Coronavirus: What we know about the end of the lockdown!

thank u for your email. In Ireland we look forward to a partial opening on 18th May from the lockdown.   I am 76 years old so I have been "cocooning" up to recently, just walking on my own outside and seldom going to the shops. We are all trying to do our best to flatten the curve and keep it down. With the Summer here it is great to get out and take care of the garden. Getting out in the fresh air is good for the mind and body.  Society as a whole is trying to follow the government guidelines to limit the spread of Covid 19 and it seems like we are on a war footing, distancing etc.  I am blessed that my wife is so good. best wishes.    Brian 

For people like me who are housebound anyway and have been for a long time it's not going to make much difference. Perhaps it will be easier to find delivery slots for getting groceries delivered but other than that I won't notice much difference, just as the imposition of lockdown made little difference to my life. It just goes on as before.

I feel we are still very much in the dark  about the future in respect of  this virus. Whether we personally take risk will still be very much personal choice when lockdown is lifted . Yes we are all adults who take risks every day, not all activities could safely be returned as distancing would be a problem. I am a sheilded person so would still be at high risk after lock down, but this could happen to me with any infection including common cold, post operative infection ect. along with many other residents of this country. As pointed out too, many vaccines do not stop the diseases just reduce the level of infection spread. I know there have been many deaths Globally but how do they compare with past death rates for flu and virus ect in a normal winter say??  There are too many ifs & buts however at the end of the day we will still be at risk from such killer diseases which is very frightening, plus the fact that our services cannot cope with high numbers of health issues that require concentrated health care, brilliant as our services may be and how they have coped.  I find it hard to accept the thought of my freedom being restricted in the future, but media coverage makes it sound like that for shielded persons especially comments like we may never ever find a vaccine.  Must take things one day at a time.

@Shasha13 I have no words for you your comments are some of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard

@Katieoxo22 

Great points and spot on as for the vulnerable, they will be 'staying alert' for years it seems. Yes deaths from Flu have been the biggest threat over the years and has been a direct threat each year to the many vulnerable and my wife. Avoiding time in ICU each year has took real planning and preparation, Covid-19 another layer of threat while awaiting the vaccine. Isolation has not been to much an issue for my wife and me as we enjoy not being part of the local community. Hibernation quite the norm for during the winter months always looking forward to the summer months at our static on the coast. For many vulnerable I do understand their need for contact with others and Covid-19 will mean such contact is a risk. Whether Covid-19 becomes a long term risk is a question but there will always risks from Flu etc. anyway so just another disease added to a growing list. But I do believe government propaganda has been to successful in getting the public to panic, when all it needed to do was protect those 60 plus vulnerable!

The world has seen many PANDEMICS in the past
1889/1990 - influenza 1 million died
1910/1911 - cholera 800,000+ died
1918/1919 - influenza 50 million+ died
1956/1957 - Asian Flu 2 million died
1968/1969 - Hong Kong Flu 1 million died
1977/1978 - Red Flu 70 million died
2017/2018 - influenza 80,000 died
Typical year 290,000 - 650,000 die
2019/2020 - “Coronavirus” 316,054 to date

So why when the number of deaths from coronavirus is 333,946 less than the annual average and far less than the previous PANDEMICS is this the first time ever that we’ve been told to self isolate??
This just doesn’t make sense! The only thing that does make sense is, that making money out of the 5G roll out is more important than our lives. We have to just go out, get back to work, school or anywhere else that we would normally go to. Forget face masks, social distancing, hand sanitizers, trolley wipes & one way systems in the supermarket but most importantly GET BACK TO NORMAL! Then campaign to STOP the roll out of 5G.

I'm a bit worried about it all because I personally feel that there's just not enough known about the virus to be making big decisions yet. I understand the government can't keep everyone locked up forever, and I just hope with all of my might that they've got the biggest and best scientist and epidemiologists on their sides guiding them through the end of the lockdown. I really hope they're putting us chronic patients, the elderly and anyone else at risk first before the economy when decisions are being made.

@Shasha13 I agree with you about 5G however, I live in a warden assisted flat, we are not allowed to visit each other. I was visiting my friend kinda took no notice of the so-called rules. She died two days after I stop visiting her she was tested and did not have the COVID virus. Due to this nonsense, she died alone. 

Today the manager here told my husband a second wave of the virus is coming very soon. he wants to visit a friend, however, he has been told the roads will be closed so he now feels he should stay home with me I said go and if you get stuck there so be it. It is the most fuss I have ever Known over  A virus  

will the social distancing b over b4 xmas as i always spends xmas with my son and 2 grandsons, otherwise i'll b on my own at xmas and just having a snack instead of a proper xmas dinner

@Shasha13  Thank you for your information and reply.  I hope we do get back to normal. As for me I was very active in the community until December. Now apparently I am highly clinically vulnerable. I would have been going to my son in Australia this year for Christmas as a treat but now there is no chance. With the best will in the world  nobody can illiminate all risk and this pandemic has caused much life changing rules  that can't practically work in a sociable , family society.