Anyone in Greater Manchester, what do you want?

[starfish4]

Just wondering what the people of Greater Manchester want regarding it's Tier level? I'm aware your stuck in the middle of this mess with little say

1. Tier 3 to reduce the virus levels and save lives, long term side affects

1. Tier 2 (i) to help the economy or (ii) so you can continue to enjoy your lives as much as possible helping your mental health

1. Two week circuit break (i) for your area or (ii) whole country

I want a decision. We've been in something similar to tier 2 since the end of July and cases are still rising. Stockport is the only borough under 300/100k (at 296). Bolton came down a lot under what was effectively tier 3 but is the on the rise again. I think we did see a spike due to university cases so central Manchester is actually decreasing but places like Wigan are rising rapidly.

Tier 2 feels okay at the moment, but I'm in Stockport and I don't think there's a suggestion that they'll split the boroughs. But to be honest my life won't be that different if tier 2/3 apart from not being able to have family in the garden. I feel for the small businesses that won't recover and Andy Burnham is doing a great job at advocating for them. It's very much here - lady across the road is in hospital with COVID and at DH's school and the DTs' school cases are popping up with increasing frequency.

Also in Stockport here. I don't know anyone who has been ill with the virus. I am unsure what the best choice is. I don't believe moving into Tier 3 will help. Those who are spreading the virus by being irresponsible will not abide by the higher restrictions and closing businesses is going to cost people their jobs and livelihoods. In my opinion there should have been a two week circuit breaker from the beginning of October when there was a chance to break the cycle of infection before the furlough scheme ended. But too late for that now.
.

Im in Tameside which has just tipped into 300/100000 and sits above Stockport.

I listened to Richard Lees on BBC news earlier and the council have suggested to government protecting the vunerable, stopping the selling of alcohol at 10pm, investing in local track and trace and given powers to shut any non covid compliant business and the ability to stop organised bonfire parties etc .

Surley this should all be part of tier 2 anyway?? - so Id like tier 2 with the above additions

I'm in Stockport too!

I'd like a 2 week circuit breaker for the whole country and I'd like GM to go into tier 3. Basically, I want to do and try anything and everything that brings the numbers down... I don't believe we can rely on people being sensible, so we have to have rules in place to make us...

I'm a labour supporter, but Andy B is pissing me off at the moment - he's playing politics with our wellbeing and I'm gobsmacked that he's being allowed to do it, frankly.

Lancashire so tier 3 also being contemplated
At this point I'm just wanting a decision. Stop pissing about and if you're going to restrict things further, surely do it now rather than when it's actually falling down around you and cases are going sky high

My parents are in Greater Manchester in an area that was locked down and hasn't been out, unlike Stockport. We're in High Peak, but not the Glossop area. There's so much confusion over what the Tiers mean I honestly think a two week circuit breaker for the whole country would be best now. A short, sharp shock if you like. The problem with the relaxation of the lockdown is that many, many people haven't stuck to social bubbles and their lives have been back to normal essentially. With schools going back this has added to the sense of, "why should I bother?"

1. A circuit breaker. This would need to be 3 weeks long to be effective.

Local restrictions have not worked so far and with evidence showing less than 4% of infections are coming from the hospitality sector I don't see how closing pubs will help.

The government needs a plan for a series of circuit breakers preferably linked to school holidays.

If the numbers are above a certain level the circuit break is implemented including temporary school closures with a concrete date for schools to return to avoid what happened last time.

Cancel the Dido/serco contact and invest heavily in local test track and trace, this will pay off in the long term.

This would not eliminate the virus but it will get numbers low enough for a properly functioning track and trace and isolate program to do their bit.

I'm in Tameside. I think a national circuit breaker should be introduced. I trust the scientists first and foremost. I would be happy to go into Tier 3 after that if need be, but we should try that first as it has most chance of succeeding.

Andy Burnham is listening to the experts.

I said to DH earlier this week @DottyDotAgain that this could backfire on him massively. I think he possibly thought the government would just agree to it, but they don't have the funds (although apparently they're looking at tier 2 now London's in it!) and it's setting a precedent - they'd be under pressure to retrospectively offer it to Liverpool, and Nottingham surely has to go to tier 3 soon.

My concern over a short circuit lockdown is that it wouldn't work quick enough so we'd either be in it for longer than 2 weeks, or it would reduce cases temporarily.

2

I live in Tameside.

We have been in the equivalent of Tier 2 for months, and cases are still rising, so it's clearly not effective.

DS2 has been sent home from school for 14 days due to a CC testing positive, DD is on a week in week out rota for college, and DS1 has missed two weeks of his gap year job in school as he had to isolate due to a CC. For context, DH was previously shielding as ECV.

Clearly Tier 2 has not been effective, but there were as PP said other things that should have been included in that to start with.

We are being used as a political punchbag at the moment - and I say that as someone who usually likes Andy Burnham. We are all sick of it and just want to know what is happening, so we can plan and try to live our lives within whatever constraints we have to.

Probably would go for a 2 week Circuit break, which would allow us to try and get on top of track and trace.

I'm interested to know what people who want a two week lockdown think it will achieve. Many of you have already said yourselves that some people won't keep to the rules no matter what so spread will happen.

Those who say it will suppress the virus long enough to let track and trace 'catch up' (whatever that means) don't seem to understand the deep rooted structural problems with the service. Two weeks isn't going to fix it. Neither is two months. It's fecked.

All a two week lockdown will do is defer the natural course of the virus for two weeks. It will also bring thousands of business to their knees and make the parents of thousands of children unemployed. I'll never understand the so-called Labour politicians who are calling for this to happen.

And I'm also bemused by people who say they are trusting the scientists. Whucich scientists? They all disagree with each other. The ones that you hear in the media and at briefings are the ones picked to convey the wanted narrative. There are loads of others with different views.

I’m in Trafford and I’d like to see a 2wk circuit breaker. We’ve been at this level since July and it hasn’t worked. I don’t think tier 3 will work here as I think our ‘super spreaders’ ie our student population will still mingle indoors in great numbers.
I think send the students home (any tuition is online anyway) then have a 2wk-3wk circuit breaker with everything closed like March. I think that’s the only way to bring numbers down. As long as the 18-25 age group are out mingling or indeed in mingling then they’ll continue to spread it not only amongst themselves but to others in the community.
Sage have advised the circuit breaker as the best chance of getting things under control again. Ignoring their advice is just politics.

I’m in Manchester. I see some many local frothers on Facebook and the Manchester Evening News comments section that I’ve sort of given up. My neighbours are all still having visitors, people don’t socially distance when I go out, so what’s the point of ruining people’s livelihoods.
I’ve abided by all the rules, not seen friends apart from in the park since last March, moved my business online etc etc but most people are seeing it as something to rebel against. Many are claiming it’s a conspiracy so really I’ve just given up. We’ve all had Covid in my family so it’s them who’ll suffer.

NellyJames, I agree that closing schools and universities should make a difference but only if parents in turn do the right thing. I’m a tutor and all the kids I tutor are telling me about playing with other kids in the street, still having birthday parties etc etc. I really despair at the selfishness and lack of willingness to do the right thing.

Hoping and praying we get T3. We desperately need it although in reality we need a full lockdown. Maybe if these tiers do not work effectively then we will be back in lockdown as a nation.

Winter is going to be bleak.

I want to stay in tier 2. I'm 100% behind Andy in raising that the scientists don't think tier 3 measures will work and it will cause irreparable economic damage without more financial support.

I'm not in support of a short national circuit breaker as it sounds like it should have been done a couple of weeks ago. We've likely missed our moment and I'm not convinced having one now will have the desired effect.

I would also like a decision so we know where we stand. I like thousands of families have a half term break booked (booked a year ago) and I would like to know what the hell is happening so I can manage my young sons expectations.

Possibly wrong thread to ask on.. but am I understanding right that the plan is for loads of people to not work therefore not get paid with no furlough scheme to help? Potentially after months of reduced wages so presumably any savings they did have now evaporated? I’m not sure I understand it at all.

As a pp said surely the people who are ignoring the current rules (hence cases still rising) will continue to ignore the new rules too, you just add in a layer of extra financial hardship. I just don’t understand how to fix this

@Hotcuppatea

I'm interested to know what people who want a two week lockdown think it will achieve. Many of you have already said yourselves that some people won't keep to the rules no matter what so spread will happen.

Those who say it will suppress the virus long enough to let track and trace 'catch up' (whatever that means) don't seem to understand the deep rooted structural problems with the service. Two weeks isn't going to fix it. Neither is two months. It's fecked.

All a two week lockdown will do is defer the natural course of the virus for two weeks. It will also bring thousands of business to their knees and make the parents of thousands of children unemployed. I'll never understand the so-called Labour politicians who are calling for this to happen.

It wouldn't be difficult for the government to restore 80% furlough for circuit break lockdowns. It could even have a shiny new name ' Circuit break allowance' or something.

As for track and trace. Bin dido and serco off! They have failed spectacularly. I would go as far to say they have blood on their hands and should be held accountable.
Have a drive to re-recruit all the public/environmental health people who have been disbanded over the last ten years under the guise of austerity. They have a wealth of experience in test, track, tracing and isolate in their local areas. They need to be utilised urgently in the same way doctors and nurses were back in March. The government needs to forget their ideology and invest heavily in public services for once.

When our great grandchildren are studying this in history, the antics of Bellend Cummings’ jaunt to Barnard Castle will be cited as the pivotal moment when the country thought, fuck it!

In Manchester. Personally would rather see power and decisions devolved to local leaders. Let them run track and trace and make decisions about restrictions, as they know local areas better and the reasons behind outbreaks in an area. I don’t want tier 3 or a circuit breaker because I think both are damaging and pointless and the government will not give the right support to businesses.

Study out this morning says one third of kids in GM is in poverty. This will only rise when you stop people working and tell them here’s 67% of your usual wage to low paid workers already struggling. It’s not acceptable and the harms to them are just as important as Covid patients.

Public health messaging is dire as well. Back in March the reminders of social distancing and hand washing were pushed more. Now we seem to be relying on masks.

Also clearer fact based MI for the public. The Whitty Vallance ‘projection’ was unhelpful. We need daily stats on infections, hospital capacity, recovery rates. People’s trust has been lost and to get people to comply with restrictions we need to be straight and clear with them rather than all the scaremongering because rightly or wrongly people are disregarding experts now.

all this dithering is actually costing lives. This government's inaction regarding this pandamic has been absolutely shameful. We should have a full national lockdown as recommended by the scientists.

I know people are going to come on and comment about jobs, etc, but lives are being lost here, jobs can be regotten and economies rebuilt in the future. Worry about the money later, save lives NOW.

I have had to stop watching the news, it is just unbelievable to me that at a time of national crisis, people are bickering like children. We need a decent strong leader to take the action that is required, palatable or not.

@NellyJames

When our great grandchildren are studying this in history, the antics of Bellend Cummings’ jaunt to Barnard Castle will be cited as the pivotal moment when the country thought, fuck it!

Couldn’t agree more.

Not just because of his actions but also because of the way the whole thing was swept under the carpet.

It doesn’t matter anymore...you only have to look on these threads to see people aren’t planning on complying with restrictions, however severe...even in a national lockdown I expect to see people mixing indoors, perhaps even more so