Downing Street to hold press conference this afternoon

[FairyAtTheBottomOfTheGarden]

From BBC News -

UK government Health Secretary Matt Hancock is to host a virtual press conference from Downing Street later today, it's just been confirmed.

He is going to be joined by NHS England national medical director Steve Powis and chief medical adviser Chris Whitty.

Were we expecting one today?

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

It's surprising he mentioned it end. You're not supposed to admit it.

He'll be getting fired later.

Honestly, I have got chronic eye ache from rolling them.

Wakes has just announced secondary kids study from home next week - far more sensible. I’m guessing in London we get to stand in a carpark waiting for a test that’s only good on the day we do it?
Dds school only had yr 11,12 & 13 in school - not enough teachers for the rest of the kids to come in.

If there are lots of pupils testing positive it might make families with secondary school age children in other areas rethinking their Christmas plans

Also if London is now the covid capital of the UK why wait another 6 days plus before moving it up a tier? Won't that just mean London stays in tier 3 longer?

They need to be more reactive and dynamic surely? If numbers are high and rising why wait for an arbitrary date?

La la la. Who's listening. Not me.

@nancy75

Wakes has just announced secondary kids study from home next week - far more sensible. I’m guessing in London we get to stand in a carpark waiting for a test that’s only good on the day we do it? Dds school only had yr 11,12 & 13 in school - not enough teachers for the rest of the kids to come in.

The tests also miss 25% of positive cases so could provide false reassurance. Though obviously picking up 75% is good for those people.

I’m just sad there was no #nextslideplease

I expect they will have caught it from social media or something as every fule kno skools are SAFE.

Just shut the fucking schools...they are the main source of transmission, but no one wants to hear that 🤨

Chris Whitby looks bloody knackered. That suit is hanging off him.

Hancock is like a supply headmaster in a failing primary school.

I'm thinking that's not the answer Kate was looking for.

Ain’t he just 😂

Sensible solution, yr 7 upwards school from home next week. It’s end of term, loads of kids off anyway, they’d be missing 4/5 days. If need be make them isolate from this Friday onwards. Surely more effective

I think Hancock has started to dye his hair...

I am shielding, but DH does venture out for bit of shopping. He won't go outside between 3.30 and 5.30 because there are crowds of teenagers everywhere, no masks, no social distancing. I don't know why anybody thought they wouldn't be spreading the virus.

He always looks like he’s just blown his nose

@JacobReesMogadishu

I'm steaming. So mobile, mass testing of secondary school kids in London to be rolled out.

But up north/in the Midlands where I'm in the 2nd highest area there's nothing like this.

Fuck off.

Totally agree! it has been rive in tier 3 schools since the 2nd week of September, my DD is Y11, she self isolated for 4 weeks of a 7 week half term, and the other half of her year group were isolated for 6 weeks!

Im not saying i begrudge the kids/families in the area's getting this, far from it, but lives have been lost because this wasn't offered as it was promised when the gov laid out what measures would be in place prior to the kids going back in September.

In actually fact i posted asking other people in tier 3 if their LAs had started the mass testing that was promised for tier 3 area's coming out of lockdown 2. Most haven't!

My DD is a NQT in a secondary school in Kent, will teachers of sec school pupils be tested too, I wonder.
I really think they should shut sec schools in tier 3 areas ASAP if spread is this rife.

They are complete idiots.

In parts of Canada where schools are open, they have regulations stopping everyone from socialising outside of their households until the 8th of January.

Here, we have all the schools open and Covid running wild in them, and we're also allowed to gather in groups of three households over Christmas. A recipe for disaster!

In my view it is actually criminal that it is classed as an unauthorised absence to take your children out of school next week to allow them to isolate properly before Christmas.

@nancy75

He always looks like he’s just blown his nose

Now you mention it, I see it.

It really is one rule for them and another rule for the rest. If cases are that worrying why not raise the tier?

It's all so tiresome

I've had to change my work hours to avoid getting buses home during that period end. Monday was the first time I got off the bus at 3.30 since the end of lockdown. It was total carnage in town.

I though they said schools were safe ??? Liars the lot of them.

He reminds me of Droopy dog.