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Original poster

Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives

159 replies

FirTree31 · 10/05/2020 08:11

How do you feel about the slogan changing to "stay alert" instead of of "stay home"?

I know there's quite a few posts this weekend about people's behaviour having already changed, so perhaps this will just mean people feel justified in their actions.

OP posts:
acidburning · 10/05/2020 08:18

Surely removing 'stay home' = lockdown over for a lot of people when that's not what he's doing today we don't think? Conflicting message maybe?!

Winnipegdreamer · 10/05/2020 08:19

I think their message has been weak anyway. I think this will give people the reason to do whatever the hell they like, apparently they have been anyway!

DressingGownofDoom · 10/05/2020 08:20

Being told to stay alert is a bit panic inducing isn't it? BE ALERT AT ALL TIMES Confused stay home is a bit friendlier like hey, why not have a cup of tea on the sofa, don't bother about going out to post that letter.

DressingGownofDoom · 10/05/2020 08:21

But I'm happy that people can now shut up and stop preaching at others to stay home.

Drivingdownthe101 · 10/05/2020 08:21

Well we can’t stay at home forever. The problem is that the message was hammered so much that people are scared to leave their houses. Or they think that we’re supposed to be staying at home until the virus is eliminated.
We need to find a way to live alongside this virus, it’s not going anywhere. Everyone needs to take personal responsibility, to be cautious and yes, to stay ‘alert’, but we need to start getting back into the world again to some degree.

Bollss · 10/05/2020 08:22

In glad stay home has gone. Because we're not going to be able to stay home now are we?

Life must carry on. We will have to go back to work and school at some point.

I'm not entirely sure about stay alert but I suppose it's like "it's not gone keep thinking about it don't touch your bloody face" but that hasn't quite the snappiness that stay alert has.

WinterIsGone · 10/05/2020 08:29

Surely "control the virus" should be "minimise the risk", because you can't control the virus as such...?

Original poster
FirTree31 · 10/05/2020 08:29

I agree, I don't think the message has been clear and concise as it could have been, it's changed in a short amount of time. I read an article yesterday analysing some international newspaper take on Covid-19 in the UK, one said something along the lines of "UK were essentially told to accept a death sentace" during the herd immunity and 20,000 doing well death toll. From this to 'Barbara' from number 17 calling police because number 15 had been out twice that day.

BBC news, newspapers and other threads seem to be focusing on London as epicentre of lock down breakers, but London is so crowed, property with gardens is at such a premium, I understand, although it's not something I would have done.

OP posts:
nannynick · 10/05/2020 08:31

Stay Home is not working now. They need to keep people being aware of the risk, so Stay Alert could be effective in reminding people that social distancing is needed.

Government can say what they like but they need citizen support. They are not prepared to implement martial law, military on the streets enforcing lockdown. So if stay alert is worth a try to keep citizen support. Time will tell if it is effective or not.

Original poster
FirTree31 · 10/05/2020 08:32

I'm in Scotland, NS said no changes here, so I'm sure she won't be pleased with mixed messages BJ. But no, we can't stay home and hide forever.

OP posts:
KingJarvis · 10/05/2020 08:33

No doubt it will get ripped to shreds on here but it’s fine. It’s the new slogan to coincide with the new regulations.

acidburning · 10/05/2020 08:33

Well we can’t stay at home forever. The problem is that the message was hammered so much that people are scared to leave their houses. Or they think that we’re supposed to be staying at home until the virus is eliminated.
We need to find a way to live alongside this virus, it’s not going anywhere. Everyone needs to take personal responsibility, to be cautious and yes, to stay ‘alert’, but we need to start getting back into the world again to some degree.

I totally agree. I just thought they were also going to tell us that the lockdown was still in place for 3 more weeks like NS has been saying. That's what I think will confuse people.

Bagelsandbrie · 10/05/2020 08:35

I just hope people will stop blindly saying “stay the fuck home” all the time now. It’s ridiculous. We all just need to be sensible. No one is going to catch or spread the virus walking rurally for example where you don’t see anyone or touch anything. We’ve had threads on here where even the suggestion of a rural walk through fields has people bleating “stay home”.

justdontatme · 10/05/2020 08:36

Be a lert! Your country needs lerts! is all I can think of.

SqidgeBum · 10/05/2020 08:41

The minute I heard it last night I thought 'does that mean he is about to tell us we dont need to stay at home?'. The issue is, from the start, this government have been full of vague advice, leaks to the press rather than speaking straight to the people, and generally a complete and utter mess. You have them telling us 30k dead is a 'success' and to go celebrate VE day like we are on some big holiday, while also justifying people curtain twitching and judging you because you went out to buy paint (even though they allowed the opening of those stores). Its a mess. No wonder people are breaking the rules when every other country just locked themselves in and knuckled down.

This is just another vague piece of advice BJ is leaking to the people so we break the rules, they get their economy back, and he doesnt have to be responsible for an even higher death toll.

Drivingdownthe101 · 10/05/2020 08:46

Surely people listen to what he actually says though, rather than just the slogan? So for example if he says lockdown will continue for 3 weeks, you wouldn’t say ‘ah ok, he said they but the slogan is ‘stay alert’ so ill disregard what he said and go out but be alert’?

Bollss · 10/05/2020 08:46

No wonder people are breaking the rules when every other country just locked themselves in and knuckled down

I'm not sure licking themselves in really worked though. Death tolls in Spain and Italy aren't all that much lower than ours. Was it worth it?

In my mind... No.

The countries doing stringent testing tracking and tracing got it right. Those who closed the borders from the get go got it right.

Lockdown was an "oh fuck this is bad we better be seen to be doing something because that's what the public want"

Now they need to get back out of it but because they've physiologically terrorised everyone that will be very hard.

Bollss · 10/05/2020 08:46

*psychologically

Original poster
FirTree31 · 10/05/2020 08:47

This is just another vague piece of advice BJ is leaking to the people so we break the rules, they get their economy back, and he doesnt have to be responsible for an even higher death toll

I agree, the onus is on you, and if you get it its your fault. I know the onus always has been on us, but it feels a bit like the government backing out of the room, "right guys remember to stay alert and control that virus, see you at the briefing and we can count the dead".

OP posts:
Bollss · 10/05/2020 08:49

But what can the government actually do at this point?

Bagelsandbrie · 10/05/2020 08:49

The main issue we have in the UK is no one respects the police / authorities anyway - I mean yes lots do before someone comes on here and says “I do” but as a whole we dont, not in the way China or a Spain do. A lockdown like theirs wouldn’t have worked - everyone would have just stuck two fingers up and gone out anyway. And you can’t attest everyone, you just can’t. So that’s why we’ve ended up with this weird soft lockdown approach. No one listens to whatever they say anyway.

Everytimeref · 10/05/2020 08:51

@justdontatme 😀snap that's what I thought!
@SpidgeBum. "This is just another vague piece of advise JB is leaking ....... So he doesn't have to be responsible" Totally agree. BJ is a populist he doesn't do responsible.

Original poster
FirTree31 · 10/05/2020 08:51

I think people will still listen to briefings and I hope most will tune in to the announcement today, but some won't, and will just see the slogan.

I think it's fair to say I have very mixed feeling, some contradictory, about not just the slogan, but the action in general. The one part I feel very strongly about was making sure everyone who needed it Has PPE, and testing.

OP posts:
Drivingdownthe101 · 10/05/2020 08:52

I’m not sure that’s necessarily true. Apparently the adherence to lockdown rules was far higher than anticipated. And I have relatives in France, Spain and Italy and they’ve all had issues with people not following the rules too. The only difference is that they have a far more prominent police/army presence (generally).

SqidgeBum · 10/05/2020 08:55

I agree @Bagelsandbrie. I have family in Ireland and have been watching their response, and everyone has backed the government and stuck to the rules despite the irish government being previously hated. Why? Because from the start they acted like theh had the peoples best interests at heart, and people came to trust them. They have been so clear in their messages, and so encouraging.

For those comparing death toll, Italy has less deaths than us, and we are 2 weeks behind them. That gap is only going to get bigger. We may start accepting that the UK is going to historically be the worst hit and worst managed country in Europe when it comes to deaths. But @FirTree31 is right, it's because BJ has stepped out of the room and told us all that it's on us, not him.