Will we return in 2021?

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Originally Posted by Benny Smyth

So, the new guidance in a nutshell is that they're not gonna stop people dancing (just look at them and you judgmentally while they're doing it), but they are saying no designated dancefloor area. That makes sense to ensure an element of social distancing is adhered to. The problem that creates is that guests will be closer to chairs and tables, and I would dare say drunk people are going to climb said chairs and tables.

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Saw all sorts of talk about this over the inter web last night. My personal stance is that although the guidance says "Dancing should be avoided", that EHO'S, licensing and the police will take a very different view if anyone's caught. Don't forget it also says that music levels should be kept to background levels in the same document.

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Originally Posted by Benny Smyth

Now think about it: how many people have you personally seen with Covid-19?

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Actually, quite a few during the peaks. Some of them looked and felt absolutely dead, others didn't even feel like they had it.

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Originally Posted by Benny Smyth

And how many drunk people have you personally seen fall off things?

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Probably not as many as I've seen with Covid I have to say. Although I've seen my fair share of drunkeness over the years, falling over/off of things hasn't really been a "thi

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Originally Posted by Benny Smyth

Reduce the risk and low likelihood of one by increasing the risk and high likelihood of the other.

Genius. Just genius.

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But (and this is only my understanding from talking to a couple of virology people I know), what they're trying to do is stop the spread of Covid, which in turn could be spread onto many unsuspecting people unwittingly and potentially kill them. By increasing the risk of uncle Fred falling over after a couple too many sweet sherries is only going to ultimately affect him..


Don't get me wrong, I'm as frustrated now as everyone else. I've had a week away from delivering groceries this week and it's been like old times where I've had time to do things in my own business, including dealing with plenty of new enquiries and bookings. And then....this morning's news is all about the Indian variant, potentially bringing in local lockdowns and slowing down some of the easing....

To me, the genius bit is that we're going to let people jump onto an aeroplane from Monday and potentially bring it back in from elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by Imagine

But (and this is only my understanding from talking to a couple of virology people I know), what they're trying to do is stop the spread of Covid, which in turn could be spread onto many unsuspecting people unwittingly and potentially kill them. By increasing the risk of uncle Fred falling over after a couple too many sweet sherries is only going to ultimately affect him..

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If you want zero risk of catching this, a cold or anything don't go outside. This shouldn't still be stopping everyone from getting back to normal. Now that everyone in the high risk bracket is 'covid safe' with a jab.

I agree, the biggest risk is foreign travel. We're an island so should contain any issues without a problem... Wishful thinking.

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Originally Posted by DJWilson

If you want zero risk of catching this, a cold or anything don't go outside. This shouldn't still be stopping everyone from getting back to normal. Now that everyone in the high risk bracket is 'covid safe' with a jab.

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Having spoken to my virologist friends last night, it appears it's not quite that simple (yet) though.
How it was explained to me was that whilst we still have a large percentage of the population that haven't been stabbed in the arm yet, the virus will still spread and indeed mutate because it's not quite as easy to transmit itself as it was (i.e. it's hitting resistance from those that have been jabbed).

It's the mutations the Gov and the scientists are worried about at the moment because they could potentially mutate enough to be resistant to the vaccines and we're back where we started. They've already said in the past that we'll have to carry on and live with the virus eventually

Let's see what the 5:30 announcement brings.

Based on Scotland's announcement today, at the very least, the continued uncertainty is not going help.

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

Let's see what the 5:30 announcement brings.

Based on Scotland's announcement today, at the very least, the continued uncertainty is not going help.

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I fear having just watched it on playback that we could be in for a bumpy ride at the moment. 21st June is looking far from certain :(

IF the vaccines control this thing and more importantly hospitalisations and deaths remain low, then surely things can go ahead as planned can't they?

I'm actually starting to wonder if I need to be reaching out to my July weddings to see what their feelings are at the moment rather than await the rush of new re-schedules and cancellations

And as a counter point:

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Prof Robert Dingwall, a scientist on the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said it seemed people who have been vaccinated "have only a very low risk of infection" from the Indian variant - and infection was "likely to be mild".

He said it "seems to be slightly more transmissible" than the UK and South African variants and could become the dominant variant in the UK.

"The consequence of this would be a greater number of mild illnesses with little risk of a surge in hospitalisations or deaths," he said.

"We need to stop panicking about every new variant that comes along," he added.

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Originally Posted by Imagine

To me, the genius bit is that we're going to let people jump onto an aeroplane from Monday and potentially bring it back in from elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by DJWilson

I agree, the biggest risk is foreign travel. We're an island so should contain any issues without a problem... Wishful thinking.

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I think I'm with my old mate Sir Francis on those points lads:
" You might think that, I couldn't possibly comment. " :whistle:

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Originally Posted by Imagine

I fear having just watched it on playback that we could be in for a bumpy ride at the moment. 21st June is looking far from certain :(

IF the vaccines control this thing and more importantly hospitalisations and deaths remain low, then surely things can go ahead as planned can't they?

I'm actually starting to wonder if I need to be reaching out to my July weddings to see what their feelings are at the moment rather than await the rush of new re-schedules and cancellations

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Sadly, I fear Cassandra's ugly sister may have a point. :(:( From what I see ( and I haven't done any in depth research ) many of the outbreak spikes are in areas where the take up of vaccine jabs has been lowest. We could yet see certain areas locked down, while the rest of us enjoy relaxed restrictions.
Or we could all stay under Lockdown 4,5,6,127, 935 etc etc ad nauseam. As I heard someone say on telly today, " it's a race between the vaccine and the virus". Thing is, if enough areas provide breeding grounds for the virus and its jab resistant mutations, it may undo all the work done in jabbing the bulk of the population. :(

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

As I heard someone say on telly today, " it's a race between the vaccine and the virus". Thing is, if enough areas provide breeding grounds for the virus and its jab resistant mutations, it may undo all the work done in jabbing the bulk of the population. :(

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And this is what worries me. Every time we try and reopen too quickly, we get caught out - first with the Kent variant, and now the Indian variant.

In the meantime, places that did lock down correctly like New Zealand and Australia are seeing some normality domestically.

We were nearly there - we'd pretty much suppressed it, but we didn't close our borders.

Until the rest of the world is vaccinated, we must keep our borders closed.

The vaccination in the UK enables domestic activity to return, but as you say, we risk it all if a variant comes in from another country that is vaccine-resistant (and I dread to think what is currently being cooked up in Brazil and India etc...)

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

We were nearly there - we'd pretty much suppressed it, but we didn't close our borders.

Until the rest of the world is vaccinated, we must keep our borders closed.

The vaccination in the UK enables domestic activity to return, but as you say, we risk it all if a variant comes in from another country that is vaccine-resistant (and I dread to think what is currently being cooked up in Brazil and India etc...)

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Now were this a less serious topic, I'd be frivolously calling you all sorts of Xenophobic insults. In truth, I would have to say that the parts in bold above are so bleedin' obvious that I'm amazed it's not happening. :daft:

Obviously goods could be imported/exported without too much trouble. People should only be allowed movement with the best of reasons, and strictest quarantine measures. It's not rocket science, merely commonsense.

Is anyone else thinking Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy? ( Telephone sanitising engineers). Life imitating art yet again.

Round and round and round we go....where it stops....who the :Censored: knows

From the BBC just now...

"An expected update for when weddings would be able to resume as normal also looks to be on hold - the prime minister’s original intention was to give people 28 days' notice ahead of the planned 21 June re-opening."

I have a horrible feeling I'm going to have to contact my July couples very soon :(