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.

[quote SquirrelScorn]@PennyDreadfuI I think going for a walk 2m apart would be absolutely fine in terms of balancing transmission risk and mental health benefits. However it is very clearly not allowed under the rules. And a shopping trip to Newcastle from South Shields is unlikely to be an essential use of public transport. If we don’t stick to the rules as they are we’ll end up with a harsher lockdown. And it was people not sticking to the previous rules who got us into this.[/quote]
They aren’t rules though they are advisory. So you can do them and you’re not breaking the actual rules as far as I’m aware. The enforceable rules which will see you fined if you break them are entering someone’s house or garden being in a pub/restaurant after 10 and not only using table service in pubs/restaurants.

@Ranunculi there's an exemption in the rules that says you can enter someone else's house or have them enter yours if you are providing care, support, or assistance to a vulnerable person. If your parents have vulnerabilities then you wouldn't be breaking any rules to see them.

They aren’t rules though they are advisory. So you can do them and you’re not breaking the actual rules
See, this is my beef with the whole thing. It’s pointless having “advisory” rules because people will just ignore them. All of the rules need to be the law in order to prevent selfish people looking for loopholes.

But are people really being selfish if they follow the rules but make some exceptions on what’s advisory. For example I’ve followed all the lockdown rules and just had to cancel seeing my mum for her birthday. However neither my partner or I drive so we need to use public transport otherwise we are confined to our house more or less over the weekend. I’ve posted previously in the thread about my need to use public transport to access the gym and what the National lock down did to my mental health. Surely therefore that is actually essential? I’m not stupid and wouldn’t be getting on a packed metro for example.

I take 'advisory' to mean: Look at your own situation and apply logic. If you don't drive and need to use public transport to get shopping, fine. Similarly if you need to use it for the occasional trip up the coast or wherever to save your sanity, do it. Through lockdown when bus services were cut to the bone and all but essential travel was actually prohibited I thought I was going to either lose my mind or make myself physically ill (the latter was true, I was in so much pain from dragging shopping home 4 times a week). I can't do that again, it's not feasible.

As I said earlier, if you don't have a car or access to one, all public transport travel is essential.

Incidentally I see that Johnson has just announced that the second wave has arrived in the UK. No shit!

Sorry, he said it's 'coming'.

It's here you useless tousled twat!

Anxious

I don't drive either and I rely on public transport, I am sticking to every rule but I will be using public transport to get about otherwise I will be confined to my house,

I never travel at peak times anyway and I'm assuming the advice is there to stop public transport getting crowded.

Even though the bus companies are still running on a limited timetable which means there's less buses so even with fewer people using them they're still busy.
They'd have been better of subsidising the bus companies to run their full timetable so people could still get out and spend their money.

Penny, I took it to mean around the club. The bar has been closed etc. The thing is that the kids sessions had been running etc. That's next to my local park too.

Ah well, back to running the kids around the leafy posh streets! It's going to be hard not to see the kids' friends at the park.

@Snoringferret

Anxious

I don't drive either and I rely on public transport, I am sticking to every rule but I will be using public transport to get about otherwise I will be confined to my house,

I never travel at peak times anyway and I'm assuming the advice is there to stop public transport getting crowded.

Even though the bus companies are still running on a limited timetable which means there's less buses so even with fewer people using them they're still busy.
They'd have been better of subsidising the bus companies to run their full timetable so people could still get out and spend their money.

I’ll be doing the same ferret. I have to travel at peak for work so surely I can use it outside of that and be mindful to keep social distance to save from going mad (or madder)

I got my test back it was negative! Just an awful sinus infection. Yay.

@PennyDreadful I agree on making an assessment for your own health and wellbeing regarding the rules. I feel ta the start of all this people were really awfully judgemental. But one thing this has shown is we don't know what is going on for others. Even if we think we do and the should be able to cope because someone else could in their situation it's actually nonsense. We're not living others lives.

North Tyneside here. Obviously quite near Ellapaella as Longsands is one of my local beaches. Absolutely nobody here taking a blind bit of notice of local lockdown. All the usual dogwalkers still going out and meeting up together for a chat (including one with a 9 week old puppy who shouldn't even be outside) Neighbours have got all their sons round plus girlfriends tonight. I give up I really do. School has sent at least 3 emails this week telling parents to queue in single file and not mix in the playground / chat at gates / come in sharing cars etc. Totally fallen on deaf ears. We are headed for another proper lockdown alright and it will be sooner than half term.

Unfortunately this government lost the advisory, use your common sense approach with Cummings. Those who have been gathering in pubs and houses are not looking for loopholes they simply break the rules. Meanwhile Boris has successfully got us scrapping amongst ourselves blaming each other rather than the governments ambiguous guidelines. And bojo's brucie bonus is that meanwhile he distracts us from Brexit.

Incidentally I see that Johnson has just announced that the second wave has arrived in the UK. No shit!

Oh yes, and he said it had been inevitable. Yet just a few weeks ago he was saying social distancing could be over by November

Ranunculi, thank you for confirming my suspicions. The information is cleverly worded but there is a marked difference between "you must" and "you should", isn't there?

I've been a real mardy cow these past 24 hours thinking that this fiasco had put a stop to my holiday (Yorks cottage) with a family member who lives miles from me. Now I see that Johnson says I "should" only go with people in my household or 'bubble', but not that it's mandated by law.

To hell with you, Johnson The Incompetent, I'm going on holiday!

@FrolickingLemon

North Tyneside here. Obviously quite near Ellapaella as Longsands is one of my local beaches. Absolutely nobody here taking a blind bit of notice of local lockdown. All the usual dogwalkers still going out and meeting up together for a chat (including one with a 9 week old puppy who shouldn't even be outside) Neighbours have got all their sons round plus girlfriends tonight. I give up I really do. School has sent at least 3 emails this week telling parents to queue in single file and not mix in the playground / chat at gates / come in sharing cars etc. Totally fallen on deaf ears. We are headed for another proper lockdown alright and it will be sooner than half term.

It's really hard isn't it. I know I just said about not being judgemental of people. But I do feel there is a difference between doing whatever you want and fancy and making considered decisions to support your mental health. Also the give messaging and actions on covid have been so crap I'm not surprised people are all over.

But then I was just chatting to a relative (on the phone) and she was saying she feels angry at the gov and at people behaving recklessly that it's having such a negative impact on her children. She has a baby who has definitely been effected by very little social interaction. I know it won't be forever and she'll catch up but I totally understand that anger. Then you see fuckers doing what they fancy!

Cummings has a lot to answer for. They should never have backed him for 'using his common sense and thinking about his family'
And BJ and his fucking so called government know that.
Too bloody late now even if they sacked him this second.
I have seen my boyfriend for around 4 hours in total within the last 6 months. I'm in a bubble with my Mum who has cancer. I haven't so much as hugged my Mum or my boyfriend. I have complied with every single rule. I've also read the NHSers thread, and I've also had a text tonight from my cousin who is les than half my age and a care worker. She is on her knees. Her best friend committed suicide at the beginning of lockdown. She isn't coping. What I really wanted to do was ask her to come round. But I didnt. I continue to support her remotely. This fucking stinks.

@Snoringferret

Anxious

I don't drive either and I rely on public transport, I am sticking to every rule but I will be using public transport to get about otherwise I will be confined to my house,

I never travel at peak times anyway and I'm assuming the advice is there to stop public transport getting crowded.

Even though the bus companies are still running on a limited timetable which means there's less buses so even with fewer people using them they're still busy.
They'd have been better of subsidising the bus companies to run their full timetable so people could still get out and spend their money.

They are getting subsidies to compensate for having to run buses at reduced capacity. Out of the big 3, there's only GNE with the spare capacity to run enhanced services, where there is demand, and they are running bigger buses than normal on busy routes like the X20 and shadowing routes run by all operators at school chucking out time. They're only in that position because they made a massive order with wrightbus who went into administration, do those orders were delayed and they kept hold of the old vehicles that would otherwise have been sold on or scrapped. They've even been running a routemaster on peak angel 21s (as a back up to a psvar compliant vehicle)

Arriva scrapped and delisted a load of vehicles but have ended up reinstating some pretty old ones and acquiring back ups from elsewhere and have no spare capacity at all. I don't know as much about stagecoach but they seem to take any chance to cut services to the bone, anyhow.

@FrolickingLemon gosh that sounds really tough for you, I'm so sorry. This year has been absolutely crap - people are really struggling without their usual life lines of support.
I am a nurse at QEH, during the first wave I was redeployed to the front line as were most of my colleagues. We are still playing catch up now and I just feel so anxious that this will happen again and so many patients with other health problems will suffer from the NHS having to down tools all over again.

It's the people who give a shit who suffer, isn't it. Those with disabilities, poor mental health and/or families in that situation, worrying about how they will keep themselves or their loved ones afloat, within the law, even wondering if they'll see parents face to face, in decent health, again, while other people blatantly carry on as if there's nothing going on, anyway.

@PickAChew

It's the people who give a shit who suffer, isn't it. Those with disabilities, poor mental health and/or families in that situation, worrying about how they will keep themselves or their loved ones afloat, within the law, even wondering if they'll see parents face to face, in decent health, again, while other people blatantly carry on as if there's nothing going on, anyway.

Thank you for being so understanding. In fact the vast majority of this thread has really helped me and also made me a little teary knowing there are still compassionate people out there

@FrolickingLemon that sounds so hard. Sending hugs. I really feel like when things are tough for friends and family and people in the Internet! I want to be able to offer solutions. But I know we have to just sit with this shit and try to make the best of it.

@PickAChew yep about the worrying about seeing family in good health again. My grandma is in mher mud 80s and has some health issues. I'm starting to feel quite aware of missing time with her.

@AnxiousAlpaca I agree this is a really nice thread!

@FrolickingLemon What I really wanted to do was ask her to come round. But I didnt. I continue to support her remotely. This fucking stinks.

I would go to my friend in these circumstances. I had a friend who died of Covid in early April he was taken out of his home by a crew in hazard suits, his wife was left alone, unable to visit and she never saw him again. No one went to her because we were in lockdown, it added to her trauma

My daughter is a nurse who worked on the covid ward, my niece works in a care home where patients were sent when they emptied the wards. Their MH suffered they were working flat out, watching people die and worried for themselves. They struggle everyday wearing PPE while others moan that they can’t have a pint or go to the beach. We stayed away when our nearest and dearest needed us so much. It felt like a sacrifice worth making to protect them and our NHS.

If they need me now I would go to them, our MH can be so fragile. I will stay safe but I will protect those who are precious to me.

to all of you. We have a long road ahead. There are so many people in such difficult situations. It might seem impossible at times. It very well might get harder. But please know that we are here to support each other.