Is the North being thrown to the wolves?

[DilemmaDerby]

All those buying cities that were in growth Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds. A big red splotch over Yorkshire when parts are fine.

Not a theorist, total compliance at the beginning, but with the edicts of no non-essential travel in and out. It’s all going a bit Hunger Games for my liking!

*Bustling

I'm in an area of Yorkshire that isn't locked down, I'm in medium-high numbers. If we get fully locked down with areas such as Leeds/Bradford just because we're in Yorkshire you can forget me and my family complying. It'll definitely feel like we're being picked on.

Yes. It is unfair.

I'm in the north. We are throwing ourselves to the wolves as far as I can see.

The further restrictions are driven by the case numbers - not sure how that’s being thrown to the Wolves. Comply and get the case numbers down, the restrictions will ease. Just reading about all the fines handed out to students / young people in Manchester for parties at the weekend. Does make my blood boil.

Not in the North, but feeling for you all. I think lockdown should be more by postcode than country/ wider area...

Well not really, numbers are higher so they're avoiding a national lockdown for the sake of a few areas. Would you be happier to comply if it was needlessly the entire country?

I don't know anyone in the north who is sticking to the non-mixing of household rules and I have heard so many excuses for not using the app or wearing masks.

I do think the government is failing but I am surprised at how many people aren't willing to make any changes.

I understand a need for local lockdown but as someone in a lockdown area it’s frustrating when people assume it’s everyone not following the rules etc. For the most part in GM it’s fuelled by students, the vast majority of which are not from the area and are in halls. Not the fault of the locals but spreads like wildfire through the community. I haven’t seen family for months and I’m struggling as is everyone else I know. Talking to friends and family online is not the same.

@SonjaMorgan I’m in the North and everyone I know is. Where are you getting your info from? 😂

I don't know anyone in the north who is sticking to the non-mixing of household rules

We are. Total compliance here but yes, it's no surprise that infection rates are as high as they are.

It's going to cause racial unrest. Looking at Leeds CV data by area all the areas with low rates are poor white working class. Most areas with high rates are student areas or those areas with higher populations of BAME groups. I don't like where this could go!

I’m in the North and I’d agree with pp that I don’t know anybody sticking to the no mixing household rules. A lot wearing masks but it depends where you are. I’ve been in one supermarket in one area where hardly anybody had a mask and gave me strange looks for wearing one and been in another area where around 90% wearing one. Jam packed wherever you go.

The reason the government locks down cities & towns with high case rates is mainly to ease the pressure on the local hospitals.

Vast majority of the cities suffering high positive cases are university cities : Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Exeter...it was always going to spread once schools and universities started back!

I also 'live in the north' and dont know anyone who ISN'T sticking to the rules.
My kids go to school but dont even play in the park with friends afterwards despite having been in a classroom all day with them.
We dont have friends over and dont meet on a wkend because of the rule of 6.
I just go for walks and up with one of my friends for coffee once or twice a week. Its dismal.
I really hope we see some tighter restrictions from boris this week so we can get numbers down otherwise this will just trundle on for months.

@SonjaMorgan

I don't know anyone in the north who is sticking to the non-mixing of household rules and I have heard so many excuses for not using the app or wearing masks.

I do think the government is failing but I am surprised at how many people aren't willing to make any changes.

I'm in "the North" and nearly everyone is complying. Some might take the odd calculated risk but the idea that most people are galavanting around without their masks and in and out of each other's homes is a bit of a myth.

#meet up

South only 3 weeks maximum behind.

A large proportion of the infections in Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield are in the student population. That's clear from uni information and looking at the graphs.

Closing pubs won't stop students socialising, it will just drive it underground in less controlled settings. Hammering jobs and destroying the local economy on the way.

@Napqueen1234. 🌷I'm sure there are people, like you, following the rules and I really feel for you being surrounded by so many that aren't. Especially the 'imports' to Uni's etc.

Quite a few people need to get the chip off their shoulder though!!

being picked on. honestly, they sound about 9 years old. Measures are stricter where numbers are higher, it's not a 'pick in the north'.

I'm in the SE. I WISH they would put measures in place now as though our numbers are currently lower, they are riding! I coukd day WE are. Ring thrown to the wolves, because they're waiting until more people die before doing anything.

It's a shit show from one end of the country to the other.

They need to close school & Uni's and admit they were wrong!

They also need to close down non essential shops/leisure/etc. Basically back to lockdown proper everywhere

They opened up too much/too soon! They need to admit it and get a fucking grip on it!!

being picked on. honestly, they sound about 9 years old. Measures are stricter where numbers are higher, it's not a 'pick in the north'.
I agree with this. Any excuse to bring up the 'North–South Divide' thing.

I'm in a part of London that I suspect will be under stricter measures soon. It isn't just the north (and anyway places under restrictions include Leicester and Cardiff, not 'the north' by any stretch.)

@cathyandclare

A large proportion of the infections in Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield are in the student population. That's clear from uni information and looking at the graphs.

Closing pubs won't stop students socialising, it will just drive it underground in less controlled settings. Hammering jobs and destroying the local economy on the way.

Yes. Closing pubs & not dealing with the uni Student issue is pointless

They need to be sent home (Govt to pay for halls/flats until at least Summer Term) any of them who don't have homes they can return to, can be housed in the flats, in small numbers & be a household as far as rules are concerned

Well I’m in the North and my area seems to be complying, our rates are still fairly low. But when we are getting thrown in with areas that aren’t that blanket thrown to the wolves. It just is.

Would you be happier to comply if it was needlessly the entire country

The problem is, it's starting to seem like much of the North was needlessly locked down in March/April when it should have been largely London and the South East. This is quite feasibly their first real wave but people's tolerance for restrictions was used up earlier in the year when it perhaps wasn't really necessary.

I’ve been in one supermarket in one area where hardly anybody had a mask and gave me strange looks for wearing one and been in another area where around 90% wearing one

This is interesting though. I'm not convinced by the efficacy of masks but mask wearing is uniformly 98%+ in all the shops and supermarkets where I am (approx 45 minutes North of London) and, although our rates are climbing, we're well under the UK average. PP made 90% seem like good compliance whereas here that would be poor. And I've definitely never seen a shop where hardly anyone wears one. Maybe that makes a difference too.

@Tadpolesandfroglets both mine and DHs families and our friends. All have been mixing households and some have had friends visiting from other areas of the country. MIL is unwell and in an at risk group but still visits her grandchildren twice a week who have been at school.