Some Britons crave permanent pandemic lockdown

[fcatalan]

I have another personal angle on this: I'm not very social. I do enjoy conversation or dinner or visits with friends or coworkers, occasionally, but not the constant barrage of invitations, events and obligations that was normal before the pandemic. So while I understand things will eventually go back to that normal for the obvious benefit of the majority, personally it feels like the end of a long, quiet vacation that I will remember and miss.

So I'm pushing back on people that want me to meet or party too soon. I'm writing this minutes after my second vaccine dose so it won't be long before my own kind of freedom runs out.

[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

I personally didn't feel much like it was a vacation since I still had to go into the office[0], but I will miss the way the default behavior was for people to avoid each other on the street and absolutely no one attempted to start an impromptu conversation with me.

[0] except for the brief period where basically every employee had COVID, gee, how did that happen?

[Jabbles]

I've no idea why 18% of people think a permanent 10pm curfew regardless of COVID is a good thing.

But to add some perspective on the situation in the UK here is our (surprisingly good) government data website: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

As you can see, infections/day have been ~doubling every ~2 weeks for the last ~6.

And here is a letter in The Lancet from scientists opposing the imminent end of all restrictions: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...

[afavour]

18% seems high but don’t underestimate paranoia and/or selfishness.

A lot of older people aren’t ever out past 10pm (I’m in my late thirties and I rarely am!) and have been convinced by tabloid newspapers that youths/immigrants/criminals/[delete as applicable] are doing all kinds of awful things at night time. Best to keep everyone indoors so that we’re all safe, eh?

[agent008t]

If you go to bed at 10pm, why would you not want a curfew? For many people, 'back to normal' also means drunk people shouting under their windows in the middle of the night.

Now, a curfew sounds drastic, and I suspect many people are saying they are for it tongue in cheek. However, what's wrong with wanting to keep some of the positive aspects of the last year? Why go 'back to normal' when we can go forward to something better?

[oliwarner]

Having everyone home by 10pm would automatically curb a lot of anti-social and gang behaviour. Especially with a police blitz, scooping up anyone without a good excuse.

Not saying it's really desirable, worthwhile, or even feasible... But that's probably why some want it. Some places get pretty unpleasant after dark.

[LudwigNagasena]

Over 18% supporting permanent curfew can’t be true, right? What’s going on in Britain?

[monkeynotes]

1) People love drama 2) People say stuff they don't really mean just to perpetuate a drama in their otherwise predictable lives 3) Social media is a cancer on society 4) Statistics are sometimes nonsense

[denton-scratch]

Brit here.

I can't read the OP: paywall. Does The Economist literally say that? I don't know how they came up with that - I don't believe anybody here is in favour of "permanent curfew" (a curfew is a ban on travelling during the hours of darkness; I guess they were referring to lockdown).

I imagine there is significant opposition, however, to the government's plan to lift lockdown more-or-less completely, in a couple of weeks, against the advice of his own scientific advisers. Maybe that's what The Economist is trying to say.

[UncleOxidant]

18% doesn't seem all that high. Wouldn't be surprised if you'd find a similar percentage that would support it in the US.

[Geekette]

I attribute it mostly to a noise issue: Those who live the closest to pubs/clubs and other high noise generation venues noticed the quiet difference during lockdown and wistfully wish for more.

[jasonkester]

Don’t forget that a significant fraction of them voted to leave the EU as a way of sending a message, not expecting that it could result in actually needing to leave the EU.

[MattGaiser]

How many people just want to remain remote?

[tonyedgecombe]

Old people. We are turning into a gerontocracy. This is what gave us Brexit.

[jjbinx007]

Curfews cut down on crime and antisocial behaviour, even noise levels.

[mssundaram]

See also Brexit

[underseacables]

Paranoia maybe, but it might also be a power thing, similar to how some Americans still want everyone to have to wear a mask and be locked down.

[0xbadc0de5]

Those who would trade freedom for security will inevitably lose both... and deserve neither.

[option]

I think of this quote every single time I go through the security theater at every US airport.

[daanvd]

https://archive.is/8xmAd

[gunapologist99]

Bull... Nightclubs, casinos and dark streets harbour all sorts of wrongdoers.

I expected less bias from The Economist.

[throwawaysea]

Is it because there are fewer crowds or because remote work is permitted? Surely this can’t be craving a lockdown purely for safety.

[monkeynotes]

We are already currently in a situation where "safety" trumps everything. People willingly prioritizing physical health in exchange for negative mental health, relationships, being with their dying loved ones, losing jobs, higher cost of living, and freedom in general.

[wait_a_minute]

Could this be propaganda intended to normalize the idea of complete top-down control over every area of life? We all need to wake up while we still can. It’s one thing to be a shut-in as a matter of your own individual choice - but this large of a % of people supposedly wanting it imposed on everyone else? In the UK of all places? I smell a rat.

[crocodiletears]

The UK would honestly be the first western country I would expect this from. It still stretches the imagination, but the UK always seems to be the first to propose legislated restrictions for the good of its own population.