Well after admitting it’s beyond you, as it is for all of us if we’re honest, you nailed it in the last sentence. The easing of restrictions will indeed accelerate if the figures allow. And it stands to reason that the virus will be largely defeated as the vaccine reaches the majority of people in Scotland.buddyboy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 6:43 am Yesterday the first minister had the chance to offer a wee bit of hope and put her money where her mouth is re being "data driven not dates driven". Why she didn't actually use data such as when we hit
X figure for infections we will look to release y, when the transmission rate drops below X we will do y is beyond me. Instead we basically were promised a return to the tiers for who knows how long. It would allow people to have some idea of where we are going rather than essentially never ending restrictions.
In terms of differences between Scotland and England. We currently have a lower infection rate. The public will find the restrictions impossible if England open at a faster rate. That's just human nature.
Finally the positive news. There have been 2 studies in Israel (most vaccinated country) showing that the vaccines are reducing transmission by around 90%. That's the important bit. If data in the UK backs this then I imagine things will speed up.
Yesterday’s announcement of timescales was cautious rather than unrealistically gung-ho. Remember Boris’s Xmas free for all only to be changed to total lockdown the day after? Remember seeing Xmas shopping the crowds in Oxford Street? A lot of those in the pictures died as a result of those decisions and 3 or 4 months of lockdown resulted.
But personally I’m no more interested in the way out for Scotland. It’s what happens here that is important to us IMO, not what what governments in other countries are doing.