Building up the population immunity is the only way out?

I think it has already been implemented by stealth.
All those people on the tube everyday and being vague about essential workers
Add to that allowing flights from covid hotspots

There is nothing wrong with a policy of herd immunity per se and the reality for most countries now is that may be the quickest way out of it.
What was bonkers about the UK policy was that they said they wanted to encourage the spread AND not have the hospitals overwhelmed. That was madness and may prove to be a tragic move, you can't have both. Also stating that herd immunity was the primary policy, protection of life and avoiding the hospitals becoming overwhelmed should be the No. 1 policy, as it is in most countries. You slow the spread and leave herd immunity to bubble along slowly in the background without ever encouraging the spread. Not what the UK appear to have done still.

The UK has dropped the herd immunity policy it initially had and has stopped using the term as much but I still think it is their primary goal behind the scenes. They still seem more focused on the economy and getting out of lockdown as a priority rather than saving as many lives as they can.

To be fair the UK policy is:
1. Contain.
2. Delay.
3. Research.
4. Mitigate.

Published on 3rd March
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan

At the time of publication they said..
As there are already cases in the UK, the current emphasis is on the Contain and Research phases, but planning for Delay and Mitigation is already in train.

No mention of herd immunity being an a policy of the action plan.

IT
We could also live "normally " if had a very quick (& cheap ) test & various tracking technology to find out who had contact with if test positive.

I.e. If test really easy then could test every body once a day.
The technology bit is being looked at using GPS/Bluetooth on phones.

Of course a vaccine would be the better solution but that might not be ready until end of 2021.

I think it would cause resentment if some people were allowed to go out having a "normal" life while out gets were under "house arrest"

I do not think allowing those who have had the virus (which we have been put into lockdown to avoid getting apparently) early release is the way to go.

I see the point for health care workers who have had it but for the general population it would cause chaos and riots. People trying to catch it so they could work and feed their families etc. Then a centralised database by government and arrests by phone. 1984 at its worst.

The use of phone tracking tech to track people who and keep them under house arrest would be an end to Western democracy. They would never roll it back because of the threat of future viruses.

Not a chance in a million that I would be staying home if they start letting out people with immunity passports and id bet there would be millions who would feel exactly the same.
Like IT says above the only acceptable use would be if it allowed key health workers back to work.

https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1238390547783528448

trader, the cso letting the cat out of the bag on 13/3 just a couple of days before this strategy was abandoned, allegedly.

The use of phone tracking tech to track people who and keep them under house arrest would be an end to Western democracy. They would never roll it back because of the threat of future viruses.

IT -surely the long term plan

There are plenty of ways to gradually ‘throttle’ the return to normality fairly. After reigning in the draconian police instructions and getting it back to voluntary social distancing then for example.

Open shops on sundays
Then saturday/sundays
Then open pubs on sundays
Then open offices on mondays
Etc etc

This can be as granular as needed to keep control of social interaction without imposing more limits to freedom on specific groups

Not sure about opening things for limited hours as that would make them busier. Wouldnt it better to order types of places and allow a few more types to reopen week by week.
How about garden centres for a start. They could of course use some social distance measures like the supermarkets do.

Granular, -  heard that word several times this week. I sense a new meme.

That sounds sensible. And yes the 2 metre rules would still be there, i expect that to be one of the last things to go as its not really any imposition. This maybe why pubs would be lower down the list though unfortunately

Now that UK (& almost every other country) has decided we can't let infection run its natural course & let citizens get infected & fight it off (or die ) there isn't really a n exit strategy until only a few new cases a day.

Testing & investigation will be better in a couple of months & easier to keep infections low if stacks of testing.

Can't see EPL starting for a while.

opening things gradually who,s to work in them give up 80% wages for part time hours
although I did hear on newsnight last night that they were thinking of changing furlough working rules to allow people to work as fruit pickers on top of furlough money,nice little number depending on weather if you don't mind hard graft,not sure how fruitpickers/agri workers can follow social distance rules

here's an idea. why can't they speed up the development of a vaccine by mass testing all the ones they come up with on some of the scum locked up in our prisons, and around the world ?

working on the principle a government should never ask its people to do something it wouldn't do itself,use the government as guinea pigs for vaccines . handjob thinks he,s immune ,superman so he,ll have a go at anything,

Another month of LOCKDOWN is needed imo , then restricted release Keeping to the 2 meter rule

I would suggest a Mask or Mouth covering , The Vulnerable still remaining in Lockdown , till

we see how things go ..

Where I live the restrictions are being Followed  ....

Apr 4, 2020 -- 11:38AM, InsiderTrader wrote:

To be fair the UK policy is:1. Contain.2. Delay.3. Research.4. Mitigate.Published on 3rd Marchhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-planAt the time of publication they said..As there are already cases in the UK, the current emphasis is on the Contain and Research phases, but planning for Delay and Mitigation is already in train. No mention of herd immunity being an a policy of the action plan.

This may have been a sensible policy if they'd remembered Rule 1 which was to contain. They didn't and Doris helped spread the thing.

2 PHRASES in history

mayor of hiroshoma  WHAT THE FOOOOOOK WAS THAT

uk PM    I SHOOK EVERYONES HAND I COULD FIND IN A HOSPITAL LAST NIGHT