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."

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras yes, because I'm perfectly capable of common sense. Which seems to have left the building for many people!

@cakeisalwaystheanswer the problem is that greater Manchester covers a large area and some areas that have had these restrictions put on them have lower case numbers than other areas of the country which have not had these restrictions put in place. Maybe in the next few days these places will but I can understand some of the complaints when you see it like that. The area is large and covers villages as well as large built up areas, so cases will not be rising in the same way in all these areas. Of course that is difficult to take account these different types of areas but I can understand the frustration. Particularly if you are one of the areas of greater Manchester that hasn’t previously been identified as at risk.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

What exactly has been disrupted? Were people planning on meeting up in big groups then or having multiple families into their homes? What has had to be cancelled?

If you had a booking in a Greater Manchester restaurant this weekend would you still go? Even if you were planning to go as a single household to begin with? Would you still go to the Trafford Centre?

Or would you cancel and make alternative arrangements/plans?

What a lot of people have heard is that the covid-19 risk level is high which has triggered a lockdown therefore they are going to stay home as much as possible.

At the beginning of the pandemic, governments in Spain and Italy tried giving 24 hour notice of lockdowns. All that happened was that people fled the area and took the infection with them.

This is not a new lockdown. It is a slight tightening of the rules to decrease transmission to prevent more things needing to shit. People in these areas can choose - comy now or face more stringent and enforceable measures later.

@Sunshine124 , I think many people on here and in government don't realise that. Pathetic, isn't it.

Theo Usherwood @theousherwood
PM says rising numbers means that the Government has to “squeeze the brake pedal.”

Earlier plans to allow bowling alleys, ice rinks and casinos - plus weddings of up to 30 - will not be able to take place from tomorrow. Re-opening will be postponed by 2 weeks.

Looks like there will be some wedding cancellations then...

@RedToothBrush good. That's exactly what is meant to happen. More people stay home, rate of transmission falls. And falls quickly because it was never allowed to get that high in the first place.

Chris Whitt's is interesting on Boris's briefing right now.

Essentially we may have reached the point where everything that can be unlocked has been before we start seeing an increase. With that in mind, it would mean that if we wanted to open something new we would have to close something down, so for example for schools to open we may need to give up mixing households in homes (just an example).

Then you have BJ the clown repeatedly shouting "Hands, face, space and get a test" looking like a right div.

Theo Usherwood @theousherwood
PM says it’s “should be a good thing” for schools to go back. Adds it “should be something that we aim to deliver”.

*suggestion from the tone of language schools returning in September is not the certainty previously thought.

Hmmm....

Would I be going to a restaurant even as a single household - no. Because numbers are rising and they will continue to rise now for a good couple of weeks while those just infected come to notice.

Would I go to shopping centres - no, for the same reason.

This propensity for boom and bust here is ridiculous. People need to show some maturity and abide by the guidelines set - SD, only meeting in the ways stated in the guidelines, wear masks and so on. Then maybe things can stay on an even keel and government won't have to keep going backwards.

[quote BarbarianMum]@RedToothBrush good. That's exactly what is meant to happen. More people stay home, rate of transmission falls. And falls quickly because it was never allowed to get that high in the first place.[/quote]
Yes in one semse.

Not so good if you are about to lose your home and business.

When this crisis started it was stressed that deaths could be both direct and indirect from the crisis. So you could die of covid-19 or you could see a lot of suicides due to an economic catastrophy. Bslancing both risks was seen as important.

But they haven't squeezed the brake pedal. They've slammed it without warning because they weren't paying attention and then tried to blame everyone else.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

Would I be going to a restaurant even as a single household - no. Because numbers are rising and they will continue to rise now for a good couple of weeks while those just infected come to notice.

Would I go to shopping centres - no, for the same reason.

This propensity for boom and bust here is ridiculous. People need to show some maturity and abide by the guidelines set - SD, only meeting in the ways stated in the guidelines, wear masks and so on. Then maybe things can stay on an even keel and government won't have to keep going backwards.

Johnson told everyone to go out and have fun!!!

Dh and I are super conservative (small c) rule followers. Even we are saying "fucking shite bags"

@Flaxmeadow

Don't be so patronising. The two hours notice late at night was contemptuous. Not the lockdown. I'm not an idiot ffs

I live in one of the affected areas and I'm glad it happened quickly. It is obviously a serious situation and the sooner the better we get used to it

Same here. The rising cases where I live have been frightening me. I wish it had even done sooner.

@bellinisurge

But they haven't squeezed the brake pedal. They've slammed it without warning because they weren't paying attention and then tried to blame everyone else.

This^

And Rossendale is absurd because the rate there is very low and there hasn't been a problem there. Theres no reason for anyone in the area to think there was any chance of a lockdown! There are plenty of places with a higher rate and a higher rate nearby which haven't been locked down.

Lewis McKenzie @lewismckenzie94
England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warns that the UK has potentially reached a limit for how much of society can be opened up.

He said: "The idea that we can open up everything and keep the virus under control is clearly wrong.”

Alarms should be going off now about schools...

@DarkHelmet Even if your "personal risk assessment" extends beyond the risk to yourself and your loved ones to the risk of your actions to other people, the very fact that you choose to ignore the rules/guidance adds to the feeling "nobody else is obeying the rules, so we'd be mugs to obey" and that in turn will increase the risk for everyone.

Rob Powell @robpowellnews
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty - "the idea that we can open up everything and keep the virus under control is clearly wrong... we are the outer edge of what we can do".

Sophy Ridge @sophyridgesky
Does this mean we’ll see tightening elsewhere when schools reopen in September?

Just this week the government have been pushing for people to go back to offices rather than work from home....

... The take home from this might affect behavior in strange ways. There may be people who now take the attitude that they need to enjoy things being reopened whilst they can...

@MereDintofPandiculation look, my eldest DD has worked flat out through this pandemic, in a public facing roll. If she can risk herself for work, then I'm happy to risk having her at my dinner table on Christmas Day.

It's common sense if anyone is showing Covid symptoms then they isolate, but I stand by my statement that if someone (symptom free) is allowed in my bubble at 11pm on the night of an announcement but not after 12pm, then it's utter bullshit. It's a knee jerk reaction palmed off as being proactive.

www.itv.com/news/2020-07-31/sage-scientists-no-longer-confident-that-coronavirus-r-number-is-currently-below-1-in-england
Sage scientists 'no longer confident' that coronavirus R number is currently below 1 in England

The rate of coronavirus infection in the north west and south west has risen above one, the scientists advising the government have said.

In both the north west and south west, the growth rate of infections is at +1, showing the epidemic is speeding up in those areas.

Watch out Swindon

@DarkHelmet many people who have the virus don't have any symptoms but can still transmit it, this is one of the problems with it.

My understanding is that it is because of many people mixing households that has caused the rise in these areas.

@ineedaholidaynow I'm fully aware of that, but my point still stands. My DD has worked throughout this, so should she not have gone to work because she might be asymptomatic?

What exactly has been disrupted?
Are you joking you do realise that so many people rely on relatives for childcare so they can work especially as it's the holidays .
Some are saying it's fine others not so , a lot of people have just gone back to work after a long time furloughed so have no option to use relatives for childcare.

@DarkHelmet have there been social distancing rules etc in place where your DD works?