When is the London announcement due?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Do you think the whole of London will be put into Tier 3?

Will the Christmas relaxation period of 5 days still stand?

@stepawayfromthekeyboard

What on earth is this 'new variant' that is causing faster spread? That is very worrying. Is it related to the mink mutation?

Call me cynical but I think he was just using it to justify what he then announced about London going into Tier 3. He didn't seem to have much more info, and said himself there's no evidence that it's a strain that results in more deaths. I don't doubt that there is a new strain, but I'm suspicious of Hancock's use of that info at this point.

seems a bit suss announcing a new variant-is that jsut to scare people into compliance or is that official findings

What does “imminently”mean? Tonight? Tomorrow? Wednesday? This weekend? What?

@NonyaBizniz

What does “imminently”mean? Tonight? Tomorrow? Wednesday? This weekend? What?

Weds at 00.01

This is all over the news now.

'northern chip on shoulder'
Grrr....
Northumberland and Newcastle in Tier 3 for some time now.
Businesses, healthcare, Schools (dd's entire year sent home again today) all badly affected.
I don't have a 'chip on my shoulder'. I grew up in Kent, am spiritually a Londoner. But my God there is a difference in the way the North is treated.

@vjg13

They did split off Trafford, Stockport and Wigan in GM for about 2 weeks at one stage from the rest of GM.

They did but that was under a previous system and not the current fixed tiers we are supposed to have. Some areas of Lancashire are very low, roughly 50 cases per 100k but Lancashire will only be treated as a whole

@52andblue

'northern chip on shoulder' Grrr.... Northumberland and Newcastle in Tier 3 for some time now. Businesses, healthcare, Schools (dd's entire year sent home again today) all badly affected. I don't have a 'chip on my shoulder'. I grew up in Kent, am spiritually a Londoner. But my God there is a difference in the way the North is treated.

It's insulting. And the Midlands are just completely ignored.

my area on the list for tier 3-i feel so sorry for business but the way people arent sd in shops etc im not suprised

Whats up with this paragraph
"One MP said they were told in an earlier briefing from Mr Hancock that cases were doubling every seven days in the capital and that the next review of the tier system would be on 23 December."

From this bbc page www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55306928 Are we no longer being reviewed on the 16th?

theyve just reivewed it though

@Nousernameforme

Whats up with this paragraph "One MP said they were told in an earlier briefing from Mr Hancock that cases were doubling every seven days in the capital and that the next review of the tier system would be on 23 December."

From this bbc page www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55306928 Are we no longer being reviewed on the 16th?

Yes, still the 16th for the next review of the rest of the country but after that they are going to every week rather than fortnight. So London and the others that just went up will next be reviewed on the 23rd.

Is that just for London or are we all being reviewed on the 23rd?

thanks was confused then

As someone in the North East, I'm happy with that. It is where we're at. We're not all in this together, many things will be unequal. If London capacity allows London to stay in level 2 then so be it. It will make the inequalities all the more obvious and something might get done about it longer term, rather than papering over the cracks with measures that try to pretend we're all the same. Unfair would be putting London in tier 3 if they don't need to be, to pacify the underfunded areas, them leaving the underfunded areas to continue to suffer from austerity measures.

This is the Tories, they aren't going to do shit for anyone other than the privileged at the end of the day. Poor, disadvantaged people are poor because they're lazy work shy plebs

@Hardbackwriter

Hospital capacity as the key measure makes perfect logical sense but it's such a tricky sell politically, as it's essentially going: 'has your area been historically underinvested in for decades? Here you go, have some punitive measures that destroy your local economy. Do you live somewhere that's always had a disproportionate amount of investment and attention? You crack on!'. It's very 'to those that have, more shall be given'.

Could not agree more with this.

23rd is the Xmas bubble

This constant sour grapes attitude that "things are shit in Newcastle/Manchester etc etc, hence London should also be in tier 3" is ridiculous - the tiers are NOT simply based on cases per 100k, but on hospital capacity, many large places outside London have 1/2 bigger hospitals, where London has much greater capacity, fair enough if London should be in tier 3, I'm fine with this, but it shouldn't be based on people in "the north" being pissed off

@vjg13

They did split off Trafford, Stockport and Wigan in GM for about 2 weeks at one stage from the rest of GM.

When was that? I must have blinked and missed it.

@Nousernameforme

Whats up with this paragraph "One MP said they were told in an earlier briefing from Mr Hancock that cases were doubling every seven days in the capital and that the next review of the tier system would be on 23 December."

From this bbc page www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55306928 Are we no longer being reviewed on the 16th?

Yes I think the review for everywhere is still happening (I could be wrong, but I think it was promised by the government to back benchers) Its just this has been brought forward due to the urgency of the situation. (They don't want Friday to be an utter car crash and then have people start to show symptoms 5 days later (the average) when they are sitting down to Christmas dinner with their Nan.

It does make sense from that point of view.

I would also suggest that probably (and don't hold me to this) means no where else will end up T3 this week.

I would also suggest that probably (and don't hold me to this) means no where else will end up T3 this week.

Do you see many changes? I can just see it being mostly left as it is?

There has been no review for GM yet. Still Wednesday as far as I am aware.

many large places outside London have 1/2 bigger hospitals, where London has much greater capacity

Another example of the inequality between London and the rest of the country.

@UnseenDoreen

I would also suggest that probably (and don't hold me to this) means no where else will end up T3 this week.

Do you see many changes? I can just see it being mostly left as it is?

I can't see anywhere else on the map thats really causing concern just yet. I can see bits that I think may end up in T3 at the review after Wed (I think its 30th Dec) if the pattern continues in the same way.

I do think there is a real debate over Manchester tbh. They might leave it all in T3 for another fortnight because of the Christmas break, but thats going to start getting very controversial and difficult for the government. There is a very good argument for splitting it into two zones at this point.

Message from a random in Manchester: we've been in Tier 3 or similar since August. It's a shock when it happens. You will get used to it. Lobby as hard as you can for support for your local businesses and tradespeople. You might have more luck than we did because you are London and Westminster doesn't give a shit about Manchester. And maybe we'll get something more substantial if you get it.

@Rosehip10 did you see Hardbackwriter’s post? The question is, why does London have better hospital capacity compared to its population than the rest of the country? It’s not “sour grapes”, it’s bitterness and anger and it is completely justified. (Southerner living in the north here).