Do you actually think we will go into a second lockdown?

[Jods90]

As in schools, non essential shops, hospitality etc all closed.

If I'd have heard this speculation last month I wouldn't have entertained it, especially with how reluctant Boris was to lockdown in the first place.

Yet people on here sound so sure it's about to happen again. I'm not arguing against the possibility, I'm just shocked.

The economy cannot survive another period of the type of lockdown we saw in March, surely not.

The organisation that manages out local leisure centres (fusion) appears to have gone bust meaning our gyms/pools never reopened after lockdown, they were a huge organisation and already v successful. I fear this spells curtains for many businesses if it happens

The government seem very keen to keep schools open. Even Whitty said schools should be open. I would have thought a national lockdown similar to the current local lockdowns where schools and businesses stay open but you can't visit households and maybe a curfew.

what is the point of a curfew?

@Ecosse

I really hope not- we now have w very good idea of exactly who is at risk from the virus. The fact is that the vast majority of us are not.

We need to throw our resources at protecting those who are vulnerable and pay their wages to stay at home. The rest of us need to keep the economy going to make sure we can afford the NHS services the vulnerable rely on in future.

We also need to put NHS staff on emergency contracts so they can be moved around the country to where local spikes are. It makes no sense locking down due to lack of NHS capacity in Birmingham when you have nurses sitting idle in Plymouth.

We need to use every single bed and every single HCP before we even thing about a lockdown that would destroy the economy.

It isn’t realistic to put HCPs on emergency contracts and make them move around the country at the drop of a hat. Most of them have families or other commitments which makes this impossible. Plus each NHS trust works differently with different systems, computer systems for a start. It isn’t as easy as working in one hospital one day and another another. Lots of us move around for our jobs (trainee doctors for example) but we are meant to have an induction etc and even then the first weeks after rotation can be chaotic.

I don't think the 10pm curfew does much but it sounds like the government is doing something to control the virus.

they are planning to keep some hospitals covid free, in big cities at least

@Tomatoesneedtoripen

what is the point of a curfew?

I've no idea, unless they think that the virus only wakes up and begins spreading after 10pm.

Up until last week I'd have been very surprised if they closed schools and returned to home learning. All our DC's returned to school on 11 August, no social distancing and no bubbles and we were told that exams would def be happening next year. I'd have thought pubs etc would close before schools again
THEN last week we got an email asking to advise the school of what IT equipment each individual child had for remote learning. They haven't sent this out for no reason.

I really hope the schools don't close again. I have high school DC's, who could look after themselves during the day if I have to return to the office instead of home working so it's not a childcare concern for me but for their actually learning and mental health I think it would have a huge negative impact

I’m in local lockdown, I imagine this will be rolled out nationwide. 10pm curfew and no socialising in households or gardens.

Most people in my local area are ignoring these rules. Some totally taking the piss and others still mixing households due to childcare

Chris whitty apparently giving a press conference at 11am.
Now can't remember where I read it 🙄

Whitty doing the warm-up act today, setting the scene for something official later in the week. Remember that the Speaker has told off Johnson/Hancock several times for making announcements via press conference and not to Parliament.

A second lockdown is almost inevitable, but they'll try and avoid it with a "circuit break" - two or three weeks of stricter national restrictions, but keeping schools and workplaces open.

The problem is the timing. If an October circuit break doesn't work (honestly, who thinks it will if the kids are still mixing at school?) the very big political risk for Johnson is that he may end up having to play the Sheriff Of Nottingham and cancelling christmas for a full-scale lock-down. I can already imagine the political cartoons and pantomime jokes about that one.

And never mind christmas, this could mean entering a post-transition No Deal under lock-down. Time to double-up the stash of bog roll under the stairs.

@CaledoniaCatalan

Up until last week I'd have been very surprised if they closed schools and returned to home learning. All our DC's returned to school on 11 August, no social distancing and no bubbles and we were told that exams would def be happening next year. I'd have thought pubs etc would close before schools again THEN last week we got an email asking to advise the school of what IT equipment each individual child had for remote learning. They haven't sent this out for no reason.

I really hope the schools don't close again. I have high school DC's, who could look after themselves during the day if I have to return to the office instead of home working so it's not a childcare concern for me but for their actually learning and mental health I think it would have a huge negative impact

Unfortunately this is already happening in the sense thousands aren't currently in school, including one of my healthy two year 10s, who was back for just a week. It's unsustainable.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/more-8000-well-kids-school-18958533

it is so difficult for school children,
perhaps the schools need to be looking more for the actual symptoms rather than a random cough to send the children home!

My son's 'out' of school due to a positive case in an options class though. There are several confirmed cases at his secondary school and at his twin's secondary school, so there are clearly lots of genuine, confirmed cases doing the rounds too.
I don't know what the solution is with the current set up as I've read on here about the number of covers already needed for teaching staff.

I still think schools will stay open. Also, the idea that the government plans anything more than about day in advance is ludicrous. If we've learnt one thing since March, it's that.

Schools won't shut. I can't see anyone putting up with that! Pubs to shut first rather than schools.
But who knows?

I was watching the 10pm news last night and the reporter was talking to some young women in the outside area of a pub.

"I don't see why I should have to go home at 10 o clock when all of the schools and nurseries are open"

Self centred, ignorant cow.

The only way the country can cope is if people stop looking to blame others and take collective responsibility. That means not justifying making exceptions for yourself because you think someone else is doing something wrong.

It's highly likely that schools and pubs are probably going to have to shut, and foreign holiday travel and bingo are both going to have to be suspended for a period of time.

Whitty and Vallance are making a good go at getting across the seriousness of the situation we could be facing. I'm not entirely sure the public is open to this level of calm, rational, intelligent argument.

@Headwobbles

I was watching the 10pm news last night and the reporter was talking to some young women in the outside area of a pub.

"I don't see why I should have to go home at 10 o clock when all of the schools and nurseries are open"

Self centred, ignorant cow.

Yup. It is a well known fact that covid is nocturnal.

No. Schools, at least, will remain open.

I see them putting a curfew on bars and restaurants and going back to urging those that can work from home to do so, combined with local lockdowns.

@Tomatoesneedtoripen

what is the point of a curfew?

I suppose it stops people being able to be out getting v drunk in clubs etc, seeing photos of crowds in some city centres. Maybe aimed at students/younger people.

Yes. They are trailing it by saying it's a 'possibility'. To me that suggests it's nailed on. This shit show of a government. I'm incandescent at how badly they have handled it today.

@MurrayTheMonk

Yes. They are trailing it by saying it's a 'possibility'. To me that suggests it's nailed on. This shit show of a government. I'm incandescent at how badly they have handled it today.

How badly they have handled what?

What has been handled? A briefing by the top two scientists.

Why has it been handled badly?

Why are you incandescent?

@MurrayTheMonk HELLO!!!

You're back! How is work??

Many of us on the Worried about Coronavirus thread (recently not very successfully revived) and iirc, on the Data and Numbers thread we're worried that you hadn't been seen for months. We recalled your horrendous care home conditions back in March and hoped things had at least been a bit better.

Sugar-not handled it today. That read wrong. How badly they've handled the whole thing, period.

August-hi... still muddling through at work. Working with a closed staff team so no bank or agency-so still struggling to cover all
The shifts as we were short staffed before all this started.Team are exhausted.As am I.
Our weekly test kits arrived today. First ones we've had in all this time apart from ones individual staff members ordered in the summer.But no guidance on how to get them picked up once they are done!

Still can't test the service users who can't tolerate the swab test due to disability. No Alternative test methods available.

Trying to stock pile PPE-don't want to go through the scrabble to get gloves again.

Still we haven't lost anyone (touch wood). I've closed to visitors again (I'm ignoring current gov guidance that you can have up to 6 in ). Just don't want to risk it. Bracing for a horrible winter.

Maybe later Nov/Dec time.

Depends on numbers really.