Covid-19 cases are rising again in much of the world

The borders can't be closed forever, or at all 100%, we are not a self sufficient country, so sooner or later new variants will either occur here or come here, it's what viruses do, they mutate and they don't care about borders.

Creating an immune response by vaccination is the only way to go. In that case, even if a new variant does occur our bodies are ahead of the game. Covid isn't going anywhere, we are just finding ways of making it less lethal.

The lockdown needs to follow the path set out and it needs to happen, if it doesn't people will lift it themselves by default and all bets will be off. It's a fine line of working with what needs to happens vs what will happen if it does/doesn't.

I think sometimes it's good to stand back and stop seeing Europe/other countries as some kind of threat, either as a gateway for disease, or in the political shenanigans that abound. The virus is the threat, fight the virus.

I do realise people work in the travel industry and I have a lot of sympathy for them but surely foreign travel, except for emergency family reasons or for work, should be curtailed altogether. I understand people need a holiday and a break, I imagine we all do but it has never been a necessity and many people manage without under normal circumstances.

I don't mean curtailed forever, I just mean for the time being until the scientists know more about what is going on. I take your point re immune response though Nell - that is also important.

I think the vaccinations will do what they are set out to do and give us more freedom in the UK. However, if you look at Australia, with their low numbers of deaths and cases (so far - I don't want to tempt fate) their difficultly will be opening up to the rest of the world - it may be ours too.

I have to admit I never thought it would be "over by Christmas". Those words struck me with fear as they were dishonest and either the politicians knew they were being dishonest or they didn't know and that may be worse. However, I do think we will move to some sort of normal but one with differences because of CV.

One piece of good news is that Test and Trace are being moved out to the council areas. (Today R4). Instead of the central body taking the first, I think it was, 24 hours and then sending it out to the councils the names and addresses are going straight to the councils. This is enabling them to get to people quicker, go door to door where necessary and ensures people have the help they need to isolate. They are already pushing the numbers up apparently. This will help us but help us at home yet again, as the vaccine does. We will still have to come to terms with how we work with the rest of the world.

NellG
Creating an immune response by vaccination is the only way to go. In that case, even if a new variant does occur our bodies are ahead of the game. Covid isn't going anywhere, we are just finding ways of making it less lethal.

You are right except we already see a variant that they believe this current vaccine may not be able to deal with. It is in small numbers and, no doubt, scientists are, at this very moment, working on a new vaccine or booster. However, the only way to stay safe for the time being will be to limit travel in and out of the country as far as we possibly can. We will not be the only country in this position, but all countries will have different issues because of it.

If we cry about it for a week it won't change a thing, so somehow we have to deal with it and its aftermath. It's a case of accepting the situation and finding the tiniest of uplifting reasons to be cheerful.
But even that is starting to wane as time goes by. I used to laugh at all the funny jokes and videos people produced, I haven't the same enthusiasm now. I even hear myself saying something and think afterwards it was too flippant. It's hard.
Every country has to do what is right for them. And we have to trust that every country is also conforming to the common desire to get the world out of this mess. It can't be long now, hang in there.

At the moment, travel is illegal unless for work or emergencies. It’s even illegal within the country at the moment, never mind abroad. I think NellG is right, people will simply not comply with the restrictions if they are continued. I think it’s already happening, or at least, a wide interpretation of the word bubble is already in use. I’ve seen this in action myself.
My 93 year old mother was totally isolated for twelve weeks in the first lockdown, we got her shopping and delivered it to her door and that was it. I refuse to do that to her again, it’s cruel. As we’re in a bubble with her it doesn’t matter, and she has carers going in now that she didn’t before. She still got Covid so all our efforts didn’t make a jot of difference. She fell and went into hospital, and picked up Covid there, and of course, we then got it too (support bubble.)
How long can these restrictions last? I definitely think people will stop complying if it goes on much longer.

Wise words Ellianne.

Who's crying? I want people, particularly politicians, to face up to some hard choices and make relevant decisions. I do not think life improves by ignoring such things.

I'm sure we can all take pleasure in the small blessings of life but this situation is not small. We will find ways to enjoy ourselves and ways to be together sensibly. It is hard. It was hard for those on the "home front" during both wars and it's very, very hard for those living in disaster zones. This is not that hard.

As for having to trust - I don't. I look at the evidence and think we should hold our politicians' feet to the fire or we will lose even more than the current numbers - twice those who died in the Blitz remember.

Sorry - replying to Ellainne.

I'm beginning to realise some people are replying to what they think has been posted - not to what is there.

I have not said we will not be able to loosen the internal lockdown. I have said the opposite - we can loosen it if we keep being careful. I have, I thought, made it clear I was talking about our borders. To me, the alternative to us taking care doesn't bear thinking about.

Maddone - I was under the impression that you could not be in multiple support bubbles?

Sorry Pippa I didn't realise this was a political discussion. I was responding to the many posts about trying to be cheerful.

Just been listening to the news and apparently a third wave is taking hold in Europe. Hardly surprising with all the infighting about vaccine supplies and now the debacle about the OAZ vaccine - thousands of doses sitting in fridges all across the EU while vaccine rollouts are agonisingly slow. Is anyone else feeling like EU countries are so busy squabbling that they’re sleepwalking into a disaster ?

You are right except we already see a variant that they believe this current vaccine may not be able to deal with.

Sorry to keep going on about this but I think it's important PippaZ. Do you have anything to back this up? (There I go, asking for proof again ) I don't believe that this is exactly a true statement and its things like this that cause people to catastrophise - me included. Repeating myself here, but the current vaccines can deal with all the variants we have at the moment. Maybe not as well with some of the variants but the efficacy of the vaccines is high and they are still effective. Maybe in future (and I mean maybe this winter) there will be variants that the scientists believe will be able to evade the vaccines at higher rates. Then we get boosters of a new variant of the vaccine to deal with new variants of the virus.

DaisieMae
You can’t be in multiple bubbles, but you can be in a support bubble and a childcare bubble, but you cannot mix the two. The guidelines are very clear, I took the trouble to read the government website when bubbles were introduced.

Thank you again Alegrias for being upbeat and optimistic. As I understood it, you are correct in saying all the current variants can be dealt with, with the current vaccines. Not 100% but scientists have said they can be dealt with. The third wave in Europe is primarily, as I understand it, the Kent variant, or as the Europeans apparently call it, the British variant. We have already had that wave in January/February.
I need to hear optimism, not pessimism and speculation, especially not incorrect speculation. I can’t live my life feeling permanently pessimistic and I’m sure others feel the same. I need to look for signs that this is going to end. I need to have hope.

Scientists are also already working on tweaking the vaccine so it can cope with other variants. I heard it could be ready by Autumn. That’s optimistic, not permanent pessimism.

maddyone

I remind myself often that six months ago we didn't even know if they would be able to find a vaccine for this. Now more than 50% of the UK population have been vaccinated - including me, yesterday!

Hope it all works out for you and your children.

I know we are told re bubbles/care bubbles etc but people who rely on paid care, either in their own homes or in a care establishment have many bubbles. So I personally do not think a relative caring for an elderly relative and another family is the end of the world or any higher risk than having paid care from a provider if precautions such as handwashing, facemasks and general hygiene is adhered to. Can I also add, local authorities and social services have been ringfenced money and PPE to give to these type of unpaid carers. So if you relative has a social worker get in touch with them if you require PPE (it will be facemasks, aprons, gloves etc)

I don’t think we can totally shut our borders, but we could continue the ban on foreign travel.

Macron is trying to appease people by not having a total lock down and slightly relaxing the curfew now 7pm - 8am everywhere. Paris and 16 other departments are in lockdown, there was a queue of traffic 400km long on Wednesday of people leaving Paris. They wonder why its spreading. Still no appointments available for vaccination.
Things are definitely better in UK.

Where I am working at the moment, the R rate hasn't really dropped since January. No sniff of a vaccine here. Only know of 2 people who have had it. While I am desperate to get home and see family, I am not travelling at all. It is far too soon, and not safe. Holidays are not a good enough reason to risk lives.

There is concern that the current vaccines will not be that good at combatting the new variants:

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the scientific pandemic influenza group on modelling, a Sage sub-group, said the increases in Europe made foreign summer holidays look “extremely unlikely”. He said travellers risked bringing back new variants of coronavirus that may be less affected by vaccines.

“I think that international travel this summer is, for the average holidaymaker, sadly I think extremely unlikely,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. “I think we are running a real risk if we do start to have lots of people going overseas in July and August because of the potential for bringing more of these new variants back into the country.

“What is really dangerous is if we jeopardise our vaccination campaign by having these variants where the vaccines don’t work as effectively spreading more rapidly.”

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/20/covid-rise-europe-may-thwart-uk-plans-ease-lockdown-experts

Ellianne

Sorry Pippa I didn't realise this was a political discussion. I was responding to the many posts about trying to be cheerful.

I should have put it under politics. CV subjects are difficult ones to place. I wonder if GNHQ can change the catagory.