Not really a lockdown is it?

[MummaPI]

I'm confused, thought it was a repeat of March apart from schools but then I hear garden centres are remaining open and open gardens like RHS etc. Surely these are non essential journeys? I can see why they are open but not really a proper lockdown is it?

I'm sick of people saying, approximatel;, 'I don't care about this happening, because it doesn't affect me, I don't use these places'. Just because you're not affected by what's going on now doesn't mean many others are. Over many decades I've had suicidal thoughts, and there's nothing that's changed that. Does it help that people say, 'Suck it up' - No.

The central message is that people should be staying at home at all times for the duration of the lockdown period, unless they are a key worker, cannot get a food delivery slot or cannot exercise at home.

If they absolutely have to shop or exercise outside the home, this should be done as infrequently as possible. People should not be going in and out of their houses multiple times a day.

Hopefully people will abide by the spirit rather than the letter of the rules, even if that requires a degree of societal pressure. We should all be encouraging family, friends and neighbours to stay at home as much as possible, and holding them accountable when they overstep the spirit of the rules.

Our local next is staying open. Essential?

"or cannot exercise at home."

The spirit of the rules is that "outdoor recreation is encouraged" but some people just love to make up their own rules.

Aside from the actual trip to the garden centre, being able to go to one keeps people at home. Gives them something to do thats not out in public.

Aside from the actual trip to the garden centre, being able to go to one keeps people at home. Gives them something to do thats not out in public.

Outdoor sports and recreation managed with Covid secure measures should not be banned. Their physical and mental benefits far outweigh the risk of virus spread.

Indoors is more understandable, but still detrimental. DS should have moved up a swimming level 9 months ago at the start of February. 9 lost months of the ability to progress for a child with dyspraxia and ASD. He can't cope with riding a bike, or kicking a ball, and 7+ months of walking in every weather avaluable has worn more than thin (especially with all the whinging about his hypermobile knees, but hey, we have Zoom physio soon...)

Thank God children are continuing their education. No one I have spoken to in RL found home learning to be pleasant or sucessful, even with children who normally work well.

The more jobs that are lost in hospitality, leisure, arts, events etc, the worse it is for the wellbeing of those families, and for the tax revenues that fund the NHS, education and other public services. Constantly damaging industry and the economy will catch up with all of us indirectly even if we're not feeling the blow now.

Pisses me off they have stopped kids’ outdoor sports
So yet again we e sacrificing our kids’ health physical and mental tp protect the elderly and vulnerable

I'm neither elderly or vulnerable, nor do I have young children.

The way I see it is I'm sacrificing my mental and physical health and probably my job as I work in hospitality so your kids can go to school

@MissClarke86

By law schools should offer 2 hours of physical activity a week.

Anymore than that and something else has to drop - less reading, less maths, no art. As a teacher, I think it’s enough and a good balance. They don’t need to be doing organised sport to be active. I’m glad they still get PE in school though, and it makes the cancelling off outside sports a little easier for them.

It doesn't make it any easier, 2 hours a week in school is nothing when you do several hours a week outside of school like swimmers do. My DC is doing GCSE and core PE and only gets an hour a week because they have 3 hours of theory and 1 hour of practical. Outside of school they should be doing 8 hours a week of one sport and 3 hours of another but that's all got to stop.

@Sparklingbrook

The double/triple posts on MN tonight are making the site unusable aren't they?

If only the same would happen to the votes for my preferred candidate today.

@JamesAnderson i have been wondering how childless/childfree people are feeling about this lockdown.

People with no children have spent decades...............

a. being told they are entitled to less benefits when unemployed because they dont have kids.
b. being told they are not entitled to decent housing because they dont have kids (ive actually heard people say that its terrible how families are having to live in shipping containers but its ok for single people and those without children)
c. People without kids being told/made to work the shitty shifts over Christmas, e,g, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, etc, There are threads about it on here going back years.

Im not saying all parents have this attitude The majority dont. But some do so its not surprising there will be some resentment coming from some who feel they are being made to sacrifice income or even their job to enable others children to go to school during this lockdown.

Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz, Bergen - Belsen.

Why does ANYONE think what is happening is not related to those creeps!!!

Re what it's like to be single I have a few more.
Ok you may be on a pittance JSA but we have to still make you pay council tax because we can't possibly charge the vulnerable which includes people with young children.
No you cant have social housing as you have no kids. If you can't afford to rent privately you must still live with your parents fir 15 years until you finally reach the top if the list. Or livebin a crummy house share.
People with kids must have prime school holidays dates off.
I do have kids btw but I have seen how those who don't are treated and it sucks.
I also had kids later in life to had about 16 years of this at work.
On one occassion I buckled my car wheel on icy roads near home so was late in. Told in make time up.
Another time it affected more people and about half the office had paid time off as schools shut.
I actually think some people seemed to treat paid dependents leave as extra holiday. I evrn heard some say as much. Obviously not all employers have this and probably none these days.

@Mimishimi I don't think that's helpful to be comparing the incompetence of this government to Nazi atrocities in WW2.

my dm was upset at the prospective closure of the garden centre, she buys her kindling for the fire there

@MummaPI

I'm confused, thought it was a repeat of March apart from schools but then I hear garden centres are remaining open and open gardens like RHS etc. Surely these are non essential journeys? I can see why they are open but not really a proper lockdown is it?

No it's not a repeat of March, and Johnson has been clear that it's not intended to be. There's no legal requirement to avoid non-essential journeys, so no reason for open gardens to shut.

And honestly, NT and the like staying open is a really, really good thing. There need to be as many opportunities as possible for people to exercise and do activities outside. Because if these are restricted, more socialising will be driven indoors, and it isn't actually possible to police this. It also takes pressure off parks and green spaces in more densely packed areas.

@Ecosse

The central message is that people should be staying at home at all times for the duration of the lockdown period, unless they are a key worker, cannot get a food delivery slot or cannot exercise at home.

If they absolutely have to shop or exercise outside the home, this should be done as infrequently as possible. People should not be going in and out of their houses multiple times a day.

Hopefully people will abide by the spirit rather than the letter of the rules, even if that requires a degree of societal pressure. We should all be encouraging family, friends and neighbours to stay at home as much as possible, and holding them accountable when they overstep the spirit of the rules.

I’m not a key worker but I can’t work from home so I will be off to work..Actually it doesn’t bother me.

What is annoying, I can no longer get a lift into work from my friend who I work with all day but I can get on a packed bus with a bunch of random s.

We have just booked to go to a National trust garden on Saturday and will probably pop to the garden centre on the way home to get a nice tree for the garden, we also want some raspberry canes, we often buy garden stuff in winter

I think the hope is that the majority will stay at home and not go out for unnecessary goods or trips. If the odd few think they have to go out for whatever it is that they can still do/buy then so be it.
I think you just have to weigh up what's 'essential' personally. If you happen to catch CV during lockdown those are the chances and depending on your individual circumstances it may not be a risk you want to take.

It's anything social that is being prevented this time from what I can see, as that's when people get closer to each other. Stopping different households mixing indoors will hopefully make a big difference and keeping businesses open where people are wearing masks and socially distancing hopefully won't pose too much of a risk.

I think stopping people being able to travel around the county to go on holiday will make a big difference too.

I run a children's extra curricular activity. I feltreal sadness last night knowi it was our Z session before moving online again... Some things cant be replicated on Zoom. But we had 10children from 5 different schools.. They were mostly spread out (outdoors, luckily we have a well lit private outdoor area), but they are used to not SD at school, so naturally congregate together. So I understand why we ar likely to have to close. We aren't s essential as schools. Us clising helps schools keep open.

I'm frustrated about swimming as a parent. They've only really just caught up to where they were in March. My 9yo is going to be in level 5 still in secondary school at this rate!