'Could be extended beyond 4 weeks'

[Versace104]

Is this any surprise really ? It's just like back in March. "It's just 3 weeks"

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

Who has said this?

[Mumbum2011]

Michael Gove this morning

[Versace104]

It's on the Daily Mail but still

[browneyesblue]

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/nov/01/uk-coronavirus-live-covid-19-boris-johnson-england-lockdown-latest-updates

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I don't doubt it will, but I'm still trying to cling on to a bit of hope I can go away in December!

[Spotthedoggies]

In March it was pretty clear it would be longer than three weeks but reviewed three weekly. Nobody in government even suggested three weeks.

This time it hasn't been guaranteed but we're told the plan is that we would return to tier system in early Dec

I guess nothing is certain but it's definitely not the case that we were told only three weeks in March

[RishiMcRichface]

Yeah it makes sense to me as it hasn't been billed as a circuit breaker but a response to the trend in cases and hospital admissions. That means they will look at the same factors when lifting the lockdown and if it's still too high the lockdown must continue.

[Versace104]

It's true we were told it would be reviewed after 3 weeks, but I don't think anybody expected it to be extended for another 9 weeks back then.

[Versace104]

We'll probably get 1-2 days respite for a 'rule of 6' Christmas or something.

[Sparklingbrook]

I don't think the fact it could be extended is much of a surprise is it? This is a fluid situation.

[BlackPetunia]

What’s the point of any lockdown? It’s half assed with schools still open.....will go on longer than 4 weeks

[Versace104]

No, but people need to stop pedalling this 'It's just 4 weeks, stay at home ffs' narrative.
It's totally understandable that people are feeling hopeless because this could go on for months.

[walksen]

Surely it is not surprising that the last lockdown might be extended. If hospital capacity is still threatened it will have to be.

Remember in the summer admissions halved every 2 weeks but then schools were closed to most kids. The fall may be slower this time. We also don't know what falling temperatures might do to transmission rates.

Let's suppose rates halve every 3 weeks. When we come out at 2 december, we could be pretty much back where we started only 3 weeks later with the prospect families mixing at Xmas cause a spike.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

I think it comes as a surprise to some people, but I suspect those people are burying their heads in the sand just to get them though.

Gove does seem to have been stating the bloody obvious but perhaps it is necessary with the whole ‘saving Christmas’ angle that was being put about yesterday.

[Noidea2114]

I don't know what the solution is but my personal opinion is I think they should shut schools,colleges and universities.
Lessons can be done online in most cases.
In my DGc school 5 teachers and 12 pupils have had covid. So all the forms they have been teaching/ mixing with had to isolate.
What ever the government do or say are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Glad it's not my decision.

[Fizbosshoes]

They didnt give a time scale in March, they said it would be reviewed after 3 weeks.
For this one I got the idea I was going to be 4 weeks.....but I'm sceptical how much can change in 4 weeks with so many exceptions

[walksen]

"I don't know what the solution is but my personal opinion is I think they should shut schools,colleges and universities"

As I posted yesterday they could have followed the ni approach of schools closed for 2 weeks or online only for secondaries if they had done this a week ago. This would have dropped rates a bit faster and given valuable data on the effect schools have on R during lockdown.

Their stubbornness and dithering put paid to that.

[the80sweregreat]

There was a man on the Andrew Marr this morning who said it would be a 'rolling lockdown. ' Just assessed at the end of this one then might be another one etc etc. It didn't surprise me , but the government will try to spin it into something else. '
'Save Christmas' then a miserable New Years, hurry up to spring and hopefully a vaccine roll out.
(Not what anyone wants to hear of course :(

[user1471439240]

It may be that the virus is now endemic and seasonal. Perhaps the first wave waned with the onset of Summer. This is the first full Winter with a novel virus, we have no yardstick to compare. It is merely Autumn and it is now resurgent, we will only have the luxury of rear view mirror hindsight come Spring. It would be foolish to think otherwise.

[Reallybadidea]

Shutting universities is a terrible idea, students are one of the age groups with the highest number of cases and if they're dispersed across the country en masse back to their family homes, the situation will deteriorate rapidly IMO.

I also think shutting schools would be a long term tragedy. Perhaps a compromise of 1 week in, one week online (as my ds's school has been told to prepare for) in secondaries would help reduce transmission.

[OllysArmy]

I don’t think we should read that as could but as will be extended possibly through Christmas although I suspect they will allow a break then Maybe just for mixing as otherwise so many would just ignore the rules
It is the shops, hospitality and beauty services that will suffer as there will be no upturn in business like in a normal year

[Sonnenscheins]

What’s the point of any lockdown?

We're locking down parts of society SO THAT schools and hospitals can stay open.

I think that's a good enough reason, don't you?

[Sonnenscheins]

Shutting universities is a terrible idea, students are one of the age groups with the highest number of cases and if they're dispersed across the country en masse back to their family homes, the situation will deteriorate rapidly IMO.

I also think shutting schools would be a long term tragedy

Me too.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

@walksen

"I don't know what the solution is but my personal opinion is I think they should shut schools,colleges and universities"

As I posted yesterday they could have followed the ni approach of schools closed for 2 weeks or online only for secondaries if they had done this a week ago. This would have dropped rates a bit faster and given valuable data on the effect schools have on R during lockdown.

Their stubbornness and dithering put paid to that.

Managing to miss half term with this is next level incompetence even from this government. We’ve been running head first into lockdown for weeks, it was obvious where we were going to end up and they either knew and did nothing about it or didn’t and should have done.

[Dontjudgeme101]

I feel that the cases won’t drop dramatically because of schools, colleges and universities staying open. I think come 2nd December, BJ, will do another U turn and say that that there will be an extended break for Christmas holidays. They could reintroduce blended learning for the schools, colleges and universities from the 2nd December. I never believe what comes out of BJ’s mouth!!