Keir Starmer now isolating

Makes you wonder , indeed.
Government goes on recess tomorrow !!!

Again?!
Yes, good point GG13.....is that why things are so quiet??

Best place for him

I do wonder is this just a way of having a lock-down without providing financial support. If a significant number of their employees are pinged businesses have to shut down and there won't be any furlough scheme will there?

trisher

I do wonder is this just a way of having a lock-down without providing financial support. If a significant number of their employees are pinged businesses have to shut down and there won't be any furlough scheme will there?

Furlough scheme finishes end of September 2021. We haven’t had any notification regarding businesses closing down due to staff isolating as of yet.

I think this is the 3rd or 4th time Mr.Starmer has had to isolate.

I really doubt it trisher business shutting down is no good for the economy and the general day to day running of services.
Not everybody is unpaid when they are off

I wish him well and I hope his child has it mildly and doesn’t suffer from long covid.

It’s what’s happening when you have school age children, isn’t it? I definitely know a lot more people who have been told to self isolate in the last few weeks than in the last two lockdowns, and more people who actually have Covid too. I’m in mid Wales, so not so much near me although there’s an outbreak in Newtown, but in the East Midlands, and in Bristol (three different connections in Bristol in the last week). Not sure if it’s just because Test and Trace is over zealous, or if there are actually more in the community at the moment.

I just feel sorry for all of them.

Two eating places near me have shut down for short periods because staff were self isolating and this is before the abandoning of the rules takes effect.

Don’t you have to isolate if you think anyone in your household has Covid? I’m really confused about the rules now.

SueDonim
This might explain it all.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/ping-nhs-app-legal-law-b1887804.html

Casdon

It’s what’s happening when you have school age children, isn’t it? I definitely know a lot more people who have been told to self isolate in the last few weeks than in the last two lockdowns, and more people who actually have Covid too. I’m in mid Wales, so not so much near me although there’s an outbreak in Newtown, but in the East Midlands, and in Bristol (three different connections in Bristol in the last week). Not sure if it’s just because Test and Trace is over zealous, or if there are actually more in the community at the moment.

There's more in the community. My area was down to just over 20 in 100,000 a few weeks ago. Today it's 495 in 100,000, which is about average for England. That's a huge increase and can't possibly be just the result of more testing. Last week, just over 5% of the local secondary school pupils were actually infected (not just sent home as contacts), so the figure is consistent.

MerylStreep

SueDonim
This might explain it all.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/ping-nhs-app-legal-law-b1887804.html

Not really. There might be people self-isolating unnecessarily, but there really are more cases and hospitalisations. The reason there are more pings is because there are more cases. Approximately 1 in 200 people is currently infected, so even on a shopping trip, especially if you use public transport, the chances that you'll be near somebody who later tests positive is quite high.

I can’t read anything but the first para, Meryl.

I feel so weary of all this.

Half of the businesses in my small village have been shut due to covid cases or staff isolating. The schools in our area were badly hit about a fortnight ago. I know hardly anyone at my workplace who hasnt had to isolate or look after children who are isolating.

growstuff

Casdon

It’s what’s happening when you have school age children, isn’t it? I definitely know a lot more people who have been told to self isolate in the last few weeks than in the last two lockdowns, and more people who actually have Covid too. I’m in mid Wales, so not so much near me although there’s an outbreak in Newtown, but in the East Midlands, and in Bristol (three different connections in Bristol in the last week). Not sure if it’s just because Test and Trace is over zealous, or if there are actually more in the community at the moment.

There's more in the community. My area was down to just over 20 in 100,000 a few weeks ago. Today it's 495 in 100,000, which is about average for England. That's a huge increase and can't possibly be just the result of more testing. Last week, just over 5% of the local secondary school pupils were actually infected (not just sent home as contacts), so the figure is consistent.

That is a massive increase indeed - are we just aiming for herd immunity and to hell with the consequences? ?

“ I think this is the 3rd or 4th time Mr.Starmer has had to isolate.”. He won’t be alone in having to do this several times.

Just shows no-one misses him!

Why has he suddenly become Mr Starmer ??

are we just aiming for herd immunity and to hell with the consequences?

I'm going to nail my colours to the mast and I'm ready to be disagreed with.

England is not aiming for herd immunity. Herd immunity is probably not achievable. The UK as a whole is probably aiming for a manageable level of Covid in the community.

I think the idea is to not control it over the summer while due to the weather infection rates are naturally lower than they are when we are indoors more. The good weather at the moment must be a blessing from that perspective. If millions catch it but deaths stay below 200 a day that will be considered a good result.

They don’t know how long immunity will last, and the Beta variant is vaccine resistant, so come September when the weathers colder, children are back at school, the vaccine programme will start up again as we will have more stocks of Pfizer and the tweaked AZ. After that it will be a race between vaccines and infection rates again.

I agree with Alegrias1 on herd immunity, I don’t think it is possible., but the more people that catch it over the summer hopefully the less impact in the Autumn.

We generally agree Casdon but the phrase vaccine resistant makes me jumpy. I think people will interpret that "completely useless against Beta" and I don't think that's the case?

No, sorry Alegrias1 you’re right, it still works, but the vaccine is less effective against the Beta variant, that was a poor choice of words on my part. Here is where I read it last
www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/health/beta-variant-covid-19.html
My assumption is that if the Beta variant becomes more dominant, because the vaccine is less effective there will be more hospital admissions.