in the same sentence as family.

Is it right that people should die so you can have a pint?

Is it right people that young peoples lives are ruined?

You’re also sat ignorantly assuming that old people want to be isolated away from their family in their final years. You’d be pretty fucked off if you were told you couldn’t see or touch your family to protect you just to end up dying lonely.

 

[Calvin Plummer]

Is it right people that young peoples lives are ruined?

There is no right with a disease, we can't reason with it.

Maybe focus on all those who voted Tory, the incompetence of this government has made this situation 10x worse.

 

[Pope John XXIII]

I think your own feelings on masks are shading your opinions. If the choice was between your son and returning to normality which would you pick?

Vaccines will allow us to get most of normal back.

You aren't actually responding to the points I'm making; I think you are trying to infer stuff that isn't there. Take my post at face value. I'm not advocating one course of action over another, I am predicting what will happen.

Turn your question around; if it was a choice between my son and normality, what would people choose?

 

[Calvin Plummer]

Also ruined is a bit dramatic. They’ve tragically lost a couple of years due to incompetence of the government and a virus.

 

[Pope John XXIII]

Also ruined is a bit dramatic. They’ve tragically lost a couple of years due to incompetence of the government and a virus.

You are telling them they are going to lose a lot more than that.

It's alright for us; middle aged, married, kids, settled. We can stand a few years stuck at home if we need to. It's actually made me a bit wealthier.

As a young person have none of that, you have to go out and get it and we are warning them that they can't.

 

[Calvin Plummer]

You aren't actually responding to the points I'm making; I think you are trying to infer stuff that isn't there. Take my post at face value. I'm not advocating one course of action over another, I am predicting what will happen.

Turn your question around; if it was a choice between my son and normality, what would people choose?

I'd choose your son. I've completely changed my lifestyle, spent months without any contact with my partner and family so I could keep my business going and minimise risk to everyone.

I believe we will get 80% of normality back by the end of summer. By Christmas 95%.

But we do need to be prepared for further outbreaks, further mutations and ultimately further pandemics.