Glassjaw

Yeah, it will be an issue for years to come as it is highly contagious. In the U.K. people get Covid and isolate a few days then get on with life. Most people aren’t afraid anymore. Like most respiratory viruses it will continue to put vulnerable in the hospital, unfortunately. Japan has the highest numbers and they obsessively wear masks like Thais.

Here we go with more nonsense about the U.K. new variants will keep coming because that’s what a virus like this does. It keeps getting more contagious and less deadly; as many predicted. To keep the world locked up and not having mass gatherings for years on end because of a virus we now have vaccines against is RIDICULOUS full stop. My and many others livelihoods rely on large events and most people don’t give it a second thought here now. You get it for about a week as a mild cold if you’re vaccinated and that’s it.

You’re talking absolute rubbish and he doesn’t have his hands in all the media outlets. The hospitals still aren’t being filled up; people get the sniffles for five days and then are fine. Still people desperate to cling onto Covid being the menace it was, I see.

Some people on this forum still treating omicron as if it was alpha and delta and listing deaths and infections as if it is all relevant. Omicron is here to stay and there will continue to be peaks of infections for a while, but most in Europe don’t care. With vaccinations it’sa head cold for a few days. Masking in crowded places doesn’t hurt at all, as should be your right to do or not do.

Everything is open and life is normal. There’s no laws to self isolate anymore either. 99% of vaccinated are getting it as a cold (I had it two weeks ago) so obviously the numbers are still high. It’s much better to be in this situation than Thailands ridiculous policies.

So you can or can’t be fined for daring to get some fresh air while no one is around or what?

China are already preparing to cover it all up just in case.

The first year was a complete balls up in every respect. When the vaccines got rolled out and we opened up we lead the way in living with the virus and despite the risks, it has been worth it.

All I did was fill out a form and that was it when I went there.

A novel Coronavirus is not the same as flu. Obviously a global pandemic with restrictions against a highly contagious virus effects the flu and its ability to spread. When a novel flu virus we have no immunity to arrives then this whole circus of lockdowns will probably start again. Let’s hope that’s not for a long time.

How many of them actually needed to be in hospital?

England hasn’t had a lockdown for a long time. Looking very much like the peak has passed and for the most part we had normal life since July last year.

But these are very low deaths in the first place so it’s silly to compare to now when omicron is causing much more infections. Many places still have delta causing damage and haven’t had their peaks of omicron yet. The best way out is to vaccinate the world and let it spread everywhere. Unfortunately still too many anti vaccine types in places like America who could drag this out. I will laugh if the whole world has moved on while china stagnates in a zero Covid policy.

Not an ex pat, but have enjoyed spending a few months here for a number of years. In the last ten days I’ve been stopped three times and searched by police just for daring to be foreign while walking at night which is bordering on the ridiculous. If I did live here it would make me think twice about my future here as it makes me feel unwelcome. Hopefully it’s just a pandemic thing that they’ve been told to crack down on (with racial profiling).

Such sensible proposals won’t go down well with officials and their favourite scapegoat (and the usual puritans).

In London I would go out only with my phone since all my cards and payment methods are on there activated by my face. I do enjoy the feel of cash; but Thai coins are an absolute nuisance.

It was getting in regardless, no need for a scapegoat.

Got to CW and was confused why I was being sent away ???? wish I saw this earlier.

Yes, because so many staff have to isolate, but the uk is actually probably doing things correctly (even if too many people still refuse to wear masks). https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59862568 This article sums it up well and why restrictions may well be pointless now, or even so a few weeks ago. Get jabbed up and keep some semblance of normality because it will run rampant no matter what. So many little authoritarians always acting piously when it comes to others daring to enjoy life a bit.

Had my first street shakedown from police in three years of coming here and thankfully they didn’t find the drugs they seemed so desperate to find from the deep search of my wallet.

This is more due to lengthy isolation periods for staff than actual beds being taken up with severe Covid patients. The nhs is often under stress, even pre pandemic times it struggles in winter. If we are heading out of the peak of infection in uk then it seems to not be so bleak.

Not necessarily. If the majority are vaccinated and boosted then it’s a mild illness and you can get things over with faster. I know a lot who are just double jabbed and felt it as a bad cold. The Uk government may seem bold to keep things open in England as it rages, but it’s better than delaying things and longer, destructive restrictions.

Vaccine mandates are good purely because it reduces my proximity to paranoid fools who would keep us in the dark ages. Taiwan is beautiful, friendly and an amazing infrastructure, but cannot see them opening anytime soon. Summers in Taipei are next level heat and humidity, though.

Bangkok at 25 degrees isn’t cold but incredibly pleasant with the breeze.

The booster helps a lot. Why is it so hard to comprehend viruses mutate and vaccinations need to keep up with it. Without vaccines we’d be so much worse off. Give it a few weeks and if people in hard hit countries don’t start dropping like flies then we should just let it spread with adequate protection.