For young people, socialising is also important. What about people who live alone and whose only interaction is through pubs, clubs and societies?

We're all finding this difficult; we can't make allowances for certain groups because they also (through shopping, etc) have physical interactions with others. 

Also, late in the last thread, some were [rightly] deriding the 7% of those polled who believed 5G was responsible for CV19. Yet what percentage of the population believe that some supernatural deity impregnated a virgin, who then gave birth to the son of god in a stable, and he then grew up to undertake magical miracles like walking on water and bringing people back to life land get himself executed before coming back to life, yet we've never heard anything from him since... and let's not get started on that creation crap. 

Even if restrictions were to be lifted I would continue my own isolation as best as possible. I wouldn't go to anywhere with gatherings of people. Family distancing would be the most difficult one to maintain . I doubt if I would re-instate any of my cancelled holidays, especially the one involving an Easy Jet flight. I would want to be vaccinated before I went on that.

Ditto here.  I was   debating whether to give it the heave-ho a while back - glad I didn't.   I get milk and orange juice delivered.   In more normal times they deliver a range of stuff including bog rolls, but I haven't had much luck with  ordering anything else since this all started.  Still, it stops me having to go out and get milk every few days.

We're due to fly to Italy mid July. If it was possible then I think we would go....

At some point a modified form of normality has to be established; I think it will just require everyone to abide by whatever rules are introduced. Pubs with beer gardens could reopen with chairs and tables spaced and only family groups sitting together; maybe a small number allowed inside, again with suitable spacing?

Ditto restaurants: family groups, well-spaced tables - food prepared but no table service?

Shops could gradually reopen again with strict limits on numbers allowed inside.

It seems clear that the threat will remain until there's a vaccine and realistically that means at least a year away and the tight restrictions simply cannot continue for that long.I think the period with the greatest threat will be the late autumn and winter when (a) people are more likely not to be outside and (b) seasonal bugs will muddy the picture considerably.  Therefore I think it follows that the restrictions will be eased through the summer months before most likely having to be tightened again later in the year.

My wife and I certainly won't be reinstating international holidays this summer. In all honesty I doubt whether we will risk going anywhere in the UK either. 

I think restaurants could be reopened before pubs and much easier to control.

In terms of pubs. Impossible. Once everyone has had a few drinks, keeping everyone in order and ensuring social distancing will be impossible. Some people will do it, but a lot of others won’t know or be able to once there a few pints in.

Absolutely. As I said a few weeks ago it would be impossible here. Despite a "civilised" clientele our canal side pubs get rammed inside and out during the summer months. There is absolutely NO chance of social distancing happening with the best will in the world. Many bars and pubs in central London would fare even worse. It is a recipe for disaster. The only possibility would be if we went across to table service only as is more common in continental Europe. 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing so let's avoid it. If everyone else is wearing face masks Brits will want them too. Therefore, let's make sure we're not at the back of the queue. The UK government needs to urgently:

a) review its advice on face masks because it will almost certainly (rightly or wrongly) be forced to change it - so why not get ahead of the game now?

b) provide advice on types of face mask 

c) take measure to ensure people aren't ripped off when buying them

d) possibly use its buying power to purchase them in bulk for the UK population (I'm not talking FFP3 which is where the shortage is for medical staff)

Wearing face masks 'will become the norm'

Wearing facial protection will soon become normal, according to the World Health Organization's Covid-19 spokesman David Nabarro.

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, Nabarro said people had to come to terms with the new reality of living with the virus.

"This virus is not going to go away. We don't know whether people who have had the virus stay immune and we don't know when we will have a vaccine," he said.

"Some form of facial protection I am sure is going to become the norm, not least to give people reassurance. I think it will come because of what I am calling being Covid-19-ready."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-52266235

I think you have to start to think about this from the premise that the current restrictions simply cannot continue until there's a vaccine, so what measures do you need to put in place to allow some restricted form of normality to be established.

Your idea might work very well. So might queuing and limiting numbers allowed into pubs and restaurants and limiting how long people can stay (I think that would be an inevitable consequence of having people waiting in queues). I'd make the pub/restaurant owner responsible - like a condition on the licence: i.e. you are allowed to trade provided you work strictly within the rules. If you're caught out you're closed down.

It's really early days still and they are talking of second and third waves. It's a case of wait and see before we commit to anything.

Just been for my state sanctioned bit of exercise for the day. 

Did a longer walk from home and toured round some of our local parks. From Withington, up to Levenshulme, back through Burnage and Fallowfield. A few miles in total. 

I’m not exaggerating when I say I barely saw a soul. For a salt of the earth, inner city area, that is damned impressive. The rules, by and large, are being adhered to. If they are here, I’d imagine they are in most places.