Post Covid-19:What does the future look like?

[bill]

So, three days back in the work scene. Great to be back in a routine right enough but very surreal commuting on the train and being a part of the facemask scene. Very used to seeing these scenarios on the TV but it makes you think when you're a part of it. Good to see that 95% of the public are heeding the governments advice and wearing the masks. A very small ignorant minority don't.
Never felt so tired after getting home in the evening. Really is a case of dinner and then bed. At least I've got my old sleeping pattern back in that I'm spark out until the alarm goes off at 6am whereas I was lucky to get three hours a night sleep while off work.
Delighted to see so many of our old,established customers still in business and requiring our services. I really did fear that the majority of them wouldn't survive but thankfully my fears seem misplaced. We have however lost a fair few suppliers so sourcing some of our bread and butter stock lines is proving interesting.

[Clive]

So, three days back in the work scene. Great to be back in a routine right enough but very surreal commuting on the train and being a part of the facemask scene. Very used to seeing these scenarios on the TV but it makes you think when you're a part of it. Good to see that 95% of the public are heeding the governments advice and wearing the masks. A very small ignorant minority don't.
Never felt so tired after getting home in the evening. Really is a case of dinner and then bed. At least I've got my old sleeping pattern back in that I'm spark out until the alarm goes off at 6am whereas I was lucky to get three hours a night sleep while off work.
Delighted to see so many of our old,established customers still in business and requiring our services. I really did fear that the majority of them wouldn't survive but thankfully my fears seem misplaced. We have however lost a fair few suppliers so sourcing some of our bread and butter stock lines is proving interesting.

That’s good and upbeat, Bill.

My own line of work has continued unabated so I’ve been doing fine. And I’m now booked for London and then 3 days in Torremolinos 5 weeks from now.

[GKirk]

Right in the middle of the cluster around Annan and Gretna, ugh. We'd been doing so well down here as well, looks like it's been imported from Carlisle

[Clive]

Right in the middle of the cluster around Annan and Gretna, ugh. We'd been doing so well down here as well, looks like it's been imported from Carlisle

Yup, and you were saying something about folks crossing the border.

Of course they do and they must. But there’s your reason right there. We can’t form a clean bubble if we allow infected people to penetrate it.

[Clive]

One for Kirky:

Were you in these Carlisle pubs on the following dates? If so, please get tested now.
The Turf – Thursday 9 July, Friday 10 July and Monday 13 July
Lloyds Bar – Saturday 11 July
The Museum – Monday 13 July
If you test positive contact our COVID-19 call centre on 0800 783 1968

[big ears]

This not intended in any way to be anything political, but merely just a comment on the current crises. I'm really not happy about the way things are progressing, or not progressing. Different governments seem to have gone down different routes to try to achieve a common end I suppose, but none have been successful. It seems to me that Governments are more concerned with the perception of how they look to the public rather than eliminating the virus. To me, the only way to eliminate the virus would be a total lockdown of the whole country for a period of three to four weeks. Close the airports, the seaports, seal the UK borders and keep people inside their homes. The only exception would be food and medical aid.

Sure that would be draconian, tough, but its the only way. This partial lockdown is getting us nowhere. We are now arguing that a slice of pizza is a substantial meal. The pubs and restaurants are riding a coach and horses through the current rules. The virus is just going to go on and on, with no end in sight. Its a matter of time before public frustration boils over.

A total lockdown would be devastating for industry, commerce, business of all types including travel, food and drink, manufacturing and service, but I really dont think there is an alternative. What is happening at the moment is death by 1,000 cuts.

It is painfully obvious that a small percentage of the population have no interest in dealing actively with the virus, but want to carry on with their lives as though nothing will happen. The police dont know if they are coming or going and many occasions have to use their discretion or judgement as to whether and offence is being committed or not. Government has to make the rules crystal clear and watertight.

I'll stop now as I'm getting worked up. I see no end in sight.

[Clive]

I actually agree with Big Ears and with what Wales is doing. I’d close the border and have a total lockdown for 3 or 4 weeks. To hell with all the different industry sectors who are moaning about the current lessor restrictions, and best wishes for the 90 people today lying in a Scottish ICU with lungs on the way out because it’s too politically difficult to tell the businesses to close for a short time.

Without the above Xmas is not going to be any less restricted than today and hundreds more will die.

[1-11]

I will make the same caveat as contributor Big Ears above, that I do not want to make any kind of political statement.
What he says in his post about governments pursuing different approaches with nobody showing any clear signs of success, (well maybe in Sweden), is perfectly true.
This leads me to the conclusion that what governments have been doing is not only futile, but also counter productive.
What must now be clear to everyone, is that the virus is out there and that it is no longer possible to contain it. All attempts at containment have failed.
It is a highly contagious virus, and in many cases carriers are asymptomatic so it spreads surreptitiously.
The good news though, is that it is nowhere near as fatal as was originally suggested. So far, most countries worldwide are not reporting any significant increase in overall deaths compared to previous years.

Once that realisation is made, then a change in tactics becomes necessary.
We need to isolate the vulnerable, and we need to let everybody else just get on with their lives and develop Herd Immunity.
Closing borders and trying to create virus free bubbles will not solve any problems in the long term.
Just imagine we lock down the Scottish border to absolutely everyone, and confine everybody here to barracks for six months.
Then when we re-open the borders we get one single infected person entering the country.
Or do we go full-on 3rd Reich and demand border health checks and vaccination papers from everybody entering or re-entering the country ??
We will have sat here in misery for 6 months, lives and livelihoods destroyed, and it would all have been for nothing !

Mankind will need to adapt to this virus in the same way that mankind has adapted to several other viruses throughout history.
The weak will die, and the strong will survive.
But as two well know septuagenarians ( England's Prince Charles and America's Donald Trump ) have reportedly already contacted the disease and survived, then I would say that the bulk of the population also have very good chances of getting through this.

[Clive]

I will make the same caveat as contributor Big Ears above, that I do not want to make any kind of political statement.
What he says in his post about governments pursuing different approaches with nobody showing any clear signs of success, (well maybe in Sweden), is perfectly true.
This leads me to the conclusion that what governments have been doing is not only futile, but also counter productive.
What must now be clear to everyone, is that the virus is out there and that it is no longer possible to contain it. All attempts at containment have failed.
It is a highly contagious virus, and in many cases carriers are asymptomatic so it spreads surreptitiously.
The good news though, is that it is nowhere near as fatal as was originally suggested. So far, most countries worldwide are not reporting any significant increase in overall deaths compared to previous years.

Once that realisation is made, then a change in tactics becomes necessary.
We need to isolate the vulnerable, and we need to let everybody else just get on with their lives and develop Herd Immunity.
Closing borders and trying to create virus free bubbles will not solve any problems in the long term.
Just imagine we lock down the Scottish border to absolutely everyone, and confine everybody here to barracks for six months.
Then when we re-open the borders we get one single infected person entering the country.
Or do we go full-on 3rd Reich and demand border health checks and vaccination papers from everybody entering or re-entering the country ??
We will have sat here in misery for 6 months, lives and livelihoods destroyed, and it would all have been for nothing !

Mankind will need to adapt to this virus in the same way that mankind has adapted to several other viruses throughout history.
The weak will die, and the strong will survive.
But as two well know septuagenarians ( England's Prince Charles and America's Donald Trump ) have reportedly already contacted the disease and survived, then I would say that the bulk of the population also have very good chances of getting through this.

I think I’ll listen to the WHO and Scotland’s science and health experts instead, if you don’t mind.

[1-11]

I think I’ll listen to the WHO and Scotland’s science and health experts instead, if you don’t mind.

Of course, Sir.
It is not for me to say how you should think. We must all follow our own path on this, and we must all gather more information as we go.

I would like to mention though, that Dr. Michael Ryan the Head of the WHO's "Head of Emergencies", admitted on 06th October that Covid-19, as far as death rates go, is actually not much worse than Seasonal Influenza.
Also, many of our Clinical experts here in Scotland *) are among the over 40,000 worldwide academic signatories to the Great Barrington Declaration. These clinicians are maybe not those who are advising the Scottish government, but they are nonetheless, experts in their field.

*) from the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow & Strathclyde.