Clearly, that is what we all hope. And historically, respiratory viruses have tended to peter out.
What is of some concern (to me anyway) is the extent of the 'limited measures' to which Whitty referred being in place next Winter. Are we talking about Mask wearing ad infinitum? Bubbles?
Distancing? Rules of Six? Maybe it won't happen because the vaccines are very effective. But another Winter like this isn't an appealing prospect.
And the next time a virus rises in the East - which it certainly will - what then? We can't lockdown the country every other year. Can we?
Why even try to guess at this stage ? Things are evolving, including the science to deal with it - really wouldn’t try to read too much into it at this stage.
Maybe a few areas into Tier 1 from ‘normal’ ? Masks on public transport in London for a couple of months ? Who knows. They’ve been wearing masks in Asia for years during cold and flu outbreaks.....might be as simple as that (ie if you have symptoms, wear a mask).