Boris to address the nation tonight

[Utterlybutterly8]

There's speculation that he will implement a full lockdown.

How will this differ from what we're doing now?

@Cooroo if he does implement full lockdown (unlikely IMO) it won't be instantaneous.

Shit I'm driving 4 hours to bring my DD home from uni tomorrow - will I be allowed to under lockdown?

It is non essential travel so no. I'd go tonight if you really must.

itsmybirthday are you all key workers? If not and they do a proper lockdown, your boss cannot insist you come in.

Cooroo even under the most stringent lockdown, you would be allowed to retrieve your own children.

Also, they have to give a few days notice, for exactly this reason. You have to give people time to prepare.

What about bike shops that are keeping people on the road who need to get to work for example

My local bike shop has closed to browsers but you can still take your bike to be serviced, fixed etc. You can also order online and they will deliver if local, you can collect or they put in post.

Other local shops doing similar, such as zero waste shop.

If the Foreign Office are advising people to come home urgently then hopefully they're also considering closing the borders. We have enough cases without flights landing all day every day from other infected parts of the world, and no testing or isolating.

I’m supposed to be getting a train home from university tomorrow. I’ve screwed up there, haven’t I?

even under the most stringent lockdown, you would be allowed to retrieve your own children

Untrue, if DC are adults and can remain at uni, surely.

I'm thinking possibly more like German style lock down with further measures next week if people start ignoring the rules. ALL non essential businesses need to close.

Puzzled in Germany you would still be allowed to visit church members if they were vulnerable to isolation. It just depends how strict it will be.

Until today they actually kept hairdressers open, for this exact reason, that they are important in preventing isolation especially for older people.

There is a real awareness here that a total lockdown will prevent transmission of the virus but will lead to people suffering and dying from other things, hence the gradual increase in restrictions. It's very sensible and I hope BJ goes in this direction.

8:30pm

How do we know the announcement is at 8.30pm? It's not on the BBC website

I don’t think it will be a complete lockdown and I hope it’s not.

I think they will close parks, beaches, non essential shops, and make it clear if the selfish cunts keep going out they will be forced to do a complete lockdown

I don’t think we would do a hard lockdown straight away, I think we will keep putting restrictions in and see how the stupid and think people respond. If they truly can’t get to understand in another week the government will say seen as some of you are fucking thick, complete lock down it is you've yourselves to blame.

Basically treat the public like you would a toddler when you say keep doing x and Mummy will take that toy, you let them push so far before you take the toy.

@Oakmaiden

our village runs a Farmers Market first Sat of the month and it is very different to the supermarket shopping experience.

Lots of villagers standing around socialising, browsing each stall slowly, small talk with the stall-holders who are all local farmers, bakers, green grocers etc.

It's a lovely shopping experience but not appropriate at the moment as there's no way to create 2M social distancing with us rabble . The last one we had was early Feb, nothing planned for the foreseeable which is a big shock to the local economy.

8:30

It’s at 8.30, just said on bbc news.

Marzipan if the train is still running, you should be fine. They have to give at least a little notice if they are going to completely shut down all transport.

I think even if children are at university, you would be allowed to retrieve them. Not to drive them there, but yes to bring them home, especially as universities want everyone to leave.

X post

It was announced in BBC radio that it would be 8.30.

I hope we can keep exercising outdoors (runs, walks with dog etc whilst keeping apart) if we go in to lockdown. It’s so helpful for my mental health.

If the Foreign Office are advising people to come home urgently then hopefully they're also considering closing the borders.

I hope so. I actually can't believe we're still letting flights in!

I think if they're in catered halls you'd have to let them be brought back - a parent driving there and back is going to be less troublesome than a shared dining room.

Close all takeaway food outlets - apart from deliveries- so no coffee, ice creams (including ice cream vans), chips
Close markets: indoor and outdoor
No groups bigger than 2
All non-essential businesses to WFH
Close our borders quickly - today to non-uk nationals
Only shops selling food or pharmacies to be open
Banks closed to counter service
No countrywide travel- local travel for essential workers only
No taxis
Curfew at 7pm -7am apart from essential workers returning home or going to work
Police and army on streets
Identification must be carried at all times

Not all of these but some- and I wonder if London and Birmingham will have more restrictions than some places.

PinkHeart that is exactly what Merkel did. Last Friday she gave us all a very stern lecture and basically said if we didn't start behaving, we'd all be grounded for a month. Apparently we behaved well enough that she decided to only take away a bit of our allowance.

It is very much like raising toddlers, you have to give people a clear instruction and tell them what the consequences will be.

Peston says 8.30 and ITV will interrupt programmes for it.

Will the magistrates course be open if there is a lockdown
I know there have been things in the press about crown courts and jury’s being shut and cancelled but nothing about magistrates courts

Our village is already in almost total lockdown.
No farmers market
No church worship x 2 churches
No social events eg yoga, art festival, coffee mornings twice a week, tech-club all cancelled indefinitely since early March
School open for key workers' children
Village shop open but controlled customer visits.
Almost zero car movement in this area.

Only thing happening is the Local Authority sprang into action a week ago and has resurfaced almost 2 miles of road which probably accounts for not many cars the past week!