Easing the lockdown

Lifting the lockdown to this extent, at this stage is the Cummings Effect. It is incredible that any British Prime minister would sacrifice the health of the nation to save one aid

I agree with you Stella4, I have just got in from a cycle ride and I have seen 2 bars open with a few sitting inside but everyone else outside drinking. No toilets open so it just makes you wonder where they are going to have a wee. It is just too fast and its being done as a cover up. There will be a 2nd wave.

Johnson doesn’t have any say in how Scotland/Wales/NI ease or don’t ease their lockdown, they are devolved administrations.That being the case, is Sturgeon doing much the same as we are regarding to the easing of restrictions in order to save the blushes of Cummings do you think??
The answer is....of course not, they are doing very much the same as us to try and get education and the economy (as well as mental health in seeing our families) going again, in a cautious way.It has to happen at some time!

Barneyoldbat that's what I have been told that some of the pubs here are open, I guess this will be takeaways only but have a drink while you wait!

B9exchange what! Sweden's figures are much higher than those of Norway, Finland and Denmark and those countries are not letting Swedes in but are moving between eachother

Scotland is affected by schemes such as furloughing and the help for self-employed, just the same as England, so Scots need to return to work in the same way those in England do. Sturgeon will have been mindful of that.

I'm getting a bit fed up of hearing about mental health issues from not seeing families? What about people with genuine, long-standing mental health issues? When was the last time anybody ever cared about them? What about the people who have reactive depression from losing a close friend or relative through death?

I really think that we all need to try to move on as well as we can & look after ourselves.My husband has health problems so we are shielded so we will just be very careful & do what we can.The main thing is that we all get through this awful time but it’s no one’s fault apart from the Chinese authorities who knew about this virus months before they told the rest of the world.Whoever had been in government it would have been the same, hindsight’s a wonderful thing .......I certainly wouldn’t want to be the person having to make decisions.Lots of people have mental health issues because it’s scary & we are in unknown territory so we just have to do the best we can & hopefully we will get through it.

Nanniejc1 a lot of people obviously don't find the situation scary - or they just wouldn't take all the risks they do!

Growstuff maybe the ones who have lost people want to grieve in peace, and don't want to be written about.
I for one, have had mental ill health for years and work full time. If you want to know more join mind on Facebook, although I can't guarantee you won't see people talk about their mental health being split from family but you will see all different people talking about their journey with their mental health.

I am sorry but saying you suffer from mental health from not seeing your family is making light of mental health. Its not been that long, 3 months or so,. How about all those people who husbands or families work abroad for periods of time. In this day and age you have technology that can keep you in touch.

No Bluesky most of Europe have not gone from strict lockdown to every thing open. Spain have been very careful in taking small steps and some regions are still in lockdown whereas as other regions are starting to open up.

Here in Portugal we came out of the state of emergency on May 4th when small shops of less than 200sq feet could open with strict precautions. This included hairdressers. Also it is mandatory for every one to wear masks in shops, offices and all indoor public spaces plus on public transport. More changes came on May 18th with restaurants and cafes able to open but only with a maximum of 50% capacity and all tables must be 2m apart. More will come in on June 1st. Today the Prime minister announced what will happen up until the 14th June. Our land borders will remain closed until June 15th in agreement with Spain. Everything announced is enshrined in law so we all know where we stand. In the UK it seems very wooly and people havent even been told to wear masks for everyone's safety.

I have to say sometimes you women are very judgemental and unless you are one of those who are feeling mental health issues for the first time how can you say it's making light of mental health? How do u not know since being furloughed and away from family it hasn't brought on reactive depression? How do u not know that someone who is now being abused by partner is feeling desperate because they can't see their extended families? There is no scale to the level of mental ill health you may have. Whether you are recovering from a breakdown, schizophrenic or just started to feel anxiety for first time it can hit anyone like a ton of bricks and it's often worse for those who have never suffered bad mental health before. You shouldn't judge anyone's mental health.

Jishere I don't need to join a Facebook group to know about mental ill health. You are, however, absolutely right that not everybody wants to talk about it.

I think you've misunderstood my post. I think it's undermining real mental ill health to talk about people missing their families as having mental ill health. If only they knew!

England is moving out of lockdown too fast and I have to agree with the OP that this seems to be linked to the Cummings farce.

Nanniejc Being scared isn't the same as having mental health issues!

Thank you Barmeyoldbat for explaining what I meant.

I'm not being judgmental Jishere. I do speak from experience.

Nanniejcl All your posts are absolutely spot on. 100% lockdown with strict enforcement would not have got rid of the virus because they never would have had the capacity to control all those who behaved badly. And you still would have had key workers dealing with virus patients and going home to households and their children often having to be looked after elsewhere by another person from another household.....,

"It is the first responsibility of government to protect and safeguard the lives of its citizens."

Anyone who has suffered, or watched family suffer, from mental health issues, will know that people missing their family, or their social life , is not real mental health issues. Nonetheless in susceptible people clinical depression could be brought on by these circumstances. The chances are that the depression was hovering beneath the surface in these people. When people start being made redundant, and that will happen, the numbers with clinical depression may well take off.

Lockdown has to be lifted. We can’t stay in isolation for ever and yes, the financial state of the country has to be taken into account. It can’t be ignored and lockdown continued ad infinitum as if this were the case we’d be coming out into the equivalent of a nuclear winter with services and businesses decimated never to recover.

Also, while I have every sympathy with those who have lost loved ones to this disease and every death is a personal tragedy, I can’t ignore the fact that COVID has caused the deaths of just over 0.5% of the UK population, many of who had co-morbidities and were close to the end of life without the intervention of COVID.

This may sound harsh and I am not attempting to minimise the effect that these deaths have had but this is the reality.

Yous women are something else would you judge cancer like this: some one as a mole that needs to be removed is making light of someone with terminal cancer! No doubt It!
If you are in applying that some have used it has an excuse, how do u know??Where's your evidence, mental health can decline very quickly. If some have, so What?
How can anyone say what is a 'real' mental health issues? And what has caused It? Tell that to the family who lost there son because he lived away from them, how do u know he had any underlining problems before hand - utter rubbish. Tell that to the poor young nurses family who committed suicide because of work and being separated from family.
Please don't respond I don't want to waste my time with some of you judgemental women. I think half of you don't read others comments just more interested in your small minded comments, its all about me!

Jishere, there are many on GN who simply haven't a clue but like to give their 'expert' opinion. Just ignore them as they'll never change - or go away. I think of them as small children 'chipping in' to an adult conversation. Their level of ignorance is astonishing.

FoghornLeghorn, yes, of course lockdown has to be lifted. We are not 'all in the same boat' however. A lot of us are retired and have the luxury of the choice to continue our isolation.

That is very rude Hetty. I’m sure you have the capacity to make your point with reverting to insult.