I think plan B will be announced this week

I bet nothing but your right to ridicule me this time next week if I am wrong

but I think I will be right

masky w**kers

tbf i was out in soho last night and it was absolutely rammed with very low levels of mask wearing (not even when going to the toilet or the bar). i assume everyone had had negative lfts earlier that day but you never know some people may have forgotten

some additional guidance from the government on public safety measures would probably be welcome at this stage

dont think we need another lockdown with the effectiveness of the vaccines though 

After some office going, crowded pubs and a big bonfire procession last weekend resulted in just the London cold I’m more convinced than ever that I am some how ‘rona proof.

I don’t think Plan B measures would accomplish anything. But even if they do, given this government’s track record, one week after putting Plan B in place, before seeing what effects it has, they will decide that the numbers are so bad that they will escalate it.

Reports are that focus groups have been sounded out about this. The reality is that Boris is concerned only with being loved and so will go for it if there is strong public support, which (bafflingly) there is - the last poll I saw said 76% in favour.  Barking. 

I'll self exempt from masks, I refuse to use vaccine passports in my own country (so will just stay out of hospitality until it's over). Work from home? Already doing that except once a week. If plan B comes in, it will be to placate people crying for the PM/gov to "do something different about Covid" not-- because it actually works. When is the end date of Plan B? When we've boostered 80% of the country? Then we can line up for shot 4? Like Israel?
 

Vaccine passports in particular are very tricky and a slippery slope and have already been discredited by Parliament. We should not implement them. 

It's a strange sort of person who actively goes looking to get involved in focus groups.  And I'm not entirely convinced they 'represent' the public at large.  

I don't want any new restrictions brought in atm, but....

... It would be interesting to see just how quickly cases would drop. Does the level of vaccinations and prior infections mean that is possible to push cases down a lot quicker than in January 2021 with the same measures ? For a given measure, does R drop by the same absolute amount as it did before or by the same proportion or something else ?

The other aspect is that if, and it's a big if, one becomes resigned to the view that there will be new restrictions at some point during a given period of time, let's say the next 6 months, then it is far better to have the restrictions at the beginning of the period rather than the end. That is just how it is with exponential growth.

Let's see where we are a couple of weeks after half term...

On 11 July 2021 on the Andrew Marr show Neil 'it's all in my head' Ferguson stated "...it was 'almost certain' that the UK would reach 100,000 cases per day" as all restrictions ended on 19 July.

He also said "...maintaining that level could be described as 'success'"

At an average of about 49,000 cases per day where is the f*cker? Shouldn't he be trumpeting the success of the vaccine and the great British spirit of restraint?

Shouldn't he be advising the government to crack on as they have another 50,000 cases in the bag... ...especially as he didn't know at the time that all the little snot vectors in school were going to vaccinated and that should improve the situation.

Sadly the whole issue has now become politicised and rational thought and decision making is being flushed down the khazi... ...experts are now simply selected to support a political viewpoint and there is a massive spectrum of opinion to choose from. We're f*cked and it's not because of COVID...

I think there will be a dip. It has already started. Then the real Winter wave will start, blowing in from Europe. There’ll still be a low number of hospitalisations (say under 10,000) but the frothers will have another push, saying that we can’t cope with flu and Covid, and buoyed by new restrictions coming in in Europe, and they will get Plan B through.

This is the real moment of truth, right now.

There is no cause for any measures. Everyone has had an opportunity to be vaccinated. Covid is present, but the growth in cases and hospitalisations is slow.

The only reason to introduce measures would be to appease the shrieking healthcare professionals and other experts. Even before covid they were always crying. Wah wah flu is here, people are dying in corridors. Wah wah give us more money.

Except now in addition to money they demand we behave.

The moment of truth is now. Pander to them and we will be cowering from covid forever. 

the whole thing is a false alarm

vaccines remain massively protective. the "wear off effect" remains, scientifically, a fiction. the rise in cases has been among the young and has in any event only been sustained for a short while. we saw this in July, too.

Happily, this is a freedom-loving government and I think the chances of a further lockdown are minimal. Oh, oh oh, Laz has made a prediction, best renew your Zoom subscription hee hee u guys pls either get ur own show or die, I'm easy either way.

Regarding Plan B, isn't it just saying people have to wear masks on public transport? I'm not in favour but, at the same time, boo fooking hoo.

I suspect a bit of spike in about ten days with groups from different school areas mixing and kids giving it to parents as a result of half term travels.  Currently it's been kids from the same schools giving each other the same strain (as in all delta but I suspect there are slight differences that don't warrant a new letter).

My gut is that if we can clear November we will be OK. I'm not sure and I can certainly sense the doom mongering by "the experts" ramping up by the day. On the other hand everything is crowded, it is hard to get a table anywhere decent, and Xmas party season is just around the corner. 

Looks like Clergs was right just a few weeks out. Needless to say Chimp and his special needs acolytes won't acknowledge the correctness of her predictions and continue their sexist abuse. 

I do respect how Clergham said “your right to ridicule me this time next week if I am wrong”. Of course she seemed to have forgotten about that by the time next week actually rolled around, but some progress.