@Dovefromabove I feel extremely sorry for everyone who has lost their jobs because of lockdown, including my son. My fiancé has lost a lot too, as have many of my friends working in many different jobs, and I feel very sorry indeed for all the young people who probably face years of unemployment and struggle. I don’t know how many lives have been saved by lockdown but I do know many have been ruined, savings spent and prospects spoilt, and I sadly know of young people who have lost their lives because they were unable to cope, and parents who will never recover.
In my opinion the lockdown is the worst thing to ever happen. I know others won’t agree, this is just my opinion and I know in many ways it’s a selfish one because I am thinking of people I personally know and the way they have suffered.
We will never know how many lives were saved by lockdown, but I think its worth pointing out that it won't just be people who were protected from contracting Covid. The NHS and a lot of its staff were at absolute breaking point in April/May, if we had to carry on like that for much longer the long term damage would have had a huge impact for decades.
@debs64 It's good to hear your perspective, and it makes me better understand others with a similar perspective.. as mine is very different. Both my husband and I are still in full employment, our siblings and their spouses are still all employed, and our parents are all retired. Not a single friend in our social circle has lost employment or is under employed.. no one I know personally has been financially impacted, that I am aware. What I do hear is of friends impacted by Covid. Thursday night a friend emailed to say her (under 45) brother-in-law just died from Covid complications.. a friend texted Friday to tell me a mutual friend had it, whom I then texted to find she is breathing fine but her whole body aches so much she can barely move, etc. All I personally experience is the impact of the disease itself.. not the immediate effects of the downturn. So thank you for sharing yours.
I think it’s only natural to consider your own experiences when forming opinions. I am so sorry that you have had tragedy to deal with. I don’t know a single person who has had an easy time this year.
I personally feel that the pandemic has been badly handled and mismanaged. People have not been protected as they should have because telling everyone they are vulnerable has meant people who really are have struggled to get support.
So many of the rules are contradictory and unenforceable, if I was afraid of the virus I would be terrified at the stupidity of some of them.
I interact with young people with mental health issues so I see a specific picture, I work in a pharmacy with elderly patients so I see a different one. We have all been let down by the people who are supposed to help us.
I still think the original lockdown was necessary as it stopped the NHS being overwhelmed and we knew so little about the disease.But now I think we just need to get on with things.
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
That is all good and well.. but we can't be 'getting on with things' without easy access to fast testing and good contact tracing. AND with people following the hands, face, space guidelines.
Unfortunately the track and trace system is flawed and tests seem difficult to access and I do feel the wearing of masks has made people less careful about other, more effective measures. It’s going to be a difficult winter.
I watched the BBC News this morning, said Cineworld were closing temporarily. We used to go to a little olde worlde cinema in town, the assistant manager came round before the film, made a joke out of it but told you, if you use your phone, we will throw you out. That's why we gave up on Cineworld. Last year, there were 3 girls next to me, texting,sharing pictures,making calls. With the flashing lights in the pitch dark, I ended up with a migrane. They didn't watch any of the film. It was also very expensive, (and no, we didn't buy sweets or popcorn)The other cinema closed when Cineworld moved in town from the Harbour this year. Friend's Husband still in Hospital (since March)I see it was reported last week 20-40 year old women were being hospitalised as much as over 80s. Over 700 students isolating and moaning. I never lived through the war, have known miners strikes,electricity workers strikes,petrol ratiioning, the big drought in the 70's, stand pipes, bring back National Service!!
Meanwhile, the head of the government's vaccine taskforce, Kate Bingham, has told the Financial Times that less than half of the UK population could be vaccinated against coronavirus.
"There
is going to be no vaccination of people under 18," she said. "It's an
adult-only vaccine for people over 50, focusing on health workers, care
home workers and the vulnerable."
This seems an odd thing to release at a time when they're trying to encourage more people to act responsibly until we get a vaccine. Now more people will be questioning whether it wouldn't just be more sensible to lock the vulnerable away and let everyone else get on with it. It also won't help those in the non-vaccine group that are suffering with Covid anxiety as they've just been told they're basically going to have to catch it eventually whether they like it or not. Plenty of younger people seem to suffer from Long Covid though so I'm not sure I understand this.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Posts
No lockdown:death; lockdown:destitution.
Some governments are there to help their people; others are there to...follow their instincts and preen.
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther King