So we are staying lockdown until June at the earliest?

[Mummypig2020]

Just seen on daily fail (sorry!) that Boris is going to announce that we will be lockdown until June at least.

Not sure if I can cope that long. 😩

[NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite]

Amazing how many MNers slag off the Daily Mail yet read it or quote from it.

[MaxNormal]

Amazing how many MNers slag off the Daily Mail yet read it or quote from it

I'm one of them, I'm a raging hypocrite
I excuse it by saying that it's best to know your enemy.

[Cherrysherbet]

You’ll have to.

[bellinisurge]

Sorry you are finding it tough. There isn't sufficient control of the spread of this ghastly thing to lift the lockdown and allow greater circulation of people. At least that's how it seems to me. I don't think we are at peak infection rate either.
Obviously everyone is getting twitchy but we have no proper contact tracing yet, insufficient testing and not enough PPE available for general use in healthcare etc to protect those who need it.

[rosie1959]

If they lockdown till June then we will just have to get on with it not much choice really

[MashedSpud]

Even when lockdown measures are slowly relaxed we still have to adhere to social distancing with every chance of stricter lockdown measures again if the new infection rates start to creep up.

I wouldn’t expect normality for quite a long time.

[ToldYouOnce]

Nah I wouldn't believe anything until he comes out and actually says it

[GrimmsFairytales]

I have a friend who is really struggling. She needs support now, another month or more could have devastating consequences.

[starrynight19]

As we haven’t met any of the five criteria as of yet I can’t imagine anything changing next week when they look at things.
Sadly we are just going to have to carry on as we are.

[HorseRedArrow]

They’re kite flying, just like they did with the traffic light things, and the schools opening thing.... I don’t think even the PM knows yet. Even if they say lockdown until June, that could still change. We just have to wait and see, the data and science is evolving every day.

[Smoggles]

have a friend who is really struggling. She needs support now, another month or more could have devastating consequences.

What support does she need?

[BumBurnerBum]

The Daily Mail has been annoying me even more than normal recently. They constantly speculate (or quote 'experts' speculating) and report it as fact. I think it is a dangerous practice.

[LittleLeaps]

It is not a nice thought, in fact it is terrifying to think it will last that long. It isn't helpful to say oh you'll just have to cope, it certainly isn't kind. There are lots and lots of people struggling with lockdown, it is really, really hard!

I am trying to not think too much about it, but I did think I couldn't cope last month, I was in an awful place and it wasnt easy but any stretch of the imagination but somehow I'm here and I made it this far. Take each day at a time OP, one day it will end, in the mean time it might help to focus on the little blessings and small moments of happiness rather than thinking about the bigger things. I can only speak for myself but thinking of the bigger things sends me on a downward spiral fast.

[mamabears3]

its an excercise in resilience for many i think, our grandparents and great grandparents developed it in abundance living through the war, with poor supplies of medicines, food etc, modern day life has stress but mostly our basic needs are safe and well met. This will go on for a couple years i suspect on and off so dig deep and adjust... there really isnt much choice. We all have to find new ways to live, play, work and come together whilst staying apart. I know for many its going to be impossibly difficult so those of us with more resilience will just have to reach out more to help.
stay strong !
you CAN do this !!

[Ilovethekittehs]

I just want to be able to hug my mum.

[OurChristmasMiracle]

Realistically I think we will be in lockdown for another 3 weeks as when it’s due for review the app won’t be ready. They have said that this is needed to release lockdown measures so we will remain in lockdown, which will take us to the end of may at earliest. (This is just my thoughts though)

It’s hard. I am struggling massively. If you have w friend who is feeling emotionally overwhelmed or suicidal there is a text service called SHOUT where you can message with a counsellor.

[Violetparis]

Not surprising at all considering where we are with testing.

[GrimmsFairytales]

What support does she need?

Single parent trying to work from home with 2 small children. She needs an extra pair of hands. She's really struggling, and with each chat we have she seems even more upset at how she isn't coping.

She isn't in the most difficult position, but she's my friend and I want to help, but can't.

[CrazyTeaDrinker]

Sadly we will just be throwing away everything we've done up until now if we lift the lockdown too soon.
As much as I want some kind of release and a few steps towards some.sort of normality I really don't think it will happen yet. Most other countries have gone to 7 or 8 weeks minimum, so in my head I've always been aiming for what other countries ahead if us (those doing lockdown).
I've got alot of shit goingbon in my life and finding it tough now but I try to remain positive by hoping if we put the struggle in now we might get some kind of normality sooner.
I don't want to end up like Germany or Singapore, thinking we're heading forward but actually on our way back to square 1.
I have to keep reminding myself that lifting lockdown will also be a big shock. In reality although the extra freedom will be amazing it will also make us all realise how un normal life is. We are a very long way from any kind of actual normality as we knew it before Covid.

[WhenPushComesToShove]

The harsh truth is you'll have to cope and you will. There frankly isn't another option

[goshdarnitjanet]

If that is the case I would like to see at the very least that they are starting to open up "non covid" NHS appointments - it would be criminal to keep people waiting another month to be seen for treatment/scans etc for all the other illnesses that are out there including urgent dental treatment

[Sparklingbrook]

Nobody knows. The Daily Mail don’t know. You can only speculate and drive yourself mad in the process.

[Violetparis]

I understand totally people struggling and have huge sympathy for them but I don't understand how people think there is any chance of coming out of lockdown anytime soon when there are still huge issues with testing, tracing, apps, PPE etc. Until the government sorts these out we are stuck.

[WanderingMilly]

Thank goodness for that....if it's true. Not before June is the right decision (only in my opinion, of course), I'd even go for later but I doubt we'll get that.

I was also much heartened to see that they are discussing whether, when lockdown is lifted, the staged return is for younger people first ie. doing the stages by age range rather than by shops/schools/pubs etc. This does seem wiser on many counts, partly to do with the hugely higher risk of death found in those over 50/over 60 and also because younger people are impacted much more by the lockdown in terms of jobs, childcare, economics and so on....

But all speculation obviously....

[Michelleoftheresistance]

We're the third world highest and heading to have the highest death rate in Europe, the testing isn't happening anything like as it needs to, and we're a few weeks behind the European countries who are taking the first tentative steps towards coming out of lockdown. (And struggling and then going back in in Germany's case.)

I'd expect at least another three weeks pretty much as we are before things start to loosen, although the real answer is that no matter how much journalists niggle and bother about this, the government don't and can't know when the conditions will be right to start relaxing lockdown, because all they know from current information is that it isn't yet. Unless the PM has a crystal ball, there isn't much more they can say.

While it's grim, there are much bigger priorities right now than how grotty lockdown is as an experience, and nationally its important that the lockdown is long enough and effective enough that it does the job first time and we don't end up back with the curve to flatten all over again a few weeks later.