Planning For The Long Term
The Prime Minister made an Announcement yesterday, covering things like the number of people who have died from Covid in the UK, when Lockdown might be ended, when schools might reopen, and apologising for having mishandled the whole thing. After all, we passed 100,000 covid-related deaths earlier this week.
So various News media started analysing what he'd said and speculating about what it might mean and when things might happen. I expect various Social Media are now full of similar ideas. So, while I can still remember the main gist of what he said -
22nd February* - The Government will be reviewing the statistics - infection rates, death rates, number of people in hospital, number of people in ICU, etc, etc because Covid. Also the number of people who have had one or both doses of the vaccine.
In the light of this they will be reviewing the possibility of ending Lockdown #4 - dates, times, how fast, whatever. He did warn that this will be done slowly and carefully. The implication being more slowly and carefully that the ending of Lockdown 1, which, while some are LONELY and others are champing at the bit to get out, will only be a Good Thing.
He also pointed out that, if he ends this Lockdown too soon, infection rates will likely shoot up again and there will have to be another Lockdown (#4) to get them back down again. However much various businesses might be squealing at present, another Lockdown will not help them At All.
The NHS currently has twice the number of Covid patients than in Lockdown #1 back in March. NHS staff are already stressed, overstretched, overworked and staring PTSD in the face at any point in the next 10 years or so. There are at least three mutated strains of Covid around now, one of which might be worse than the original strain.
He promised to give schools two weeks' notice of when they could re-open for teaching as 'normal'. Meaning that the Very Earliest schools might reopen might be 8th March. Note, this is the Very Earliest Date. So don't get your hopes up. Home schooling and/online teaching will have to continue for at least another month.
If I were you, Dear UK-based Reader, I wouldn't make any plans for anything social, or school, related before June at the earliest. Maybe July or August. Or even next Christmas, depending on how well vaccinations go.
Seriously, Dear Reader, if we assume that Lockdown is likely to last at least until Easter, any letup sooner will be a bonus. If we set our hopes on 1st or 8th March, we are quite possibly going to be severely disappointed. Remember the shambles over Christmas?
It's tough. It might be Really Tough. But it's necessary.
Hey, look! The sun is shining! Y'all have a good day now! Stay safe, and keep other people safe too.
*Which to the ex-Brownie and Girl Guides among you will be remembered as Thinking Day. Sounds good to me. Preferably Joined-Up Thinking!
So various News media started analysing what he'd said and speculating about what it might mean and when things might happen. I expect various Social Media are now full of similar ideas. So, while I can still remember the main gist of what he said -
22nd February* - The Government will be reviewing the statistics - infection rates, death rates, number of people in hospital, number of people in ICU, etc, etc because Covid. Also the number of people who have had one or both doses of the vaccine.
In the light of this they will be reviewing the possibility of ending Lockdown #4 - dates, times, how fast, whatever. He did warn that this will be done slowly and carefully. The implication being more slowly and carefully that the ending of Lockdown 1, which, while some are LONELY and others are champing at the bit to get out, will only be a Good Thing.
He also pointed out that, if he ends this Lockdown too soon, infection rates will likely shoot up again and there will have to be another Lockdown (#4) to get them back down again. However much various businesses might be squealing at present, another Lockdown will not help them At All.
The NHS currently has twice the number of Covid patients than in Lockdown #1 back in March. NHS staff are already stressed, overstretched, overworked and staring PTSD in the face at any point in the next 10 years or so. There are at least three mutated strains of Covid around now, one of which might be worse than the original strain.
He promised to give schools two weeks' notice of when they could re-open for teaching as 'normal'. Meaning that the Very Earliest schools might reopen might be 8th March. Note, this is the Very Earliest Date. So don't get your hopes up. Home schooling and/online teaching will have to continue for at least another month.
If I were you, Dear UK-based Reader, I wouldn't make any plans for anything social, or school, related before June at the earliest. Maybe July or August. Or even next Christmas, depending on how well vaccinations go.
Seriously, Dear Reader, if we assume that Lockdown is likely to last at least until Easter, any letup sooner will be a bonus. If we set our hopes on 1st or 8th March, we are quite possibly going to be severely disappointed. Remember the shambles over Christmas?
It's tough. It might be Really Tough. But it's necessary.
Hey, look! The sun is shining! Y'all have a good day now! Stay safe, and keep other people safe too.
*Which to the ex-Brownie and Girl Guides among you will be remembered as Thinking Day. Sounds good to me. Preferably Joined-Up Thinking!