No U turn on essential goods ban

[tforturton]

It's all pointless, anyway. Once the two weeks are up, we'll all head out again, and the figures will start to rise. But wait - do I see a vaccine on the horizon? That's our only hope for a 'normal life' in the near future. But by then, any small business will have closed down...

[Hilts]

[QUOTE=tforturton;5129531. But by then, any small business will have closed down...[/QUOTE]

Really?

[tforturton]

Really?

Not EVERYTHING, obviously, but there are a lot of small businesses that simply will not recover from this second hammer blow.

[surge]

It's all pointless, anyway. Once the two weeks are up, we'll all head out again, and the figures will start to rise. But wait - do I see a vaccine on the horizon? That's our only hope for a 'normal life' in the near future. But by then, any small business will have closed down...

Noises suggesting vaccine to be developed by end of the year and then a case of producing it on scale needed and at the same time, treatments to improve chances of surviving are being found/developed so death rates are likely to go down. I would be surprised if we're not feeling much more positive by March 2021.

The idea of the fire-break/circuit breaker is not necessarily to stop figures rising but to slow the rate that they do. At the moment R estimated to be 1.2-1.4 in Wales but this could, if it works, bring it back down below 1.

Will smaller businesses survive? Hope so, though Resolution Foundation has produced information to say that self-employed people have been hit hardest by pandemic and by being missed from financial support so it will be dicey for many: https://twitter.com/resfoundation/st...78336350883840

Government has to make a decision about minimum income floor part of Universal Credit in next couple of weeks at the moment. Currently, there is discretion to ignore it but this is running out so self-employed people might be treated as having 35xmimimum wage earnings whether there is income or not. At the same time, those on working tax credits have been supported up until this point by HMRC treating them as if they're doing full-time hours but this is also running out soon and waiting to be reviewed. Self-employed people on benefits may be about to be dropped in it again.

[light up the darkness]

It's all pointless, anyway. Once the two weeks are up, we'll all head out again, and the figures will start to rise. But wait - do I see a vaccine on the horizon? That's our only hope for a 'normal life' in the near future. But by then, any small business will have closed down...

I read that there is not likely to be a ‘cure’ as such rather coronavirus will be endemic and we will have recurring waves each year pretty much like we do with the flu. The COVID 19 vaccines will give a similar level of protection as flu jabs. It will not cure it. It will not stop people catching it. The vaccines as they are currently being developed are focused on reducing the symptoms and the associated illnesses.

Over time for most people our bodies will build a level of resistance. When the virus mutates the vaccines will have to follow.

Politics, when we are talking about people’s lives and livelihoods, shouldn’t enter into it. Doing the right thing is not a political football but I’m afraid that it’s inevitable that businesses will suffer. Some will not recover. Shopping habits are likely to change. City centres may change their profile because the nature of the way in which people are likely to change their shopping habits.

Fewer shops will pay less business rates to local government requiring local authorities to raise the level of council tax being paid to support an ever reducing level of service.

The NHS needs a serious overhaul.... we’re all doomed