Boris Johnson press conference at 5pm

[Jourdain11]

Sooner than expected! Wondering what he will say...

Exactly. It's a total joke.

I noticed the end date on the bottom line of some of the graphs was July 2021! Eek.
.

I really hope this lockdown isn’t extended past December, selfish I know, but I think this will wreak havoc with the mental health of many. It’s been an awful year for some.

He finally appeared!
So it is very similar indeed to the Welsh/ Scottish/ NIreland lockdowns.
How are you feeling about it? 3 weeks and a bit.
With schools open, at least for me, it is much much easier than the first lockdown.

@SpongeCake23 I think he said you could only go out for essential reasons (work, school, uni, food shopping, prescriptions, medical appointments or exercise). You can exercise only with your own household or one other person. So you could technically meet someone from one other household for exercise (work, childcare, caring).

And with the furlough extended, hopefully affected sectors will survive.
I feel for them indeed, it is hit after hit!

@StayAlertIndoorz me too! He lightened the mood somewhat with his amazing expressions!

@StayAlertIndoorz

I am LOVING the BSL signer!

Same here. He was amazing !!

@FreshfieldsGal

Surely secondary schools should now switch to online learning?

The main issues are A) Many children don’t have access to any laptops or tablets B) Many don’t have exclusively use so have to share with siblings /parents working from home C) Fewer laptops available to buy this year, there is a shortage D) Headteachers have been told that the laptop allocation they were promised by the government has been slashed by 80% E) The majority of children in this country aren’t privately educated therefore miss out on the access to well structured online lessons, that some state schools lack, for the reasons above.

Funny how furlough continues now this is
Impacting England but when asked elsewhere that half arsed job retention scheme was put in place and furlough dismissed.

Yes, July 2021. It is sad indeed.
But I already knew of people WFH till April 2021. After the first lockdown. Their companies had already decided to do so by then!

I am not a bojo fan by any means but he sounded a bit more proficient tonight so he’s obviously been practicing (which was probably why he was so late out).

Indoor dance classes for kids... Open or closed.
Any ideas before I pay...

@SinkGirl

How is this going to work really? There’s going to be so much spread with all educational institutions and many workplaces open. It’s a shitty half measure which won’t work, and we’ll end up with a harder full lockdown through December and Christmas.

This.

I get that schools are a contentious issue particularly because of the childcare difficulties (although a month closed is probably better than ongoing disruption of increasing numbers of staff off sick).

But.... Borders. Why put shut pubs, restaurants, and bars, putting livelihoods at risk - but not ban non essential international travel?

Pointless. I'll repeat the wise words of Professor Sridhar:

Oh - to be an island in 2020

which shops have essential status this time?

I'm slightly selfishly, miffed that the furlough scheme has been extended on the last day of my redundancy notice .

No, schools and universities are open, thanks. Why all these insistance to close secondaries! They are actually in their more important years, alongside the university studentshmm

so sorry @olderthanyouthink I can see how it stings indeed. We had redundancies too earlier in the year, and it is horrible...........
best luck for you, and hope you get something quick and better!

Dance classes are off, I’m sure.

I’ve just paid sadly.

I am not a bojo fan by any means but he sounded a bit more proficient tonight so he’s obviously been practicing (which was probably why he was so late out).

BJ is a good public speaker, that's the limit to his skills. It's sad we've got to the place where we're impressed that he didn't take to the lectern blowing raspberries.

@MushMonster

No, schools and universities are open, thanks. Why all these insistance to close secondaries! They are actually in their more important years, alongside the university studentshmm

To help reduce the spread of the virus. It seems crazy to say this is a lockdown, when 1000s of students, staff and by extension their families are mixing with very little social distancing 5 days a week. Yes some year groups are at an important stage in their lives, which is all the more reason to try and help them continue their learning without all the disruption of the coronavirus Hokey Cokey.

LOL @VaggieMight Thanks for making me laugh

[quote Sweetchillijam]@SpongeCake23 I think he said you could only go out for essential reasons (work, school, uni, food shopping, prescriptions, medical appointments or exercise). You can exercise only with your own household or one other person. So you could technically meet someone from one other household for exercise (work, childcare, caring).[/quote]
I don't fully understand how this works with support bubbles - presumably it's ok for me to walk or get the bus to my support bubble's home? Even if "going to visit support bubbles" isn't on the essential reasons for leaving home list? Surely it must be ok or there would be no point there being bubbles if people aren't allowed to travel to them.

This is going to last much longer than a month , with schools etc being left open.

Does anyone else feel like crying?

If they are insisting on keeping schools open then they should at least give HT's the funding needed to help the situation.

The four HT's locally here (three small primaries and a High) wanted to borrow/hire the community halls and spaces to allow them to at least spread the children around a bit more.

They actually had a great plan put together, but they're not allowed, not do they have the funding. The largest of the primaries has a community centre onsite with 8 or 9 rooms that they're not allowed to use - even thought it's just sitting empty.

The high school is a new building on the same grounds of the old one. The new building was only because they needed more space. In the summer holidays they pulled down the old building despite the HT pointing out that having the two buildings for a while would allow him to space bubbles out much better.

They'd have pupils in school much more often if they actually listened to the staff, who after all know their area and school much better than anyone.