Ending Shielding on the 31st March

[sweet-pea1]

Is the Goverment mad to suddenly announce that shielding for the clinically extremely vunerable stops at the end of the month,its only 3 weeks ago they added another400.000 to the list. I am really worried about going back to work on checkouts in a busy supermarket

[allanah]

Have you had your vaccine. I think they feel all the CEV people will have had their first jab so are less risk of catching covid and even lower risk of going into hospital and hardly any risk of dying from covid after 1 jab. So if things stay as they are then yes everyone back to work. But still with social distancing and masks and hand gel and ventilation.

[rabbits65 in reply to allanah]

What a performance allanah !!!My daughter has been back to her school to help special needs children and has to get dolled up in all that PPI gear every day . Will we ever get back to normal .

[allanah in reply to rabbits65]

Yes I seriously believe we will. 😍If we all hold tight and continue with PPE etc and the vaccines continue to roll out , all adults should be jabbed by july. So only those who refuse will have no immunity to covid.

So then they will start jabbing 6 months to 18 years too. And I am guessing give the vulnerable an updated jab with the south African and Brazilian variants in in september time .

So this will go on until the world has been vaccinated so a couple of winters for the world.

However they will lift restrictions this summer in feel as all adults should have been jabbed by july ... three weeks later they should all have immunity plus small risk of hospitalization and smaller risk of death.

I'm optimistic as if you think , theres been for example , polio I think gone if not nearly gone but controlled by vaccine , I've not heard of a case for many years. Then ebola they can control outbreaks and vaccinate against it and now we now have covid vaccines, it's quite amazing.

Yes we will need to try stop the spread to those unvaccinated etc but we have a good chance now.

Good luck at school the PPE iscto keep the spread down until all adults are vaccinated.

I do wish they had vaccinated teachers and school staff though.

[rabbits65 in reply to allanah]

My daughter gets her vaccine today . My Grandmother had Polio and she had crippled legs and deformed feet . She never spoke about it . She just got on with life hobbling about. .

Well I’m 68 and I’ve never known what it’s like to live with a respiratory disease . Very scary. We must all stay aware and be careful even though we have had the vaccine.

[allanah in reply to rabbits65]

I agree , things will get better, I see light at the end of this tunnel, I hope 😂😍😍

[Neonkittie17 in reply to allanah]

Definitely think the elderly vulnerable are going to get a booster in early autumn and then I feel those like us will also. x

[Green230461 in reply to allanah]

I agree with you allanah we are all in a better place than this time last year.

[Green230461 in reply to allanah]

Mary Berry caught polio that is why she has a deformed hand

[bunnycaramel in reply to allanah]

Yes i had mine a while ago so should have some immunity hopefully.

I didn’t have any side effects either

[allanah in reply to bunnycaramel]

Good news x 😍

[bunnycaramel]

I agree with what allanah has said.

Im returning to work to help with the vaccination programme as i am a retired registered nurse so working as HCA as my registration with the NMC has lapsed. I cant wait as so fed up being at home and hope to contribute towards a normal life again.

[rabbits65 in reply to bunnycaramel]

Very good luck to you. 😊

[allanah in reply to bunnycaramel]

Great news, well as a lot of your patients and you being vaccinated plus PPE you will get there. Bet they are over the moon for the help xxx great news and use all the stress relieving facilities they have for you xx

[Green230461 in reply to bunnycaramel]

Take care and try to stay well

[AgedCrone]

No..we have know from the beginning 31 March was hopefully the last day of shielding.I think we have got to accept that Covid is going to be with us for a long, long time & it is essential we all try to get some semblance of normality back in our lives.The way I see it I have 99% stuck to the rules....& apart from a bad reaction to the vaccination I have kept healthy...so there is no reason for that to change.

We can’t remain reliant on being told what we can & can’t do by the government .....we’ve got to take decisions for ourselves .The longer we rely on shielding...the longer it will take us to get our lives back to how we want to live.

Spring is virtually here..let’s enjoy it, take care & look Forward ...not backwards.

[allanah in reply to AgedCrone]

I totally disagree with you about not agreeing with government rules. I will be shielding until the end of march then using PPE to protect younger (in line with government rules ) unvaccinated people like my children and their family and friends until the government says it's safe not to do so. Then and only then will the restrictions be completly lifted. For now it's not about everyone being selfish and doing their own thing , its protecting others like they did us before our and the community still to get their vaccines. I dread the death number now all being under 50 .

[AgedCrone in reply to allanah]

I said nothing about disobeying the governments rules I said we can’t live by them slavishly forever...we must use own judgement & learn to live sensibly....we have had enough advice on how we should behave...&

we really are expected to use our own judgement.

....I do not advocate “doing your own thing “ carelessly...but we have to listen to the scientific community, & get on with our lives sensibly ...not huddled away ...we have to learn to look after ourselves & our families...but have some joy in our lives.....life is too short to be a spectator....just in case.

[allanah in reply to AgedCrone]

In order to that that you follow the rules, you dont make up your own version if them though.

[AgedCrone in reply to allanah]

Spoilsport....I make up great rules....living proof... I’m alive & kicking ....even smiling some times.In my twilight years I refuse to let this pandemic drag me down....I hate it just as much as the next person.....but I will not let it take all the joy from my life.

Now all I need is my Vacci passport....have BJ let me out of the country & I will be off somewhere hot & sunny.....where my like minded friends are waiting for me to join them

[HappykindaGal in reply to AgedCrone]

Go girl! 🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳🥳🥳 Me too. I’m out to play on April 17th (my birthday). Friends have already booked the restaurant and it’s my favourite. Not seen them since February last year and it’s definitely time to party.

I’m having my garden landscaped and it’s a friends company so I’m afraid the no indoors visits have flown out of the window. I’ve definitely relaxed what I do a little as could not continue as I was. I’m feeling like a naughty schoolgirl rather than the intelligent woman that I really am. Of course I’m still being sensible, but not taking it to the extreme any longer. And people are always very careful around me too. It’s been a joy to natter to with my friend in person. The little things.

Yes, I don’t get the ‘suddenly’ either. It’s been this date for months!

[AgedCrone in reply to HappykindaGal]

Good on you. HKG....enjoy your Birthday..... I think perpetuating the shielding CEV title...especially for those of us who have navigated lock down successfully...... is very sad. Those who are still nervous may benefit from some sort risk management therapy to help them .......the scientists would not be advising that we can cease shielding if they thought it too risky now would they?

My friends have been teasing me the lengths they are going to go to “expose” me as a fraud because I have just got on with my house clear out ....packing up before my longed for move next monthLife is for living well...not just existing...... & the older we get the more we realise that!

I do grieve for my friends who have lost family members ....but they agree that me locking myself away beyond the advised time would not be good for me.....nor would it help them.....they want me out & about with them!

Roll in April 1st🍸🎂🍾

[HappykindaGal in reply to AgedCrone]

Couldn't agree more. Even if people are not overly social animals, some interaction is good for the soul.

My closest friend is scared to death of leaving the house and that does concern me. She's reluctant to come for lunch on the 17th too which is such a shame. Not sure what I can do to persuade her to leave her safety bubble. She's not even high risk!!! She is a little older than me by 10 years and in her sixties. Her son is over protective and it's rubbed off on her unfortunately.

I've worked really hard on me the last 12 months. 15 mins on my stationary bike daily without fail. I'm learning Spanish, started drawing again and do both for at least 30 minutes every single day. I'm pretty good at daily disciplines running a business, so it's something I've learned. I also read a self help book every single day for 15 minutes. I'm probably a better person for it now. I know I feel much better. Never been bored once.

Now to add a few trips into the mix and life will be great! Booked for Cornwall in May. Whoop! As you know, I'm also consistently (painfully) positive. Even when I'm feeling poohy.

You're right that grieving over people lost is not going to bring them back. Neither would they want anyone to.

Moving next month. At last! I'm so pleased for you

[AgedCrone in reply to HappykindaGal]

Sitting here amongst years of hoarding...staying put seems very tempting .....but I have myself on a schedule & I am determined to clear out every Un-needed item....& get out at least once a day.The Only thing I have decided best avoided during lockdown......is Lipstick!!

[HappykindaGal in reply to AgedCrone]

It's amazing how much stuff we collect isn't it.

[AgedCrone in reply to HappykindaGal]

The only things I deliberately collect are shoes....but I am completely incapable of throwing anything away...”just in case” you understand ?

[HappykindaGal in reply to AgedCrone]

I used to move regularly and every time, I'd do a clear out. I've been here 8 years and it's the longest I've ever been anywhere. I need to de-clutter!

[Neonkittie17 in reply to allanah]

Me too 💗 I will be shielding until three weeks after second vaccine early May and I’ll be cautious for some time until we see how things go. See the data. If you live in one of the highest risk areas (we are always a deeper shade of blue pardon the Steps pun! .. on the map) and if you have comorbidities, you feel differently to putting yourself out there without a worry. I’m certainly not huddled away. Different if you live in a low risk area. We each know what is right for us/our individual health. Hope your family and friends get those jabs soon. 💗🙏🏻 xx

[Sops in reply to Neonkittie17]

I will be very careful until I have received my second vaccination and waited 3 weeks after that. I have given up too much to go out and about now, and am keeping busy so time flies.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Sops]

Quite right. Same here and I’m never bored at home. I’m always doing art and other hobbies and working in the garden, but for many it’s the total freedom you’ve been used to you’ve had curtailed if you’ve stayed in and shielded. Also the fact some selfish people have made it so hard for many shielders to go out safely. I’ve waited/shielded over a year now so I’m in no mad rush to get out and about.

I don’t need any sort of counselling therapy to go outside as has been suggested people might need .. I’m very level headed and sound of mind (I’m more likely to counsel someone else on getting back out there!) but maybe some people might need some assistance to coax them back out. 💗 I’ve been on car rides and sat outside painting and drawing on the top of the moors by the car during the summer when allowed, but it’s been places locally and no risk of interaction with others where my husband and I have gone. I keep saying this but it’s very relevant ... if you live in a low risk area then you’ll have more confidence to go out. If you live in a high risk area then you’ll have some reservations. Case numbers are not going down enough here at all and we keep getting advice to stay home from the council, no matter what Matt said/says! Hope you are in a safer area. 💗

[Sops in reply to Neonkittie17]

Yes thanks, I live in rural (ish) Oxfordshire, and figures are currently low, Like you I am never bored. I used to live abroad and had to cope with challenging conditions and this has been a good lesson. I have not been out other to walk in the private lane behind my house and round some new housing estates the back of my lane ,

my car has covered 63 miles in the last year, medical appointments and to the vaccination centre, I attend choir zoom workshops once a fortnight, and phone my children.

My garden is my main hobby and I seem to spend ages on on- line orders for food and plants.

I feel that I have not come this far to jump into meals out and holidays as yet, I want to receive my second vaccine and then wait for 3 weeks. The choice of booking may be proof of vaccination.? In future, who knows?

My friends are now getting in touch to say I should meet them after March 31st for outings, coffees the works, but they do not have serious underlying conditions and we have to take consultants and GPs advice as well.

Its not easy and I can see why the normality would be attractive and tempting but I shall hold fire

Love the thought of you sitting on the moors painting, i sing in my garden when evryone next door is out,

[vonniesims in reply to Neonkittie17]

I live in one of those areas too So have to be very careful

[Neonkittie17 in reply to vonniesims]

Don’t think our areas can get any deeper blue on the map. Wish it would turn around soon but a lot of difficult spots will be hard to change attitudes etc. x

[Neonkittie17 in reply to vonniesims]

How are you? 💗

[vonniesims in reply to Neonkittie17]

Doing ok thankyou. Looking forward to getting out and about a bit, but not going into town ( Bradford ) or Leeds.

[Green230461]

Yes I feel I have become a tv spectator too 😃

[Green230461]

Do what my husband did - one day at work then signed off with shingles.

[notsochunky]

For me it has been short but sweet Received sheilding letter 25/02/21. This week received a letter to say sheilding ends 31/03/21. Glad I wasn't going to work all through the pandemic or I wouldn't be a happy bunny.

[CagneysMum in reply to notsochunky]

Same for me ... shielding letter received two weeks ago !!

[Sops]

I agree and feel for you, its all very difficult to comprehend,

[Hidden]

I’ve only been shielding since January so totally agree, for me it’s a bit sudden. I honestly expected 21st June for shielding to end. Or at least until after you’d had the second dose of the vaccine. I’m scared to go back to work because of my role too x

[Brushwork]

Hi Sweet-pea, Here in Scotland we didn't go back to 'advised shielding', instead we received guidance about our personal safety and continuing self isolation/shielding was our choice. I have followed the rules throughout and taken the advice. However, for my sanity and because I live alone, with my dog (Hagrid), I bubbled with my son and his family. I walked with a friend and continued to shop for myself, albeit in the evenings. Post vaccine, and with numbers declining, I am now carefully shopping at normal times. This has been a revelation, didn't realise the number of people who neither sanitise nor wear masks! Still, I feel a little bit safer than I did.

I will not be leaving the country for some time, probably not this year. The virus is still there and other countries are still struggling with it. I might have a staycation, but more importantly, I will visit my massively missed family and friends.

CEV and continuing with life cautiously....

Go gently

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Brushwork]

That’s more or less what the new English Gov guidelines say which I received yesterday by email re taking care and staying home where possible. Still be very careful with going out. Still to consider where you go and to distance from people. Also it’s on the website as usual. We know what we need to do given our health conditions and areas of high cases, like my area of northern England and north west too. For those who need the guidelines and info re work it’s different. They need to know more re work return, etc. Difficult indeed for many. We have decided we won’t go abroad this year either. x

[Flor1rence]

Hi, we have come along way, things will get better and most of us have had our 1st vaccine. I am very lucky as I have my 2nd vaccine next week. 😉 In between the first two lockdown I went to work and felt pretty nervous but I was behind screens most of the time PPI etc. followed all guidelines and kept well. I know of a person shielding that has passed away, so they must have caught it somehow!!! anyway we just need to be careful. Better days ahead for sure.🌈good luck going back to work🍀we can do this👍🌸🌻🌷

[GlamNana]

It is up to you to take precautions that are right for you.

[Angjoplin]

I totally understand your concernIf this helps you put your mind at rest a little I've continued working and shopping throughout. Long story but I couldn't live without getting paid.

I take a cool bag to work with my diner and cold drinks so I don't have to touch fridges, cups etc. I also take a flask of tea for the same reason.

You should be able to wear a mask or face shield behind the till. I also see the checkout people sanitising between customers.

I would be worried if I was you too. Big hugs.

[sweet-pea1 in reply to Angjoplin]

Because of my Arthrytis problems which affect my hands big time I can only work on self scanners so it is really difficult to properley distance .But if I don't go back to work I will have no income ,roll on 4th November when I will retire.