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Chris Whitty to hold briefing tomorrow

386 replies

molifly14 · 20/09/2020 22:09

According to sky news, Chris Witty is to hold a briefing tomorrow and will not be joined by any members of the cabinet or Boris Johnson and won't take questions. He will apparently discuss different scenarios.

Does that sound odd to anyone else and does this maybe mean no further restrictions this week, let's just try and scare us all into being good instead?

Link: Coronavirus: 'Critical point' in pandemic as UK infection rate heading in wrong direction, says chief medical officer news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-critical-point-in-pandemic-as-uk-infection-rate-heading-in-wrong-direction-says-chief-medical-officer-12077482

OP posts:
PineappleUpsideDownCake · 21/09/2020 07:04

Keziah that is my fear. If they thinknwe will need lockdown but without financial support this time lots of us will be truly buggererd. Especially small businesses and self employed. Reduncancies for many.
Combined with a messy brexit and all the things wrt supply chains and cost of food that currently is overshadowed.

Its looking a bit grim?!

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 21/09/2020 07:05

Chasing rainbows. Rule of 6 means you can mxi 6 households. Indoors. I was happier with 2 families (ao more than 6) outdoors...

MarshaBradyo · 21/09/2020 07:06

I don’t think they’ll aak businesses to shut because it’s too expensive. And asking them to without funding is just closing them in many cases.

Ohchristmastreeohchristmastree · 21/09/2020 07:07

Most people where I live are complying. There are some who are not, but I think I’ve seen about two people not wearing masks (aside from sunflower lanyard wearers) and most people are sticking to the rules.

Funnily enough I live in one of the areas least effected by Covid19.

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 21/09/2020 07:07

Marsha I dont think they will today ..... but Im suspecting they might habe no choice as winter depens.

Areyousureted · 21/09/2020 07:10

I am feeling a bit panicky about the winter. Maybe they will show us the graphs with the predicted deaths etc to try and get us on their side with respecting the rules

notevenat20 · 21/09/2020 07:11

Having looked into it some more, it seems the north is really in a second wave, the south isn’t and the midlands is somewhere in between. Is it actually possibly to isolate them from each other? I guess the govt could just ban travel but then millions can’t commute to work.

MarshaBradyo · 21/09/2020 07:13

Scientist on circuit break R4

  • two weeks not much impact. Cases double every three to four days, but takes about three weeks to halve. So you go up the hill quickly and takes ages to come back down. And it all just ramps up again after the break.
Areyousureted · 21/09/2020 07:18

Oh dear Marsha that doesn’t sound good. The comments in the daily mail are a bit shocking so many people don’t care and won’t follow the rules.

MarshaBradyo · 21/09/2020 07:20

Are he didn’t discount October as the time as agreed schools a priority.

But as a time period two weeks can be implemented but it’s not that effective. Hopefully they will get people to follow longer term restrictions that do not require closed businesses or schools.

IrenetheQuaint · 21/09/2020 07:22

The problem is the lack of enforcement of the existing measures. And that is a political problem which cannot be solved by the medical officers warning that transmission is increasing. The people who pay attention to Chris Whitty will almost exclusively be those who are complying with the laws in the first place.

Nellodee · 21/09/2020 07:24

But from that information, Marsha, this would be the situation with or without a 2 week break:

Start position 100%
2 weeks later without circuit break - doubles four times, so x 16
End position 1600%

Start position 100%
2 weeks later, after reduction, hasn't quite halved (I don't have my calc with me to do the maths) 65%

In other words, the difference between a circuit break and no circuit break is that we would have 25 times more cases with one than without one.

You are right in that it isn't a long term solution. However, we have a government that seems to have no long term thinking at all, so we shouldn't be surprised if they go for the short term fix.

RaspberrySkies · 21/09/2020 07:24

They are going to lock us down again over 1/2 term for 2 weeks.

Nellodee · 21/09/2020 07:24

Without one than with one!

notevenat20 · 21/09/2020 07:25

The problem is the lack of enforcement of the existing measures.

But isn’t it sad if we need the police to stop us infecting each other? I mean, it’s not like robbery where one party has a clear incentive.

Jossen · 21/09/2020 07:29

So the virus spreads more rapidly throughout households mixing as opposed to say people who frequent the pub, mixing in groups? I’m sorry I’m not sure if I believe that, not as a general rule anyway. If you go to a pub you are still breathing the same air in a confined space, and regardless of tables being separated this won’t completely stop the virus spreading. I have stuck to the rules throughout and have been happily seeing family, but it’s been staggered so that there isn’t too many of us together at any one time. I haven’t hugged my mum my dad my nan my grandma etc, I’ve kept my distance at all times, we are all fit and well, so I can assure you, at least in my case anyway, the virus hasn’t spread throughout our household due to carelessness. I realise not everyone sticks to the rules but a lot of people are.

MarshaBradyo · 21/09/2020 07:30

Nellodee yes he probably meant as a long term solution it’s not a good one.

GetOffYourHighHorse · 21/09/2020 07:32

'don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to understand that mixing is households is where it spreads. I can go to a restaurant yes but I’m well spaced from others and only there for maybe two hours. If had someone here at my house it can be for longer, in a smaller space and people are comfortable and naturally distance less'

I know! Tables set out in restaurants, whereas people don't socially distance when in people's homes.

It is all so depressing. People complain the government don't do enough then complain when they impose further restrictions because many people just can't or won't follow simple guidance. Then there's those who decide a cough is just a cold 'like they get every September' and they are carrying on as normal 🙄

IrenetheQuaint · 21/09/2020 07:32

@notevenat20

The problem is the lack of enforcement of the existing measures.

But isn’t it sad if we need the police to stop us infecting each other? I mean, it’s not like robbery where one party has a clear incentive.

Yes, but how do you think the existing laws should be enforced? I agree that there should be much more community engagement too, as clearly lots of people just don't understand the rules in their area.
Forgone90 · 21/09/2020 07:33

The biggest issue is there is no balance when whitty talks.... If we had 2 different speeches.. One from whitty and one from rishi, they would be completely different speeches and would Make people feel completely different than the other.

Whitty sole job is to get cases and deaths as low as possible so that 0.3% of the population survive this, where as rishis job is to make sure that millions of jobs are not lost, the economy doesn't tank and the future of our children is not spent paying for the covid years....

Personally I'm on the side of the economy but understand people on the other side. There is no way that can please everyone here.

Itisbetter · 21/09/2020 07:34

When is the announcement being made?

Eloundahigh · 21/09/2020 07:34

11 am

Forgone90 · 21/09/2020 07:36

The talk of circuit breakers makes me think they are much more confident of a vaccine soon. Circuit breakers are a 3-4 month solution... Maybe they are thinking that is all they need.. Who knows

QueenofmyPrinces · 21/09/2020 07:39

The argument about household spread is blatantly bullshit as it comes INTO the household from somewhere. So where? Pubs? Offices? School?

Why are we meant to be surprised about rates going up when people have largely (with government encouragement) gone back to normal? How would they not go up?
No masks in pubs, restaurants etc and no masks or distancing in schools. People back in offices who absolutely do not need to be there, sharing meeting rooms instead of zoom and group toilets instead of their own loos.

Exactly all of this.

Why are people shrieking about the fact transmission happens most in households as though it’s some big revelation? Of course it does - it’s hardly rocket science is it?!

But as has been said, the initial virus is being picked up somewhere and with life back to near enough normal and many, many places not requiring masks then of course transmission rates are going to climb.

The answer isn’t to stop people seeing their family, it’s to address the root cause which is socialising.....work, pubs, restaurants etc.

As a poster said earlier, if not socialising and masks are so vital then it needs to apply EVERYWHERE, not just where there isn’t a till. By saying you can’t see your family in a park, or even talk stop to talk to them in the street, but it’s fine to sit in a pub with them and other strangers, then the integrity of it all is lost.

Stopping us seeing our families and potential changes to education is not addressing the problem, it’s shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Whilst people are working unnecessarily alongside each other, and socialising in pubs and restaurants, then infection rates (and then deaths) will continue rising.

The answer is to close pubs, restaurants, go back to WFH and close non-essential places like hairdressers, beauticians, gyms, cinemas, libraries etc etc.

It won’t happen though because of the economic impact and the fact is such a drastic step backwards. And I genuinely do accept and understand that.

There is no real middle ground though is there.....the choice has to be made though: taking drastic measures or accepting that infection rates will climb.

Everything else the Government does, including rules like the Rule of 6 (which I think many are ignoring due to the reasons I said above) is just a short term solution and it means our lives are just going to be a roller coaster for the next 6 months as restrictions are put in place, then loosened, then put in place, then loosened, then put in place, then loosened again etc etc

I honestly don’t know how the Government are going to effectively deal with this.

I’m no fan of the Tory Party, and certainly no fan of Boris, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be in his position.

Plus......a virus is a virus, it has greater power than us and it’s just proving that as a species we are not immortal. It may be just a virus but it’s still slowly working it’s damaging ways throughout our species and maybe we are naive to think we can control it by masks and staying 2m away from other people.

As many threads have said in the past, until there is a safe and effective vaccine we will just have to accept that this is our life now and there’s nothing much we can do about it. Nothing we do will make the virus go away.

It’s a really horrible, difficult and uncertain period of our life and like I said, I wouldn’t want to be in Boris’s shoes.

NotAKaren · 21/09/2020 07:44

Boris doesn't work on Monday's