Anyone in the North East?

[PennyDreadfuI]

Gateshead has just been added to the govt watchlist and Newcastle is on amber alert. Sunderland have had over 200 cases in the past seven days.

Are we next for a local lockdown? What do you think it will entail? Given Newcastle's reputation as a party city I'm guessing restricted hours for bars maybe - they were packed to the rafters over the August bank holiday weekend, which may account for lots of the new cases.

Northumberland here - pleased to see so many of us here! Disappointed Northumberland is included to be honest as our rates are and always have been really low. Then again, I don't know how it would work with people working in another area that is locked down.
Shops round me were fine at 7am when I went, but then again I did that because they're probably manic by now 😔
Gutted for my kids who've been so good in all this and had only seen their mates outside in gardens.

My worry is those of us who plan on sticking to it, are going to be kept under these restrictions longer because looking at the local fb pages, there's lots not planning on sticking to it at all!

PennyDreadful Dickheads.
This just about sums it up really.

Everything is based on money, not humanity.

Ranunculi why can’t people just be bloody sensible instead of trying to find ways around the rules?!

Because the rules aren't sensible so it's really confusing.
Personally I think it's sensible to be bubbled with one household (I live alone) and see two or three other friends socially distanced and outdoors where possible. WFH and no kids so no contacts going on there. But the government think that's wrong yet it would be ok to mix at work, have a partner doing the same, have DC in school and going to childcare afterwards, go to the pub and be indoors with many strangers... Nonsensical.

Apologies for earlier comment btw, I see MN have rightfully removed it. I'm just fuming atm with all this.

@littleowl1 your service is amazing, thank you, at least we can see what is going on without all the BS added by our Government.

Truthfully I think people are just going to ignore these rules. It’s ridiculous to say you can go to the pub and sit next to strangers but you can’t visit your parents.
You can't in the North East or other restricted areas like Birmingham.

In the North East Pubs, restaurants and cafes will be table service only from midnight tonight and, as households cannot mix, indoors or outdoors, that means you can't sit next to a stranger either.

Are there bubbles for single parents again?

Because the rules aren't sensible so it's really confusing
The rules are sensible. They need to reduce how many people each individual has contact with. So they’ve allowed money making activities and banned activities that don’t make money. If they did it the other way round you’d be able to see your family, but people would whinge that they weren’t allowed to drink, pubs and restaurants would whinge about losing business, and people would whinge about losing jobs.

In the North East Pubs, restaurants and cafes will be table service only from midnight tonight and, as households cannot mix, indoors or outdoors, that means you can't sit next to a stranger either
So you can sit 2m from a stranger in a pub but you can’t sit 2m from your parents in their living room. Ridiculous.

mobile.twitter.com/RP131/status/1306359697814048769

Does anyone follow this twitter account for data? According to him all areas in North East have already peaked and dropping again

A Chronicle journalist has just tweeted this regarding childcare - the government have rejected Newcastle council's proposal to allow family to help.
Same as Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell.

@52andblue

Are there bubbles for single parents again?
Bubbles still allowed as previously with one other household. Once formed you cannot swap that household bubble.

@BoJoTookMyMojo
But the government think that's wrong yet it would be ok to mix at work, have a partner doing the same, have DC in school and going to childcare afterwards, go to the pub and be indoors with many strangers... Nonsensical
Working should be in a environment where measures have been put in place to make it Covid-secure.
Ditto for the pub with spacing in between households.
The onus was on customers to maintain their social distance in pubs. Because customers couldn't be arsed to comply, the Govt have changed this so that you cannot mix households in a pub, have to have table service and they will be closing earlier. That isn't nonsensical.

I agree about schools to though. I think teachers and most pupils should be wearing masks.

Sunderland cast asunder :o

Durham sainsburys was quiet and fully stocked, this morning. The trolley I picked was a bastard, mind.

I see the clarification in the chronicle has mixing households in homes and gardens banned but avoiding mixing elsewhere advised against. So, quite rightly, no one should dob you in for having a chinwag with a friend in the street but that's not going to stop people from visiting 4 clubs over a weekend, as happened in Stanley a couple of weeks ago.

Apologies for earlier comment btw, I see MN have rightfully removed it. I'm just fuming atm with all this

Don't worry @BoJoTookMyMojo. We're all feeling the same way. Angry, sad and pissed off

Most people go to the pub or for a meal out to socialise with a wider circle than their immediate family. So pubs and restaurants will eventually lose a lot of trade as no one is going to really see the point in regularly going out for a meal or drink only with the people that you share a household with.

@Rosehip10 That is my thinking but I know my MIL will say we’re her single household despite the fact she has seen both BILs and their family but will use it as an excuse to come and visit. With a baby I will ask DH to have a word with her and tell her not to come.

@Ranunculi

In the North East Pubs, restaurants and cafes will be table service only from midnight tonight and, as households cannot mix, indoors or outdoors, that means you can't sit next to a stranger either So you can sit 2m from a stranger in a pub but you can’t sit 2m from your parents in their living room. Ridiculous.

Or even 2m from a friend/family member in the park/anywhere open air.

@Jrobhatch29

mobile.twitter.com/RP131/status/1306359697814048769

Does anyone follow this twitter account for data? According to him all areas in North East have already peaked and dropping again

I'd noticed that the cases were going down in Newcastle - this time last week there had been about 130 cases in the past seven days, today it's around 90.

Northumberland here too. I work in a Newcastle but we aren't back in the office yet.

Northumberland county council has updated its website with some FAQs but I'm not sure about others: www.northumberland.gov.uk/coronavirus/Latest-information-and-advice-on-Coronavirus.aspx

Northumberland Council have posted more details on lockdown rules. Still waiting for Newcastle, Sunderland etc to do the same but it'll be the same I expect.

Looks as if childcare can only be provided by registered childminders etc.

@BreastedBoobilyToTheStairs cross post - I didn't refresh the page before I posted 😂

@PennyDreadfuI no harm in extra links!

At least they're giving some clarity, but it looks like things are going to be difficult for those that need family support for childcare

It seems a bit strange that I can go to a SD gym class with a friend but not to a park or field with the dog...but there you go. I suppose they're trying to keep tabs through track and trace.

Ranunculi
The rules are sensible. They need to reduce how many people each individual has contact with. So they’ve allowed money making activities and banned activities that don’t make money.

It's not sensible to allow far more risky mixing of people - even if it gets a bonus point for making money - whilst not allowing the minimal risk of socialising outdoors with even one person at a time. The balance is completely off.

What's more it's completely unfair and discriminatory depending on your family and work circumstances. If they want to reduce contacts they should do that to people who have a lot of contacts, not remove basic human interaction from people like me who are already being sensible and having limited contacts.

[quote BreastedBoobilyToTheStairs]@PennyDreadfuI no harm in extra links!

At least they're giving some clarity, but it looks like things are going to be difficult for those that need family support for childcare

It seems a bit strange that I can go to a SD gym class with a friend but not to a park or field with the dog...but there you go. I suppose they're trying to keep tabs through track and trace. [/quote]
The thinking (the government is saying, anyway) is exactly that - t&t, plus pubs, restaurants, gyms etc have Covid secure measures in place, whereas private homes don't. The cynic in me can't help thinking that the main reason is that private homes don't make money but what do I know!

Obviously if bars etc don't have to close there won't be the resulting redundancies, I suppose. I don't know. There's no easy solution to any of it, is there.

PickAChew I see the clarification in the chronicle has mixing households in homes and gardens banned but avoiding mixing elsewhere advised against

So, basically I don't need to despair about not being able to see people, I just need to meet them in the pub and know it's only a guideline so I can't be fined?

www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/16575/Covid-restrictions

Gateshead Council have this online. It might help clarify some things.

In other news I got a test! Randomly trying at about 1.30 and one came up at 2pm south Shields at 2pm in the little Haven car park. Plus I've got some codine from my GP for sinus pain which is horrific so at least that's something.

Feel like we could be in this for a while so so not feeling great right now. But also feeling so poorly I'm not sure I'm properly thinking about it.

I see public transport is work and education only. DD's journey home doesn't start in the affected areas, and we don't live in the affected areas, but the station I am collecting her from is. I'm not sure I can afford the petrol to collect her on top of already paying for the train fare