[News] Face Masks and Covid Passes to end in England from next Thursday

[Raleigh Chopper]

60% want masks and other restrictions kept in place despite the fact there is absolutely no evidence they do anything. In fact countries that have these restrictions in place have had just as bad omicron outbreaks.

People have just been brainwashed.

Then explain to me how an airborne pandemic is not going to infect me if I wear the correct mask in places where their are many people who may be infected indeed not vaccinated when infections are still very high.
I am not saying I won't get it but the risk of infection must be far lower.
People are brainwashed when they are trying to protect their health is a really stupid thing to say.
You are just a silly denier.

 

[Napper]

Then explain to me how an airborne pandemic is not going to infect me if I wear the correct mask in places where their are many people who may be infected indeed not vaccinated when infections are still very high.
I am not saying I won't get it but the risk of infection must be far lower.
People are brainwashed when they are trying to protect their health is a really stupid thing to say.
You are just a silly denier.

Think the point is that it’s ok to get it as it’s pretty mild . Same as flu and colds

Obviously if super vulnerable and elderley then get a high protection mask to ensure ok but then those people at risk particularly in winter anyway

The point is it’s time for the fear to go for the 99% who would have something similar to a cold .

The fear is what’s holding back everything

 

[Wardy's twin]

you say that but i know fans that refuse to come whilst the masks and covid requirements are in place - drop these requirements and they are interested in purchasing tickets - they cant be alone in this.

So having to have a passport and partially wear a mask would deter them , I suspect they are not long standing fans or STHs , its a small price to pay to watch live football at the Amex especially this season.

It would be interesting to know how many fans don't even consider going because the club is not enforcing the rules (masks & passports ) well enough, I know two though even if they were I personally would still not take the risk.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Think the point is that it’s ok to get it as it’s pretty mild . Same as flu and colds

Obviously if super vulnerable and elderley then get a high protection mask to ensure ok but then those people at risk particularly in winter anyway

The point is it’s time for the fear to go for the 99% who would have something similar to a cold .

The fear is what’s holding back everything

Its not just like a cold for 99% of the population , it's significantly less % than that and that's why people are still being hospitalised in large numbers and that's why people are dying in their hundreds per day even with this so called 'mild' iteration.

100k cases today so far too early to relax , yes we need to begin to move on , but that is to evolve the situation but accept that the new normal might not look exactly like the old one.

 

[Wardy's twin]

60% want masks and other restrictions kept in place despite the fact there is absolutely no evidence they do anything. In fact countries that have these restrictions in place have had just as bad omicron outbreaks.

People have just been brainwashed.

There are plenty of studies that show masks make a contribution in reducing the spread of air bourn disease but should be used in conjunction with other factors. The technology might not be as effective as it was as this variant is more transmissible than previous iterations but will work. What doesn't work is badly worn masks, non-vaccination and generally not taking precautions .

What should be happening is the government taking a strong line on it and use government funding to produce the best quality masks and then sell them at cost not at high profit.

 

[trueblue]

As a virologist pointed out on the radio this morning, the rush to get rid of the measures is only likely to drag things on longer. Her reasoning was that if we waited a couple of months, it’s likely they’d be virtually no COVID circulating (providing no new variant emerges). Outbreaks would be relatively easy to identify and contain locally so for most of the time, most of us would actually be back to ‘normal’ with very little chance of coming into contact with the virus.

Instead, high rates of infection will persist and we’ll be stuck with the lottery of life as it is now.

 

[dazzer6666]

60% want masks and other restrictions kept in place despite the fact there is absolutely no evidence they do anything. In fact countries that have these restrictions in place have had just as bad omicron outbreaks.

People have just been brainwashed.

If that’s the case we’ll see 60% wearing them then……..

 

[dazzer6666]

So having to have a passport and partially wear a mask would deter them , I suspect they are not long standing fans or STHs , its a small price to pay to watch live football at the Amex especially this season.

It would be interesting to know how many fans don't even consider going because the club is not enforcing the rules (masks & passports ) well enough, I know two though even if they were I personally would still not take the risk.

Ground was pretty full for Palace and Chelsea….looks like most have got over their fears of going to football. First time our row has been full this season - has been less than half until the Palace game.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

you say that but i know fans that refuse to come whilst the masks and covid requirements are in place - drop these requirements and they are interested in purchasing tickets - they cant be alone in this.

That’s odd. Virtually no-one at the Amex wears a mask and very few people have had any Covid checks. Perhaps your friends aren’t being entirely truthful.

 

[dazzer6666]

That’s odd. Virtually no-one at the Amex wears a mask and very few people have had any Covid checks. Perhaps your friends aren’t being entirely truthful.

….but you’re attending facing the possibility of a Covid passport check - that’s how random sampling is quite effective. When I went in on Tues two guys were seemingly being booted out of WSL for not having their docs.

 

[Billy the Fish]

As a virologist pointed out on the radio this morning, the rush to get rid of the measures is only likely to drag things on longer. Her reasoning was that if we waited a couple of months, it’s likely they’d be virtually no COVID circulating (providing no new variant emerges). Outbreaks would be relatively easy to identify and contain locally so for most of the time, most of us would actually be back to ‘normal’ with very little chance of coming into contact with the virus.

Instead, high rates of infection will persist and we’ll be stuck with the lottery of life as it is now.

Can you remember her name? That's cloud cuckoo land stuff, vergingon batshit mental!
We've been running at tens of thousands of daily cases since September, we'd struggle to reach zero covid in two months even with a full lockdown.

I'm pretty sure there's a city in China that's been locked down for a month and they still can't eradicate it, that's from a very low number of infections.

 

[dsr-burnley]

As a virologist pointed out on the radio this morning, the rush to get rid of the measures is only likely to drag things on longer. Her reasoning was that if we waited a couple of months, it’s likely they’d be virtually no COVID circulating (providing no new variant emerges). Outbreaks would be relatively easy to identify and contain locally so for most of the time, most of us would actually be back to ‘normal’ with very little chance of coming into contact with the virus.

Instead, high rates of infection will persist and we’ll be stuck with the lottery of life as it is now.

I think she is being wildly optimistic about the success of the measures as they are now. To genuinely believe that wearing masks as we do now, badly fitting and ineffective as many of them are supposed to be, will make the difference between being in the grip of a pandemic and virtual elimination of the virus? That is definitely something I would like to see evidence for.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Its not just like a cold for 99% of the population , it's significantly less % than that and that's why people are still being hospitalised in large numbers and that's why people are dying in their hundreds per day even with this so called 'mild' iteration.

100k cases today so far too early to relax , yes we need to begin to move on , but that is to evolve the situation but accept that the new normal might not look exactly like the old one.

And that's what people are afraid of.

We see a million cases per week and less than 2,000 deaths, and 800 of those deaths are random and not related to covid at all. And on that basis, mask wearing and restrictions are called for. Well, in a bad flu season the death rate is higher than that even though the case rate probably isn't - which implies that we will be wearing masks and doing infinite testing for flu as well. That is what people are advocating as the "new normal".

 

[e77]

I would agree with this.

Going in later / off peak to save costs. The office will be somewhere I can go when I want to, rather than be forced to to go.

I suspect Covid has accelerated a trend that had started beforehand of more working from home. Certainly the place I was last contracting at got rid of the office we were using, which I suspect is quite common.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Wife still waiting for a hospital appointment for something potentially serious ( numerous **** ups and Covid reasons why hasn’t happened )

1.5 hours on a call to sort electric bill out - reason Covid

Had a cousin attempt suicide last month - Covid

Neighbours bed not delivered 4 weeks late - reason offered Covid

Could probably list 20 things and the impact on a lot of people’s health and trying to get things sorted physically and mentally is off the scale

That’s what I mean by open .

Once open then things can get back to how things should and a lot less can suffer particularly mentally

Genuinely sorry to hear about your wife.

I have had a lot of personal involvement with the health system over the last 3 years , if you want investigations done e.g. CT or MRI scans or treatment that can be done on a day ward then you can get it done. If you need anything surgical that will require a bed or more importantly the potential for ICU then you will find it much much harder. The issue is the ICU and more generally beds being occupied with people with COVID. 18k people in hospital with COVID( though it is suggested that 50% are due to COVID and 50% are found to have it when testing but have come in for another reason).

Those numbers on bed occupation need to be driven down because they stop those beds being used for other treatment , absolutely galling that something like 80% of those with COVID in hospital were unvaccinated. ANYTHING that drives the COVID numbers down should be used and that does include masks and that's whether they help reduce it by 1%, 5% or 50% it really should not be an issue.

Regards the other items you mention, yes COVID has not helped the supply chain so go back to the main argument that we need to prevent it. I do note that from personal experience COVID is being used to cover a host of failings which were there prior to COVID.

People like me are not saying the country needs to be in lockdown but all preventative measures should be continued to be enforced i.e. Masks, Hygiene, Social Distancing, self isolation and JABs.

 

[Wardy's twin]

And that's what people are afraid of.

We see a million cases per week and less than 2,000 deaths, and 800 of those deaths are random and not related to covid at all. And on that basis, mask wearing and restrictions are called for. Well, in a bad flu season the death rate is higher than that even though the case rate probably isn't - which implies that we will be wearing masks and doing infinite testing for flu as well. That is what people are advocating as the "new normal".

The death rate form FLU & PNEUMONIA

2018 30k
2019 26.5k
2020 21.5k

Deaths due to COVID in 2020 92K so THREE times the rate of FLU & PNEUMONIA

these figures come from the governments ONS site (i know you like your numbers)

The stats are sometimes clouded by what was the primary/secondary cause you might be able to get better clarity.

40 years ago people people would have 'wondered' at a yearly jab to control FLU

50 years ago people rebelled about having to use seat belts - i think we agreed only 7500 deaths or so per year but it accepted practise

100 year ago people would having been praying for the BCG rollout which reduced (nearly eliminated) deaths from TB.

Coming back to the present IMO its far too early to say we have won , its over so let our guard down. Masks are a small price to pay for keeping people's loved one alive a bit longer.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Ground was pretty full for Palace and Chelsea….looks like most have got over their fears of going to football. First time our row has been full this season - has been less than half until the Palace game.

or how many seats went to closet Chelsea fans

I might be wrong and hope the club prosper and grow. On a personal level I have some hard thinking to do between now and the renewal date...

 

[Gazwag]

60% want masks and other restrictions kept in place despite the fact there is 2absolutely no evidence they do anything. In fact countries that have these restrictions in place have had just as bad omicron outbreaks.

People have just been brainwashed.

Okay then let's see your proof that those countries wouldn't have had a worse outbreak had they not bothered.

 

[dsr-burnley]

The death rate form FLU & PNEUMONIA

2018 30k
2019 26.5k
2020 21.5k

Deaths due to COVID in 2020 92K so THREE times the rate of FLU & PNEUMONIA

these figures come from the governments ONS site (i know you like your numbers)

The stats are sometimes clouded by what was the primary/secondary cause you might be able to get better clarity.

40 years ago people people would have 'wondered' at a yearly jab to control FLU

50 years ago people rebelled about having to use seat belts - i think we agreed only 7500 deaths or so per year but it accepted practise

100 year ago people would having been praying for the BCG rollout which reduced (nearly eliminated) deaths from TB.

Coming back to the present IMO its far too early to say we have won , its over so let our guard down. Masks are a small price to pay for keeping people's loved one alive a bit longer.

I genuinely don't see the relevance of the number of deaths in 2020 caused by the original and alpha variants in an unvaccinated population. Not when we are talking about what happens in future.

The numbers prove my point - that people will demand restrictions such as masks, school closures, mass testing, and so forth, for flu and other diseases. The week ending 7th January is the peak of infection rates - 3.7m people, or 5.5% of the population, had been proved to have covid in the 28 days leading up to it, and who knows how many more had had it but not been tested. And yet the number of deaths caused by the virus was 712. The worst week of the most widespread outbreak, 712 deaths. This compares with your average of 510 per week in 2019, the last year not skewed by coronavirus precautions. Flu and pneumonia kill average 510 per week, good weeks and bad, winter and summer, and that is surely more than omicron variant can manage on a consistent basis. That is why I am afraid that people will insist on coronavirus precautions being extended for flu.

 

[W.C.]

That's far too common an attitude I'm afraid. This post, and plenty of others in general, are all about "masks are no problem for me so I'm in favour". The BBC wheeled out an pro-mask doctor to tell the world why Boris was wrong, and even she said that there are no significant problems to everyone wearing masks. Normally the BBC is quite strong on supporting minorities, but they forgot about them in this case..

If the BBC announcer had had any nous, she would have asked whether that means that (a) deaf lip-readers and people with mild dementia and people who can't recognise their friends, do not have significant problems; or (b) they do have significant problems but here aren't enough of them to count; or (c) we had forgotten about the deaf and others with mask problems. Option (d), we have considered them but still think masks are a good thing, would of course be the most valid option, but this anti-mask doctor was clearly not thinking that.

So by all means - not just you, hotchilidog, I'm not having a go at you, it's just that your post was typical of quite a few similar - don't decide whether general mask wearing is a good thing purely because it might do some good and it's all right for me. Consider the overall benefit of wearing masks, and the overall downside for the world in general of wearing masks, and then cast your vote.

Very noble of you. I seem to remember asking you what practical steps you have taken or could suggest to mitigate this problem but don't recall a reply. I'm sure there are plenty of people with hearing issues who also appreciate mass mask wearing in the fight to reduce infection, so what do you do for them?