There is a lot of truth in this. Going to the match yesterday, the people not wearing masks were largely teenagers. This was the same on Friday when I went in to Winchester. It is annoying that the lack of irresponsibility amongst some people is impacting those people who are trying to obey the rules. Whenever the news does a "vox pop" article about the amendments to restrictions, the comments about finding a way to get to a pub or place a bet demonstrate that people still do not get how serious this is. The situation is not helped by a government that is trying to ensure we still have an economy and not brave enough to make big decisions to the health of the population. You do get the feel that this government has repeatedly put business before people. I am staggered that they let people travel abroad during the summer which was a missed opportunity to get hold of the situation. With hindsight, the restrictions should have been harsher much sooner. As a consequence of Boris's inaction, we now have a mutated "English Covid" which is 70% more virulent. Boris effectively gave the virus more time to evolve. We are now in a situation where there is a genuine risk that the vaccine may prove to be ineffective as the virus has mutated too quickly. This will prove to be Boris's lasting legacy. Had we been more decisive in the summer, I think we would have contained things better. Time for him to step aside and let a coalition government be created.
A Dr from the WHO has just said there is nothing to suggest that the vaccines wont work with the new strain. What makes this strain dangerous is the speed in which it can spread......also this strain has been found in Denmark, Netherlands and Austraila.
I'm not holding my breath mate, but there clearly is light at the end of the tunnel. Hope it's not a train.
Christmas will be delightful this year. No one will call so I don't have smile and be entertaining to people I didn't want to see anyway nor will I be dragged around by the very lovely Mrs Godders visiting people I hardly know and to whom I have to pretend to be nice. Best of all my brother will not be visiting so I won't end up arguing with him about the disaster that is Brexit. On the down side I am not allowed to drink anymore and there is no longer any scotch or wine in the house but I may sneak a small snifter of the very lovely Mrs Godder's sherry when she isn't looking and go hang the consequences (you have to live dangerously sometimes). I can't stand the telly, even less so at Christmas with all that false jollity, so it will be short bursts of Radio 4 in the daytime and a bit of reading by the fireside in the "comfy chair" while the very lovely Mrs Godder's cooks the dinner. After dinner I shall be relegated to the hard chair by the draughty door until it is time for tea. Dozing in the peace and quiet by the fireside after tea is my idea of heaven. Then at night listening to 'Dotun Adebayo on Up All Night on Radio 5 when my conscience wont let me sleep. The one down side is I shall refuse the ticket if offered a seat at the next home game. Pictures of the crowd on TV yesterday showed several with their masks pulled down and stories of people not wearing them on the way to the ground is unacceptable. Given the severity of the measures imposed by Johnson yesterday cancelling attendance at football was one he should have insisted upon. So all in all I am about to enjoy my best Christmas ever.
In theory, we don't need everyone to be vaccinated. About 80-90% of the elderly and vulnerable should be enough for things to get back to some sort of normal. If the Oxford one is approved I'm expecting things to be much better for next Summer.
28/29th December hopefully the Oxford one gets approved. And I agree come the summer time, things should start going back to normal ish.
I see Hancock has already come out and blamed the public for trying to leave London last night. What did he expect to happen.
Although sad that many will have to change their Christmas plans, I am pleased that the government has finally acted and reduced the number of days that people can get together, and reduced the number of households that can congregate. It is unfortunate, at a time of crisis, that the country is being led by someone who is intent on saying things that he thinks will make him popular, rather than say things that need to be said, even if it damages his popularity. Johnson regularly refers to Starmer as “Captain Hindsight”, simply because he points out the errors Johnson makes. It’s a shame that Johnson doesn’t have any hindsight, as if he did, he wouldn’t simply carry on making the same errors, causing infections to soar and lives to be lost. Still, on the positive side, there are pictures of Gove getting his Christmas shopping, from non essential shops, before Johnson announced the changes that would close those stores. #intheknow
Blatant blame shedding from the blue bastards also trying to excuse ignoring advice and requests from a number of sources to act early last week. Johnson's sneering response to Keir Starmer at PMQs Wednesday exposed to be the cheap shot it was, in line with many of his petulant schoolboy remarks as KS has him over the barrel time after time. Stitching a few of those clashes together would make a good youtube video, probably already done.
Would be slightly more bearable if there was some end in sight and if there was seen to be some kind of improvement but after 9 months of this stuff, it feels like it's never ending. Even if cases go down because of lockdown, they'll go up again post lockdown and when the schools go back in January, then there will be another lockdown, then relaxed again followed by another lockdown again and again until I've totally lost any will to live.
Well said . If you are from Place A and you have been told day after day that Xmas will be fine , then you are told , ooops sorry no , you will want to get back to place A . I don't envy any group of people having to deal with this , but come on Boris etc , why not err on the side of Caution as other places had ? He just wants to be popular , not going to work you tit !
Think things will look alot better in the spring/summer. Hang on in there. Thr is light at the end of the tunnel
Chin up Lapras. These are tough times for all of us but the vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel. It will take time, and it can seem neverending in these winter months, and we will likely continue to have a rollercoaster of both cases and restrictions. But in our scientists and healthcare workers (and all the other professions involved), we have our end in sight. It will take time, but we will get there!
