What’s going to happen to ‘the North’?

[Napqueen1234]

I say ‘the north’ as I’m well aware it’s hugely varied (Am a northerner myself) but for arguments sake we will bung it all together.

In ‘local lockdown’ for weeks now but numbers still climbing. Other areas going into lockdown/increased restrictions whatever you prefer at a fast rate. The north on the whole seems much more affected than the south.

What will they do next? Surely they can’t enforce a ‘proper’ lockdown for just the north? Or just close northern schools? FWIW none of this has been mentioned but if numbers continue to rise surely more action is needed. I completely understand if you’re in a v low case area the idea of a national lockdown would be infuriating but can you ‘lockdown’ a huge part of the country?

Will it create a further divide and stigmatise the north generally? Will house prices plummet even in nice areas as no one wants to move if theyre likely to be severely restricted?

I know I sound a bit hysterical and I’m not trying to scare monger I just genuinely don’t know what the next steps are going to be for us up here (NW, rates >200/100,000 and rising). Not only that but the idea of us having all bars and restaurants closed and not allowed to see any other families/households when other parts of the country now makes me feel very envious and depressed.

parts of the north can be very unruly

This is hilarious. Maybe you should build a wall? Keep the hooligans out

You mean the north of England

@userxx funnily enough neither have I, and I live in the North.

We can be extremely unruly. Please let us go and form our own independent state.

But what is the end game here? This is what I am struggling to understand! We lockdown, then we open up, and of course it spreads (which is inevitable), so what is the point of delaying the inevitable! As soon as people start mixing it will spread. Are we just going to lockdown for the rest of our lives? Originally we locked down to flatten the curve to help hospitals, but now we are locking down to stop it spreading at all, even though hospitals are coping fine? I am so confused by it all.

Yes an independent state does sound fun!

Yes the north of England.

I’m not selfish inasmuch as I want to have a big party or get pissed or hug my random mates. I want to be able to go to work and earn a living as does my partner without constant fear of continuous periods of self isolation or rules that affect our business hugely and could push us into debt/bankruptcy. At the moment I sadly care more about my own family than about random people’s vulnerable relatives im sorry. My own family who are vulnerable I message face time etc all the time but wouldn’t see as I don’t want to risk it.

We keep levels low until we work out how to treat/cure it

All of which should happen in hopefully in large scale before next summer.

@Tadpolesandfroglets Me too ;)

A vaccine in a year? That is trust worthy? Very unlikely. So we just stay like this for the next few years.

You don't do a tax return it's a P87 form.

wrong thread

@userxx great. We are in agreement!

I agree that York is busy, but it is a ghost town compared to Padstow!!!
dont be so fucking stupid.
You cant compare a city to a little town.
But what about the South-West, why haven't they been affected as badly. Not that I want them to be, I'm just interested in the reasons
The places in the North where rates are high are major cities, commercial hubs, city centres packed at weekends with tourists - Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham. You cant compare them to rural areas in the south west that are sparsely populated

The York/Padstow comment was quite obviously meant to be jokey.

However, having been in Leeds and Bristol extensively, they are both busy and vibrant cities with large student populations. The difference in infection rates is dramatic. Is it because of more areas of deprivation, BAME communities and multigenerational living? Or is it the ' unruly northerners'?

The comment wasnt 'obviously' a joke at all. Maybe you could explain the joke as I don't get it, and it you followed it up with further comments re Cornwall being rammed, there was no context for a joke at all.
I take it then that your last comment cathyandclare was 'jokey' as well. I certainly hope so anyway

You obviously have an issue with me.
What exactly is it that has irritated you?

I'm a southwesterner living in the north. I am interested in the difference in the rates of infections in different demographics. York was busy, Bristol was busy, Cornwall was busy, Leeds was actually very quiet when lockdown eased, although it's become busier at night recently.

I don't believe it's just because northerners don't keep to the rules. Many, many southwestern friends are very relaxed. Equally I don't think there is more immunity in the SW because Leeds and the surrounding area was harder hit than the SW in the Spring.

The unruly northerners comment was a quote from a pp further up the thread.

What exactly is it that has irritated you? I'm a southwesterner living in the north

I think that's what is irritating about your posts. That you are clearly from Cornwall but pretending to be northern and simultaneously bigging Cornwall up and putting northerners down. Your comment for instance that people from the south west are "made of stronger stuff than us northerners" is bizarre in that context.
Cornwall was busy after lockdown when rates across the UK were very very low and then the tourist season was over so not surprising that rates remain low. Bristol as a city is quite isolated geographically compared to cities with high rates of infection such as Liverpool and Manchester and cities in the Midlands where people work and socialise between cities. The unruly northerners comment is just laughable.

@XiCi

What exactly is it that has irritated you? I'm a southwesterner living in the north

I think that's what is irritating about your posts. That you are clearly from Cornwall but pretending to be northern and simultaneously bigging Cornwall up and putting northerners down. Your comment for instance that people from the south west are "made of stronger stuff than us northerners" is bizarre in that context.
Cornwall was busy after lockdown when rates across the UK were very very low and then the tourist season was over so not surprising that rates remain low. Bristol as a city is quite isolated geographically compared to cities with high rates of infection such as Liverpool and Manchester and cities in the Midlands where people work and socialise between cities. The unruly northerners comment is just laughable.

I didn't make the unruly northerners, comment, it was a quote from an irritating earlier post. As you well know, as you commented on it before.

I am not from Cornwall, in fact I've only ever been there a few times. I live in Yorkshire and have done for most of my life now. I love it here.

I genuinely am looking for reasons why our cases are soaring because I don't see different behaviours. The cases in student areas in Leeds are very high, 86 in one MSOA, but students in Leeds don't behave any differently from students in Bristol. Both have students coming from all around the country.

Anyway, you have totally misinterpreted my posts and obviously want to pick a fight, so I'm signing off.

Could it just be density of folk? Leeds/Manchester/Bradford and Liverpool even, are all very close and when I was a student there, lots of visiting between cities. Outbreaks do just seem to spring out of control in areas and this has happened elsewhere, including the South.

Yes I think so

This is the population density map

www.researchgate.net/figure/Gridded-UK-population-density-based-on-the-UK-census-at-the-5-km-5-km-grid-spatial_fig8_281137363

This is the Covid Live map

www.covidlive.co.uk/

The two do map fairly consistently

Then as posters are always keen to point out the more you have the easier is spreads

They are busy places for sure, and now with the uni's starting it's just spreading like wildfire. I know of three people who tested positive yesterday, 2 at Leeds and 1 at Manchester met.

I’m in the SE and we were pretty hard hit the first time round. I know many friends in my town who had it (though there wasn’t testing they all had classic symptoms the week before lockdown). People were dropping like flies round here.

I also remember Devon was actually one of the first places with an increase in cases back in Feb/early March. DS went on a school trip back when they were allowed and I was slightly concerned. I’m sure there was a discussion on here about Bath having many cases the first time round.

I don’t think the North was as hard hit so maybe this is their first wave so to speak.

I think people are also fed up and there are more large towns up there with higher population densities.

The population density map is very interesting- thanks for sharing it.

Apologies that I haven't read the entire thread. I feel for you OP and everyone in this situation.

I'm from Leicestershire and wanted to point out that soon after initial lockdown was released, we were locked back down including closing non essential retail and schools, we could not see family and we had to cancel all holidays- often would no refunds as the government made no provision for this.

It was awful, and chaotic and it felt like no one gave a damn about us and we were just left with an enormous blanket area of lockdown.

Some areas have been realised but not many. So many people have been in a living hell since march. Peoples lives have become very hard and they are sad and angry. This has been going ion for months and months.

So you are not alone, but sadly it seems people don't care and won't fight for issues outside their own area. For example how many northerners struggling with this have the Leicester plight a second thought?!