Hopefully they can learn something from watching neighboring countries this time. If those relaxing some of their measures have bad upticks in infection and mortality rates then it is going to be hard to stomach blindly staggering into our own lockdown relaxation.
Might well go down the route Austria have done - keep non essential places like pubs, shops etc closed but allow businesses especially small business to get up and running again Another couple of weeks then relax a bit further if no major uptick etc.... Ultimately, all lockdown is doing is managing NHS "supply and demand" - probably won't ultimately reduce death numbers significantly, but attenuates it sufficiently to all the front line NHS to cope
Deaths would likely be much higher if NHS capacity was overwhelmed (which it quickly would be by orders of magnitude if no lockdown) so in that sense lockdown will be preventing a lot of excess mortality.
Think you’re probably right. Can see it being extended for another 4 weeks and then reviewed again with hopefully things improving slightly by then with some slight relaxation at that time.
I have it on good authority that the experts are advising 5 weeks more but the government are wanting to go with an earlier date.
It will be a 3 week extension. Reviews can then be made at that point. I would like an early decision on schools returning so we can prepare for a return
Agreed - think schools will be back first along with smaller businesses, easing on some construction works etc after the next three weeks, then give it another 3 weeks depending on how things go to ease other things back in Given Spain and Italy are starting to relax theirs at the end of April and we're supposedly a couple of weeks behind them, the timeline fits. Hopefully by early June we'll be back to normal (or as normal as it gets)
Totally agree - we seem to have seen very little in terms of an exit strategy. I'd imagine kids back at school would be needed fairly soon to free parents up to get back to work but there would need to be sufficient time for everyone to get things sorted out