BBC news...Matt Hancock says tier 4 could last for months due to this new strain

[ssd]

He must be joking.

Months of this there will be no businesses left

Why is everyone blaming the government? They really had no choice once the new strain was identified. What would you prefer? Everyone in extended lockdown? Or thousands more dying in hospital car parks?

Hancock is loving all this. I absolutely despise him.

He really isn't. But clearly it makes you feel better to have something to hate.

"Why is everyone blaming the government? They really had no choice once the new strain was identified. What would you prefer? Everyone in extended lockdown? Or thousands more dying in hospital car parks?"

• er because they have systematically, through incompetence, greed and maybe a touch of malice, fucked up every process and decision regarding this, since March.

Yep. This is it. 👍

@FishyDog - ah - it sounds just like occupied France in WW2. no thanks

The biggest mistake was London being in tier. Now thry are trying to undo the damage. Idiots.

£100 rewards for neighbours who report people out for too long or too often

Are you insane

@Jaxhog

Why is everyone blaming the government? They really had no choice once the new strain was identified. What would you prefer? Everyone in extended lockdown? Or thousands more dying in hospital car parks?

Two weeks ago the Labour Party told the government that case numbers were too high and that the Christmas plans should be changed. Boris stood up in parliament and took the piss out of Kier Starmer as the man who wanted to “cancel Christmas” and who wanted everyone to change their plans.

It’s the same pattern every time with the government. Ignore the evidence, mock anyone who tells them they’re on the wrong path (including your own advisers), things get worse, suddenly take notice, dither, and at act at the last minute causing distress, confusion and panic, and more deaths. They’re truly incompetent.

@dreamingbohemian

That's a good question *@Theotherrudolph*

If things are so bad in London and the SE that everything has to be shut down and no one can leave the area, then you would think those areas should be prioritised for the vaccine.

But can you imagine the whinging if Londoners were to get priority vaccines????

If our government had handled covid-19 well the virus would have been suppressed and this new strain wouldn't have had the chance to evolve.

Our government has proven incompetent.

Johnson careering from one I’ll thought out decision to the next, he reacts to a situation. He is not forward thinking. One minute schools in London are being threatened with legal action if they closed to protect their staff, students and their families. The next minute the whole place is in major lockdown.

This is the worst Prime Minister and the worst government this country has ever seen.

@pennylane83

The cynic in me thinks how coincidental that the country gets locked down again for the 'new strain' just as we are on the cusp of a monumental crash out of Europe. Typical distraction technique.

I don't remember all this hooha back in July when the Spanish variant of covid was running rampant throughput the UK - being brought back by all those holidaymakers. I guess that's because back then the powers that be didn't want to give up their holiday abroad during Parliment's summer recess, now, they just don't want you to know about the shit Brexit terms so are pre-emptively lining up the scapegoat for when it all goes horribly wrong - the new strain.

You are being a cynic, yes. The new variant is in Holland and I think Denmark too.

There was no Spanish variant. I think you are confused with people catching it in Spain and a mutated virus which is what there is now.

@Poorlykitten

Johnson careering from one I’ll thought out decision to the next, he reacts to a situation. He is not forward thinking. One minute schools in London are being threatened with legal action if they closed to protect their staff, students and their families. The next minute the whole place is in major lockdown.

This is the worst Prime Minister and the worst government this country has ever seen.

So he could have predicted the mutation? When it was only discovered days ago?

jinglinghellsbells

I think this strain was discovered in September.

Source?

They need to bloody hurry up with this Oxford vaccine. We can pretty much vaccinate the whole country with it bar children (on top of the Pfizer millions as well). They need to seriously scale up their vaccine plans.

The furlong scheme has been extended to April. That told me when they believed things would start to improve.

All because Johnson is the Disney Dad PM.

Perfect description!!

Yes, this will be it until an "acceptable" % of the population have been vaccinated and that vaccination is seen to be working

We already have furlough until end April I think? There will be further grants for SE.

I agree schools will have to be closed and distance learning used far more widely. People who say they won't comply - you can't go into shops, beauticians and restaurants that aren't open. You can't go to the office to work if your employer tells you to WFH. If you mean you will keep visiting family and friends - well I guess that will be Darwinism in action to some extent.

I know @WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants and to be clear I don't mean ALL Londoners should get priority, but those people in London (or any Tier 4 equivalent area) who we depend on to keep things open and functioning, including teachers.

Like, a teacher in Tier 4 probably needs the vaccine more than a random 60 year old in Tier 1 or 2 who can stay home safely.

@FishyDog

It's quite clear that the tier 4 rules will need to be in place for months if people continue to not follow the rules. I live in London and you'd never know there was a lockdown with the number of people and cats about this morning!

Frankly, tier 4 is a walk in the park compared to the rules in other countries.

I'd like to see a proper lockdown implemented until the end of January at least- one hour of outdoor exercise per day (not endless gallivanting and going out for unnecessary reasons), one shopping trip per week (for essential food and medicine only, not wine and gin ) and £100 rewards for neighbours who report people out for too long or too often.

The rule should be that unless you are a key worker or out for infrequent exercise or shopping, stay the fuck at home.

ODFOD There are plenty of authoritarian countries you can move to if you want to live like that.

Hanlon's razor is a principle or rule of thumb that states, "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"

There’s also strategic ineptitude, maybe Hanlon wanted out of doing the dishes, got called out on his bullshit & had to double down 😂

After every surprising turn over the last while, watching ‘emotional’ Hancock was... well as a mother I’d be amused at a toddler trying it, watching a grown man in a position of power smirking at his own ‘cleverness’ 🤮

The new strain has been around since September along with many other new strains according to the who. Who have seen no evidence it’s acts differently.

I feel so depressed for the future as we have no leadership and so many mixed messages in this country