Lockdown tightened in parts of Northern England

[PatriciaHolm]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53602362

Still breaking so no exact detail on location yet but -

"Separate households will not be allowed to meet indoors in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire from midnight, the government has announced.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said an "increasing rate of transmission" had been identified in those areas."

It's horrible @Turin . I'm so sorry your plans have been messed up in this awful way. A virtual hug and wave from me in your area.

@Leflic - how on earth do you draw that conclusion? What I mean is that at Christmas lots of people travel to family to stay with them, often arriving before or on Christmas Eve depending on when it falls. Therefore by 10pm it's too late to try to enforce a local lockdown and stop households mixing.

Can I ask - is there any clear guidance on whether people inside a lockdown area (e.g. Stockport) can go and visit and stay with people outside a lockdown area (e.g. Birmingham)? I can't see anything in writing that says no, but I think Andy Burnham might have alluded to this earlier this morning?!

Thank you @bellinisurge

I have a pile of presents that I was due to give out today. They’ll have to be posted. Decorations that now seem lifeless.

The comments online about Muslim communities not abiding by lockdown rules has been the most horrific Thing about this though. Real kick to my mental health. The food can be donated and the decorations reused. But I still feel like we are so despised and want to apologise for no other reason than to say I’m sorry you feel that way. It’s not me, my family or my friends.

BLM has signified so much awareness based progress for Black and minority communities. This just takes us further back.

@DottyDotAgain - you're supposed to only mix with your social bubble and the guidance doesn't state whether you can travel outside the lockdown area with them. Commonsense tells you that you shouldn't travel otherwise what's the point if the lockdown?

Boris is giving a press briefing at 12. Doubt he will make it any clearer!

@Cherryghost

It does seem very odd the quick lockdown compared to Leicester being talked about for a week before being locked down

I think it looks quite typical of how the government has been acting. Slow to initiate measures, quick reaction after initial decision was made. Hardly any planning.

@bellinisurge

Picture the scene: your kids went to bed last night expecting a little family party this morning - seeing grandparents they haven't seen for ages. And then you hear this shit late at night and gave to tell them this morning it's all off. Is it ok to treat people like this?

That kind of thing is what happens during a pandemic. People have to be prepared to have their plans changed at any moment. Closing down infections must come first. And yes it can happen at christmas as well, if things go badly over the next few months.

@DottyDotAgain

Can I ask - is there any clear guidance on whether people inside a lockdown area (e.g. Stockport) can go and visit and stay with people outside a lockdown area (e.g. Birmingham)? I can't see anything in writing that says no, but I think Andy Burnham might have alluded to this earlier this morning?!

The guidance says not possible to stay in someone’s household even if they are outside the restricted area I think what Andy Burnham said was that legally you can travel to other are but “best not to”. So I guess you can legally stay in a hotel/holiday home but not someone else house

@Perro

For those using this thread to promote Islamophobia, a spokeperson for Trafford borough (sorry not sure if she was a GP or councillor) said last night that the biggest rise in that area has been in professional, middle class family households. So whilst there are clearly some issues in areas with high Asian populations, the problem is by no means restricted to those areas or cultural groups. If there was to be a spike in cases in 90% of boroughs in Greater Manchester just before Christmas, lockdown measures would be equally appropriate.

I live in Trafford. My white middle class, late 30s professional neighbours are entertaining friends in their garden as we speak. Their kids are all running in and out of a paddling pool. Sigh.

I think support bubbles are still allowed, as treated as one household.

@Honeybobbin I have been on one thread where Christmas has been mentioned and there are many people on there planning the usual Christmas with many households mixing/travelling, already booked the restaurants, cottages etc. I think they are either very naive, hopeful or going to ignore the rules come what may.

@DottyDotAgain

Can I ask - is there any clear guidance on whether people inside a lockdown area (e.g. Stockport) can go and visit and stay with people outside a lockdown area (e.g. Birmingham)? I can't see anything in writing that says no, but I think Andy Burnham might have alluded to this earlier this morning?!

This is the link to the official guidance:

www.gov.uk/guidance/north-west-of-england-local-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do?fbclid=IwAR2m0pVJwz96EoAoGEhZusB4r3vzLqhEmeiGVzMGQVMMmaipQIP1w-eo7Yg

It does say you cannot go and visit another house even if the house outside these restrictions. However it does say about going to cafes only with your household even if going to one outside the restricted area. I take that to mean you can travel but if you are from the restricted area you have to act as if you are still in the restricted area. So you can go to a restaurant in say Leeds but have to still only be your household. You can meet them in an outside place socially distant but you cannot stay with them. We’ve been looking into this as we were meant to be staying with family in the new restricted area, we are now looking for alternative accommodation so we can still them outside. It isn’t the same but as this is our only opportunity for a while we are trying to make the best of it.

@DottyDotAgain

Can I ask - is there any clear guidance on whether people inside a lockdown area (e.g. Stockport) can go and visit and stay with people outside a lockdown area (e.g. Birmingham)? I can't see anything in writing that says no, but I think Andy Burnham might have alluded to this earlier this morning?!

You can't.

I missed this in the guidance earlier but it is there.

Easter bank holiday was only 2 and a half weeks after lockdown. I imagine millions of people back then had to cancel meals, holidays, family get togethers, outings with family and friends. Yes it's a shame when events get cancelled but this is a pandemic. A massive global crisis not seen since the war.

We are also in Trafford and we’re planning a very similar day but have cancelled it of course. Kids are upset but that’s just the way it goes.
The rate in Trafford has tripled each week for the last 2 weeks so doesn’t feel unjustified to do this. Just hope it gets sorted in time for September....

Other areas e.g. Barrow and Folkestone were also identified as hotspots but these have now been turned around by locals taking extra precautions as according to the map are covid free now. Other areas like Blackburn have been singled out as problematic but this has had no affect hence the new lockdown. This is a pandemic and people do need to take personal responsibility to ensure that they do all they can to stop the virus spreading. Curtain twitching and blaming other communities doesn't help people need to take the conscious secision to do the right thing themselves.

Having said that I do sympathise about Eid, we usually have a huge extended family Easter celebration and couldn't this year and it was hugely missed. However, we are fortunate to have lost no-one in the family to covid and following the advice of our priest at the time we try to count our blessings and think of those who have.

We were due to host friends over Easter weekend - up to five other families with most people staying over. I'd bought some of the food, etc. Those travelling from abroad wisely didn't book flights as the writing was on the wall for several weeks. We don't know when we will be able to meet in person again, but we will at some point.

@cakeisalwaystheanswer - the whole of Greater Manchester has fucked up?

Isn't it more that these measures are to protect the whole of GM rather than the whole population has fucked up?

There's no point being bitter about it - we just have to deal with it.

I don't know why the numbers haven't come down in Manchester but they are very high. Look at the map. Something has to be done, it could be SW London/Surrey next and I'll just have to get on with it.

It is a pandemic, at least 50k have already died and more are dying every day. People seem to have lost sight of that.

www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=47574f7a6e454dc6a42c5f6912ed7076

This is the result of people not abiding by restrictions in place to suppress the spread of the virus - so meeting in big groups, not social distancing and so on. Why are people surprised? This is why so many people are angry at those who seem to think the rules don't apply to them - everyone suffers.

@wowfudge my problem is tbe contemptuous way it was done. Not the lockdown.
Can't wait till they do it to the South East with 2 hours notice.

Well you've made your point. Can't say that I agree that it was contemptuous, etc. If Eid celebrations had gone ahead and lockdown came afterwards the situation could well have escalated. I do think that the fact detailed guidance wasn't available until this morning was piss poor.

I don't understand this compliant about giving more notice. How can you give notice on a day to day, hour by hour virus emergency. It isn't a ship sailing across an ocean, due to arrive at precisely 3.25pm next Monday