No Lockdown Review Next Week?

[TalkingIntoTheEther]

Just saw this line in an article posted on the Guardian today:

"No 10 said last night that there would be no review of the curbs next week as promised by Johnson when he introduced them three weeks ago"

I know this was expected, but there doesn't seem to be any particular fanfare abut it, rather it's just nestled into a vaguely related article. I thought it would be bigger news if they decided to extend the lockdown?

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/wednesday-briefing-testing-time-for-raab-as-crisis-mounts

[lubeybooby]

Guess it's just because it's a no brainer that the measures are still needed, tighter if anything

[WindowOrchid]

Surely it would be better to say they've been reviewed and need to be extended rather than say review is cancelled?

[HoffiCoffi13]

I think it’s because they haven’t officially extended the lockdown, it’s just that due to the circumstances with Boris being incapacitated they’ve decided to delay the review.

Surely it would be better to say they've been reviewed and need to be extended rather than say review is cancelled?

The problem is this hasn’t happened. They haven’t been reviewed yet. We will get an update when they have.

[cantdothisnow1]

I think the problem will be that if there is not an update and an official extension next Monday (at the end of the 3 weeks) people might assume that it is over and they are free to do as they choose again. I get that Boris is in hospital but there ought to be more clarity on this point.

[Bluntness100]

They are reviewed weekly. I’m not sure that article is accurate. In fact I know it’s not. One of the speakers at the daily press conference stated they are reviewed weekly. From what others speakers have said this appears to be accurate. Not making the info public doesn’t mean it does not happen.

I think everyone knew they would be extended. I’d be very surprised if on the 13 th there is not a statement from no ten saying they are extending for another three weeks. Or a further review will take place on x date.

I don’t think anyone expected locked down to be lifted on the 13 th.

[Bluntness100]

The problem is this hasn’t happened. They haven’t been reviewed yet

It has happened. It happens every single week, they just don’t make the info public because they don’t want to confuse the message.

[RandomComment]

Do you want a review of a review now?
They will want the most up to date data when they make the decision. If there is a spike of deaths on Sat then whatever they decide will have to be changed.

[TwentyViginti]

Weekend death reports are slow, though - which is why we see low numbers and then a sudden spike on Tuesdays. They're only counting hospital cases/deaths, as I understand it - the real figures will be much higher.

[mynameiscalypso]

I always assumed that next Monday was given as an initial date just to prevent people from thinking they could get together for Easter in the first place.

[perniciousdot]

it’s just that due to the circumstances with Boris being incapacitated they’ve decided to delay the review.

Nothing will be delayed while Boris is incapacitated. That's why the PM has a designated successor (Raab), so things don't stall in his absence.

[Barkingfuckingdogs]

I absolutely agree that there should be a clear communication about what's next. It seems pretty obvious that the lockdown isn't going to be lifted but nonetheless, they said an initial 3 weeks. It's reasonable to therefore expect there to be an update towards the end of this period.

[OhClover]

I think the legislation requires a review (by next Thursday if I remember correctly) so there will have to be one even if a formality.

[Serendipity79]

@OhClover is correct - the legislation states a review has to be done by next Thursday

[coachman]

The lockdown won't be lifted and it'll be announced, it just hasn't been yet. I don't know anyone who thinks it will be over by Monday.

[Mascotte]

He didn’t say not next week, said not Monday. I think they are trying to ensure compliance over Easter.

[Mascotte]

They say it’s constantly under review and I do believe that. They need to time it right so that peak doesn’t come in winter

[Davincitoad]

Lots of people for some very odd reason thought at three weeks it would be over? Are we even near to the peak? I doubt it

[PowerslidePanda]

The thing is, if they announce it's going to be extended, it begs the question, "How long by?" So they'd have to either give a realistic guess and upset the "But what about my human rights?" brigade - or placate them with a shorter period of time, knowing that it'll be extended again (ultimately the same problem, just kicked further down the road). And even if they did take the first option, it is only a guess at this point anyway. So not really getting the significance of having a review this early on.

[booboo24]

They said it's too early "we are not at that stage yet". 3 weeks takes us to next Monday night, so the press were pushing for an answer nearly a week early. They made it very clear that they need more data over the coming days (&weeks), but most people weren't under any illusion that the lockdown would be lifted next week. I also think that too much optimism would have seen some people breaking lockdown over the Easter weekend. I do agree however that mentally we need those dates to be fixed, ie they are cautiously seeing a flattening of the curve so lockdown will be for another 2 weeks and then we will review it and make our findings known.

[midnightstar66]

Weekend death reports are slow, though - which is why we see low numbers and then a sudden spike on Tuesdays. They're only counting hospital cases/deaths, as I understand it - the real figures will be much higher.

Nicola Sturgeon also stated on Sunday that the results will be misleadingly low for a few days due to a change in the way deaths are being reported. Not sure if this is the case UK wide

[EggBaconBeans]

They have not said that they aren't reviewing it. Not at all.

This is tabloid gossip yet again.

I watched the entire news briefing at 5.00 yesterday; not once did they say they wasn't going to review it.

The journalists were coming out with their usual rhetoric and it was tiresome.

[cologne4711]

I'd expect them to be extended to the early May bank holiday to stop people heading to the beaches or national parks that weekend if the weather is good (it usually isn't, mind you). After that, a gradual relaxation. There may be some relaxations from Tuesday, eg allowing garden centres to open or partially open. I would have said allowing vets to do more routine work too (if they want to) but given the news that cats may spread the virus, maybe not.

[TalkingIntoTheEther]

Yes I was a bit taken back by this 'no review next week' comment as I followed the 5.00 briefing and that wasn't the message I got at all. However the wording in this article is as if it was a briefing from no.10 later on that evening.

[zelbazinnamon]

I think the communication has been off with this actually... The initial announcement from the PM did explicitly say there would be a review in 3 weeks, which everyone took to mean there would be a review in 3 weeks... Raab sort of squirreled the information otherwise into the briefing last night, I think we needed a more open leveling that the review wouldn’t be happening. Without an actual address to the nation of the subject people will lack clarity about what they are expected to do. But in general communication has been vague so not a big surprise.

[Mascotte]

It’s just the media whipping up doom and wanting More lockdown