Alert level lowered

[PatriciaHolm]

Just announced- UK alert level lowered to three. So potentially "gradual relaxation of restrictions"....

Hmm. Paving the way for a pubs/restaurants and 1m announcement?

[SistemaAddict]

I usually have a respiratory tract infection from October to March on and off with an exacerbation of my asthma and possibly a chest infection too if I'm really lucky. It's going to be a nightmare and that's without all the fevers my 3 dc usually spike randomly on a regular basis. I doubt a month would go by without one of them having a fever and some cough, sore throat, headache combo. I hope by October there is more information, testing and treatment available otherwise it will be another term of hardly any learning.

[Drivingdownthe101]

If they are serious about schools going back in full in Sept we’re going to need more actual testing capacity rather than pretend aren’t we?

Our local testing centre has 1000’s of slots available to book over the next 5 days so I don’t think capacity is an issue... people just don’t seem to be using it!

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

If they are serious about schools going back in full in Sept we’re going to need more actual testing capacity rather than pretend aren’t we? If every child with a fever or signs of a respiratory tract infection needs a test before they can go back to school, the autumn term is going to get quite ‘interesting’.

[MarshaBradyo]

If the 2m is reduced it had better help schools too.

[PatriciaHolm]

@Bol87

We def opened up not in line with the threat level but so far, cases are not increasing. We seem to have reached a bit of a flatline. They are bobbing up and down around the 1,200 mark and not really shifting. It tends to go up on the days we test more and down on the days we test less. Which in reality means they aren’t really moving! I’m not too sure what to make of that.. perhaps to be expected as we open back up? Perhaps so long as we can keep it flat, then it’s fairly manageable until we get more certain info on a vaccine or this bloody tracing app!

The number of positive tests per day is actually a pretty useless number right now, as we don't know how many people are being tested or when those positive tests were actually taken - they are not the tests done yesterday, it just measures the number of positives registered yesterday. It could be that we are testing an increasing number of people a day and a lot of those tests are from a week or more ago - so infections are declining - or it could be we are testing a declining number and they are very recent, and thus infections are rising! The number of tests also includes those for antibodies, not just for current infection.

We also don't know where the positives are coming from as we don't know how many people are being tested from Pillar 2 (the community as a whole) - which makes up about 2/3 of the tests at the moment.

[Bol87]

We def opened up not in line with the threat level but so far, cases are not increasing. We seem to have reached a bit of a flatline. They are bobbing up and down around the 1,200 mark and not really shifting. It tends to go up on the days we test more and down on the days we test less. Which in reality means they aren’t really moving! I’m not too sure what to make of that.. perhaps to be expected as we open back up? Perhaps so long as we can keep it flat, then it’s fairly manageable until we get more certain info on a vaccine or this bloody tracing app!

[Cookiecrisps]

It is good the infection levels have dropped. However the government have not inspired confidence in some by saying one thing with surety and then later on when the data / science doesn’t fit fudging the wording to do what they wanted to do anyway.

[Drivingdownthe101]

But even with lifting restrictions earlier than planned, infections have continued to drop significantly. Good news.

[Cookiecrisps]

*Stage 3 of the roadmap.

[Cookiecrisps]

As the government lifted restrictions before we’d moved to stage of the roadmap is a waste of time really.

It was also interesting to hear Boris talk about meeting the 5 tests before we could begin easing lockdown restrictions. He made subtle changes to the wording of some of these tests to make it seem like we’d met them all when I don’t believe we did at the time.

[SquirmOfEels]

Pubs are already open for off sales, and their clientele then spill over into nearby green spaces clutching pints.

[Babs709]

although most people don't spend 8 hours a day in the pub I guess maybe they just need to avoid opening Wetherspoons to ensure that’s true 😉

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

I'd have thought pubs etc would have been the last thing to open.

If it’s like where I’m from there'll be 2m social distancing and table service only. I think you also need to leave your contact details for contact tracing. Although that’s probably less of an issue over here.

[HMSSophie]

It'd be more encouraging news if I believed a word this shower of shit government comes out with.

[BillywilliamV]

Whatever gets the kids back into education.

[Drivingdownthe101]

@AmyFl

Do you think we will have to return to work? I don't want to. My colleagues are nasty

You’ll probably have to at some point, yes.

[SistemaAddict]

I can't see how pubs can open but not offices although most people don't spend 8 hours a day in the pub I guess. I'd have thought pubs etc would have been the last thing to open.

[AmyFl]

Do you think we will have to return to work? I don't want to. My colleagues are nasty

[PatriciaHolm]

The "graph" was quite spectacularly vague, and as a PP referred to, we are already doing it anyway - relaxing some restrictions, etc.

In reality, it just means that when the next announcements re. pubs and the 2m rule etc are made - probably imminently - the Govt can now say "we are following the science".....

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

Found it, it’s this one. Although it doesn’t directly link to the alert level R=1 is a divider between levels 4 and 3 on other slides.

Who knows what it means, Babs. We’ve already eased the lockdown in the way expected to at alert level 3 after the government had a bit of a bust up with the scientists.

[Babs709]

Missed the update today, did they say this lower alert may mean we can see more family etc.?

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

Am I right in remembering some sort of ‘graph’ with what might open at different times according to the alert level?

[BabyLlamaZen]

What does it mean in terms of easing restrictions? Was it some forms of hospitality opening in july?

[TheHoneyBadger]

@MarshaBradyo

Great. Schools first I hope.

Didn't it used to be women and children first as in to get in the lifeboats rather than to go over the top.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

I’m not sure the tone came across properly in that post.

I know when the schools went back. But we were told that wouldn’t happen until we were at level 3 and then they went back anyway. The whole thing has now become utterly meaningless in terms of whatever it was supposed to mean in the first place.