Christopher did you used to post as gotcha?

I’m really not sure how to respond to that.

You mustn’t read the forum very often if you think Gotcha and I are the sane person

Maybe not.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-54021894

Maybe not.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-54021894

Leeds has seen cases climb for a few weeks.

If crowds are allowed back it may only be briefly. Case numbers are expected to rise rapidly as we get into November and won't begin to fall until March 2021 from a peak not dissimilar to earlier this year. However this isn't an exact science. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 2021 season be delayed until late March or even April or May.

Catalans allowed 5k fans from next week.

The more we return to 'normality', the greater the spread of the virus.The problem is not so much the greater incidence of cases or the relatively low death rate that we're seeing right now, but rather the risk to the NHS if a peak of COVID-related hospital admissions coincides with the usual surge of winter admissions. We can't afford for hospitals to be stopping regular treatment, operations, A&E etc, if they get inundated with COVID patients again - and this is what will happen if there's another steep peak.

What we should be doing is getting COVID ready wards off site at different locations so we don’t interfere with the regular working of hospitals, then we can start to reopen society without clogging up the hospitals at peak times.

The nightingale hospitals are still available if needed and set to remain so until at least March 21

Are they suitable for taking in any CV-19 patients or only those who need very specific care? If they could be a first port of call, meaning the main hospitals are not touched by CV-19, this is the way forward to reopening society.

I have every respect for Christopher, but like anyone else, he can only dream

He liked his own post

Really good post. The idea we need to get back to normal or start getting back to normal is misguided. The reason we have a relatively low infection and death rate is in the large due to the restrictions in place and the way in which the majority of people have followed the restrictions and advice. The disease is by all accounts incredibly infectious and unchecked spreads quickly within the community. We are most likely at the limit of what we can reopen and go back to doing safely right now. The more we open the more infections we get.
Yes life is not risk free, of course it isn’t, however in the main the majority of people minimise those everyday life risks. Furthermore, the everyday life risks don’t disappear because covid is here, they are still here every day as they were before. Covid just adds another risk ok top, one which we can slow down significantly by changing some of our behaviours.

The public health issues from covid aren’t just covid, the number of people who have missed screening, medical checks and follow ups is mind boggling. The nhs will struggle to repair that damage even without covid issues. We can’t add further weight onto the NHS because we are tired of things not being normal, because we want to go back to doing what we did before or because we don’t like masks.

The way we get out of this is a vaccine, until we have it then it will be here and we will need to continue living in a different way.

There’s a balance to strike though, the Furlough scheme ends next month and with it will be a massive rise in unemployment, I 100% agree we can’t just flip a switch and go back to ‘normal’ but we have to start reopening things like theatres and sports venues otherwise they will be gone forever.