COVID-19 (The artist formally known as Coronavirus)

[Glen-i]

8 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

The stealth release update of Hancock's firmware has been the biggest surprise of the week for me. In the previous update, the crying functions just looked completely unrealistic. However, the tech has evolved now into the double-handed arse grab, which is quite a feat. The lip-syncing and voicework for his resignation speech was pretty convincing in places, too. The writing itself still needs a bit of work, so they must have got an intern in for that part.

Here's hoping they can sort it all out in Version 3.1, just in time for his return as Education Minister in the Winter.

Oh man, that really cheered me up over breakfast. Thanks!

[Will]

Just had my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine! Feeling totally fine so far, just glad it’s finally available. Next shot is on the 29th. Hopefully some of our never ending lock-down will ease up soon.

[Ashley]

I'm aware this is me just having a whinge but on Friday I tried two walk in centres to see if I could get my second vaccination early (6 weeks) and they both politely said I had to wait until 8 and its just annoying the JCVI is sticking their heels in about that following some places last weekend offering earlier. They approved it for 21 days and it still says as such on the government website so it just seems silly that in the face of a variant where only one vaccination doesn't offer much protection, and with seeming ample stock now, they are saying no just because they decided that. 

I'd hoped that after my first I'd feel a bit more ready to step into the world and I did go to London but now it just feels unwise to do so until after my second now (particularly given I'm having to go home a lot at the moment so trying to avoid potential risks).

[Julius]

First dose get!

People behind me in line were my best mate from primary school and his older brother, had a bit of a catch-up as we walked out, which was nice. And then one of the girls from my high school year group I used to hang out with came in...but pretty sure she didn't recognise me because of the mask. 

Picked up a McDonald's breakfast on the way home, I'm off work today and tomorrow just to be on the safe side, so just going to relax 

More seriously though: what are everyone's thoughts on good old Boris tearing down most of the rules and not enforcing masks from the 19th? It seems like an extremely naive and shortsighted decision (and obviously not the first one from this government). 

I'll continue wearing my mask until I at least get my second jab (towards the end of September), but to be honest, as someone who has had a pretty bad run of health the last few winters, I'm tempted to just wear it in most indoors situations for the foreseeable future anyways.

Edited July 6, 2021 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

27 minutes ago, Julius said:

More seriously though: what are everyone's thoughts on good old Boris tearing down most of the rules and not enforcing masks from the 19th? It seems like an extremely naive and shortsighted decision (and obviously not the first one from this government). 

I'll continue wearing my mask until I at least get my second jab (towards the end of September), but to be honest, as someone who has had a pretty bad run of health the last few winters, I'm tempted to just wear it in most indoors situations for the foreseeable future anyways.

I think it’s idiotic that they are ditching the mask rule, especially as many have yet to get the first and second doses. I’m baffled as to why it’s even being dropped. If they want to get the country up and running again then fair enough but having people wear masks indoors has no impact on everything opening. The fact that they’ve come out and said they expect cases to skyrocket is infuriating.

Like you, I’ll be continuing to wear my mask regardless. Over the past few weeks people at work have already become really lax in terms of using a mask properly and I imagine once the rules do get lifted then I’ll be one of very few who will be still wearing one. 

I’ve had to self isolate for the past few days due to being in close contact with a friend. We go for a walk every month, making sure to meet outside and keeping a decent distance, but he ended up getting the virus from a person at work and as such I got a text from the NHS to isolate. I never signed up for track and trace so I’m baffled how they even got my number. 

[Will]

Yeah it’s total madness dropping it all in one go. In Singapore we opened up one thing, the case numbers shot up and we were straight back into lockdown. I get that people are keen to get back to “normal” but totally agree with you on the mask rule, why not just keep it for a while until things are stable?

I have no doubt that we’ll be wearing masks here through to the end of the year at the very least. Given the choice I would probably continue to wear one anyway. We’re heading back to the UK at Christmas (I hope) and unless things have changed massively I’ll be wearing one then too.

[Ashley]

Yeah it just seems really stupid. I was provisionally thinking about going to London mid-August but I doubt I will now. 

If they decided this when cases were low it might be one thing, but to say "they're rising but whatever" just seems reckless. Especially as a lot of hospitality is staffed by younger people who won't have had the possibility of having their second vaccination by then. 

[Ganepark32]

I've seen a couple of notices being put out by transport companies up here in Scotland reminding people that the mask mandate hasn't changed here and to keep wearing them on buses, trains, etc. Though it does look like we're going to be following suit despite being having the worst infection rate in Europe at the moment.

Boris Johnson gave his usual unclear messaging on it last night but even up here, the Scottish Government has muddied things by saying that they'll be moving things to level 0 on July 19th when most restrictions will be peeled back but that everything will go back to normal from August 9th. Most people are taking it as the mask mandate and social distancing are going this month and some of the wording from the government leans that way one day but the next its that things will be staying till August and others will be saying they'll stay after that point 

From the few times I've been out to the shops for groceries it seems most people are just doing their own thing. People are just gathering at homes in large numbers, pubs are packed to the rafters and then Dundee City Council have allowed every pub to use up pavements to allow for even more customers (it was supposed to be to allow for social distancing but thats gone out the window) and public transport is just full of people not wearing masks up here. It'd be fine if numbers were low but Dundee City has the highest per 100,000 rate in Europe at just over 900. Its just nuts.

Whats worse is that my partner's work has sent round a notice of change to work conditions which means that management, cleaners, cooks won't have to wear masks and that care homes will be letting people in without masks to see families in larger numbers, no testing for them or anything. The care home is following the changes coming in in England because despite being based in Scotland, the company is registered in England. So an EMI unit taking in the most difficult neurodegenerative cases for most of Scotland will pretty much be running as it was pre-pandemic but staff need to wear masks but aren't being protected by those coming in when plenty staff have been tracked and traced due to the high numbers in the area. Oh and not all residents are vaccinated as it wasn't/isn't mandatory and the same for staff (there's a few pulling the same chap getting passed round groups on the Internet about getting ill from it or even catching Covid from people who have been vaccinated).

Its all gone to the dogs and the governments up here and in Westminster know now with all the cock ups that they can't get anyone to follow the rules anymore because of their hand waving at stuff they've done. Its disheartening as sure, I'd absolutely love things to go back to normal. I've been couped up at home for most of the last 16 months and have only gone out for food shopping or twice on a bus to see my in laws. Haven't been able to see my mother or father and don't trust public transport to be able to, especially with the health of my parents not being good. But masks really should be kept. Boris' excuse of it we delay now we'll open when the virus will hit us the worst is all well and good (combo of winter flu and covid is probably going to cause high hospital rates regardless of being open or not) but delaying would bring cases down and making masks mandatory longer would certainly help.

I won't be ditching the mask any time soon. Only had my first vaccination 3 weeks ago and have 5 weeks to wait for the second but I know I'm not immune to this thing and neither are those who are fully vaccinated. Its just stupidity and selfishness from people.

[sumo73]

I wore masks long before the government could make up it's mind in 2020 and will continue to wear masks after the 19th of July even though I will have my second jab next week. During this pandemic we needed great leaders, we didn't get them we just got average leaders at best.

In confined areas like buses or trains, I think masks should continue but it will soon be down to our own personal view to wear one or not despite the fact that the Delta variant is increasing and globally Covid isn't going away anywhere soon.

Edited July 6, 2021 by sumo73

[Glen-i]

I've been fully vaccinated for a while and I'm still going to wear my mask everywhere I go for quite a while yet.

I've been asked by a few of my fellow residents here how I'm able to wear it so often. That pretty much sums it up, really. People are generally desperate to wear it as little as possible, so they never get used to it like I have.

Although, that said, I don't smoke, so that might have something to do with it.

[Fierce_LiNk]

The change regarding masks being optional is one that I wasn't expecting. I fully expected them to remain mandatory. For those busy places like train stations, shops, buses, etc, I will still plan to wear mine. I'm not bothered at all by wearing them and it just feels a bit reckless to ditch them completely. Even giving people the option just feels like a cop-out for shirking responsibility, as they can just blame the general public.

I'm due to get my second jab later this month, but I think it would reckless for people to just think that they were completely safe even after getting the vaccine. Still feels like there's a long way to go with this yet.

[Raining_again]

For fucks sake, i honestly couldnt believe it when i heard.  I wish they wouldnt have said anything about masks potentially being done away with because there are going to be idiots now that think its ok for them to do it.  It's not even completely about masks, its more about the general attitude.  Once people stop wearing masks theyre also gonna drop every other precaution they've been doing.

I have a really severe breathing condition, and its a royal pain in the ass for me to wear masks.  But to be honest i don't see ANY future where i won't wear a mask in a very confined, crowded space.  Especially since said condition was triggered by a virus

[MindFreak]

My son's day care was just shut down today because an employee was tested positive. On the last day before they close for summer vacation for three weeks. How many parents are now forced to postpone vacations, flights, and stays for a week? It's just possibly the worst timing they could ever have had. And to make matters worse, it's actually the first time they have shut down. Just great.

We aren't that affected. My son will go to his grand parents on Sunday and stay there until next Thursday - they are completely vaccinated and don't worry about it. They'll then take him to be tested twice.

[Will]

14 hours ago, MindFreak said:

My son's day care was just shut down today because an employee was tested positive. On the last day before they close for summer vacation for three weeks. How many parents are now forced to postpone vacations, flights, and stays for a week? It's just possibly the worst timing they could ever have had. And to make matters worse, it's actually the first time they have shut down. Just great.

Isn’t this the risk people take booking vacations at this point in time? I still don’t really understand why anyone would think it’s a good idea to be having holidays at this point in time.

[Cube]

The UK will probably be on most countries' red lists in a few weeks anyway.

[MindFreak]

9 hours ago, Will said:

Isn’t this the risk people take booking vacations at this point in time? I still don’t really understand why anyone would think it’s a good idea to be having holidays at this point in time.

It is. But here in Denmark, we are almost there with vaccinations, restrictions are mostly gone and things are returning to a normal situation. It's okay to go abroad if you are vaccinated, but the children can't be vaccinated (yet) so it's quite the surprise at this point. I know of a few that were going abroad to visit parents they haven't seen in a year that were affected by this. It's a shame, that's all. 

[Will]

For sure it’s a shame. I can totally relate to those who haven’t seen family in a long time.

[Eenuh]

2 hours ago, Cube said:

The UK will probably be on most countries' red lists in a few weeks anyway.

I don't think the UK has ever been a green zone actually. Throughout the pandemic it's been listed as red (no travel allowed) or amber (only essential travel). 

Our wedding is next month, and with all the travel restrictions still in place and cases rising everywhere, it looks like my family won't be able to come. I haven't seen them in a year and was really hoping they'd be able to come. It really sucks.  
 

Just so tired of it all now. The small business I work for will be closing down because we are not getting any work in since this all started, so I'll be without a job soon. 
And then last week my aunt passed away unexpectedly and because of the travel restrictions I couldn't go to her funeral this week.  

[Ashley]

Oh @Eenuh I'm so sorry to hear all that, it's terrible. I hope you get to see your family soon. 

 

[Glen-i]

So Sadiq Khan is gonna keep the law enforced rule of mandatory mask wearing on all TfL services.

Wondering what you lot make of that?

Me? All I have to say is "Good". It's a level of protection that requires very little effort.

[bob]

My wife's school is going to continue to enforce bubbles and social distancing at school for the one remaining week before the summer holidays because......well. Why the hell would you drop all precautions in schools one week before they break up for summer?

[Ashley]

56 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

So Sadiq Khan is gonna keep the law enforced rule of mandatory mask wearing on all TfL services.

Wondering what you lot make of that?

Me? All I have to say is "Good". It's a level of protection that requires very little effort.

It's good but as the RMT is saying it means there's different rules for traveling through London underground compared to mainline services, plus with them still being required in Wales and Scotland it means technically at the 'border' passengers need to mask up. It's just abdicating responsibility to train employees which is unfair and inevitably going to not work. Look at how most shops don't even ask for masks anymore and those that do people just go "exempt" and carry on. 

[Happenstance]

Glad that they've made the rule for London but I do wish it was just all public transport.

[sumo73]

2 hours ago, Glen-i said:

So Sadiq Khan is gonna keep the law enforced rule of mandatory mask wearing on all TfL services.

Wondering what you lot make of that?

Me? All I have to say is "Good". It's a level of protection that requires very little effort.

I think it was expected for the London Mayor to make that decision for people to wear masks and I support that measure. More people are going are going to stop working from home over the next few weeks and it's going to get very busy with people travelling to and from work. If we want to see what will happen after the 19th of July, just see what's happening in The Netherlands right now.

[MindFreak]

Got the first shot of the vaccine yesterday. I am a bit sore in the shoulder but otherwise felt nothing. Getting the second shot in mid-August.