19th July Reopening

[Lencoboy]

I think you have to restrict what you choose to research on this new development, elizabethalice. Whatever you read or find out won't affect what is actually decided and or what actually happens...if anything actually does. At least action is being swiftly taken unlike last time with the delta.

Definitely Pulisa. The govt can't afford to dawdle this time round, as I already mentioned upthread, they would be committing political suicide by doing so, especially as they screwed up over Delta earlier this year where they added India to our 'red list' too late and Delta had already been let loose in this country by then.

For once, even the Shadow Home Secretary has welcomed the swift action and 'safety first' approach by the govt, where opposition MPs would usually otherwise be dishing out criticism (justified or not).

My only concern is that this new variant will inevitably still make it to our shores indirectly via other countries of whom are still lax on flights to and from SA (and other places where this new variant is also known to exist), and also testing and quarantine arrangements for those returning from SA.

I suppose as always, only time will tell.

ETA, Other countries/nations are now also discussing restrictions on travel to and from SA, e.g, mainland Europe, Australia and Singapore.

[phil06]

Many predicted this masks by December plan B a super new variant and possible lockdown after Xmas like Europe. The 4th booster tweaked for our new variant. Problem is where does this all end shouldn’t pandemics come to a natural end? Yet again we could see another year like 2021 just as things started to look like some sort of operation ramp down.

[Lencoboy]

Many predicted this masks by December plan B a super new variant and possible lockdown after Xmas like Europe. The 4th booster tweaked for our new variant. Problem is where does this all end shouldn’t pandemics come to a natural end? Yet again we could see another year like 2021 just as things started to look like some sort of operation ramp down.

Trouble is, Phil, there's a lot of unknowns right now concerning this new variant, especially as it was only yesterday that the media started reporting on it.

Like them or not, the govt are wisely (for once) erring on the side of caution right now by taking swift action (and other countries also following suit) while it's still possible to nip in the bud, unlike previously where they have left everything until the eleventh hour and done too little too late. They still don't believe any 'Plan B' restrictions are warranted in the UK ATM either, despite the scares over this new variant.

I also recall back around June-early July there was a big panic over what was believed at the time to be a potentially more problematic Covid variant emanating from Nepal, and restrictions swiftly imposed on travel to and from there (and other places where said variant was known to be circulating), but it luckily never really gained a significant foothold and was quickly water under the bridge thereafter.

I"m not in any way trivialising this new variant though, but it's always wise to play it safe and err on the side of caution whenever and wherever a new variant arises, even if it eventually turns out to be less harmful and doesn't take off in a big way.

Nevertheless, the serial conspiracy theorists and doom-mongers will inevitably be having an epic field day today!

[phil06]

You are correct the Nepal variant went by without any bother but I wonder about this one it’s been a year since the Kent one. Some people said if we get through this we can get by without the restrictions if we lockdown again we risk doing this every year. It’s not good for mental health as it seems this is never ending. So many restrictions on everything I fear it will never go back to 2019 times I hope I am wrong though

[BlueIris]

Poor mental health is just not as important as physical safety and the continuing functioning of the NHS, though.

[Lencoboy]

You are correct the Nepal variant went by without any bother but I wonder about this one it’s been a year since the Kent one. Some people said if we get through this we can get by without the restrictions if we lockdown again we risk doing this every year. It’s not good for mental health as it seems this is never ending. So many restrictions on everything I fear it will never go back to 2019 times I hope I am wrong though

The thing is Phil, we cannot predict the future with any accuracy. Plus the govt reiterate every other day that they don't believe a fourth full-on national lockdown is warranted in the UK right now, even in the face of this new variant (at least until further notice) and also despite lockdowns/restrictions being reinstated in parts of mainland Europe, and would only ever be administered as an absolute last resort, though I personally wouldn't mind if (at the very least) indoor public masking up was made mandatory once again, at least over the winter season.

[TaleOn11]

Poor mental health is just not as important as physical safety and the continuing functioning of the NHS, though.

And that upsets me. I know we have to keep the virus from spreading and keep the NHS from stressing but ever since this fiasco started, my (namely my anxiety) and many others' mental health have been nearly flushed down the toilet. I'm sorry if I'm sounding selfish but I can only fight my anxiety off so much. I've been looking for jobs, getting some exercise but my increased anxiety has made that, and life in general, all the more tougher to deal with. And sometimes, I wanna punch the government in its face because it clearly doesn't care as much.

Anyhoo, enough of that from me. lol

[elizabethalice]

You're right Pulisa and Lenco. I got into a hole with it too much last night and need to try and not read into it too much. I mentioned it to my boyfriend and he just said "oh I'm not even bothering to read about it". Wish I could be like that!

I'm actually in Spain at the moment and worrying about it being put on the red list etc too - but hopefully the gov will act quickly here too and I'm sure there will be some fore warning if we need to go back to UK early. They are much stricter here with masks etc.

My understanding is its v unlikely for a virus to suddenly mutate and make vaccines completely ineffective. So holding onto that too.

[Pamplemousse]

Here, I've just learned a colleague has tested positive :( I don't think I have been around them too much but I do know I will be spending the next week in a depressive, hyper-aware fug. Oh well, given the weather forecast it looks a good time to spend in bed with the electric blanket on.

[Gary A]

A couple of things to keep in mind. Mutations and variants of viruses are completely normal and expected when it comes to viruses. What you won’t see mentioned very often is that sometimes, mutations make a virus more infectious but less likely to cause severe illness. Evolution dictates that a virus needs a host, if this virus all of a sudden kills whoever it infects, it has nowhere to go. Of course, a virus cannot think, but natural selection will always make the most effective evolution the strongest.

Think of colds and flus. They’ve been around for as long as medical records have existed, but they simply have not evolved into killing machines. They have become less so as time progresses, as the more infectious yet less deadly strains overpower the infectious and deadly ones.

It’s also worth noting that our immune system is made up of far more than neutralising antibodies. Memory B and killer T cells are just as, if not more so, important to our immune capabilities. Vaccination and previous infection also prime these parts of our immune system, which makes it almost impossible for immunity to become utterly useless in the face of variants of this particular coronavirus.

We also have treatments now that we never had even 6 months ago, so even if this variant is more infectious, there’s no reason whatsoever why these treatments can’t be just as effective as they target more than the spike proteins.

In short, try to calm down. We have shown we can fight back against this and whatever this virus throws at us, we can and will fight it.