When will it all end?

Deleted User wrote: »

I hope you're right, but I just don't see any evidence of them being lifted. The fact that there's no level 0 in the "living with covid" plan is extremely worrying.

There’s lots of evidence. Research the effectivenes of the vaccines. The news gets better everyday. HCW that were vaccinated are no longer getting sick, RTE had a headline about it yesterday.

So we know nothing is going to change in terms of restrictions until early April at earliest. What kinds of numbers do we need at that stage do people think in terms of cases, hospitalisations, ICU and vaccines to see any decent dropping of restrictions? Personally, I think they'll open construction from then and click and collect which many would argue neither of which should have been stopped at all. I think they'll increase the 5km to 10km as a token gesture to try keep people onside.

Personally, Id ike to see household visits allowed at country wide but even county wide be a good step.
I would go for household visits before opening non essential shops and my logic is this. Its a lot easier police keeping shops closed than stopping people visiting other households. A lot of people are already visiting other households so it won't have as big an effect as people might think. Everytime shops opened so far (last summer and early December), I've heard a lot of people complain that hundreds of people can swarm on top of each other in Penneys and I can't visit my family so at that stage just ignore the no households rule anyway.

Micky 32 wrote: »

There’s lots of evidence. Research the effectivenes of the vaccines. The news gets better everyday. HCW that were vaccinated are no longer getting sick, RTE had a headline about it yesterday.

Not against the new variants, hence they're working on boosters, my reading of it is the people getting vaccinated now will need top ups in the next few months. 3 shots of pfizer probably needed.

Micky 32 wrote: »

I’m fairly confident restrictions will be gone by next winter, no argument really. The thread is going around in circles with large posts of endless waffling.

It depends what you mean by a restriction. You may need a vaccine cert to travel or be allowed visit an old people's home. They may well still require businesses to have sanitiser available. You may well be told to stay at home if you are sick. You may be actually tested for what you have if you are sick.

But this kind of thing is reasonable and won't much impact life.

Charles Babbage wrote: »

It depends what you mean by a restriction. You may need a vaccine cert to travel or be allowed visit an old people's home. They may well still require businesses to have sanitiser available. You may well be told to stay at home if you are sick. You may be actually tested for what you have if you are sick.

But this kind of thing is reasonable and won't much impact life.

I have no problem with certs for travelling etc if it means i can travel again. I’ll be taking the jab so it’s not a problem.

HansKroenke wrote: »

You were doing so well until your mental health nonsense was posted.

Under the age of 45, the death rate per 100k of the population is three times higher for suicides than covid. To dismiss mental health makes you seem kinda scummy.

You can't claim to care about public health when it suits your needs (mental health serious - open up now) but ignore public health when it doesn't (lockdowns are bad, open up now). I hate lockdowns and can't wait until things get back to normal, but I won't pretend that they don't work. And again, Covid is contagious; suicides, car crashes, cancer, is not. Exponential growth is a real thing - if we just "open up", guess what happens? The cases shoot up, the health service is overwhelmed and that effects everyone. Too many posters engaging in magical thinking here.

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I hope you're right, but I just don't see any evidence of them being lifted. The fact that there's no level 0 in the "living with covid" plan is extremely worrying.

Its not worrying at all. The restrictions are for dealing with the actual pandemic. Once infection rates don't result in significant case numbers and / or are well below normal ICU capacity - then there's no need for any plan '0' or otherwise.

Possibly if there's a resurgence at some point then may be revisted. Put at this stage that's in the realms of speculation.

Its like its some big conspiracy or something. And despite that been pushed continuously -thats remains firmly Tinfoil hat territory tbh

Micky 32 wrote: »

I never said anything about June/July. The vaccine roll out will gather pace in the next month or so, we’ll be in a better place by October and there won’t be packed ICU’s in October full stop. That’s 8 months ahead. A lot is going to happen between now and then regarding vaccines.

Yes, you are right, you never mentioned June/july, but you implicitly gave a time frame when you said that no ICU's will be packed in October, that is that most of people will receive the vaccine at least a couple of months before that.
There's this thing that the vaccine supply and roll out will ramp up, eventually. This was being said in January as well, but about two months later we're still waiting them to ramp up, so probably we should face the fact that they won't, at least not this year.

Irish Stones wrote: »

Yes, you are right, you never mentioned June/july, but you implicitly gave a time frame when you said that no ICU's will be packed in October, .

Yep, and i’ll say it again and stand by it. ICU’s won’t be packed with Covid 19 in October.

Micky 32 wrote: »

The vaccines work. Do you honestly think by the end of the year people will social distance from each other?

I think they will, because though you are sure everybody will be vaccinated, and I could agree it could even happen, people will retain a good amount of suspicion and caution towards who's next to them, because for two years we've been taught to act this way, and we won't forget this bit of advice overnight. I'm pretty sure most people will prefer to stay three steps back from the others. Just in case. Who knows, the other person next to you might be carrier of a new virus not yet discovered.

seansouth36 wrote: »

There has never been a pandemic in history after which restrictions weren't lifted.

Last pandemics never had such an amount and level of restrictions applied either.

Irish Stones wrote: »

I think they will, because though you are sure everybody will be vaccinated, and I could agree it could even happen, people will retain a good amount of suspicion and caution towards who's next to them, because for two years we've been taught to act this way, and we won't forget this bit of advice overnight. I'm pretty sure most people will prefer to stay three steps back from the others. Just in case. Who knows, the other person next to you might be carrier of a new virus not yet discovered.

The amount of delusion in this post is hilarious.:pac: i tell you one thing if i was single and most of us are vaccinated by the autumn including my self i’d be riding all around me. SD me arse.

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

They hadn't Social Media driven fear either.

This, definitely, and TV!

Micky 32 wrote: »

The amount of delusion in this post is hilarious.:pac: i tell you one thing if i was single and most of us are vaccinated by the autumn including my self i’d be riding all around me. SD me arse.

While wearing a mask?

Irish Stones wrote: »

I'm not pessimistic, I'm rather realistic.
Last year, exactly one year ago, I was told that this emergency would have lasted a few weeks, or a few months, and everything would have been fine before summer. I was saying the opposite, and here we are.
Same for a few more predictions.
Hopefully I'm wrong this time, but I have a bit of history

You can’t compare last year to this year. We had no vaccines last year ( btw some said there would never be a vaccine or it woild take years but here we are)

The vaccines are proven to work so the outlook is totally different to last year’s comparison.