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.

I take 'advisory' to mean: Look at your own situation and apply logic.
Indeed, I’m sure that’s how it’s intended. Unfortunately most people take ‘advisory’ to mean “I don’t have to comply with that because it’s not the law”. And that’s exactly why we need to have LAWS not ADVICE.

www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/16588/North-East-calls-for-local-restrictions-change-on-childcare

This is on Gateshead Council website. Obviously getting a lot of feedback regarding family and informal childcare.

And that’s exactly why we need to have LAWS not ADVICE.

Well some of it has been made LAW and it’s reasonable to therefore take that more seriously than the other stuff which is ADVICE. It seems appropriate to me that people be allowed to apply a bit of discretion about their own circumstances to what, for example, constitutes “essential” travel on public transport. A blanket law would not be at all appropriate in that case.

Who is going to police these laws? How will our judicial system cope?

Look at how much time and money Newcastle Councils Bus lane appeal has cost. Imagine the appeals against human rights if the government went total Orwellian?

There are people who do not agree with the government’s lockdown, there are people who believe in herd community. We can not force them to comply.

It’s understandable that we can feel irritated and annoyed with others but we can only be responsible for ourselves.

@BessieSurtees. A friends mine's neighbour lost her husband at the beginning of the last lockdown.She was not allowed to go to his funeral.
She was sent a video of his coffin being carried into the crematorium.As a result she went to pieces.

I am just dreading it happening again.

@nildesparandum that’s dreadful, a funeral, the comfort of friends and family is part of the grieving process, not being able to grieve properly must have a devastating effect.

Just caught up on whole thread:

I've just returned to work in the NHS after mat leave. I rely on GPs to do childcare. I'm hoping they overturn the law on that but I can't see it. But I also see GPs on non working days as I love to see them. Not seeing them at all again will affect my mental health.

What has really pissed me off is the advisory rule for one household in a pub or restaurant. Some have posted on their websites that this will be the case but I know they are not doing that at all as groups of friends with tables booked are still going & pub has agreed it's okay.

I'm finding it difficult that I won't go out for a special occasion coming up due to my own personal view but this will likely go ahead without me & I'll look like the bad person for not going when I'll likely break the law for the GP issue.

It's all feeling so very pointless here.

I get it. I absolutely get that they want to reduce our social contact. But it's so fucking hard. Yesterday I walked to school with a friend and back with our kids. We live a few metres away from each other and walked the same route to the same place at the same time. It's not like we can avoid it.

It feels so crap that our kids can't play together. But I do get it as normally my dd would call on @stealthpolarbear dd at the weekend but they are different schools so obviously sensible to not.

But so many people on local FB pages going on about how it is advisory only to not go to pub etc with people outside of your household and so many pubs posting that on their pages and clearly stating they will not stop people. So what's that fucking point in me not sitting out at the park with the same people I have done all summer having a chat and a drink while our kids play?

I won't. I will obey the guidance where possible because I want to be responsible. Plus as a health professional I have a duty to be seen to be socially responsible.

for so many on this thread fucked over or struggling because of this shit.

Some have posted on their websites that this will be the case but I know they are not doing that at all as groups of friends with tables booked are still going & pub has agreed it's okay.

They're silly as if we not get a handle on this they all risk full closure.

I think the whole country will be under this rule of thumb soon.

But so many people on local FB pages going on about how it is advisory only to not go to pub etc with people outside of your household and so many pubs posting that on their pages and clearly stating they will not stop people
This is exactly the point I was making about advisory rules being a waste of time. Either make it the law or don’t even bother mentioning it, because people aren’t going to comply if it’s only advisory.

I agree it feels a bit hopeless. There are too many variables and the people who were flouting the rules last week are going to continue to do so this week. My friends and family have all cancelled plans this weekend, but I feel like the majority are being punished for the minority.

If the government need to stop people gathering in pubs and houses then they need to specifically target them rather than telling us all we can't socialise and use relatives for childcare, it feels like using a hammer to crack a nut ( a very large nut I will give you that)

I've been reading tweets, off to the Lakes, off to the Borders to avoid this lockdown, not a thought that they may actually break the rules. In a team meeting a colleague said she was so lucky to book her holiday abroad this fortnight, so she was mingling in Newcastle Airport then boarded a plane full of people but we cant visit our mams.

I have seen posts about pubs opening an hour earlier and talks of lock ins and we just know people will go back to each others houses. Others blatently saying I'm not going to work with 12 people and then not have a pint with my mates.

I think the only way this will make a difference is if the gov or LA have some sort of community policing or inspectors to monitor the business, target the landlords, if they are not complying fine them or close them down. If there are groups gathering in homes then fine the homeowner or tenant.

All this fudging about is not going to work and that worries me the most.

for everyone finding it hard. I'm an antisocial grump who hates crowds so haven't found lockdown as hard, but feel sorry for my dcs who inherited their grandmother's love of people and who want to be out with their friends.

I'm really surprised that pubs would break the rules to be honest.
My business insurance is invalid if I don't stick to government guidance and they could be shut down if they are found not to be 'Covid secure'.

Somebody DD knows went out last night with her housemates and they were asked for proof that they all lived together (this was a bar on the quayside). One of them went home to get their tenancy agreements. So some bars are policing it properly. Also town was dead last night for a Friday apparently. That will change by next week when the students are back I expect.

I can see the rules that have been applied in the NE and yesterday in the NW being applied to the whole country by next weekend. I don't know how effective it'll be if workplaces, schools, bars etc are all still open but neither do I think they should all close (so many jobs at risk). I don't have the answers but thankfully I'm not in charge.

What do we all have planned for today? We were going to go up the coast for a pint at that lovely micropub in Monkseaton station - we were there a few weeks ago and were really impressed with how they handled things. Not going now, though. One of the worst things about lockdown last time was not seeing the sea for months - the coast is one of the best things about living here!

I’ve read 2 news articles this morning, one about pubs and bars being packed in Newcastle and one about pubs and bars being empty. So who knows! A restaurant local to me posted on their Facebook page about having had almost all its bookings for the next 2 weeks cancelled. I really feel for the people running these businesses, in some ways this part-opening is potentially worse than full lockdown when at least there was a little bit of financial support available.

Usually have Sunday dinner with my parents, DS and our kids every weekend, and that’s not happening for the foreseeable future. My mum seems to think this is just for the next 2 weeks which seems wildly over optimistic.

I can’t promise I won’t coincidentally be at the playground at the same time as them, I’m not prepared to keep DD away from her grandparents and cousin for months again, she’s too little to understand and it’s bad for all of us.

Ooh @PennyDreadful that little pub is nice. You could still go? But do you just not feel comfortable? We didn't do a lot of stuff you could do such as EOTHO. We did go to the cinema once and it was complete dead like 4 couples in a massThat sounds good that the pub are actually enforcing it.

I'm still feeling fairly poorly so a day in bed / on the sofa. I'm feeling a bit better than I was so starting to process things and pt feeling a bit more down.

I really get what people are saying about the behaviour of others having a negative impact on them. Which is hard and frustrating. But then this illness has hit me quite hard (I do have some other health issues and get the flu jab) anyway it's gas made me think if I did get covid it would hit me quite hard. So in an entirely selfish way I want to be cautious to protect myself. Equally I don't want loved ones to get ill. So I'm trying to see the new measures as helping keep us safe.

But yes aware that this might not be needed if everyone had been more responsible.

So today I won't be doing much. I'm watching battle star galactica on I player at the moment. I've watched it loads of times but it's an excellent series, although a bit dark.

Meant to say in massive screen

Today I had planned a catch up lunch with an old friend in Hexham and tonight I was going to see the Kaiser Chiefs in a plastic pod, but neither is happening now. So I'm spending the day gardening.

We were meant to be meeting friends today but have cancelled. Was also planning on going to my parents for the afternoon tomorrow, that’s also cancelled. Think it’ll be another day in the garden instead.

I think my approach this time round is that I definitely won’t go into anyone’s house or let anyone in mine. I won’t meet anyone anywhere indoors - restaurants, bars etc. But I am hoping to meet my parents for walks in the woods (where there’s literally no one else around) so my DS can see his GPs. We’ll stay socially distanced but I cannot let my son suffer like he did during the last lockdown. My DS is adopted and has already gone through so much trauma related to loss with his birth family and foster family that when he stopped being able to see his friends and family during the national lockdown, it completely changed him. His behaviour changed, his sleep changed and he totally regressed - it was awful to see. I’ll be doing all I can to stay within the rules and advisory rules all the while protecting my son from more trauma.

Morning all. Well I didn't have any plans today, but it has been a shit week and my boyfriend had some crap news last night.
I will continue to be strict regarding no indoor contact. Never went to the pub anyway. Didnt do EOTHO. But I've just messaged my boyfriend and told him I'm going for a walk in Holywell Dene at x time.
If I happen to see him there, so be it.

Hi everyone hope we already all alright today,

We are staying home. Probs a walk with the little ones later to break the day up.

I'm poised to see if my friend who is going out checks in & puts pictures up on social media. I doubt anyone will bat an eyelid though

@DaddysGirl36

We are staying home. Probs a walk with the little ones later to break the day up.

I'm poised to see if my friend who is going out checks in & puts pictures up on social media. I doubt anyone will bat an eyelid though

I’ve already seen my first “sod the rules, I’m going out with the girls” post and just groaned with despair. The person who posted it had suspected Covid back at the start of the first lockdown but couldn’t figure out where she’d got it from so concluded it could only have came in with her Sainsbury’s shopping delivery. She clearly forgot she’d been here, there and everywhere for the previous two weeks “supporting local businesses when they need it most” and had posted every place she’d been to on Instagram. I despair at the thought processes some people have these days!

I'm still in bed. Exhausted with it all.

Today will be mainly spent lazing around. Joints are protesting after a busy week so I'm tucked up on the sofa with tea, biscuits and Christmas magazines.