Greater Manchester cases rising even more. What can be done?

[SistemaAddict]

I've been watching these for a while and despite local lockdowns the rates are going up. Bolton is bloody scary. I am just within the GM boundary and our rate has gone up from 8 to 13 in the space of about 3 days. Schools only went back 3 days ago and I can't see the figures improving. How can things be controlled when local half-assed lockdowns are not working and everyone is back in school? Will us shielded ones end up shielded again? At what point will schools close?

This is going to be the challenge that the government faces. You can’t make people give a shit. Sadly it will only be when it’s too late that people start caring.

Every pub represents someone's livelihood. We shouldn't be pushing for them to be closed without any evidence they're a problem.

I'd avoided pubs since the lockdown but been in a few recently and they've all adhered to the guidelines, some more stringently than others. All one way systems, seating only, table service, no live music. All joyless tbh but all the pubs i've been in are doing their best to follow the guidelines.

@MadameBlobby

This is going to be the challenge that the government faces. You can’t make people give a shit. Sadly it will only be when it’s too late that people start caring.

Well they lost a lot of people when Cummings kept his job.

People need to get over the Dominic Cummings stuff, not 1 person I know has ever stated that they are doing what they like because of Dominic Cummings.

People need to get over the Dominic Cummings stuff, not 1 person I know has ever stated that they are doing what they like because of Dominic Cummings.

You either give a shit or you don't, but that whole episode gave a lot of people scope to not give a shit.

I dont disagree that hes a complete twat, but i just dont buy into that fact that months after that event people give it a second thought and allow it to influence their decision today.

I never go to pubs but I certainly enjoyed the peace and quiet on Friday and Saturday nights when they were closed.
I don't know the answer but the current things aren't working. When we all got those text messages the night of the national lockdown... could they not do something like that again but geographically? The technology must be there. And make sure they include the information in a variety of languages. I used to work in central Manchester and we used interpreters daily for our patients. The areas are mainly cities or large towns and have great diversity and the government need to make sure that the message is getting to everyone.

A few things.

All anyone wants to do in my social circle is just have their mum round. Being told you cannot have your mum is horrible. I don't get on with mine much, but having her here and me go there, it's a horrible situation. The level of support provided by parents to adult DC is so high.

If school had not have closed, would people have been so desperate for support from family? I doubt it. We've had all these households wandering aimlessly with nothing to do. I don't think school should have closed to non key worker children. Even part time would have helped. I for one certainly wouldn't have visited the park so often or gone on walks with other families with DC as often as we did thos summer. No other options were open to us and DDs mental health is important too.

In poorer socioeconomic areas WFH is not offered. You can't drive a taxi or provide care from home.

If you are already struggling for money, unpaid or lower paid self isolation is not going to happen.

No one knows what the guidelines are anymore. Morale is so low, even in the leafier area of the north where I live. It's not messaged. The govt. are not going to listen to concerns. They can attempt to lockdown as much as they like they will not stop even the 'naicest' people needing family.

This isn't encouraging news as the parent of two Bolton school children@NewNameNoName

When we all got those text messages the night of the national lockdown... could they not do something like that again but geographically?

What text messages, I didn't get anything

This one

@Ilikewinter

I dont disagree that hes a complete twat, but i just dont buy into that fact that months after that event people give it a second thought and allow it to influence their decision today.

Clearly people are terrifyingly stupid. That realisation has pretty much been the scariest thing about the whole shitshow.

I'm working just outside Bolton and know many who live there. People are not following the guidelines. Parties, mixing households, the lot. I know one set of grandparents who visited all 5 son's families over the weekend and tested positive on Monday. Now all 5 households are isolating, 3 of them contain teachers, 2 have nurses and they were all happy to mix households. The aegument to get them to isolate, because the parents told Test and Trace they had been no where, was intense. I can't fucking get over it. Teachers, Nurses! Scary as fuck!

I'm in GM and don't know a single person who is following the local lockdown rules, I don't actually know what the rules are at the minute.

Can you read? Do you have access to google? Do you have your arse wiped for you?

@Bercows

I never go to pubs but I certainly enjoyed the peace and quiet on Friday and Saturday nights when they were closed. I don't know the answer but the current things aren't working. When we all got those text messages the night of the national lockdown... could they not do something like that again but geographically? The technology must be there. And make sure they include the information in a variety of languages. I used to work in central Manchester and we used interpreters daily for our patients. The areas are mainly cities or large towns and have great diversity and the government need to make sure that the message is getting to everyone.

I live in a hotspot and we've had text messages from our doctors surgery explaining the situation. We've had a letter to our house and there's a lot lit of information on social media. There are also people out in the community doing door to door visits.

What else could they do to get the message out there 🤷🏼‍♀️

@StormyInTheNorth

A few things.

All anyone wants to do in my social circle is just have their mum round. Being told you cannot have your mum is horrible. I don't get on with mine much, but having her here and me go there, it's a horrible situation. The level of support provided by parents to adult DC is so high.

If school had not have closed, would people have been so desperate for support from family? I doubt it. We've had all these households wandering aimlessly with nothing to do. I don't think school should have closed to non key worker children. Even part time would have helped. I for one certainly wouldn't have visited the park so often or gone on walks with other families with DC as often as we did thos summer. No other options were open to us and DDs mental health is important too.

In poorer socioeconomic areas WFH is not offered. You can't drive a taxi or provide care from home.

If you are already struggling for money, unpaid or lower paid self isolation is not going to happen.

No one knows what the guidelines are anymore. Morale is so low, even in the leafier area of the north where I live. It's not messaged. The govt. are not going to listen to concerns. They can attempt to lockdown as much as they like they will not stop even the 'naicest' people needing family.

I completely, completely agree with you. Separating families has been absolutely cruel. It should be the last thing, after closing pubs and schools. I know people who are nearly broken by it. I saw my neighbour(70) lean her face against the wall and cry. I know of 3 young people turning to self harm and 1 attempted suicide.

It gone on far too long.

People do like to talk absolute shite, don't they?

More likely to be hit by lightning? More likely to be hit by a bus?

Fascinating that there's been no coverage of the third of a million people hit by buses or struck by lightning since March this year in the UK

So maybe thats part of the problem then....in my hotspot area we've had nothing, no doctors text, no leaflets not anything.

It sounds like your area are actively working in the community to reach people and i think thats the only way to keep reiterating the messages.

Thanks @Bercows, I don't think I got that

@x2boys

This isn't encouraging news as the parent of two Bolton school children@NewNameNoName

It is bloody terrifying me! With my partner teaching in Bolton and me in Manchester we have the perfect storm for this.

He has has already had kids from numerous households jump out of the same car in the morning, kids openly admitting to having parties etc and this is in the centre of Bolton! He can't even have a bloody kettle or use a staff room!

And I am disgusted at fellow teachers not following the guidelines.

My D's 1 went back on Friday @WhyAreWeHardOfThinking ,he's in year nine he says masks are not being enforced in corridors ,and although year groups are kept separate ,kids are still travelling together .

@SueEllenMishke I didn't know they were doing that.

It’s a weird one that cases are rising in GM but hospitalisation are not.

Are there figures on who is testing positive in GM and what sort of symptoms they’re experiencing?

I can only talk about the local pub and restaurants but SD etc has been implemented in a way that would make transmission very low risk.

If it’s families etc mixing inside they need to hear the message, but after that it can’t be stopped.

Lock down after lockdown is going to cause too much hardship.

I was in a pub in South Manchester for a meal last night with my DH and kids.. Had to book and give phone number, 1 way system, hand sanitiser and tables cleaned down etc. All good.

However, The majority of the big pub was adults sitting in groups of 4 - 6. The pub were asking if groups of 6 adults were all in same household to meet local controls ... Everyone said yes... But they blatantly were not... obviously were similar aged friends... Ie 3 couples meeting for a night out or just group of friends.

We walked past another pub and that also seemed the same.

Pubs had good set ups and staff were following requirements.. Just customers weren't following rules and sat together for a few hours/all evening ... That's why I think they'll have to close.

Perhaps it was just that area but I'm not sure...

Pubs are doing their best but twats will be twats.

If the pubs shut then the groups from different households will just meet up somewhere else and in each others houses. They aren't just going to stay in on a Saturday night and watch Ant and Dec.

Even when the pubs were shut that was the period were we had marches every weekend and civil disorder on the streets through the day (part of why I think pubs were rushed to be reopened) and parties everywhere during the night. Pubs do help give a sense of normality and from what i've seen they're doing their best with following guidelines.

I’d keep them open too. At least names are given for tracing.