cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
They wouldn't be missing a date as such, as steps 2 to 4 in the covid roadmap were prefixed with 'not before', and careful wording around hoping too.
Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion
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They wouldn't be missing a date as such, as steps 2 to 4 in the covid roadmap were prefixed with 'not before', and careful wording around hoping too.
andysays
Love and solidarity
Although strictly speaking this is correct, it's been presented in the media for a long time (pretty much from when it was first announced) that the restrictions would be eased on the particular dates announced.
To go beyond that would definitely be seen/portrayed by many as a failure, which is why I don't think it will happen, however much it would be the sensible thing to do, unless there were an immediate of hospitals being overwhelmed (and as far as I'm aware, there isn't, at least not at a national level).
Thora
Differently Ethical
Actually I think most people do more or less what the government tells them, depending on what they want to do, and will bend/stretch the rules a bit.
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
This household of four are now fully vaccinated, but plenty of people I see about locally may only have had one jab, if that.
But many of them, like us, are still masking up for shopping etc ...
Even back in the days of the tiers (remember them ?) we (us 4) were being far more strict than we needed to be, according to the "rules and advice". This included keeping a watch on our "local" figures, and I was comparing our tiny area with the rest of the county and nearby zones.
Now, with the advantages of vaccination, I wonder if a more nuanced tiering system would work against the variants.
Specifically; one that is properly supported in financial ways - eg £££ for those isolating / unable to work 'cos their work is closed; and "insurance" to cover business costs if a closure is required [eg cost of beer or food that can't be sold, no takeaway facilities].
And perhaps extra layers to it that depend on vaccination - and not just infection / variant - rates.
But many of them, like us, are still masking up for shopping etc ...
Even back in the days of the tiers (remember them ?) we (us 4) were being far more strict than we needed to be, according to the "rules and advice". This included keeping a watch on our "local" figures, and I was comparing our tiny area with the rest of the county and nearby zones.
Now, with the advantages of vaccination, I wonder if a more nuanced tiering system would work against the variants.
Specifically; one that is properly supported in financial ways - eg £££ for those isolating / unable to work 'cos their work is closed; and "insurance" to cover business costs if a closure is required [eg cost of beer or food that can't be sold, no takeaway facilities].
And perhaps extra layers to it that depend on vaccination - and not just infection / variant - rates.
Aren't we supposed to mask for shopping? Most people I've seen are. The idea of masks is to protect others. When I was in Ikea the other day they had announcements reminding people. A lot of kids in my eldest's school are still wearing masks in communal areas even though they no longer have to, I don't think mask-wearing is going to suddenly stop.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Yes. I had to check, too - I was pretty sure I'd not heard anything about that changing but a bunch of shops and people don't seem to bother any more and I wondered if I was going mad. Passed a small barbers yesterday which had eight or so people in, none in masks.
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
Yes, at least, I think so !
Local school kids are usually masked up perhaps because around here the Kent variant peak last year arrived via holidays but was widely spread by school-kids and then a couple of workplaces.
LeytonCatLady
Well-Known Member
Maybe the masks would make it difficult for the barber to get at certain parts of their hair. I know in pubs/cafes etc you're technically supposed to wear masks still, but they make an exception for when you're actually eating/drinking. So maybe they don't bother enforcing it because they think "Oh, what the hell, they'll have to come off at some point anyway!"
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
That would make some sense, if the barber were masked, and customers were wearing theirs while waiting for a cut. I bet that's not what is happening, though.
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
My barbers will not let people in to wait, you queue outside, both barbers & customers have to wear masks, they are skilful in lifting the mask's string off one ear at a time, whilst holding the mask in place, as they cut around the ears.
But, mask wearing around here has always been near to 100% everywhere, from small shops to supermarkets, takeaways, garages, etc., etc.
ETA - It's best to book online first, but they will do walk in appointments if they have spare slots, but that's hit & miss.
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emanymton
A cat politely sat on the flaming gardener.
Last time I got a hair cut they told me the rule was that a mask had to be on at all times, so they had to unhook it from my ear and hold it while cutting around there. Bit awkward but it worked OK.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Aye.
It’s basically just habit at this point I stay away from people and indoor environments as much as possible and it’s going to take very conscious effort to break it.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I've seen others where everyone is wearing masks. In this case just nobody was wearing them tbh - the barbers, the people in chairs, the people hanging around in the shop chatting.
The council "covid wardens" seem to have been laid off too which may be contributing - I don't think they did any serious investigation but this was a glass windowed shop, doesn't take much effort to call that in.
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
I just don't get this at all, I wouldn't go anywhere near a place that like, WTF are they thinking?
purenarcotic
Conveniently Pocket Sized
Mask wearing in Brum has drastically decreased. People are wearing them, but like a fashion item under the chin. They seem to have forgotten that once you enter a shop / get on a bus, you need to pull it back up to cover your face, not leave it there as a pointless bit of cloth.
elbows
Well-Known Member
But there are other aspects that the medias simplified bullshit has obscured.
The focus is on whether step 4 is delayed, and I'm guilty of that focus too. But the fact is that exactly what step 4 consists of is also up for grabs - and this detail depends heavily on the governments 'social distancing review'.
Johnson said that he hoped to show the public the results of that review by the end of May, but the new variant already caused them to concede that probably wasnt going to happen, and indeed it hasnt.
So they can fiddle around not just with dates, but also the detail of what the next new normal is supposed to consist of on various dates.
So they could go for a 'we must wait just a few more weeks, to get more vaccinations done, before taking this last step'. Bu they could also go for a fudge where they still deliver one or more headline-grabbing relaxations from June 21st onwards, but push other ones further down the road.
Meanwhile despite tings being touted at times as 'a return to normality', the travel-related rules and the ways they are still subject to change demonstrates the illusion of that really happening this summer isnt very deep.
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miss direct
misfungled
I went out last night and noticed a few things.
Quite a few people on the tram who pull their mask down in order to talk to the conductor, very close up. How can people be that stupid?
In pubs the vast majority of people sitting outside. Weathers nice and lots of good outdoor areas.
Ripped down two pages of fake science anti vacc stuff from the tram stop.
Shop on the way home:
Quite a few people on the tram who pull their mask down in order to talk to the conductor, very close up. How can people be that stupid?
In pubs the vast majority of people sitting outside. Weathers nice and lots of good outdoor areas.
Ripped down two pages of fake science anti vacc stuff from the tram stop.
Shop on the way home:
teuchter
je suis teuchter
It's just an example of behaviour becoming normalised. They are thinking no-one else seems bothered so why should I be.
elbows
Well-Known Member
Does anyone have any thoughts on this claim compared to the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust graphs from the dashboard?
(quote is from Covid: People in hospital with Indian variant not increasing significantly - NHS boss )
(quote is from Covid: People in hospital with Indian variant not increasing significantly - NHS boss )
andysays
Love and solidarity
I've had my hair cut a couple of times since barbers reopened.
The policy followed by my barber, which I thought was the official rule TBH, was that the customer who's actually having their haircut doesn't wear a mask, but the barber and anyone waiting for a haircut do.
That seems reasonable to me. I certainly wouldn't go anywhere where there were loads of mask-less people waiting
elbows
Well-Known Member
By the way the purpose of my last post was not to illustrate the current Bolton hospital situation - the data in those charts lags behind and is only updated weekly.
For example news via journalists suggests an improved picture since then, eg the tweet below. But since my point was more about the ratio of hospitalised to mechanical ventilation patients, I didnt need the very latest data to make that point.
For example news via journalists suggests an improved picture since then, eg the tweet below. But since my point was more about the ratio of hospitalised to mechanical ventilation patients, I didnt need the very latest data to make that point.
elbows
Well-Known Member
BBC 'analysis' on their live updates page now makes much the same point that I made earlier:
From the 14:20 entry of https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-57367906
From the 14:20 entry of https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-57367906
Spandex
A crazy bulbous punchbag of sound
From glancing at the newspaper front pages it's easy to see where a casual observer might get the idea that we're close to the end of Covid and 21 June is hopefully when it'll all be over. It's like looking at some kind of parallel reality sometimes. Combined with people being sick of it all, it's no wonder some people are letting their guard down.
From the past few weeks:
From the past few weeks:
Dystopiary
putting up a hook to hang my hopes upon
From the same link as elbows above (I'm quoting all of this part in case it gets lost amongst updates):
15:14
Prof Stephen Reicher says there is currently enough evidence to say one of the government's four key tests for its roadmap out of lockdown has not been met.
The professor - a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B) which advises the government - says the criteria of risks not being fundamentally changed by new variants is "not upheld" because of the Delta variant.
He tells the PA news agency: "I think by the government's own criteria it's quite clear that it would be foolish to proceed on the data that we've got at the moment. The risk would be very great indeed."
He adds: "Again, I make the point that it is about data not dates, and if you make it too much about the dates then you box yourself into a corner and I think that's what the government has done."
15:14
Reopening on 21 June would be 'foolish', government adviser says
It would be "foolish" and a "major risk" to go ahead with the 21 June reopening in England as planned, an expert on a government advisory group says.Prof Stephen Reicher says there is currently enough evidence to say one of the government's four key tests for its roadmap out of lockdown has not been met.
The professor - a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B) which advises the government - says the criteria of risks not being fundamentally changed by new variants is "not upheld" because of the Delta variant.
He tells the PA news agency: "I think by the government's own criteria it's quite clear that it would be foolish to proceed on the data that we've got at the moment. The risk would be very great indeed."
He adds: "Again, I make the point that it is about data not dates, and if you make it too much about the dates then you box yourself into a corner and I think that's what the government has done."
Dystopiary
putting up a hook to hang my hopes upon
Irresponsible bastards. This bs is gonna make it a lot easier for anti-lockdown types and full-on conspiracy theorists to get people onside. Fuming.From glancing at the newspaper front pages it's easy to see where a casual observer might get the idea that we're close to the end of Covid and 21 June is hopefully when it'll all be over. It's like looking at some kind of parallel reality sometimes. Combined with people being sick of it all, it's no wonder some people are letting their guard down.
From the past few weeks:
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
There's a load of anti mask/vax types camping out on Shepherd's Bush Green - been there since last weekend. Their big signs don't say that of course but they're wandering around with "no vaccine passport" signs inside so yknow.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
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