Disconnect with the data.

The strict lockdown rules we had last year were to stay at home and protect the NHS.

I assume the reasoning behind this relaxation is that, although cases are rising, the number of resulting hospital admissions should be far lower in proportion to what it was last year because of the success of the vaccination programme..
About 85% of adults have had one vaccination and a good percentage have had both.

One worrying aspect of this is not hospitalisations but the risk of Long Covid among those not vaccinated..

Masks are to protect others.
Many people in Asian countries have worn masks for years - to protect themselves from respiratory infections and from the pollution and smog which engulfs some cities. If that also protects others that is a bonus.

Friend sent me this today. Let’s hope it’s not the case, for all our sakes

MerylStreep

Growstuff
If we proceed as you would wish, there won’t be any theatres or cinemas for you to go to.
I see that Lloyd Webber is putting on a Freedom Day concert on the 19th July. Hallelujah ????

Why not? All people have to do is wear masks. I'm not advocating keeping them closed - quite the reverse.

Why do it all at once ? Continue with masks in crowded places like shops and public transport.

Surely that should be diconnect from the data? Tut, tut, BMA.

Growstuff
If we proceed as you would wish, there won’t be any theatres or cinemas for you to go to.
I see that Lloyd Webber is putting on a Freedom Day concert on the 19th July. Hallelujah ????

Mollygo Even basic masks do offer some personal protection, as they prevent droplets getting up your nose or in your mouth.

I agree with you. I regret that I shall have to be more vigilant about keeping well away from people, especially those without masks. I don't usually wear one when I'm outside, apart from in shopping centres or at markets, anyway but I shall just not go inside any enclosed space where there are a number of people who are unmasked.

That's not too much of a hardship for me personally because I spent nearly a year not going anywhere, but it's irritating if I want to go to the cinema or theatre and there's no insistence on wearing masks.

I have read that masks are to protect others, but nevertheless I felt safer when some lanyard-wearing person coughed over me in Sainsbury’s. I plan to continue wearing one where I feel the need.

We recently travelled from Glasgow to Edinburgh by bus. I was apprehensive, especially as there were no windows so presumably we were breathing recirculated air but everyone was wearing a mask. I am not sure whether I would want to make the journey if masks were no longer in use.

I think as others have suggested that this is a gamble, I would really rather he didn’t gamble with the Young’s health.

I feel we are taking tentative steps back to a semblance of real life, and I also feel if the incidence of covid spirals controls will be re-introduced.
We, the older generation, are lucky to have the choice of isolating, mask-wearing, avoiding crowds, which so many younger people don't have, but we also have the opportunity to get out and about and meet up with family and friends if we choose.

He’s just got into trouble for misleading parliament over poverty levels I believe. He has a very strange relationship with the truth does Johnson.

I hope they keep the mask wearing in shops and on public transport as it is not fair on people who work with the public. Many of those will be younger people who haven't yet been fully vaccinated.
I think the advice may be to wear a mask if you want which is useless.

those that want to protect themselves can wear masks

Masks are to protect others.

I’m wondering if they’ve decided to do this now to get a peak out of the way before Autumn hits. There have been predictions that flu will be more serious this year as there was little last year due to isolation.

There certainly is a lack of consistency in the messages and not closing the border and our poor quarantine regs hasn’t helped. Apparently Europe is looking on to see the result of our nationwide experiment.

Katie59, you have kinda said what I think (I think). Thank you for expressing it so much more clearly than I could have.

There comes a time now that vaccination gives a good level of protection to get back to normal and treat Covid like an influenza.
If you are ill then stay at home until you have recovered, those that want to protect themselves can wear masks, social distance or isolate. There are going to be infections but the serious illness is now much less likely

I think the Government has lost control of the situation and are finding it impossible to manage keeping any restrictions because of the muddle it has all become.

The tennis and the football have shown that crowds of people are mixing together for sport so it would be too hard to prevent mixing at family events because of the perceived unfairness.

Business execcs can enter the country with no quarranteeen or restrictions so how can keeping families apart be justified.

They allowed the delta variant to get a hold because they wanted a trade deal with India, other countries with trade deals to offer will have to be allowed access.

It is all too hard for them to cope with so they have placed the responsibility on to the public to do whatever they think is best. Therefore the public can be blamed for any negative results.

Yes, we can all take responsibility for our actions but unless we have some guidance how do we know what actions to take.
This is not leadership.

They are pinning their hopes on summer weather and children being on holiday to restrict the spread of covid but are expecting 1000 cases a day by August.
It is a risk and BJ has said people will die but many feel that they can't endure restrictions any longer.
I will still be taking care and assessing my own risk.

My understanding from what Chris Whitty said is that it's now a case of timing. The government seem resigned to the fact that Delta cases are rapidly rising irrespective of current mask and social distancing measures. Whitty says keeping restrictions will only delay the next wave and it's preferable for it to peak before September or wtte:

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2021/jul/05/chris-whitty-says-keeping-covid-restrictions-will-only-delay-next-wave-video

Confirmation of lifting all restrictions will be given on 12th July when data reviewed, so although he would like to lift all restrictions, we may. have to wait a little longer. This is what I understood from last week too.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52530518

I agree, it is all too confusing. Things are twisted to make them fit, but how are we - Joe Public - supposed to work out who is twisting which facts and how much does it matter. I do think a lot of people have just given up and are going their own way.

Honestly ? I don’t think I know what to think anymore