Schools aren't driving this, poverty is

[ThinkAboutItTomorrow]

I look at the maps of cases hotspots and then the map of deprivation hotspots and it's hard not to see a link.

They need to stop making the rules harder and just enable people to follow the rules in place - cover any lost income from isolating.

Those more exposed to covid are in lower paid roles in lots of contact with the public - carers, retail, hospitality, factory workers etc.
If they don't go to work they can't pay bills or even feed their family as they have no savings cushion and companies pay SSP at best or nothing if zero hours / self employed. They can't afford to piss off employers as the job market is precarious.
If they are exposed to hundreds of strangers a day in work I can understand (while not agreeing) that not seeing friends and family seems pointless. I can serve my mum as a customer in my shop / cafe but can't visit her at home

And to pile on the pain the poorest areas have the most cases and now the most economically disastrous lock down.

So not only are they suffering most now BECAUSE they have low income insecure jobs but they are heading for an even worse downturn that will kill even more jobs

This is so true. Where I live secondary schools that are surrounded with more affluent area have stayed open, schools in the poorer area have closed after only opening 2 days and are still closed. These children are being failed hugely. The online system isn’t working properly, the teachers seemed to have given up as they are overwhelmed with the logistics of it all.

So many factors.

Large BAME populations.
Overcrowding
Multigenerational households
Keyworker jobs
Poor health, obesity, co-morbidities.

It's not rocket science.

But for all the hand wringing on here, what do you actually suggest? That all key workers in food industries, healthcare, logistics, security and law enforcement down tools and self isolate and stay at home?

The country would grind to a halt. People would not be able to find food. There would be panic and lawlessness. Mumsnetters would not be able to get their Waitrose and Amazon deliveries.

It would be disastrous.

Fucking phone has removed all my paragraphs.

@THisbackwithavengeance yes. My suggestion is the government puts their money where their rules are and funds people on low income PROPERLY to self isolate when needed.

I think the highest case rates are

Yeap, the map of covid in Mexico City is a map of the poorest areas too.

But for all the hand wringing on here, what do you actually suggest? That all key workers in food industries, healthcare, logistics, security and law enforcement down tools and self isolate and stay at home?

Well the low hanging fruit is legislation for the state to make up the full wages of people who need to isolate, don't get paid in full when they do it and who can't wfh. Up to a certain income level, at least. That's the easy part.

Not completely true. Hull has areas of deprivation, but relatively few cases. I think the wind off the North Sea might be helping.

So does the south west of England, where there is real poverty in some areas but low covid. It's just one of several factors, but it's true that the areas with the current highest rates are, as a group, more deprived than the UK average.

They have Increased UC by around 1K a year and giving £500 to each person who has to self isolate as well who is on it. presumably for each working household member, which is something...

on top of main UC I mean

@Orangeblossom7777

They have Increased UC by around 1K a year and giving £500 to each person who has to self isolate as well who is on it. presumably for each working household member, which is something...

It is, but it also still leaves some people unable to afford the costs of isolation. That's inevitable, unless incomes are matched.

I used to follow this back in April/May until they stopped publishing. A risk rating based om factors such as healthcare and resources.
Areas of deprivation, including my local town, topped the list:

www.progressive-policy.net/covid-19-local-area-risk-rating-april-6

Similar with these stats on pneumonia- Wales, Midlands, NW and NE having high rates in recent years...

statistics.blf.org.uk/pneumonia

If you scroll down, there is a map which is near identical to the map of high areas of covid and deprivation... also a bit depressing to read only Slovakia and Romania have worse rates for pneumonia than the UK...