So how do we feel about Sajid Javid telling us not to ‘cower’ from Covid

I agree MayBee. The messaging from Government throughout the pandemic has been poor.

Meanwhile, I've just read that covid deaths are at their highest level for 3 months.

That man should lose his job over his insensitive and inflammatory comments. How dare he ? He is obviously not the right person for his job.

I know exactly what he means. I cowered from Covid during the first year, wouldn’t go out, except into my garden, shopping online, paranoid about touching anything outside, reports re virus living on dustbins etc, washing my shopping down on advice from an equally cautious friend. Now my paranoia, because that is what it was, has greatly diminished over the last 6 months, after observing my scientific, and the rest of my much more balanced family. My friend still won’t go to restaurants, or out shopping, I say what is the point of a vaccine if fear of Covid keeps you locked away. I realise there are many people who are extremely vulnerable and remain cautious with good reason. I have asthma, but I go out, hands, face, space, still my mantra.

MaizieD

Lincslass

MayBee70

JenniferEccles

It was very enlightening to read a report recently stating that not a single trace of covid was found when inspectors tested trains and railway stations around the country.
No airborne particles either were found.

Very reassuring now people are being encouraged to return to offices.

Time indeed to reclaim our lives.

They are spraying everything with some sort of antibacterial stuff that lasts for a month though! Not everything is going to be cleaned to such a high standard.

Caught a train into London, as usual inspected the little fold down table, usually filthy, was pleasantly surprised to find it immaculately clean, as were the seats and the floor.

Encouraging though this report is, it's missing the point. Covid is very rarely caught from contact with infected surfaces. It is airborne. All the most intensive deep cleaning in the world will not prevent you from being infected if you are sharing an enclosed, poorly ventilated space (office, shop, cafe, bus, railway carriage etc) with someone who has covid and whose virus laden aerosols are filling the space.

Correctly fitted masks and good ventilation are the keys to avoiding and preventing infection.

Antibacterial treatment is useless, BTW. Covid is caused by a virus, not by bacteria. The virus is not necessarily affected by something that kills bacteria.

I know it’s a virus, and I know that things that kill bacterium, do not kill virus,. I know all that. I do know it’s airborne. I do know that wearing a tightly fitted mask, keeping your hands clean, keeping away from people is the best way to avoid Covid. I was just making an observation, did not need a lecture.

Pleased to see that it is thought probable that 16 and 17 year olds are to offered the vaccine.

Hopefully 12+ will eventually also be offered and then it all makes sense for this coming flu and covid season.

Oh, the hazard of using the 'quote' facility... It encourages posters who are determined to take offence...

Juicywords

I agree MayBee. The messaging from Government throughout the pandemic has been poor.

Exactly this. How are people expected to know what to do, or how to assess the risk when we are told one thing one minute and another the next?

As MissAdventure says, we are now being told that the death rate is the highest since March, and this is after being told not to 'cower' and embrace 'Freedom Day'. Meanwhile, not all young people are protected, but are expected to work.

The isolation programme is a mess - so much so that the government changes the categories who need to isolate on what seems to be a daily basis, to keep the economy afloat. Viruses don't understand economics, so that's never going to work - either we isolate or we don't. As soon as some groups are allowed to ignore the 'pings' we may as well not have them.

The Comms on travel are similarly dire. 'Traffic lights' with seven different categories make no sense at all. As an island we should have shut the borders to all but UK residents who were already abroad at the start, giving them a small window during which to return, and they should still be firmly closed for everything except genuine emergencies. I can't think of many reasons why people need to travel abroad - maybe for medical treatment that is not available in your country of residence - but the vast majority of 'essentials^ can be done online. I know it's not the same as going in person, but as my mum used to say roughly once a week 'wanting isn't needing'. We seem to have lost sight of that, and are becoming unable to deal with not getting what we want when we want it - we really don't need to go abroad on holiday, and we can see loved ones on Skype, Zoom or FaceTime, which is more than previous generations could have done.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202108/medium-320895-3-months.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202108/medium-404503-6-months.png

Right, the death rate. I've picked England because it dominates the UK stats because of the number of inhabitants of England.

Picture one, death rate over the last 3 months. Terrible, no?

Picture two, death rate over the last 6 months. Not quite so terrible, really.

Perspective is what's needed

what I don't understand is what we are supposed to be doing now I went to asda yesterday and some customers were wearing masks, all staff were but there was occasional social distancing versus none whatsoever. What ARE we supposed to be doing?

I went in for some school trousers and a yankee candle fwiw

I wore a mask and tried to avoid other people which is what I would do normally but a lady was basically touching me by the birthday cards section

Use our common sense I think.

Someone suggested that the U.K. population has acted as very risk adverse since the 19th July, which may explain the puzzling drop in infection.

English population. Scotland didn't have "Freedom" day, neither did the Welsh or the Northern Irish as far as I know.

Use of common sense and personal responsibility JaneJ it’s not really that hard to comprehend.

use of common sense makes me think I should have paid more for the candle and trousers online

Alegrias thank you for informative information as usual. As lemon says, what is needed now is common sense and personal responsibility. Today I have taken my eight year old grandson to the cinema to see a children’s film. We went to the first showing at 10.30. There were sixteen people in the cinema including us, and no one was sitting near us. We then went to Cafe Rouge for lunch, sanitised on the way in, sat away from other diners. Then to the boats, I politely asked a family to ‘please socially distance a little’ in the queue, with a very polite response and immediate distancing. The only thing that made me slightly uncomfortable was the waitress wasn’t wearing a mask in Cafe Rouge, it’s the first time I’ve been to a restaurant where the staff weren’t wearing masks. If I go back there I’ll sit outside. We had a nice outing, my grandchild was happy, I felt at very little risk throughout. Oh and before we returned home we called at the Lindt shop and bought some chocolate. Quite a few people in the shop, although the doors were open and payment queues were socially distanced. I put a mask on for that shop. It’s about making a judgment using our common sense, hence I chose to go to the early cinema showing because I knew there’d be fewer people. And I asked someone to socially distance with immediate compliance. It’s not rocket science, it’s how we get back to normal.

Alegrias1

English population. Scotland didn't have "Freedom" day, neither did the Welsh or the Northern Irish as far as I know.

No, we're still waiting.

Lincslass

I know exactly what he means. I cowered from Covid during the first year, wouldn’t go out, except into my garden, shopping online, paranoid about touching anything outside, reports re virus living on dustbins etc, washing my shopping down on advice from an equally cautious friend. Now my paranoia, because that is what it was, has greatly diminished over the last 6 months, after observing my scientific, and the rest of my much more balanced family. My friend still won’t go to restaurants, or out shopping, I say what is the point of a vaccine if fear of Covid keeps you locked away. I realise there are many people who are extremely vulnerable and remain cautious with good reason. I have asthma, but I go out, hands, face, space, still my mantra.

Your friend doesn't need to go to restaurants or out shopping. If she's happier not doing so, that's up to her. I really dislike shopping and, until recently, hadn't been able to afford to eat out for years. I never felt "locked away". I've never "cowered" or been paranoid. Please don't judge others by what you consider to be essential.

I have some sympathy for the people who want to go out, but are uncomfortable about it because they have underlying health problems and it seems some aren't that bothered about the safety of others. Unfortunately, there are people who don't have a mantra of "hands, face and space".