News Forum - UK and the EU brace for more Omicron-induced closures and restrictions

[Thaiger]

The UK and EU are going into a mild travel panic as borders start to close again and restrictions re-imposed. Last night France imposed a ban on travel to and from the country, except for “travel for compelling reasons”. The only “compelling” exemptions are for French and European travellers returning to France, or UK passengers heading in the other direction. Back at home, governments are mulling other domestic restrictions. Additionally, all travellers arriving in France from the UK will need to quarantine for at least 7 days. But this could be just 2 days “if they provide a negative test after […]

The story UK and the EU brace for more Omicron-induced closures and restrictions as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Rookiescot]

What else are they supposed to do?

Let the virus run riot and overwhelm the health care system?

[Easterneye]

A full lockdown is needed in the uk like yesterday , but Doris is desperate to cling on to power and we will see it implemented on the 28th after millions have mixed up over the 25/ 26th and it will completely overwhelm the nhs by the second week of the new year 

Utter madness 

[Jason]

This new variant will find a way wether borders are closed or not. It is certainly more virulent than Delta, but does it cause serious illness and death at the rate Delta does? 

[Guevara]

15 minutes ago, Jason said:

This new variant will find a way whether borders are closed or not. It is certainly more virulent than Delta, but does it cause serious illness and death at the rate Delta does? 

Wholly agree with your first sentence Jason. As to whether it is causing more serious illness or death, to date there is no severe pressure on hospital beds comparing it to the Delta variant, likewise the death rate is minimal. Time will tell taking into account it's winter and we have the Festive season now underway.

[Rookiescot]

13 minutes ago, Guevara said:

Wholly agree with your first sentence Jason. As to whether it is causing more serious illness or death, to date there is no severe pressure on hospital beds comparing it to the Delta variant, likewise the death rate is minimal. Time will tell taking into account it's winter and we have the Festive season now underway.

Indeed it does seem less severe than the delta variant. However it spreads like wildfire so the more cases you have at the one time the more people will need hospitalisation not particularly because of omicron but because of omicron plus some other illness they have.

Plus we need to factor in that up to 10% of health workers could also be off work sick with omicron at any point in time.

The good news regarding how transmissible omicron is means we might actually get herd immunity from both vaccine protection and natural protection from those already having had covid. Expect to see a huge rise in positive cases followed by a sharp decline in positive cases if this holds true.

This might not be the end of covid. But it might be the beginning of the end. Hopefully it just becomes one of those background illnesses we have like seasonal flu. 

[DiJoDavO]

Imagine how stupid they'll see themselves if they look back after many years to this moment. 

It has been literally said by scientists that it's a very very very very mild virus! It's said by scientists! 

I thought these people always cum in their pants when a scientist was speaking. Or is it maybe the wrong scientist because they had some good news? Is it not the news they wanted to hear? If that's so, why are there still people who think that the news = truth?

Maybe, just maybe if everyone start to look at it for what it is, you can see that whenever there's positive and negative news about a topic, they'll always go with the negative information. The scariest part of Covid is how much the news controls people's minds. 

Again, after some years, we'll look back to the current time and can't believe how many people turned out to be a total moron. 

[Rookiescot]

51 minutes ago, DiJoDavO said:

Imagine how stupid they'll see themselves if they look back after many years to this moment. 

It has been literally said by scientists that it's a very very very very mild virus! It's said by scientists! 

I thought these people always cum in their pants when a scientist was speaking. Or is it maybe the wrong scientist because they had some good news? Is it not the news they wanted to hear? If that's so, why are there still people who think that the news = truth?

Maybe, just maybe if everyone start to look at it for what it is, you can see that whenever there's positive and negative news about a topic, they'll always go with the negative information. The scariest part of Covid is how much the news controls people's minds. 

Again, after some years, we'll look back to the current time and can't believe how many people turned out to be a total moron. 

We know who the morons are.

[mcambl61]

Sadly the same ridiculous overreaction and fear mongering propaganda campaign is in full swing. 

 

It's long overdue for people to stop accepting this nonsensical response and go on with life. 

 

The crowd that exists in irrational fear will still be demanding mask wearing and shutdowns in perpetuity and that lot of losers should be shunned and ignored forever. 

[mcambl61]

3 hours ago, Easterneye said:

A full lockdown is needed in the uk like yesterday , but Doris is desperate to cling on to power and we will see it implemented on the 28th after millions have mixed up over the 25/ 26th and it will completely overwhelm the nhs by the second week of the new year 

Utter madness 

The utter madness is the irrational fear in your post. 

 

Totally unfounded fear mongering. 

[Alavan]

Flew  Phuket-Singapore-Amsterdam-Brussels Wednesday 15th.
PCR-test in Phuket, control of papers on Phuket airport. Vaccins (2xAZ plus 1 Pfizer) , PCR-test, Health Declaration for Holland (no digital version, to be filled in by hand), Passenger Localisition Form for Belgium.
Everything OK. No control in Singapore as everything controlled in Phuket. NO control  in Amsterdam, you could do in the transit zone what you want.
In Brussels: control of vaccins and PLF at airplane exit, plus extra control of PLF by police before baggage recup.
I found Amsterdam the least safe.

 

[Stonker]

3 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Indeed it does seem less severe than the delta variant. However it spreads like wildfire so the more cases you have at the one time the more people will need hospitalisation not particularly because of omicron but because of omicron plus some other illness they have.

Plus we need to factor in that up to 10% of health workers could also be off work sick with omicron at any point in time.

Exactly - the transmission rate is way, way worse than Delta - 1% of 1,000 is as bad as 10% of 100 after all.

 

3 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

The good news regarding how transmissible omicron is means we might actually get herd immunity from both vaccine protection and natural protection from those already having had covid. Expect to see a huge rise in positive cases followed by a sharp decline in positive cases if this holds true.

This might not be the end of covid. But it might be the beginning of the end. Hopefully it just becomes one of those background illnesses we have like seasonal flu. 

Unfortunately this seems increasingly unlikely, as the inconclusive evidence so far is that Omicron infection gives no protection against other variants and little if any protection even against Omicron.

... so while Omicron may become like a seasonal flu, etc, it'll just be an 'as well as' rather than an 'instead of'.

[think-and-ask]

not a surprise that more and more people in world,

think that, experts and virology is not as good as thought,

when these experts still pushing in this way.

Edited December 18, 2021 by think-and-ask

[Faraday]

Coetzee thinks Boris is overeacting.

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-boris-johnson-over-reacting-to-omicron-and-creating-hysteria-south-african-doctor-dr-angelique-coetzee-says-12495876

 

But it will sell more boosters....

[Rain]

Find it more than interesting that the cycle of surges, of the last two years, appear to develop greatly in the much heralded West [Europe, USA, etc] more so than not - and predictably panic with their ineptitude. 

 

Why is this.....?

[socal]

17 hours ago, Easterneye said:

A full lockdown is needed in the uk like yesterday , but Doris is desperate to cling on to power and we will see it implemented on the 28th after millions have mixed up over the 25/ 26th and it will completely overwhelm the nhs by the second week of the new year 

Utter madness 

Utter madness would be another full lockdown

[socal]

14 hours ago, mcambl61 said:

Sadly the same ridiculous overreaction and fear mongering propaganda campaign is in full swing. 

It's long overdue for people to stop accepting this nonsensical response and go on with life. 

The crowd that exists in irrational fear will still be demanding mask wearing and shutdowns in perpetuity and that lot of losers should be shunned and ignored forever. 

I remember just 5 months ago, the experts said it was all a matter of getting the vaccine rolled out. Then everything was gonna be fine. Now after the biggest vaccination drive in human history , here we sit with more of the same

[JustaGuy]

19 hours ago, Thaiger said:

The UK and EU are going into a mild travel panic as borders start to close again and restrictions re-imposed. Last night France imposed a ban on travel to and from the country, except for “travel for compelling reasons”. The only “compelling” exemptions are for French and European travellers returning to France, or UK passengers heading in the other direction. Back at home, governments are mulling other domestic restrictions. Additionally, all travellers arriving in France from the UK will need to quarantine for at least 7 days. But this could be just 2 days “if they provide a negative test after […]

The story UK and the EU brace for more Omicron-induced closures and restrictions as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

Thailand is going have to ban Europe now for sure. They can’t risk it. A total lockdown for Thailand would be a disaster for the already ravaged local economy.

Edited December 19, 2021 by JustaGuy

[HiuMak]

9 minutes ago, JustaGuy said:

Thailand is going have to ban Europe now for sure. They can’t risk it. A total lockdown for Thailand would be a disaster for the already ravaged local economy.

Really? I thought Thailand is spreading its legs for all countries 

[Manu]

19 hours ago, Easterneye said:

A full lockdown is needed in the uk like yesterday , but Doris is desperate to cling on to power and we will see it implemented on the 28th after millions have mixed up over the 25/ 26th and it will completely overwhelm the nhs by the second week of the new year 

Utter madness 

The NHS has been overwhelmed for years, it is not just now or last year because of covid.

Here is how it was in December 2019 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/nhs-hospitals-boris-johnson-winter-crisis-emergency-beds-a9242961.html

And guess what, just a year before in December 2018, same story https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/08/nhs-hospitals-emergency-measures-winter-crisis

And guess what, september 2017.. . yeap, you guessed it https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/24/winter-flu-crisis-hospitals-overstretched

Shall I continue or do you get the point? Were you aware of that or did you call for lockdowns back in 2019 or 2018 or 2017 etc...?

A full lockdown you are asking for? Well if you are so scared, just apply this lockdown to yourself. I never thought I would say that but Boris is one of the few leaders in the Western World who has had the balls to stick to the real world, although he is under huge political preasures right now.

[Rookiescot]

15 hours ago, Stonker said:

Exactly - the transmission rate is way, way worse than Delta - 1% of 1,000 is as bad as 10% of 100 after all.

Unfortunately this seems increasingly unlikely, as the inconclusive evidence so far is that Omicron infection gives no protection against other variants and little if any protection even against Omicron.

... so while Omicron may become like a seasonal flu, etc, it'll just be an 'as well as' rather than an 'instead of'.

In places like South Africa omicron is displacing all the other variants. It is also showing a sharp increase followed by a sharp decline in cases.

This would demonstrate people, once infected and recovered from omicron have some level of protection from reinfection. At least for a while anyway.

I remain optimistic.  

[Rookiescot]

1 hour ago, Manu said:

The NHS has been overwhelmed for years, it is not just now or last year because of covid.

Here is how it was in December 2019 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/nhs-hospitals-boris-johnson-winter-crisis-emergency-beds-a9242961.html

And guess what, just a year before in December 2018, same story https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/08/nhs-hospitals-emergency-measures-winter-crisis

And guess what, september 2017.. . yeap, you guessed it https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/24/winter-flu-crisis-hospitals-overstretched

Shall I continue or do you get the point? Were you aware of that or did you call for lockdowns back in 2019 or 2018 or 2017 etc...?

A full lockdown you are asking for? Well if you are so scared, just apply this lockdown to yourself. I never thought I would say that but Boris is one of the few leaders in the Western World who has had the balls to stick to the real world, although he is under huge political preasures right now.

Covid is on top of the usual winter pressure the NHS feels. Not instead of it.

You also need to factor in that up to 10% of NHS personnel may be off sick with covid.

[DiJoDavO]

5 hours ago, Faraday said:

Coetzee thinks Boris is overeacting.

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-boris-johnson-over-reacting-to-omicron-and-creating-hysteria-south-african-doctor-dr-angelique-coetzee-says-12495876

But it will sell more boosters....

You know who thinks it's a good idea to get a booster? 

The CEO of Pfizer 

That says it all. 

[Jason]

23 hours ago, Guevara said:

Wholly agree with your first sentence Jason. As to whether it is causing more serious illness or death, to date there is no severe pressure on hospital beds comparing it to the Delta variant, likewise the death rate is minimal. Time will tell taking into account it's winter and we have the Festive season now underway.

We can only hope that it isn't more deadly than Delta and that maybe it signals the end of Covid, to be relegated to just another Flu. 

[Fluke]

20 minutes ago, Jason said:

We can only hope that it isn't more deadly than Delta and that maybe it signals the end of Covid, to be relegated to just another Flu. 

I am not certain that everyone hopes that . 

Some people seem desperate for the virus pandemic to continue and to get worse and they seem to be cheering Covid on