Are we approaching another lockdown?

Unfortunately I feel that we must be stopped from holidaying abroad this year. Most of the rest of the world is not as well vaccinated as us and I feel sure if holidays were taken that there would be a rise in cases here.

Europe seems to be experiencing a surge in cases and coupled with low levels of vaccine will not be safe for us to visit for some time. France apparently has always been vaccine adverse and the usual take up for any vaccine only around 40 % I am sure with Macron unsettling people and Ursula Vanderlyen being a bit of a b**ch their vaccine process is not going welll

Having seen all the anti-maskers marching though London recently wearing no face coverings, and definitely not social distancing, I really fear we will be back in Lockdown in the Autumn. That's if the current restrictions are not extended.
Unless we all do what is necessary to protect each other this will go on and on.

Another lockdown, we are currently in lockdown, dont think anyone could survive another

I’m starting to wonder because as long as people are travelling as one of my friends is doing
From UK to Poland
Poland to Egypt
Egypt to Brazil
Completely denying all existence of Covid ????

grandmajet

My fear is that people will start holidaying in Europe where so few are vaccinated. The biggest surge before the first lockdown was people returning from Italy and Spain. Maybe we should just stay in beautiful Britain this year.

I agree. Selfish people who are determined to go abroad on holiday could take us back to square one. It's more than likely that someone would bring other more dangerous variants home with them. This happened with the South African and Brazilian variants.

Half the population have now had a vaccination. Huge amount this weekend. I expect the exit plan will remain the same but I expect some foreign travel wont go ahead as planned.

This IS normal life - the virus is not going to go away, in the same way HIV has not gone away and like HIV we have to adapt / learn to live with it.

Vaccine in France is difficult to find. My husband has ongoing health problems and was supposed to get a vaccine in January, unfortunately his appointment was cancelled due to lack of vaccine. I am not in the vulnerable category, but managed to get my 1st vaccine 2 weeks ago, husband gets his this coming week. 2nd injections due 1st week in April for me and 3rd week for OH.

Don’t forget older school children and college students have recently started testing twice weekly ( via LFT) for Covid. More early and asymptotic cases will be added to the statistics than were previously picked up. However I too think the situation in Europe is worrying and we as an island country may need precautions of some sort to continue for some time.

Mokryna I believe a lot of people in Europe are refusing the Astra Zeneca. Some of my friends were smugly telling me they cancelled their appointments!

Bluebelle I believe anyone living in France can put me right if I m wrong and recently there has been bad press.

I don’t think people realize what is happening here in mainland Europe. Places are ready, doctors, pharmacists and centres.
Everyone over 70 I speak to wants the vaccination but there is no vaccine available.

I don’t think people will accept it. I look at my local park now and there’s lots of people meeting up. Lots of Cafes selling from their doors with big queues every weekend. Even my old mum is quietly meeting friends now they’re all vaccinated. I don’t think a majority will go back into another lockdown. Two lots of friends who have been super careful have rung asking to meet up for a walk. I know the vaccine isn’t the whole story but like it or not the general public think they’re ok to resume life now.

DillytheGardener

Shinamael gosh what rotten luck. Do you work in a public facing role where you have greater exposure than those wfh or just bad luck?

Yes Dilly, I work in a care home and I must say I really do enjoy it and thankfully now all staff and residents are Covid free...

It's a matter of statistics, it can't go on reducing at the same rate indefinitely. It you take the temperature of your tea regularly, it cools quickly then starts to level off, same with these figures.

Thing is though if we’re vaccinated we are unlikely to get a severe dose. Just keep on keeping on until our kids are vaccinated too and hopefully numbers will be so low our grandchildren will be protected too.
Tomorrow will be a better day.

Same here deflated is the word! One step forward and two backward. Worrying that some people still got Covid despite following the rules.

Shinamael gosh what rotten luck. Do you work in a public facing role where you have greater exposure than those wfh or just bad luck?

I had Covid back in March, I had my vaccination the end of January,absolutely no reaction to that at all. Then I apparently got Covid again mid February. I had no symptoms for either of the times I have had Covid except aching legs which I’m now putting down to long Covid.... so two lots of Covid and the vaccination I should be bullet-proof!!!

Yes a break from the news can really help. We took a day last weekend, no tv, no laptop, no phone, just went for a long walk, played music and danced around the house. It was like detox from doom.
We’re planning a whole weekend from midnight tonight until Monday morning. Just family zoom and the lunch time news, nothing else.
It takes some willpower but it was worth it for us. The good vibes lasted most of the week.

www.aol.co.uk/living/strong-reaction-first-covid-19-214925887.html

I'm really anxious

Same here Urm - every now and then it just comes crashing in ?

I find deliberately not reading or watching the news some days helps. It will get better over time, we just have to hang in there a bit longer.

I did just read some good news though, I'll try and link in a mo, but basically it confirmed that if you had a ropey reaction to the first dose of vaccine it means you had likely already had Covid and therefore are at the same level of immunity as you would be if you'd had both jabs. So a small but significant thing meaning that a few more people are safer and less likely to be able to transmit it. I dunno, I'm just grateful for small mercies these days!

I think the scariest thing is that no one really knows.

And then I read an update of the Telegraph just now which states:

“Downing Street has played down concerns that a third wave of coronavirus across Europe risks seeing cases reimported into the UK.

“The Queen’s Official Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, will not go ahead this year in its traditional form in London.

“It could take up to three years to get NHS waiting lists to pre-pandemic levels, a hospital chief has said.

“The head of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the rise in coronavirus cases globally is a “worrying trend”.

“A Government adviser warns that the importation of infections could again become a “major” contributor when travel restrictions are eased.”

And I feel deflated.
Is anything getting better or are we just clinging on to hope?

I think some days it’s just harder to be optimistic. I burble along pretty much okay for a couple of weeks then I find I’m having a wobble. It’s surreal, living like this. It’s like some dystopian novel but I’m actually in it and some days it scares me, just a tiny bit. Hearing of spikes in infection don’t help do they, especially with the vaccine programme doing so well? Then I think to myself ‘get a grip’ and I’m okay again, for a while.

Till I think of all the young ones who have missed out on so much, yet been so good and patient. And poorly people waiting for surgery for serious stuff. And the ruination of so many people’s hope & dreams who opened businesses just before the pandemic hit. And I have another wobble.