To think we are heading for a full 2 week national half term lockdown

[Midlifelights]

DS’s school ramping up the preparation to teach on MS teams & making sure they can all use it & have the tech in place.

Teachers indicating that it’s going to be half term plus another couple of weeks after.

Given the rising numbers, it’s seems more likely that’s what’s coming - and maybe even a full lockdown this time & not the half arsed one we had before.

Aibu? I am worried as my kids really hated it last time but with so many new cases, it just seems the likely path

[quote SoUtterlyGroundDown]@MaskingForIt they mean everyone should stay at home except the people they need to make their own life more comfortable, who have to keep going to work![/quote]
Exactly. I can lockdown easily, I work from home, we have two internet lines, a laptop each and a reasonable amount of space with a garden, places to walk and shops within walking distance.

But for me to lock down, I still need people to empty the bins, man the supermarkets, deliver to the supermarkets, work in food factories, deliver to wholesalers, keep the gas, electricity, telecoms and water supplies on, and know that I can get medical help if I need it. That's a lot of people who still need to go to work and I've mentioned but a few.

[quote Midlifelights]@jessstan1 my son got really depressed & needed counselling - really internalised a lot & got obsessed with his weight etc. He’s just coming out if it now & a return school has been key to that.

So I definitely don’t want another lockdown & I am very anxious about it[/quote]
Bless his heart. I understand your fears. I no longer have young children but I know mine wouldn't have minded not going to school, neither would I! As long as we could get some exercise in outside space sometimes we would have been OK (however I don't know how I and husband would have managed with work).

We're all different. I've had particular sympathy for those stuck at home with young children and what you've said illustrates how difficult it can be.

Let's hope, if it does happen, it won't be for long.

Wouldn't go down well in this area where we have 10 cases per 100000, down from 12 last week. The next local authority area over has 8 cases per 100000. It has been low or very low here all the time.

Also, in my area there were less than 7 positive cases last week. The population is around 40,000.

@LakieLady

For those saying it wouldn’t be fair to low risk areas- I think compliance in high risk areas would be much lower if they knew elsewhere everyone was going about their business

I think some people in low risk areas may feel that they are in low risk areas because of high levels of compliance @Napqueen1234, and why the fuck should they be penalised because some people in other areas didn't exercise the same degree of restraint!

I'm in the SE where rates remain low and while it wouldn't bother me or DP if we were lumped into a nationwide lockdown, I bet a lot of people would be very pissed off if they had to lockdown again because of poor compliance in other parts of the country.

I think part of the issue is that local lockdowns don't appear to work. I'm in the north west of England. We only had a few weeks after lockdown before restrictions were reintroduced. Cases are persistently high, we still can't go and sit in family's gardens to share a cuppa. It has been a long time and I'm thoroughly sick of it. I have been compliant but am reaching the end of my tether. I agree with the views in this article, if it was the case in London they would have changed the approach long before now

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/02/the-land-that-time-forgot-months-of-lockdown-grate-in-northern-england-coronavirus?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

[quote Midlifelights]@Lilybet1980 i disagree. The government were actively encouraging people to ‘eat out to help out’ while still telling people to work from home. You could argue that is at the root of the current resurgence[/quote]
See that’s just not true is it. The guidance on wfh only changed a couple of weeks ago. They were not running EOTHO all summer whilst at the same time telling people they had to work from home. They were encouraging people to get back to the office. It only changed when infection rates started to climb again.

And it’s still pretty clear now. Pubs are open. You can visit a pub. If you can work from home please do so. You might not agree with the policy but that’s different to not understanding it.

I don’t think we will. Apparently the circuit breaker lockdowns only work when the R number is lower than it is. As for a full lockdown why did you think the last one was half arsed? I keep seeing people say this but they haven’t produced any evidence that a harsher lockdown than the one we had would have produced better results. Look at Spain. I’m not sure that was worth locking kids indoors for 6 weeks.

Cases aren’t rising anywhere near the rate that Tweedledum and Tweedledee suggested anyway.

@Midlifelights

As in, the last one the rules were unclear, it probably wasn’t strict enough- my friends in Spain couldn’t leave their house at all apart from shopping & medicine - no daily exercise etc. I really don’t want another one but the last one was exceptionally blurry in so many ways

I don’t get how it could have been any clearer. It was the one time in all this Boris was actually crystal clear IMO.

@SoUtterlyGroundDown, a lot of those people are working, they're just doing it at home.

I know one person who's been furloughed, one who's staying home but goes out on call in emergencies. and everyone else I know has and still is wfh.

@AntiSocialDistancer

I agree that it's likely. I am personally happy with the thought of a short sharp lock down, I'll be honest and say my thoughts will not be on maintaining schooling. It's been incredibly difficult doing it for an extended period of time with my children (one has autism) and my husband and I both work from home. We'll keep them happy and safe, that's all I can concern myself with.

This 100%-

Although I can’t go into details as it could mean serious repercussions for someone I know, I have it on pretty good authority that there will definitely be a two week “circuit breaker” for the last two weeks of October. According to this person the government have been planning it for some time, but don’t intend on announcing it yet for fear of a panic. I’ll hold my hands up and apologise if this person has been given false information but I can usually trust what they say.

As for if it happens again, I won’t be complying fully anyway. Obviously if places close I can’t go there but I won’t be sticking to travel 5 miles from home/only going out once a day/only shopping for essentials once a week etc. Screw that. I’m not taking annual leave to spend it cooped in the house. They are taking the piss when there have been elected representatives travelling the length and bread of this country with the actual virus.

[quote LakieLady]@SoUtterlyGroundDown, a lot of those people are working, they're just doing it at home.

I know one person who's been furloughed, one who's staying home but goes out on call in emergencies. and everyone else I know has and still is wfh.[/quote]
That’s not the point of my post though is it? I know lots of people are still working from home. I am. The point is that those people get to stay at home. All the others, those responsible for keeping everyone in food/heating/medicine etc still have to go out to work.

"I think a full 2 week strict 'circuit breaker' lockdown over half term would be absolutely fine (if limited to strictly two weeks) as long as its only applied to the areas with the increasing infection rates. Enforced with road blocks if necessary."

Fucking hell. Solidarity eh?
Ditto the poster who reckons the reason it's so high in the North due to non-compliance.

Think will take till 2022 to finish.

@Mariola321

Think will take till 2022 to finish.

Based on....?

It says something about that half-arsed way the government do their jobs, that they think it’s possible to WFH and have any meaningful care of children at the same time. If this does happen then DS will be in the care of Mr Switch, Ms IPad and Sir Tv for ten hours a day. Again.

Exactly this. Why don't people understand? Lickdowns don't make the virus go away.

I would think lickdowns would make things worse

Sheffield has 110 cases per 100,000, we are already in special measures just below lockdown.

Thanks for the link, @grumpycivilservant.

I'm intrigued as to why infection rates in the NW have risen more than in London, and why the local lockdowns are failing to reduce them.

Nah I doubt it, if so I hope they have plans this time to support those who need it. Covid isn't the be all and end all, although I agree we should all be doing what we can.

I’m in Scotland and we have a two week October break starting on Friday. Other areas are already off, some have only one week. I teach and feel really pissed off at the idea of my holidays being spent in lockdown, but I do expect it. I am just hoping I can squeeze in my hair appointment booked for this week before it comes!

However complete a lockdown we have, if shops are open for 'emergency shopping', we will have crowds of people popping in three times a day for their 'emergency' jar of coffee, then a loaf of bread and then back two hours later for a jar of jam.

That's what happened last lock down in our shop. People were bored, had nowhere else to go, so they came shopping. Repeatedly.

We can't know. Even Johnson seems to make it up as he goes along. However the whack a mole approach is quite obviously failing and doing nothing except fuelling resentment and dividing the nation.

@Deedee9

Although I can’t go into details as it could mean serious repercussions for someone I know, I have it on pretty good authority that there will definitely be a two week “circuit breaker” for the last two weeks of October. According to this person the government have been planning it for some time, but don’t intend on announcing it yet for fear of a panic. I’ll hold my hands up and apologise if this person has been given false information but I can usually trust what they say.

Across the whole UK? So not half term then?

Any plan for those school children who are out of school more than others then?