Let’s be honest - UK lockdown is the most relaxed worldwide

[Millicent10]

Although a lot of people on here are at home 24/7 and never go out I have been working throughout this crisis (in a LA office). I have a relatively large family and my DH also works as he is a key worker (food factory). Basically, through necessity, we are out a lot. DCs also go out for a walk. Not once have we been stopped by the police, tbh the only police I have seen have been in the supermarket ( before Covid they were also scarce and only saw them occasionally queuing for a Macdonalds). From everything that I have read, the UK must have the most relaxed lockdown in the world, we are very lucky.

I saw a very brief thing on the news yesterday that South Korea haven’t locked down, yet have controlled the virus by tracking, tracing and testing.

IcedPurple Indeed, that is one of the many reasons I like living here. But a small population means limited resources. Major European countries started off in a much stronger position than little Iceland.

The fact is the response here was fast and very strong - they just let scientists lead the response rather than politicians and kept efforts focused more on testing, tracing and quarantining than shutting everything down.

Also you know most of us do live in the same town. We're not spread evenly across all that land, most of which is not even inhabitable.

Yes, but those countries have widespread testing though don't they? If you have that you can have just the people with the illness and their families staying in. We can't test many people so we're all stuck in. We will have to increase our testing capacity before they raise lockdown.

Absolutely. And I think the UK probably did have to go into lockdown, because it let things get into such a state through weeks of inaction. But as testing is ramped up, Hong Kong can perhaps give us some guidance as to the kind of model we can aim towards.

Yes, HK government has undertaken all kinds of social distancing measures. But they did not actually take the step of saying "You can only leave your home for XYZ reasons"---this is why I would never define what they have done as lockdown.

Virtually all social distancing in HK was in place before the government did anything, by the way--it has been overwhelmingly a grassroots-level movement. Then again, Google data suggests that voluntary social distancing was the major factor in a lot of other countries as well, including the United States (not sure about the UK).

"But as testing is ramped up, Hong Kong can perhaps give us some guidance as to the kind of model we can aim towards."

Yes, but the fact we left it too late means that now we're finding it hard to get hold of the test we need. As with PPE, there's huge global demand and other countries have got there first.

Netherlands is less strict than the UK. They don’t have a policy of one exercise a day - they can go out as many times as they like. And the teenagers are all meeting up too in small groups.
Sweden is less strict than uk
Spain and Italy were stricter but that’s not surprising as their health services were overwhelmed. Ours aren’t.
Don’t have the facts on any other countries but am sure there are others and things that are different.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sweden-is-a-model-for-the-new-coronavirus-normal-says-who-dd8fgw7d0
WHO says Sweden is the way to go (tho' a few weeks ago they were berating Sweden,
and WHO in the naughty corner now anyway..)

The health service in Italy was overwhelmed in the red zones only tbf. Whilst images of Bergamo were on international news, and quite rightly, the south was, and remains largely untouched.

@thecanterburywhales yes true. And so the first lockdown on the Sunday was for that region only because of that. However because Italians all moved to their second homes and out of the region they had to extend it 3 days later to the whole country.

@Stellamboscha yes I don’t get that either. One minute the WHO berating countries (like the UK) who don’t lockdown and next praising the country that has had the most loose lockdown (Sweden). I don’t get it but then I haven’t studied it hard. But on the surface seems odd.

Bool- yep. And the trains coming out of Lombardia are yet again fully booked for the 4th when phase 2 begins. In my town we have had 27 positive cases, and 5 deaths, all with relatives who came down on 7/3, or in one case, came down himself.

That is worrying @Thecanterburywhales . Here is Tuscany we were finally allowed to go for a walk/bike ride with our kids today, mask-wearing compulsory. It felt very strange but people seemed to be behaving responsibly, let's hope it lasts.

Hi Lee!
Yes, we are on a ponte this weekend for some local Madonna so our going out a bit can only start from Monday.
I keep saying to myself "must take pyjamas off and put jeans on before leaving the house"

I think compared to other counties (or states) that have high numbers of people living in high population density areas and are international hubs yes it is more relaxed and those countries (or states)

Yes compared to similar it is a far less restricted lockdown

Compared to countries (or states) that have less population density and are not international hubs then no it is tighter

@TheCanterburyWhales yes! Hope you have a nice long walk planned and good weather on Monday - though I think I would have gone even in a storm or gale.

I am now wondering whether Sweden are doing it right. They are not doing nothing. They are still socially distancing.

I’ve just seen photos of Spain, where everyone has been ‘released’ and allowed out between 8-10am. Cue everyone all out in massive crowds together on the beaches etc all at the same time. Maybe they feel they can let their guard down etc.

Whereas in Sweden they are taking a more sustainable long term approach that people don’t get tired of and rebel against?

How strange the WHO are now praising them! After telling everyone China’s lockdown was the best way to go about things...

Sweden's death rate is about 7 times as high as its nearest neighbour, Norway, and several times higher than that of other Scandinavian countries.

It also has a very low population density and a high number of single occupant households. So not sure how its approach - even if succesful, which is open to doubt -can easily be applied to countries like Britain.

Yes I don’t think we could have done that here but for them, long term it may be a success. We’ll only know in a few years once everyone else is out of lockdown and we are through this. Wonder why they are being praised by WHO?

Wonder why they are being praised by WHO?

Have you got a link to this 'praise'?

Please show your working op. Oh that's right, you stated something demonstrably untrue and disappeared

It’s all over the media. And it’s been discussed on other threads. Easy to google.