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We need action now as we have the benefit of hindsight

(104 Posts)
Whitewavemark2 Sat 19-Sep-20 19:32:02

I fervently hope that Johnson will take the SAGE advise and introduce measures immediately.

He left it too lat last time with the result of thousand more deaths than necessary.

We can’t afford to dither, we have no test and trace system the only positive thing we can do is to introduce another form of lockdown.

BlueBelle Sat 19-Sep-20 20:13:25

It will be the nails in the coffin of this country if they go into another lock down which does precious little as once we come out of lockdown the numbers go straight up we need to get on with life and those that are ill or weak or very old need to be the ones locking down not the country
I don’t think people will be so compliant a second time round it doesn’t work it’s still there hovering around waiting for us to pop back to life

Whitewavemark2 Sat 19-Sep-20 20:19:33

I think it would not have been so bad if the test and trace system had worked.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 19-Sep-20 20:25:33

In my opinion the trace part of track and trace is the problem. We do not have identity cards which means that people are able to put down incorrect details on entering restaurants, bars etc if they choose to.

A total lockdown would be disastrous on many levels, mental health, domestic abuse, our children’s education and obviously economically.

suziewoozie Sat 19-Sep-20 20:30:55

I just think we’re completely and utterly stuffed. Not a hope in hell of avoiding unmitigated.economic, health and personal disaster. It’s already clear that next year’s public exams need a rethink before we get to June and they whinge about hindsight being a wonderful thing.

suziewoozie Sat 19-Sep-20 20:32:36

As my grandma used to say, it’s being so cheerful that keeps me going. ?

GrannyGravy13 Sat 19-Sep-20 20:34:49

Blimey ^suziewoozie* I agree with you ?‍♀️

LauraNorder Sat 19-Sep-20 20:36:28

I agree with BlueBelle, we can't risk another lockdown. We need to carry on as best we can, assess our own risks and take all the precautions we can.
Health, education, economy all closely linked. All have to be considered as a whole.

Whitewavemark2 Sat 19-Sep-20 20:44:22

The female SAGE professor ( I didn’t get her name) when asked if we should put health before the economy said that it was a non-choice.

Unless we get a grip which she said we haven’t yet, the economy will never have the confidence of a stable future.

She said that the test and trace should have helped get our infection rate as close to zero as possible during the summer, but T&T never got off the ground so we didn’t stand a cats chance in hell ( she didn’t actually say that) and so we should act immediately as it will be disastrous if we don’t.

Jomarie Sat 19-Sep-20 20:46:12

Wholeheartedly agree with you BlueBelle

ayse Sat 19-Sep-20 20:50:06

They have had months to get the T&T system up and running. I understand you need a QR code to take to any test centre to prove you have an appointment. What if you don’t have a smart phone or don’t know about QR codes?

Listening to Any Questions/Any Answers today it seems that without much more local data people included such as those in rural Northumberland have every right to feel aggrieved.

I’ve been thinking about the statistical information we are given. Perhaps I’m a cynic in thinking that tests have been so difficult to obtain for some whilst others seem to have little problem. It seems to me that only the north of the country has been hit by additional lockdowns whilst the South East seems to be relatively “safe”. Does anyone know what the actual figures are, not just the modelled figures?

Finding information that is very specific seems rather problematic, at least for me. I’d like to see figures across the UK, broken down so that comparisons across the country could be made by the public more easily. The government appears to have no strategy whatsoever.

What I do believe is that the older you get the more severe the impact will be if you contract the virus. For anyone who has health issues such as heart disease, diabetes or a compromised immune system there is at greater risk of severe illness or death. Overweight people are also more at risk. Younger people generally speaking are at far less risk and many people are asymptomatic.

I expect limited lockdown will be imposed across the whole country in the not too distant future with social activities being curtailed whilst businesses, schools etc. will remain open. I have grave doubts as to how successful this will be.

It would be good to see some proactive leadership rather than this haphazard approach.

Whitewavemark2 Sat 19-Sep-20 20:56:30

The scientist said that the government never followed scientific advise (whatever they said) .

Perhaps if they had done we wouldn’t be in such a mess.

We locked down to try to manage the level of infection so that the nhs would not be overwhelmed.

If we want to assist the nhs then we will have to do the same again.

Witzend Sat 19-Sep-20 21:08:26

A much stricter lockdown than we had didn’t stop a major second wave in Spain.
Maybe Sweden has it right, get on much as normal and hope for herd immunity.
The fact is, nobody knows how best to handle this beast - we’re in uncharted waters.

Oopsminty Sat 19-Sep-20 21:11:26

What sort of lockdown would be best?

My area is going into lockdown from Tuesday.

Schools will stay open. Most people will be going to work.

To be honest I'm not sure what this lockdown means

Six people. No mixing of households.

My daughter in law is a Primary School teacher. No masks. So basically mixing with 30 households. And of course the other teachers. She has a young daughter in another school who is mixing with 30 children.

I don't know what can be done.

I have 2 relatives who work for the NHS and as yet their hospitals have very few covid patients.

I have no clue what is best but I do know that people are dying of other things due to covid and that's a worry. People can't get to see their GPs. They are scared to go to A&E. Heart patients. Stroke victims. People aren't being diagnosed with cancer. Suicide rates have gone up.

I'm rambling but I don't know what is the best thing we can do.

Whitewavemark2 Sat 19-Sep-20 21:14:38

The Oxford doctor who works in one of the London ICUs has tweeted that they have gone from no Covid patients to 11 in a week.

ayse Sat 19-Sep-20 21:16:02

This from the Guardian about Sweden
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjhivuQhPbrAhVrRhUIHTY-D5UQFjADegQIDBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2020%2Fsep%2F15%2Fsweden-records-its-fewest-daily-covid-19-cases-since-march&usg=AOvVaw0DLrz1ZQVLG9OlYXgcdQDp

ayse Sat 19-Sep-20 21:17:51

Sorry about the not so good link but it backs up Wizend’s post.

Oopsminty Sat 19-Sep-20 21:18:01

Whitewavemark2

The Oxford doctor who works in one of the London ICUs has tweeted that they have gone from no Covid patients to 11 in a week.

Yes, and I'm sure more will be hospitalised soon.

But how long do we lockdown for?

This isn't going to disappear even if we all stay in on our homes

Oopsminty Sat 19-Sep-20 21:26:15

There are some excellent articles about what's happening as we concentrate on Covid

*Experts fear that deaths from illnesses such as cholera could far exceed those from Covid-19 itself
Across the globe, patients have reported being denied cancer care, kidney dialysis and urgent transplant surgeries, with sometimes fatal results. In the Balkans, women have been driven to try dangerous, experimental abortions themselves, while experts in the UK have reported a rise in DIY dentistry, as people turn to toe-curling improvisations involving chewing gum, wire-cutters, and superglue. Panic-hoarding of the drug hydroxychloroquin, which is normally used to treat malaria and autoimmune conditions, and has recently been found to increase deaths from Covid-19, has led to shortages. *

Why most Covid deaths won't be from the virus

www.bbc.com/future/article/20200528-why-most-covid-19-deaths-wont-be-from-the-virus

BlueBelle Sat 19-Sep-20 21:45:03

I agree about Sweden and it’s what we have done every time there’s been a pandemic before (and there have been at least two others in most of our lifetimes not counting AIDS, SARS, Mers annual flu etc etc )
We have to keep going and those that are weak or ill stay away from danger and the younger fitter who are less at risk keep going Every time we lockdown when we come out it will be there waiting to bite us again we have to hold out against it till it wears itself out or dilutes it seems to have worked well in Sweden the only country to not act in fear they could have got it wrong but seems their bravery paid off it all makes sense to me There will be casualties but there will be huge casualties of other major illnesses , mental health, suicides, Poverty
We cannot lockdown for ever We have to learn to fight it amongst it

Harris27 Sat 19-Sep-20 21:53:59

We’ve done lockdown but can’t do it forever. I’m in the NE and were again on local lockdown but can go to work but not see our families utterly miserable work home back to work not much of a life but still here.

Whitewavemark2 Sat 19-Sep-20 21:57:04

I am inclined to follow the scientists.

Sweden is a one off and no other country as far as I know has followed their line.

Most countries seem far more confident about lockdown and their economy as their economies are fundamentally sound with nothing ahead to worry about once a vaccine comes through, but the U.K. has brexit and the instability that is going to cause and the lack of confidence by the world in our economy.

Urmstongran Sat 19-Sep-20 22:04:33

Madrid is struggling. One third of all cases in Spain are there. 11,000 cases in Spain today. The government don’t know what to do. Lockdown or no?

It’s not just the UK.

biba70 Sat 19-Sep-20 22:08:29

Are you still there? What would happen if they lock down- as you probably are over your 90 days allowed.

MawB2 Sat 19-Sep-20 22:22:06

A scientist (?) I heard recently said that lockdown buys time and in that time we need to learn to adjust our behaviour, not only where it can be legally enforced but how we actually choose to behave - ie social distancing, handwashing, face covering, observation of maximum numbers meeting regs and good hygiene .
I genuinely believe that the Great British public thought that 6 or at the most 12 weeks of lockdown would somehow see the virus pass over us, like the Angel of Death at Passover. You wonder where they thought it would go?