Wembley this evening, no more masks for me..

Thanks. Can I register it using my iPad: I don’t have a smart phone.

MayBee70 the lateral flow test gives you a pos or neg result, no posting, but you’re asked to record either result in the NHS Covid-19 app to give a view to the collators.

Do you then put them in the post?

I got a pack of Lateral Flow tests from Tesco's pharmacy. They are free at any chemist and are quite easy to manage. I want to take a train journey to visit my family and, although all the adults are now double vaccinated, I don't want to take any risks. As I also live in East Cheshire, I could have taken a CPR test as they were doing them just down the road from my house, but somehow I always had something else to do . However, nothing will part me from my masks until I can be as near 100% as possible sure of avoiding the virus - hopefully a booster in the autumn will give us all greater reassurance.

You can order the lateral flow tests online and they come within a day or two and are free. There's 7 in a pack and you can order one pack per day.

www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

I think you can get the lat flow tests from chemists. Thats where I got mine.

…..it’s the nearest I get to a social life these days!

If ever this pandemic comes to an end I’m going to miss my daily date with DrJohn and also the people that do the web chats eg Dr Susan and Julie the dog from Australia!

Nor me

I wouldn’t know where to get a test from!

Yes I saw that - dear old Dr Campbell - headache, sore throat and cold. So it is worth getting tested even if you think it is just a cold.

Do the tests work, I’m not up to speed?

The main symptom now is that of having a bad cold. I’m not sure if that has been publicised much.

BigBertha1

East Cheshire

Thanks, only going north - Northumberland on holiday next week and trying to avoid the worst areas!

Aveline she's feeling ok-ish but has what feels like a bad head cold, when I spoke to her she sounded quite bunged up. So not too bad, but a bit poorly.

MayBee70 she volunteers at a vaccination centre and is assuming she caught it from there. However, she's not certain of that.

East Cheshire

BigBertha1

Much as I want restriction to end asap I dont think they should. I would prefer a staggered approach. I'd love to get rid of masks but we can't yet. The next town to us has increasing numbers and people gave been asked not to travel there if they dont have to so we won't. We either go to something in the open air (mostly golf) and avoid crowded places. Would love to go to some nice shops but its not entirely essential that I do so I won't. I think that we will see further lockdowns. Shocked today to see how much lower vaccination rates are in London.

Which area are you in bertha?

Also does she know how she caught it?

Shelmiss how is your friend? Is she unwell? I'm interested to hear how people with double jabs get on.

I had a bit of an eye opener yesterday when I received a call from a friend who I’d had coffee with, in her home, on Friday. All above board according to the rules, lots of fresh air, we’ve both been double vaccinated and no hugging.

She rang me yesterday to tell me she’d tested positive yesterday with covid. I went straight to get a PCR test and got the results back this morning, and I’m negative. But I still have to self isolate for the full 10 days. I’ve not come so close to covid before and so it was a bit of a shocker. It’s not going away. Don’t bin those masks just yet. (or go in people’s houses and have coffee!!)

Much as I want restriction to end asap I dont think they should. I would prefer a staggered approach. I'd love to get rid of masks but we can't yet. The next town to us has increasing numbers and people gave been asked not to travel there if they dont have to so we won't. We either go to something in the open air (mostly golf) and avoid crowded places. Would love to go to some nice shops but its not entirely essential that I do so I won't. I think that we will see further lockdowns. Shocked today to see how much lower vaccination rates are in London.

Mask wearing in indoor public spaces will be a way of life for me for the foreseeable future. This will be for my protection and the protection of others.
It isn’t difficult, just like taking bags to the supermarket or fastening the seat belt before driving off. An everyday thing we get used to.

I know Chestnut it is frightening. He has gone alarmingly down hill. My friend showed me a screen shot she took from a video call his nurse facilitated and I had to do my best to hold it together for my friend. He was so very changed, he’s such a strapping young man and he looked very frail. It’s so difficult when you can’t visit. We’ve sent round some ‘Cook’ pre made meals to his family but otherwise can’t think what to do to help.

I shall continue wearing a mask s long as I am told. I have genuinely forgotten on a handful of occasions, and always been politely reminded, and complied.

My friend was very miffed because she caught Covid after 2 vaccinations of Pfizer she was more miffed that she obviously had to isolate despite not feeling ill She caught it off her young son but nobody else in the household caught it
We are coming up to July 19 and I think things will change quite a bit probably no isolation just because you have been in contact with a positive case but daily lateral flow instead
Pretty sure they will alter how schools operate as too many children at home who are perfectly well
Restrictions around masks will go I expect although they may still be required on public transport
We are off to Jersey tomorrow and I am sure it will feel strange not putting a mask on as they have dropped mask wearing apart from buses. Will be nice to get ready for dinner in the hotel and not have to stick a mask on

It seems to me that the big mistake the government is making is talking of things geetting back to normal, as in how they were before the pandemic.

I think that that will never happen, there will be a new normal, possibly a better normal than before.

A big event like the pandemic leads to permanent changes.

For example, things changed after World War 2, and changed after The Great War too, because so many people got affected by it.

So, I expect that the cashier screens will remain in shops, new shops will have them fitted as standard.

I wonder if the facilities for sanitising shopping trollies will remain? Or will they be dropped? If they are dropped then dropping them will be from one day to the next day. Will a supermarket chain risk doing that and maybe lose customers to a supermarket that keeps them?

The government might say that there are no legal restrictions but that is not the same as saying that people must not continue to take precautions.

For example, Tesco puts my groceries in a box that I put on the doorstep before they arrive and that I take in after they have gone. Whatever the government tsays, I am not going to change from doing that to go door opening to delivery drivers on and after 19 July for a very long time, if ever.