Chin up everyone. Early indications are that although it seems to be easier to pass on and catch this one, the symptoms are mild and, at this precise time of writing, not life threatening nor debilitating.
Hope for the best and prepare for the worse. But let’s try to avoid too much doom mongering.
While I do agree with you, Pixie, I also think Boris will be hung drawn and quartered whatever he decides.
There will always be those you say he needs to act NOW, but then there will many more who complain bitterly if their Christmas plans have to be cancelled again.
It is not his personal fault we have this virus, but he will always be the scapegoat, whatever he does.
Kier Starmer will be ecstatic if Boris cancels Christmas again. That vindictive oaf will love the uproar.
Yes Mups…I agree its not Boris’s personal fault that this virus happened. I am just despairing of all our politicians really. And that probably isn’t fair either, I know…every single country in the world has been affected by this, and every politician did what they thought was the right course of action at the time. (Except Nicola Sturgeon who let COP26 go ahead…who even does that in the middle of a pandemic?!) But I’m tired, and frustrated with it all, just like everyone else is and I want to lay the blame somewhere because it sure as heck isn’t our fault.
@Mups , exactly. There have been a raft of mutations, several of which also being classified with Greek letters, and none of which being drawn to public attention since they were of little concern.
For all we know, Omicron might also have been one of this ilk, were it not that it seems to have come to the fore within proximity of Christmas.
So are you inferring that we are subject to a little dollop of scaremongering, just to keep us all on our toes? Y’know…just in case we should start feeling a bit happy 
Yep. Thats precisely what I’m saying.
Ok, I’ll bear that in mind and just keep doing what I’m doing without having a meltdown 
That’s the way, Pixie 
We need all skulk about, hiding behind our masks. We need to dash out, grab essesntials and scuttle off home quickly, and remain afraid like rats out in the open.
And do try to remember not to show happiness, - ecstatic will be a criminal offence. Oh, and one last thing, don’t let anyone catch you laughing in public. You run the risk of being carted off before you can blink. 
P.S. Carry a tape measure with you at all times, so if anyone gets too close, you can show them what a distance of 6 ft looks like.
Thank you!
Scotland also played Rugby against Sth Africa at Murryfield a couple of weeks ago. That’s another way it could have arrived here. 
BJ will dilly-dally and shilly-shally then react willy-nilly … 
I agree, Rox.
Same as all the blessed football matches still carrying on each week.
It’s all about money with sport.
I doubt there’ll be a lockdown like we saw before … the government couldn’t afford the furlough. We all need to be back to normal ASAP.
I quite expect him to leave it to the last minute … and put a limit on how many people can meet indoors together. That might affect Christmas for some.
The last thing he ever seems to want to do is stop folk travelling abroad.
I suppose that’s one benefit of wearing a mask, nobody will be able to see you smile😉
If two people in the same room catch Delta from the same source then one say travels to Poland and one to Spain, then, the Virus mutates in both of them, because the testing routines and mapping systems are different in both countries, and the Spain case is picked up there first, why does everyone assume that is where the variant originated?
@spitfire I guess they’ve got to start somewhere, and if that’s the best they can do to locate it’s apparent first occurrence…
I was listening to R4’s Today programme this morning and Martha Whatsherface was trying her damnedest to start a row and panic peeps about Omicron being very dangerous and we should lockdown NOW!!!. The guy she was interviewing (Dr. Chris, Cambridge, I think) said there was nothing to worry about AT THIS STAGE, just keep wearing masks, distance, handwashing, etc until much more is known in about 3 weeks. Basically he was repeating what the S. African doctor was saying when Andrew Marr interviewed her yesterday morning. The symptoms of Omicron are, apparently, much less severe than Delta, ranging from a runny nose to a severe common cold.
If this is the case, then certainly it would be stupid to lockdown. The important thing is not the name of the virus (stick “covid” in front of it and everyone freaks out and runs about like headless chickens), but the fact that nobody dies (or becomes severely ill. THAT is the important factor. So far, symptoms reporting from SA say that extreme fatigue with fighting off a severe cold is the norm so far, as you said Percy. I do understand Martha’s panic though…and my own heart sank into my stomach this morning when I read about the latest cases hitting the UK…but (after a few coffee’s and a nice lunch) I think we just need to stop reacting, and start responding.
Same with wearing masks, there will be some perfectly healthy ones crying because they have to wear masks because they don’t like being told what to do
Could it be a touch of ‘Social Engineering’ Dex…I’m not saying that Covid isn’t serious, but I think we are being manipulated and deceived. But time will out the truth eventually.
