For everyone who's bending the rules!

Pressed too soon I think the government flip flopping and hazy rules have made it difficult for all to know what to follow
It should have been 1,2,3 from the start with no a little bit of this and a little bit of that
Christmas rulings were ridiculous and everyone with half a brain could see what January and February would bring with the last minute changes

Here’s a for instance a lady I know in her 50 s has just been vaccinated because she goes into care homes, fine, so far so good but why does she go into care homes? Because she’s a hair dresser now why for Gods name is that essential We can’t go to hairdressers so why should she be going in and out of care homes to do people s hair, according to her that is government guidelines
I haven’t looked it up so you might know differently

I think the majority of people are sticking to the rules. I wonder if people are not as vigilant as in March for several reasons. For many maybe their actions have kept them safe so far. Advice such as the 2 metre rule and time spent with people even outdoors was a guideline and that has not been emphasized as much.
I live in an area that in first wave had some of the lowest rates of infection in the country. This is scarily not the case any more. What seems to be alarming is the speed at which people are becoming very ill and also dying. My friends brother died last night . He was in his 70s and had Parkinsons and was vulnerable. Apparently it was very swift.
I dont have any massive scientific insights. There are many things that could/should of been done.
I think all we can do is reevaluate what we do,how and why.
Dont touch your face. Keep your distance from people you dont live with. Supermarkets seem rife with the virus. I havent been in one for nearly a year. Apparently the strict rules put in place last year are less stringent now. Home delivery can be hard to get. Look at click and collect or alternatives from smaller shops etc.
Surfaces have always been a much debated area with some being ultra cautious and others mocking them. What are the odds of the virus being on the packaging of food and contracting the virus from it? Probably low although the new strain may be different. Throughout I've been cautious. Household items I leave for 72hrs. Items that are eaten raw such as salad, bread are taken out of packet.
I know people who work in care now. They are tested weekly and with rapid tests before each shift. Uniforms are changed into on arrival and taken off before leave. Obviously PPE. Items coming into home are isolated for 72hrs. The virus is still creeping in.
Trying to persuade some people to follow rules is frustrating and stressful. I think all we can do is our best to protect ourselves over the next month or so.

sodapop

I think people must take their share of responsibility Kandinsky we are in the main responsible thinking adults. On one hand we blame the government for being a 'Nanny" then also want to blame them when things go wrong..

Yes of course we can do our bit but How can we do anything when the government acts so slowly and, sorry to say, illogically at times. That business of letting schools be declared safe on Sunday morning, open on Monday and lockdown on Monday night. I’ve still not got over that.

I m another who thinks it far too easy and not helpful to blame ‘the troops’ I can only speak of my area as of course I can’t go out of it but on Friday I did my weekly shop at two supermarkets (a couple of things i couldn’t get in one) and I felt extremely safe Everyone definitely was wearing masks I didn’t see one person without, everyone was keeping their own bubble distance and I felt very safe
I can only presume in the big cities there is more reluctance and maybe even in other areas of my town i don’t know I can only speak of what I personally see

Yes of course we must all take individual responsibility - and the vast majority of us are sticking to the rules. But our government is to blame for this country’s truly tragic death statistics.

Spot on Kandinsky, both your posts. How are garden centres essential ? Don’t tell me everyone there is growing vegetables.
How are places of worship essential? I thought one could worship one’s chosen deity anywhere, plus there are online services.

I hope you're feeling OK now, Marydoll

A private hospital near me is being used by the NHS for non-Covid problems but all it takes is one infected person to slip in ( accidentally) and that's null and void

A very difficult time for our medical staff

I think people must take their share of responsibility Kandinsky we are in the main responsible thinking adults. On one hand we blame the government for being a 'Nanny" then also want to blame them when things go wrong..

And they’ve allowed places of worship to remain open - brilliant move.

We need a total lockdown no ifs or buts. Everyone in and a pass for only essentials.

A professor on BBC this morning said it is the only way to stop the carnage.

Stop blaming the people. This government is 100% to blame for not closing our borders at the start. We were put in lockdown, whilst all & sundry from all over the world were allowed in. We’re the worst affected country in Europe - I wonder why?
Stop blaming Brenda from down the Road who waves to her friend whilst out shopping for food. Blame this government who have put the economy before lives.

^ It seems people think their right to do something overrides common sense.^

Well said NfkDumpling

I think that there's plenty of evidence for the increase in cases especially bearing in mind that the new variant is much more transmissible: Insufficient use of masks, 50 percent more people using public transport in London than first lockdown, Christmas bubbles, majority of transmission is asymptomatic, people have to go out to work, much less compliance than first lockdown. In the first lockdown we stayed in, this time we are looking for ways to get out. Why are NT and other gardens open? Why are garden centres open? Why are people getting in their cars and going?

It was worrying last evening to see pictures of people taking legitimate exercise in London parks. All of them out with good reason. Each doing the right thing and following the rules, but all at the same time in the same place. It seems people think their right to do something overrides common sense.

It is far more likely that it originated in a random mutation, which happens to be better adapted to its environment than the original variant.

I have just spent half an hour searching for any credible suggestion that a non-human animal could be a vector or that the virus could have mutated in another species and couldn't find anything.

It doesn't mean that it didn't happen, but it's not something which any scientists seem to be considering.

MissChateline

Could this vector be an animal that has a symptomless version of the illness and can pass it to humans; cats, dogs, guinea pigs or any small animal that is handled. Just an idea.

Pangolins?

Any evidence?

Do people in Kent eat pangolins?

Could this vector be an animal that has a symptomless version of the illness and can pass it to humans; cats, dogs, guinea pigs or any small animal that is handled. Just an idea.

Pangolins?

Yes, SpringyChicken I read last spring that the eyes were a possible point of entry.

SpringyChicken

If the virus can spread through droplets in the air and we are advised not to touch our faces, I wonder if the virus is caught through our eyes. Will goggles be the next protection requirement?

There are questions about whether the PPE which healthcare and care workers wear, is adequate.

Viruses mutate all the time. Some of them disappear and some are less virulent than others. The current theory is that this mutation arose in a patient taking immunosupressant drugs. Tests were less likely to pick it up. The new mutation has a selective advantage and it doesn't take much for it to be transmitted to other people and to spiral out of control.

www.livescience.com/uk-variant-coronavirus-faq.html

Wherever it came from, it's more important than ever that people take precautions to avoid infecting others, especially as younger people don't seem to be protected.

It only takes a small percentage of the population to transmit the infection. I'm not "blaming" anybody and I'm certainly not "wrapping myself in the comfort blanket of self awarded virtue". However, more than ever, people need to be aware of the risks. Apart from people in the Orkneys, nobody in the UK is at low risk from community transmission. The number of people of people bending the rules is enough to explain the spread of a virulent mutation.

Law enforcement in the UK is historically by consensus and peer pressure to "do the right thing". I don't have a problem with people putting pressure on their fellow citizens.

If the virus can spread through droplets in the air and we are advised not to touch our faces, I wonder if the virus is caught through our eyes. Will goggles be the next protection requirement?

Are any scientists working on this theory MOnica?

Marydoll!!! So sorry to see this. Sending very best get well wishes your way xx

Are you still in hospital?

Good post, Monica. Thank you. Points to ponder indeed.