June 21st* and the end of restrictions

Maybe depressing but I do not see how a pandemic of this nature can be ‘over’ overnight. We shall need careful management of crowds, masks perhaps voluntary and jabs ad infinitum. Not to mention the scientific monitoring of new variants, effective treatments and so on. Just as we do for other contagious diseases. All the time. And of course, do not forget the affect on our mental health. We have, as a nation, as a planet, had a nasty shock. This will take a long time to process. Nowadays we like everything instant. I”m as impatient as the next person, but this is a slow burner. It feeds into the worst fears of mankind and I expect will turn up for many years in our arts and cultural development., though as with other shocks, we might like to bury it for a while.

Yet Broadway producers are all saying they need six months to build a sufficient advance to justify re-starting rehearsals. I think the NY mayor is in dreamland about how Broadway actually works...

With respect, it's hardly overnight Lynette. We've been vaccinating people now for five months. We've been changing how we live and act for 14 months. At current vaccination rates every single adult in the UK will have been given at least one jab by the end of July. 70% of adults in England now have Covid antibodies, making outbreaks less likely. We have successfully reopened schools and then retail/partial hospitality without seeing a spike in cases (though they have plateaued, but they plateaued when schools opened and then started to drop again). You are right to say that a total remove of any effects of Covid won't be happening anytime soon (even in NZ they still wear masks on public transport), but I think any stuff remaining after the summer will be so minor as to barely require much thought bar masking up when in very close proximity (so not in theatres or museums but possibly on the tube between the two) and getting a booster jab.


The much greater problem (London) theatre faces will be getting the virus sorted in other countries to allow tourists to flow back in, and I think this is what is causing some shows not to open until the autumn when global travel should be possible. 

I really don't think you will have to prove that you have had a vaccine or negative test to get into pubs and restaurants. There is no realistic way that could be policed properly. Fair enough for events and things like theatres and cinemas but I find it highly doubtful that we'll be required to do that simply to gain access to our local pubs and cafes.

Presumably you won't need to go to a testing centre, you will simply have to take a lateral flow test at home.

I got handed a packet of them by local authority volunteers outside the supermarket this morning! You can also order them for free from the government website.

No reason not to have those as a minimum requirement. The larger scale test events aren't feasible as an example of what all venues will be able to do, so they will have to rely on people taking them properly. But it's better than nothing.

I just saw that Raab said that some social distancing and mask wearing might need to stay even after the restrictions are lifted in June. Well to me then they haven't been lifted have they?

By then a huge percent of the population would have had at least 1 dose of the vaccine and it seems that you will have to prove you're vaccinated or you are currently negative for covid anyway to gain access so why on earth might we still need to wear masks then at the theatre ect as well?!

When would it end? That's the thing I'm wondering now.

I always thought I'd be fine with some mask rules still being in place but do you know what, now it would get my back up.


Also I don't understand that because I'm sure that some of the pilot events had no social distancing OR mask wearing and didn't report any outbreaks so??

I think the point of retaining some social distancing and masks is because it costs nothing to take unnecessary precautions and costs a lot to take too few. It's likely that by the summer (when it eventually turns up) we'll be OK but we can't know for sure until we try it, and I'd rather continue with a few restrictions for a while longer than have a brief bit of freedom followed by a step backwards to something more onerous for longer.

The Times is reporting that the government intend to remove social distancing restrictions for theatre as hoped on the 21st of June. Mask wearing to stay for now. I'd much rather be at a show that can cover its costs with a full house of masked patrons than at a half full house without a mask and the show losing money.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/27d94cd8-ab82-11eb-bda6-057976012425?shareToken=cda365ce4b94d4a00af16e7f62ec3bb3

On the other side of that though, what is the harm in being a little bit more cautious for a little longer? You said it yourself, you've been wearing a mask all the time we've had to do so, which has been months now, so it's no more inconvenience than you already face.

As someone in a group that has not yet been offered a vaccine I feel very uncomfortable at the thought of those who have already been fully vaccinated acting with abandon and not caring about the rules anymore before I have the opportunity to be fully vaccinated. Those who have had two doses might be in a better place, but you can still transmit the virus to those of us who haven't, so I'm afraid in my opinion ditching masks and social distancing before everyone has been offered both doses is rather selfish.

In all honesty, it ends when people want it to end...

I mentioned in another thread the problems I had with wearing a mask last year at the theatre. I then went a few times without wearing one and have settled now on some face shields which aren't as intrusive and suffocating whilst sat down. 

Am I anti-mask? Yes - I don't think it's healthy to force them onto people. I had two extremely unpleasent experiences at the theatre brought on through wearing one. If people want to wear them then thats absolute fine but we should be at a point in 7 weeks time where people shouldn't be forced, especially if they've been tested or vaccinated.