Medical experts vs economic experts/just people in the private sector.

My immediate response was very John McEnroe. My opinion was the same as Stirling’s. Just not yet. Keep the vulnerable in. The one issue there is with everyone going back to work, the selfish booking delivery slots and the supermarkets gleefully taking their money, we have a problem.

Of the 5 measures that need to be met to end or release the lockdown it is the 5th that I think they can never really meet. Maybe it’s just in there to save themselves from accusations of carelessness.

1. Making sure the NHS can cope

"We must protect the NHS' ability to cope. We must be confident we are able to provide sufficient critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK.

2. There's a 'sustained and consistent' fall in the daily death rate

"We need to see a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate from coronavirus so we can be confident we have moved beyond the peak."

3. The rate of infection decreasing to 'manageable levels'

"We need to have reliable data from SAGE showing that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board."

4. Ensuring supply of tests and PPE can meet future demand

"We need to be confident that the range of operational challenges including testing capacity and PPE are in hand with supply able to meet future demand."

5. Being confident any adjustments would not risk a second peak

"We need to be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelm the NHS."

The next review of the lockdown measures is set to take place on or around May 7.

COYP

Stockpiling of strategic reserves has to be the answer. Even if we manufactured everything in the UK it's doubtful whether sufficient capacity would exist to meet the current demand and you cannot have facilities standing idle most of the time.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

It was always going to be the case that once the potential threat of the NHS being overwhelmed had been removed by the lockdown that the brakes would come off gradually, with the very vulnerable being asked to stay isolated until they can be vaccinated. So what's being seen elsewhere will happen here too. Social distancing, masks and no mass gatherings will be with us all until everyone has been vaccinated and how long that is remains unknown.

It's not just the economic impact that needs to be mitigated but the health implications need to be kept in balance too and some of these are beginning to now become important.

These though are very difficult decisions to get right and there will always be a host of different opinions so whatever is decided will be regarded as wrong by many. Criticism is cheap and easy when you don't actually have to decide.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Those damn Chinese. They closed our pub.

COYP

The BBC have now had the decency to change the headline to "Drivers being 'ripped off for petrol'

Almost 100% would be my guess. With a corresponding rise in domestic violence.