Britons fear leaving homes even if lockdown lifted, poll shows

[snoop1130]

Britons fear leaving homes even if lockdown lifted, poll shows

 

A rainbow is seen above a road, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain, April 30, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Many Britons would be uncomfortable leaving their homes even if the government ordered the lifting of strict coronavirus lockdown restrictions in a month’s time, according to a poll on Friday.

 

Britain has been on lockdown since March 23 but on Thursday Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country was now past the peak of the pandemic and promised to set out a plan next week on how it might start gradually easing restrictions to allow a return to normal life.

 

A survey by Ipsos Mori showed that more than 60% would be uncomfortable returning to bars and restaurants, using public transport or going to a large gathering such as a sporting event.

 

Over 40% would still be reluctant to go to the shops or send their children to school and over 30% would be worried about going to work or meeting friends.

 

The survey data found that the vast majority of Britons were complying with the lockdown not because they had been ordered to by the government but because they do not want to catch or spread the virus.

 

“This is very worrying indeed, and our research has shown the same, that people in the UK are particularly anxious about this and are reluctant to go out,” David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at Cambridge University, told BBC Radio.

 

He said it was sensible for the old and vulnerable to protect themselves but that the risks were significantly lower for younger people.

 

“Many people are definitely over anxious about their chance of both getting the virus and the harm they might come to if they do get it,” Spiegelhalter said.

 

“As a rough rule of thumb if you get the virus your chance of dying is roughly about the same as you would have had this year anyway, and if you’re not worried about dying this year you shouldn’t be so worried about getting the virus.”

 

He said the government needed to educate the public, and classify the population into different risk categories.

 

“We do need to have some sort of campaign to encourage people who are very low risk to actually get out and start living again when we’re able to,” he said.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-01

 

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[DoctorG]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at Cambridge University

Totally agree with his views as stated.

[maingmoom]

If I was living in England, I would be worried about going out even if the Government lifted the ban. May 1st had 6201 new cases and 739 new deaths. That does not look like its on the decline to me as the Government is stating.

[phantomfiddler]

So it looks like the brainwashing has worked to a large degree. Many people out there believe anything and everything they read, and as such are highly prone to manipulation. In years past we just avoided people who were coughing as a normal part of life behavior, and hopefully we can start enjoying our freedoms once again ????

[Pilotman]

4 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

So it looks like the brainwashing has worked to a large degree. Many people out there believe anything and everything they read, and as such are highly prone to manipulation. In years past we just avoided people who were coughing as a normal part of life behavior, and hopefully we can start enjoying our freedoms once again ????

Told my eldest, who lives in London , that they would have to drag me back to the UK screaming.  They are all paranoid and fearful, most of it driven by an irresponsible media.  She was not impressed with my view that the quicker they can get back to something like normal, the faster society and the economy will recover.  But I don't envy them.  

[Antonymous]

Sad, isn't it.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Antonymous

[Chomper Higgot]

“As a rough rule of thumb if you get the virus your chance of dying is roughly about the same as you would have had this year anyway, and if you’re not worried about dying this year you shouldn’t be so worried about getting the virus.”

 

That is indeed a very rough guide.

 

If we take the suggestion that the probability of death once afflicted with the disease is equal to the probability of dying in the year*, then the statement “if you get the virus your chance of dying is roughly about the same as you would have had this year anyway” is incorrect by a factor of approaching 2.

 

Clearly an infected person has the probability of dying from the disease plus the probability of dying in the year.

 

*The probability of dying in the year is the sum of every single one of the other risks you, or importantly your child, spouse, parent face.

 

 

“He said it was sensible for the old and vulnerable to protect themselves but that the risks were significantly lower for younger people.”

 

Perhaps, if you don’t believe there is no interaction, and hence infection path, between the young/strong and the old/vulnerable.

 

I would suggest the learned statistician invites a few sociologists, welfare specialists and ‘Public Behavior’ psychologists to help him add context to his analysis.

[Chomper Higgot]

41 minutes ago, maingmoom said:

If I was living in England, I would be worried about going out even if the Government lifted the ban. May 1st had 6201 new cases and 739 new deaths. That does not look like its on the decline to me as the Government is stating.

Indeed, the credibility of the Government’s handling and reporting is a significant issue.

[Chomper Higgot]

27 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Told my eldest, who lives in London , that they would have to drag me back to the UK screaming.  They are all paranoid and fearful, most of it driven by an irresponsible media.  She was not impressed with my view that the quicker they can get back to something like normal, the faster society and the economy will recover.  But I don't envy them.  

Perhaps being in the UK your eldest has a better view of what is going on there.

[cornishcarlos]

Wouldn't it be ironic, if the public now refused to come out of lock down and help restore the economy....

You broke it, you fix government. We aren't coming out to play ????

[Pilotman]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Perhaps being in the UK your eldest has a better view of what is going on there.

Stuck in her flat 24 hours a day,  I doubt that very much. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Pilotman

[soalbundy]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

So it looks like the brainwashing has worked to a large degree. Many people out there believe anything and everything they read, and as such are highly prone to manipulation. In years past we just avoided people who were coughing as a normal part of life behavior, and hopefully we can start enjoying our freedoms once again ????

binge drinking ?

[soalbundy]

Bunch of wimps and yet the news outlets have continually used the banal term 'blitz spirit'. They've become so used to the 'health and safety' gestapo that they have become afraid of their own shadow.

[Magenta408]

No, I don't think so. I smell boool sheeet. Fake news.

[George Aylesham]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Indeed, the credibility of the Government’s handling and reporting is a significant issue.

Agreed - in view of the government's multiple cock ups and obfuscation I would be worried about going out as well. My daughter - a nurse - is still pleading for PPE for her team. in my home city of Brighton we have 373 confirmed cases - not counting those in care homes.

[JungleBiker]

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

“As a rough rule of thumb if you get the virus your chance of dying is roughly about the same as you would have had this year anyway, and if you’re not worried about dying this year you shouldn’t be so worried about getting the virus.”

 

That is indeed a very rough guide.

 

If we take the suggestion that the probability of death once afflicted with the disease is equal to the probability of dying in the year*, then the statement “if you get the virus your chance of dying is roughly about the same as you would have had this year anyway” is incorrect by a factor of approaching 2.

 

Clearly an infected person has the probability of dying from the disease plus the probability of dying in the year.

 

*The probability of dying in the year is the sum of every single one of the other risks you, or importantly your child, spouse, parent face.

 

 

“He said it was sensible for the old and vulnerable to protect themselves but that the risks were significantly lower for younger people.”

 

Perhaps, if you don’t believe there is no interaction, and hence infection path, between the young/strong and the old/vulnerable.

 

I would suggest the learned statistician invites a few sociologists, welfare specialists and ‘Public Behavior’ psychologists to help him add context to his analysis.

 

Ah, but you can only die once. Not twice. 

 

 

[RichardColeman]

I think this poll has confused those wanting to stay in their house to stop avoiding the spread and help the NHS here with those actually frightened to go out. 

[superal]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Indeed, the credibility of the Government’s handling and reporting is a significant issue.

You have to consider that the UK government ( no matter what political party ) are advised and act on the guidance of SAGE who are supposed to be set up for such events as the Corona pandemic . The UK were slow out of the blocks and in catch mode from the beginning . The SARS proved to have no effect on the UK and so it was probably assumed the C19 would be the same scenario . In reality we should be looking at the performance of SAGE & WHO because they were formed for these disasters . 

However there is one political point that concerns me and I have mentioned it here before and that is the role and influence of Dominic Cummings who attended some of the SAGE meetings . He is known to support the herd immunity theory which was the early strategy announced by Vallance &  Whitty until they were challenged by 250 fellow scientists .

The UK population are rightly scared to return to normality and until a vaccine or cure is found that will be the case for months to come . Just hoping that the Oxford University are successful with their vaccine trials . 

[Neeranam]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“Many people are definitely over anxious about their chance of both getting the virus and the harm they might come to if they do get it,”

The government's plan has worked then.

 

How on Earth can people still be catching this when everybody has been on lockdown for weeks? It makes no sense.

 

My mother won't even go for a cup of tea with her neighbour -  both have been isolating for weeks! They're scared they will be arrested, unfkn belivable.

[superal]

12 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

The government's plan has worked then.

 

How on Earth can people still be catching this when everybody has been on lockdown for weeks? It makes no sense.

 

My mother won't even go for a cup of tea with her neighbour -  both have been isolating for weeks! They're scared they will be arrested, unfkn belivable.

The incubation period up to 14 days so obvious the lock down is not mitigating the infection . Lock down should mean just that and not have  people out and about daily shopping and exercising without restrictions . International arrivals to UK airports untested or challenged until now ? no , I must be wrong , sorry.  

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Told my eldest, who lives in London , that they would have to drag me back to the UK screaming.  They are all paranoid and fearful, most of it driven by an irresponsible media.  She was not impressed with my view that the quicker they can get back to something like normal, the faster society and the economy will recover.  But I don't envy them.  

 

One of my cousin's and his family are all totally paranoid and anxious. They have now convinced themselves it's much worse than being let on and were at the door of the apocalypse. All fueled by social media "experts", irresponsible mainstream media, and letting their imaginations run away with themselves. So much <deleted> being written in the UK.

[Doowat]

As a columnist in one of the UK daily papers said, us Brits have gone from stiff upper lip to trembling lower lip. That's what happens when society becomes feminised. Pathetic

[Krataiboy]

6 hours ago, maingmoom said:

If I was living in England, I would be worried about going out even if the Government lifted the ban. May 1st had 6201 new cases and 739 new deaths. That does not look like its on the decline to me as the Government is stating.

UK fatalities are overwhelmingly confined to the elderly either in hospital, trapped in their own homes or in so-called care homes - to which, incredibly, hospitals are returning treated patients who may still carry the virus!

 

The Government is not only guilty of failing to protect the vulnerable elderly, but is creating a new epidemic of deaths and illness in the home with a lockdown reinforced by blatant fear-mongering.  People with serious illnesses such as cancer and stroke are dying in situ, too scared to venture outside even to seek help.

 

Due to recently-introduced more "flexible" reporting regulations, these deaths can end up on the official list of COVID-19 fatalities. This sharp practice is now routine in care homes and hospitals, where a patient infected with the virus is automatically assumed to have died FROM it's effects.

 

https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/04/30/how-the-lockdown-fuelled-the-care-homes-crisis/

 

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Krataiboy

[dunroaming]

5 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Told my eldest, who lives in London , that they would have to drag me back to the UK screaming.  They are all paranoid and fearful, most of it driven by an irresponsible media.  She was not impressed with my view that the quicker they can get back to something like normal, the faster society and the economy will recover.  But I don't envy them.  

My experience is that people in the UK are desperate to get out and back to work. Certainly where we live.  Every day more and more people outside with more cars on the road. A few cafes near us have re-opened for take away coffees and snacks and they seem to be doing quite lively business. 

 

However there are a lot of people who have adapted to working from home.  Estate agents, solicitors and accountants to name but three.  With the technology there I am sure many businesses will restructure and home offices will become far more common.  In fact a friend of mine who works for one of the larger estate agents told me that they are building that into their sales brochures.  No longer referring to a "spare bedroom" as that is now being pitched as a "home office".

 

Most of my friends in I.T have worked from home at least one or two days a week.  With the price of commercial property these days it makes perfect sense to lower the overheads.  But Cov-id 19 aside, many businesses have needed to be re-thought for a long time.  It is going to be adapt or die for most of them in the future, We have all seen the high street dying for quite a while with no viable saviour for those traditional shops and businesses.  Interesting times ahead!

[mrfill]

1 hour ago, dunroaming said:

My experience is that people in the UK are desperate to get out and back to work. Certainly where we live.  Every day more and more people outside with more cars on the road. A few cafes near us have re-opened for take away coffees and snacks and they seem to be doing quite lively business. 

 

However there are a lot of people who have adapted to working from home.  Estate agents, solicitors and accountants to name but three.  With the technology there I am sure many businesses will restructure and home offices will become far more common.  In fact a friend of mine who works for one of the larger estate agents told me that they are building that into their sales brochures.  No longer referring to a "spare bedroom" as that is now being pitched as a "home office".

 

Most of my friends in I.T have worked from home at least one or two days a week.  With the price of commercial property these days it makes perfect sense to lower the overheads.  But Cov-id 19 aside, many businesses have needed to be re-thought for a long time.  It is going to be adapt or die for most of them in the future, We have all seen the high street dying for quite a while with no viable saviour for those traditional shops and businesses.  Interesting times ahead!

I also thought that home working would increase dramatically and then I remembered the 35 years I spent in IT and how most of the 'managers' were always very possessive of their 'team'. They need to see their empire and the foot soldiers and home working destroys their raison d'etre. No point in a slave driver not being able to see his slaves eh?

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Doowat said:

As a columnist in one of the UK daily papers said, us Brits have gone from stiff upper lip to trembling lower lip. That's what happens when society becomes feminised. Pathetic

Arguably the most bizarre conclusion I’ve read on here in very many months.

[Crazy Alex]

If you're afraid to go out, stay home. No one is forcing people to leave their homes.

[dunroaming]

1 hour ago, mrfill said:

I also thought that home working would increase dramatically and then I remembered the 35 years I spent in IT and how most of the 'managers' were always very possessive of their 'team'. They need to see their empire and the foot soldiers and home working destroys their raison d'etre. No point in a slave driver not being able to see his slaves eh?

Completely valid point and before many companies were not prepared to "test the water" when it came to home working.  Now many have been forced to do just that and with the advanced technology are more likely to look at it more favourably.  My neighbour who has been working at home through the lockdown still attends daily briefings and weekly meetings with the team.  Except now it is done with Zoom.  He says that there is far more acceptance now than in the past.

 

Of course this has it's downside as well and I completely understand the arguments for maintaining a personal contact with other team members.  If nothing else then the after work drink in the pub!.  But there is nothing to stop the weekly meetings in a rented boardroom.  Hundreds available in London, I have used them several times.

 

And the upside?  Well no commuting so lots of saved time and money.  Child care costs can be cut or dispensed with completely.  And if the office costs are gone then the company can probably afford better bonuses.

[rickudon]

My son lives 100 metres from his local hospital in Peckham. It had at one stage about 150 Covid patients, now could be more.

 

Over 120 frontline NHS staff have died of the virus. If the pandemic hadn't happened, i'm sure nearly all of them  would still be alive. This may not be the black death, but overall death rates have doubled, hardly of no consequence.

 

Could it have been handled differently? Absolutely. The utter complacency which existed throughout February and early March gave the government no real option except the lockdown - and that has been very poorly enforced. My son's neighbours have still gone away for the weekend twice a month, people are playing football in the park, public transport when it runs has no social distancing, no masks available and until a couple of days ago you could fly into the UK and no checks on your health whatsoever. He cannot go for a run in the park in the evening without having to detour round groups of people running together.

 

Then you wonder why the number of infections are hardly falling. Once someone in a household gets it, and if they stay there, over the next month most of the rest of the household will as well. Social distancing and disinfecting everything in a typical house isn't easy. And of course some might be asymptomatic. 

 

It took only 4 weeks for Italy to go from under a 100 cases a day to 6,000 - but reducing it is much harder - it took 4 more weeks to halve it. At that rate it could take 4-5 months to get it down to under a hundred cases a day.  UK is some weeks behind it. IF we take control measures more seriously. By the number of cases still being reported, that doesn't seem to be happening.

 

By Monday, the UK will have the second highest death toll in the world. Not an example of getting it right.

[dunroaming]

Britain didn't get it right and many misjudgements took place.  But nor did most other countries.  Even Germany made the mistake of trying to ease the lockdown too early.  We are all feeling our way and trying to, at the same time, make sure our economy doesn't completely collapse.

 

Whatever the government does, it won't be right.  But that is because there is no "right" way,  just a series of damage limitation measures and a large dose of hoping for the best.  Nobody has the answers because this is uncharted territory.  Eventually there will be the inevitable inquest and then a lot of ducking and diving.  Fingers will be pointed and it will become a political football to be kicked around for years and years.