Should we ask over 60s to stay in?

maddyone -my point was that the virus came to care homes, the residents did not need to go out to be exposed to infection. We all only have one world to inhabit and we can't get away from that no matter how hard we try. I am all for doing your best to avoid catching Covid 19, but its here for the forseeable future.

I agree with BlueSky. We all know what we need to do to keep safe. I've been wearing a mask in shops ever since we started lockdown, I keep my distance from people, I don't go to gatherings, all our local groups and clubs have stopped. If everyone did this when not actually at work we would get rid of the virus much more quickly. All of these things apply to every age group. I'm fed up of some people thinking they can do what they like because even if they get the virus they won't be ill. They couldn't care less who they pass it to. Everyone should be treated the same whatever the age group. It's not just about the RULES, it's about common sense.
Rant over!

listening to BBC News, how children need free school meals all the year round,, that if all we people who get the State Pension were actually killed off with this virus, that there would be more than enough money to feed the children, and even house the homeless.

Definitely not from a very active 70 year old

Yes but what if you can't stay inside. Not for one minute am I suggesting I'm young, just that I can't afford not to go out and work. I would love to be in a position to say, yes I'm not going out for the foreseeable future. By the way. I'm in West Wales and we are going into lockdown on Friday. So 2 weeks holiday!! There will be a lot of people who will struggle as their businesses once again have to lock down.

Well I have no intention of getting killed off by this virus if I can possibly help it, and therefore I take all sensible precautions.
I don’t agree that children need school dinners all year round. My children took packed lunches because we couldn’t afford to pay for school meals and didn’t qualify for free meals. Children who qualify for free meals should have them when they’re at school. During the holidays they should eat at home. Providing meals at school in the holidays in a pandemic will just allow the virus to continue spreading.

How old are you kittylester?

Maddyone in the area where my dd works with schools, an extra payment or voucher is made to parents on FSM in the holidays. The children don’t actually go to school to get them.

Regarding working, this thread has also made me think about my dad, who didn’t retire until he was 73 and my grandad, who worked until six weeks before he died at the age of 84. He began work at 12 - a working life of 72 years.

No I don’t agree I’m over 60, fit healthy working, looking out for older neighbours and doing child care. So it’s not for me.

polnan If every pensioner was dead, the government wouldn't allocate the money saved on state pensions to feed needy children or house the homeless. They wouldn't do it because they don't have the ideological motivation to do it.

More money is lost through tax evasion than benefit fraud, but we hear a lot about the latter whereas no effort goes into closing tax loopholes. The government says that it "can't write a big cheque" for free school dinners in the holidays and yet it writes massive cheques for billions of pounds worth of contracts never even put to tender. Contracts that were, in many cases, never fulfilled - including PPE that didn't meet specifications and the useless attempts at Test and Trace, such as the £18 billion which Serco has pocketed for the current shambles. Money down the drain, that could actually have helped people.

No doubt Boris would be glad if I hurried up and died, so that I didn't draw my state pension. Therefore I am going to live to be 100 ,just to spite him.

If we all cocked our toes up, the country would be in deep trouble. With the population down by 20%, many people who work in the care industry, farmers, shops, clothes and all sorts of other industries would see demand for their products plummet. The housing market would be in chaos, with all those house coming on the market prices would fall - fine for those who want to buy houses but those owning houses with mortgages would almost all fall into negative equity. No new house building would be needed so lots of builders would be out of business.

All that money paid in pensions would be eaten up in supporting those out of work, those industries in collapse and, as over 60 or not many of us pay income tax, VAT, fuel tax and a lot of other taxes, tax revenue would fall as well.

No! An age cut off is just too blunt an instrument! There are just too many variables of circumstances, responsibilities and health!

And the negative impact on mental health is rising massively already and it will get even worse. That has to be taken into account too.

Well, the other side of the coin is that I'd welcome the chance to stay in.
Working isn't doing much for my mental or physical health these days.
If I was paid, I would be at home.

Err no
7 pages about something that won't happen.

Ditto MissA

Millie22

Err no
7 pages about something that won't happen.

Exactly - just deliberate winding up and upsetting of people - it’s pathetic

In my experience over 60s are out and about with caution. Many of us have responsibilities, like my 60 something neighbour who has taken over her mother’s care from peripatetic carers.

I wouldn't mind but I can't see my employers agreeing to all the over-60s staff staying home simply because of their age - and I work in a supermarket with a constant stream of strangers. I don't socialise at all, and live alone, so apart from seeing my daughter briefly when I look after DGS, work is the only place I am in contact with other people. I'd happily not have contact with anyone except my dog!

Excellent post M0nica.

Many over-60s did continue with self lockdown over the summer.
And now there are increasing numbers of under-60s being diagnosed with Covid as they obviously passed it around each other.

Getting it in the neck kitty????

My opinion, just to add to the huffery puffery is carry on as normal.

My normal is lots of fresh air and walking. Tiny bit of shopping, with 95% done on line. Go to hairdressers and podiatrist as well as hygienist, dentist etc. Avoid crowded spaces. Avoid the grandsons at the risk taking age☹️☹️, see the offspring who are working at home and low risk. Chat to neighbours at a socially distanced level.

You have to live as relatively normal life as you can within parameters you set for yourself.

There are lots I am not doing but I have my eyes set firmly on the horizon when all will be back to relative normal. With luck??

Whitewavemark2, my retired science professor friend says we are all living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. His views are depressing.

He thinks we really should give up on any expectation of back to normal/near normal/new normal.

We've created the perfect conditions for world pandemics and this is just the beginning. Society will be unable to adapt quickly enough to prevent them. Instead, it will break down.

We passed the point of no return with climate change back in the 1970s. We stuck our heads in the sand. Now, we can slow things down - but we live on a dying planet.

'What exactly do we do then?' I asked.

'Apologise to your children and grandchildren' he said!

From Sir Patrick Valance talking in front of the House of Lords committee.
I think it's unlikely that we will end up with a truly sterellising vaccine. I.e. Something that truly stops the infection- and it's likely that the disease will circulate and become endemic. That's my best assessment and I think that's the view of many people on SAGE that that's a likely outcome

Nooooo!!!
What would be the point in that? You cannot generalise that all over 60's are ga-ga and using walking frames so should be kept indoors and out of the way. If someone over 60 has severe health issues then that's different but you can't impose such a blanket response to all over 60's.

Hetty58
Your professor friend isn't the only one thinking this. There was a piece on Radio 4 some months back detailing this subject. It's very very serious.
The way the whole world is farming and distributing food is creating the perfect storm for pandemics.