Wear A Mask. Work From Home. Save The Nhs. Save Lives.

[mushroom25]

would you be happy to see covid restrictions re-applied?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11597823/Covid-style-measures-return-official-plans-save-NHS.html

[Redhelen72]

It would not bother me but, you will get complainers and denials saying its not required or COVID does not exist.

[naomi24]

No, I wouldn't like to see Covid restrictions reapplied. That won't save the NHS.

[cashier]

No I wouldn't, covid is never going away, the NHS should stop the bed blocking. No, I don't know how.

[Zacs-Master]

Usual DM cobblers. All that is being asked at the moment is that people consider wearing masks, nothing more.

[ToraToraTora]

no, madness.

[MissTerious2]

It won't save the NHS. The NHS basically was going downhill before Covid. It needs a good shakeup.

[Zacs-Master]

It needs more Nurses (and other 'hands-on' staff) urgently.

Please don't be taken in by DM headlines designed to make the hard-of-thinking froth at the mouth.

[ichkeria]

"However, lockdowns and school closures are not among them and no advice is expected to be mandatory or legally enforceable."

Just sensible advice. Tho I am not sure about the school one to be honest. Our school has not sent out any such advice.

[rowanwitch]

I would however like it if the extremely clinically vulnerable were supported in staying at home. They are the ones most likely to become unwell enough to require admission and have long hospital stays.. Little things like supermarkets reducing minimum orders for grocery delivery for those groups,( no cost to government) and maybe an increase in financial support to cover the extra costs of heating if they are home all day. Targeted measures rather than general ones.

[MissTerious2]

Rowan. Good idea. I'm clincally vulnerable even moreso than I was before Sepsis and i need heating all day. Wearing extra jumpers is not the answer! I stay in bed for most of the day to keep our oil bills down.

[jno]

there's not necessarily a lot of support for the clinically vulnerable, rowanwitch

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/04/disabled-boy-loses-overnight-nhs-care-because-parents-cannot-afford-heating

[rowanwitch]

Because of the RA, and a possible return to immunity altering drugs I would now be in that group. I am considering modifying how much I go out during the current Covid spike.

[rowanwitch]

That's why I am saying there should be, if you need to spend money in a crisis put it where it does most good. The current scattergun approach will never be cost effective, and having everyone working from home just hits businesses that rely on traffic from office workers etc

[jno]

I agree there should be, but there should be already regardless of Covid, and there isn't. Taking Covid into account will just make it worse.

But neve mind, the NHS is adequately funded; if anyone is at fault it's GPs for not working hard enough and nurses wanting to be paid more.

[Zacs-Master]

'The current scattergun approach will never be cost effective'

But neither is means testing due to the admin involved.

[rowanwitch]

Maybe means testing can be simplified, one simple budget statement from claimants every 5 years or when circumstances change . Certificate issued that people then use ( quoting the issue number) when making claims or the claim is validated on a national database for the means tested special payments They do it yearly for help with health costs HC2 and 3. You show the cert at dentists,opticians , etc Even that could reasonably be pushed out to two or forehead issues to reduce admin costs.

[nicebloke1]

They have been wearing masks in China for 3 years, plus massive lock downs???? So its a big fat NO from me.

[Zacs-Master]

Who looks at the budget statements? Who issues the certificates?

As soon as you start a 'system', you have to have the people who do the groundwork, those who check things are being done correctly and accountants to keep an eye on whether the system is working. There's the rub.

[ichkeria]

China is having problems because they tried a “zero Covid” approach.
This left people with no natural immunity and additionally many mistakenly thinking they didn’t need vaccinations.
Then the government caved in to people’s anger at being locked away and they relaxed the restrictions with predictably disastrous consequences.
There’s a world of difference between that and a few sensible health precautions here.

[nicebloke1]

Sensible health precautions were in force well before covid in China (masks)?