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Chaos when its all over?

(135 Posts)
ExD Tue 31-Mar-20 09:53:06

Its becoming hard to imagine, but one day all this will be over. And then, I for one and I imagine thousands of others, will want to visit distant family we've not seen for months.
Imagine the chaos on the roads when we all hit the motorways and travel up, down and sideways across the country - at the same time.
If I'm spared I'm determined to resist the temptation to do this, and I hope my family will understand.

notanan2 Tue 31-Mar-20 15:17:19

Otherwise we'll be looking back on now in a years time wondering why we didnt appreciate what we still had

ExD Tue 31-Mar-20 15:25:15

Thats a very positive outlook eazybee.

Grannybags Tue 31-Mar-20 15:27:14

One of the first places I'll be going is my hairdresser!

Chestnut Tue 31-Mar-20 15:28:38

I'm not too keen on thinking about next year 2021, I'd rather think of last year 2019, when we lived in a different world. A world that was gone in an instant. We had no idea that was the last year of 'normal' life. I really don't think that things will ever be quite the same, this is going to change the world.

Curlywhirly Tue 31-Mar-20 15:33:28

Well, I for one can't wait to go to the pub! I'm not a big drinker, but we do like taking the dog for a country walk and then calling in a pub for a drink, it's a lovely afternoon out. I would think, initially, that the pubs in our village will be overflowing.

Barmeyoldbat Tue 31-Mar-20 15:43:08

I think people will be healthier when this is all over. I see many more people jogging, cycling and walking outdoors , many more than you normally see. Less cars on the road, so less pollution so can only be good.

notanan2 Tue 31-Mar-20 16:22:45

Agree Chestnut. We have now and need to accept it.

The brewery that owns my local pub probably wont make it through this. The independant pub's owner has been online saying he cant promise people their jobs back. Had this happened at the end of the summer they would have survived but having kept it afloat over the quieter winter, they now have no buffer. They very much rely on the summer trade and take losses over winter

M0nica Tue 31-Mar-20 16:53:32

I doubt that the government will suddenly say 'As from tomorrow, everything back to normal'. I think regulations will be relaxed gradually, perhaps some area before others, sometimes with them being reimposed, so I think the mad rush of travel is likely to be filtered in.

Yes, for those on limited income during this time of hardship, things will be difficult, but do not forget that there are millions of people working from home doing there job as before and being paid as normal, plus, of course all those who have continued to work outside the home during the pandemic from NHS staff to home delivery people.

Many will have made savings during this time because they have no travel expenses, are not eating out, going shopping, as a leisure activity, going to sports stadiums, cinemas, theatres. etc.

These people will be rushing out to eat out, mingle with other people, go to museums, sports events. These are the kind of industries that employ those who are now out of work. I think thebleisure industry will boom.

Yes, there will be casualties and there will be problems, but not as many as some miseries seem to hope.

Davidhs Tue 31-Mar-20 17:40:39

Those that have any spare cash will travel quickly, many will not, especially small businesses, nobody is paying bills at present.

The lucky ones with a fixed annuity or pension will be OK, if the restrictions last 3 months it will be bad, if they extend beyond that most are going to have no cash. A lot of companies will throw the towel in and declare bankrupt, they were struggling with the Brexit uncertainty this will finish them.

I’m an optimist but I dont see where cash is going to come from, unless we get back to work quickly

notanan2 Tue 31-Mar-20 18:13:08

Lots of NHS staff are part of a 2 income household so they're by no means exempt from the upcoming hardship. A lot of them wont make ends meet when they go down to one income.

There are already "victims" of this in the NHS and I dont mean the ones that catch CV19 I mean the ones suffering burn out and PTSD

None of the new recruits to the NHS or food services that Ive seen are being offered permanant contracts. These are short term measures not long term prospects.

janeainsworth Tue 31-Mar-20 18:25:53

Why all this talk of 'getting back to normal'? 'Normal' was the cause of it.

With all due respect, Hetty, it wasn't.
The cause of it was the failure of the Chinese government (nb government not people) to learn from the SARS outbreak of 2002 and to implement strict controls of the sale of wild animals in their food markets.

Then when Dr Li Wenliang suspected the presence of a new virus which would have devastating consequences if it was allowed to spread unchecked, not only did the authorities not believe him, but they suppressed the information and accused him of making false comments that 'severely disturbed the social order'.

We all know what happened next.

SalsaQueen Tue 31-Mar-20 19:30:08

janeainsworth In some parts of China, those disgusting markets are open again. I saw a horrific video on Facebook the other day.

Davidhs Wed 01-Apr-20 08:27:29

Those working for the NHS and care industry will be the first to be able to afford a well earned holiday they are working every hour they are able.

notanan2 Wed 01-Apr-20 09:31:12

Those working for the NHS and care industry will be the first to be able to afford a well earned holiday they are working every hour they are able.

No they wont. Many of them have lost their household's other income. Sickness rates are through the roof so those people are losing out on the over time they usually rely on to get by.

suziewoozie Wed 01-Apr-20 09:43:43

Not to put too fine a point on it david but some of them won’t be going anywhere because they will be dead.

travelsafar Wed 01-Apr-20 09:49:06

Hairdresser, chiropodist and dentist for me!!!! smile

notanan2 Wed 01-Apr-20 09:54:59

Other NHS workers are renting second homes because they have vulnerable household members.

There really are no winners.

The only people not dreading what comes next financially are the retired.

Artdecogran Wed 01-Apr-20 10:04:10

What is the point of surviving when the future is going to be such a struggle and so bleak. I feel like there’s no point going on after the future predictions on here. I’m not a productive member of society anymore and I feel I’m taking up food, medicines, and possibly a ventilator for more useful people.

janeainsworth Wed 01-Apr-20 10:13:45

notanan The only people not dreading what comes next financially are the retired

What a mean thing to say.
Some of us are not as self-centred as you imply and do have the imagination to envisage what this will mean for younger generations & the impact it’s going to have on education, job opportunities & prospects, & financial security for our children and grandchildren.

Granny23 Wed 01-Apr-20 10:20:20

Artdecogran you might agree with Toby Young.

POLITICAL commentator Toby Young has been branded “heartless” after claiming spending cash on saving elderly people from the coronavirus pandemic is “irresponsible”

Writing in The Critic Mag, Young was critical of the UK Government’s willingness to spend cash to limit the effects of the outbreak. Young wrote: “Like a growing number of people, I’m beginning to suspect the Government has overreacted to the coronavirus crisis. I’m not talking about the cost to our liberty, although that’s worrying, but the economic cost.
“Even if we accept the statistical modelling of Dr Neil Ferguson’s team at Imperial College, which I’ll come to in a minute, spending £350 billion to prolong the lives of a few hundred thousand mostly elderly people is an irresponsible use of taxpayer’s money.”

janeainsworth Wed 01-Apr-20 10:26:53

granny23 I agree, in some ways the outbreak has fuelled the flames of the inter-generational conflict that some, like Toby Young, are so keen to keep going.

It’s one thing if an elderly person who is in possession of all their faculties, and can give valid consent, declines treatment.
It’s quite another if someone else makes that decision for them.

notanan2 Wed 01-Apr-20 10:44:03

What a mean thing to say.

Its not mean. This is the ONLY place Ive seen or heard people planning all the fun they'll have spending money again after the restrictions are lifted. Every where else people are worrying about how they'll pay the bills!

And the speculation on here that NHS workers will be well off is SO detatched from reality

vampirequeen Wed 01-Apr-20 10:46:59

Toby Young makes his living out of his notoriety. If he doesn't say something offensive we may all forget who is he and no one will be interested in him.

Artdecogran….don't say such things about yourself. You have as much right to food, healthcare etc as the next person. You have paid your dues during your life. If we, older people, hadn't paid our dues when we were young then the NHS and welfare state wouldn't be here now and young people would be in an even greater mess.

I'm looking forward to the end of lockdown. People are struggling financially and the longer it lasts the worse it will be. Our best hope is to stay in lockdown as long as we need to but no longer and then get as many people as possible back to work even if that means creating jobs and increasing taxes to pay for them. The more people we can get back to earning the quicker they'll be in the position to spend again and in capitalist society we need people to spend.

We also need to get our children and young people back into education. The curriculum will have to be adjusted to take into account the time they've had off and the fact that many will slip back due to lack of educational input.

suziewoozie Wed 01-Apr-20 10:48:05

Toby Young is a not very bright self opinionated, entitled, privileged well connected twit ( see how polite I can be when I try?) I wouldn’t trust him to take my dog for a walk and I haven’t even got a dog?
Did anyone listen to Michael Sandel this morning on R4 on the ethics of the pandemic? Interesting discussion on who gets the ventilator amongst other issues
PS I forgot that TY is also a well documented misogynist ?

gillybob Wed 01-Apr-20 10:48:45

But it doesn’t really work like that in IC JaneA. Doctors make difficult decisions every day and I can’t see this situation making any difference . Doctors will still assess each patient as an individual based on their chances of full recovery and quality of life afterwards. They could be 20 or 70. I saw it every day when my DH was in ICU last year.