How can the UK gov or anyone read this and not put the UK on lockdown?

[UnderReview]

The NHS won't. and shouldn't have to, cope with this...

Travel should have been stopped. Borders closed. People put in to lockdown.

ICU Doctor from Italy on current situation

Not many people anywhere in Italy are allowed to stay at home with their kids just because. Not now, during Corona, not usually

It's the same here for the majority, though plenty would try and say otherwise.

government have been advised now it's up to them to do the right thing

Advised by who though?

at the same time as worryign about their own health

I don't believe those actions are necessary OP. Seems ott.

How about encouraging people to avoid unnecessary stuff for a start - work from home if you can, avoid public transport if you can, avoid unnecessary travel abroad to heavily infected areas, keep kids off school or stay off work if you think it's just a cold or a bit of a cough. Just do less extra stuff, behave responsibly and sensibly and keep work and schools going as a much as possible.

Isn't just like flu? You feel extremely unwell with a chest cough and sore throat but most healthy people just ride through it?
Those that are vulnerable; elderly, those with low immunity etc should be concerned and need to be protected but the rest of us, we just ride through it, no?

Whole of Italy is on lockdown now.

We need to do it sooner than they did. We have examples to learn from and yet we still have our heads in the sand (or in a pile of banknotes as the case may be).

It's not just like flu, no.

And if you've ever had flu, you wouldn't be taking it as lightly as that.

@Letsdoanamechangeagain

The government won't be trying to kill off the elderly - that's basically their core voting base.

YOU ARE SIGNING THEIR FUCKING DEATH WARRANTS! the same old cliche that was trotted out before Brexit.

People seem to bring that one out whenever something happens they don’t agree with but don’t have anything else useful to say.

It will be very interesting to see if the infection rate starts to increase again now china has come out of lockdown.

In truth it’s not possible to know whether China has done the right thing until freedom of movement is re-introduced and we see whether the infection rate remains stagnant or re-increases.

I nearly died the last time I had flu, so if it's "just like flu" I'm not exactly looking forward to it!

I don’t get the hysteria - 4000 people worldwide have died of the corona virus. In just one season alone, in just America last year - 62000 people died of influenza!!! It’s another virus - that most likely will disappear by the summer, and those exposed to it will have built immunity. Something is not right with this situation

You lot are just egging each other on and hyping up. And to what end? Digital hand wringing and fear moungering. Please disconnect and go write down five things you’re grateful for. Then prioritise your health, your sleep and realise that some things are not in your power to control.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Communicate the helpful.

I need a heart transplant because of the last time I had flu, but that doesn’t mean everyone will or that everyone will die of coronavirus.

I'm sick of people shouting "BoJo should lock down the UK for a month NOW!" even if that was the correct epidemiological approach (and many experts think it isn't) how on earth do you think this would be organised and enforced? "Essential workers" would effectively be a vast part of the working population anyway.

There are no precedents for taking action like this - emergency planning in the UK post 1945 focused on the "nuclear" scenario which had a very (!) different end and recovery point AND was expected to have a long lead in AND the UK's public sector was much greater AND the state had a much greater control of industry in general.

Post 1991 emergency planning has generally focused on events that are limited to a city or region (which would be most common) and hence the resources of the rest of the UK can be applied to that area.

we become a thoroughly ungodly species who chuck our weak on the fire

We've been doing that to the vulnerable in this country for a long time.

How about encouraging people to avoid unnecessary stuff for a start - work from home if you can, avoid public transport if you can, avoid unnecessary travel abroad to heavily infected areas, keep kids off school or stay off work if you think it's just a cold or a bit of a cough. Just do less extra stuff, behave responsibly and sensibly and keep work and schools going as a much as possible

Yes, this!!! But with one amendment - do not clog up 111/999/ A and E?GP's because you have a cough unless in an at risk group.

Lock down.

So who will police the country? Do paramedics stay at home? Heart surgeons not turn up to work? Homelessness officers not go to work? Refuse collectors not turn up for work? Prison wardens stay at home? Carers stay at home so who looks after your mother in the home?
None of these people can afford to stay at home. It isn’t practical and I can see why Boris isn’t doing that.

We've been doing that to the vulnerable in this country for a long time

Quite. Funny how only now some seem to have noticed or be worried about it though.

we become a thoroughly ungodly species who chuck our weak on the fire

Oh how long was it before God brought into it, if God exists he's either. a complete scumbag who doesn't care about anyone, or if it's is who have caused it and it's free will no point praying to him is there.

*We've been doing that to the vulnerable in this country for a long time

Quite. Funny how only now some seem to have noticed or be worried about it though*

Exactly. Probably including plenty who voted for them. Hope it was worth it for them although there are no pockets on a shroud as they say.

KaptenKrusty

The government don't care and i imagine some people will lose their jobs, some will be forced to look at their lifestyle choices. We have already found we can't rely on parents to be emergency care, because when the chips are down they need to be with their kids.
Other workers without kids and volunteers will have to do their jobs.
We will all be affected in some way, it's tough.

I’ll not be staying home and not going to work due to a “bit of a cold”. What good would that do, other than meaning I can’t pay my bills or feed my kids. The cold is not CV.

This is a crazy idea! Do you have any idea what impact this would have on the country?

60 million locked down because of 300 cases - the vast majority of whom have been abroad or close contact with someone abroad.

We may get to this point, but not just yet. A lockdown would cripple us for years. It's a totally different situation to Italy.

A lockdown now would cause far more deaths than the Corona virus would.

@Vintage2020

Two important distinctions between COVID19 and flu:

1. We can vaccinate most of those who are at high risk of death from the flu, which we cannot currently do for COVID19.
2. Many have had various versions of the flu which likley provides some partial immunity.

Flu kills more (for now) because COVID19 isn't yet as widespread. The reason for urgent preventive actions is to keep it that way.

Because if we fail, COVID-19's higher fatality rate could kill far more people and overwhelm healthcare services.