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

IF ONLY our NHS hadn't been asset-stripped for the last 10 years and had capacity that could be activated to allow it to function in a crisis

Forget the last ten years, Thatcher started the asset stripping. According to the King’s Fund

The total number of NHS hospital beds in England, including general and acute, mental illness, learning disability, maternity and day-only beds, has more than halved over the past 30 years, from around 299,000 in 1987/88 to 141,000 in 2018/9, while the number of patients treated has increased significantly.

Sadly the only way the NHS is going to go now is down with every penny going to pay off debt.

There will be no more large events, no more large gatherings. Zoom will replace large Christmas dinners with family

If you mean ever, as opposed to just this year, you are bananas.

If that were true, I wouldn't want to be alive and I expect the same is true for lots of others too.

Way to get compliance at Christmas Matt. You stupid fuckwit

I’m starting to get quite anxious about my children being at school now (lower primary).

I’m starting to see the MH change in my 5 year old now who hasn’t seen her grandparents since we locked down again.
Now we’re tier 4 and won’t be able to see them until this is over.

But it’s ok.... she can go to school!
MH is important for children, I wish they would give us the home schooling option so that children can see their families, whilst learning.

It’s clearly not safe to have schools open, school testing shouldn’t be happening.
I honestly feel for children atm.
It’s just not fair.

I think we may have well established that Johnson and the entire Cabinet are somewhat intellectually challenged

I think whatever we might think of politicians, the idea that Governments are comprised of people who are intellectually challenged is a bit silly.

Will Saint Boris resign if his actions bring on public riots? And if this is going to last MONTHS, better see my family quickly, tier 4 or no tier 4!!!!
Once again...
"We can turn thith viruth around in twelve weekth."
"Normal by Theptember."
"Normalish by Chrithmath."
"Thignificant normality by Eathter."

People really think a Tory govt would deliberately bring the economy to a disastrous crashing halt as a distraction technique?
Well it bloody worked!!!
(If only that useless shower were competent enough to organise anything so dastardly)

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

So in your scenario it’s fine for people to go into hospital and die as long as the rest of you are ok ? Carry on spreading the virus and let the health service deal with it?
Lovely

Don’t want to restart the endless school debates here but it was not being at school that wrecked my teens MH, that’s way more impt than physically seeing family. Bounced back as soon as back at school. Don’t think we can do the home stuff again and that’s the same for most teenagers i know. So if the transmission routes are through secondaries those routes need to also be a key priority somehow .

@DownstairsMixUp

This is exactly why I'm going back on antidepressants. I was so hoping I could at least have my dads memorial party 2021 (we had a tiny funeral and no wake) there feels like no need to this and this has pushed me to the edge.

I can really empathise with you @DownstairsMixUp: Have gone back on antidepressants in the last week = At the end of my tether. I really really hope you start to feel at least a little better soon.

Sending you a virtual hug xx

@FishyDog

Frankly this isn't about who has a freezer. We all have to make sacrifices in order to save lives- life will need to change permanently because of this virus.

We will all need to start showing more responsibility to others. There will be no more large events, no more large gatherings. Zoom will replace large Christmas dinners with family.

The same people who 'need to' go shopping every day will be the same ones proclaiming their right to go to concerts in future is more important than saving lives

What utter and complete alarmist bollocks. Is your hobby walking the streets wearing sandwich boards proclaiming “The end of the world is nigh”?

I have no problem with politicisation of brexit

But a worldwide pandemic ?

Really ?

Half the population wants one thing half want another and that is the same for every decision that has been made

Italy have a highly respected health service and locked down more strictly than us and they also are in a dire strAit at the moment.

Why not be thankful for the money pumped into porton down that reported the new findings that have resulted in the new rules .

Mind you all those leaving teir 4 are now spreading the new variant amongst you

So best of luck

[quote Johan23]@pennylane83. I thought that too. But, I can’t see the devolved governments going along with that[/quote]
The devolved nations had already stated their Christmas plans - Wales locking down from boxing day, NI imposing a lockdown and Nicola Sturgeon, whilst not initially enforcing, being very vocal about not wanting people to mix. Boris Johnson meanwhile constantly reaffirming England's relaxed stance with a U-turn seemingly overnight, the timing of which is suspect given brexit talks. Not that I am denying the increasing cases of covid in hospitals but, given that we are heading into winter with all the other nasties around taking a toll on your immune system the increase isn't exactly unexpected.

BamboozledandBefuddled

Sounds like you could be my neighbour, I am in a West Sussex town (tier 2) which borders Surrey (tier 4) Our town residents are sent to the East Surrey Hospital if unwell so I am confused why we are also not Tier 4.

@Unsure33

I have no problem with politicisation of brexit

But a worldwide pandemic ?

Really ?

Half the population wants one thing half want another and that is the same for every decision that has been made

Italy have a highly respected health service and locked down more strictly than us and they also are in a dire strAit at the moment.

Why not be thankful for the money pumped into porton down that reported the new findings that have resulted in the new rules .

Mind you all those leaving teir 4 are now spreading the new variant amongst you

So best of luck

Yes - it's nothing at all to do with the politicians in power that they knew about this 'new' strain since September but only acted on this knowledge now, at the 11th hour changing things they had promised since they knew about the 'new' strain. Mustn't criticise the actions of those in power, that would be 'politicisation'...

Does Tier 4 include schools open?

Yep @DailyPotion

Can anyone say in what context he said this?

Link or otherwise

Sometimes it’s a could be this or that and press runs with it.

Maybe not. But one liners have been used to provoke in press so many times.

And, as has been said before on this thread and elsewhere - this strain is already in Wales and Scotland. People leaving London last night are not responsible for that.
People have been visiting London from around the UK for the past weeks, taking back anything they may have picked up with them.

Blaming each other is utterly pointless. Blame the politicians, who actually have the power to make sensible decisions to manage the situation. But don't.

I think now they have the information on the new variant what happens in schools will have to be reviewed .

Unfortunately.

I think all of our mh has been affected.

I went to an outside social event today and talked to a young family at a distance who were making the best of enjoying themselves and became really tearful.

No reason really just missing family members we have lost to covid and worrying about family members who currently have it.and wishing we could all pull together rather than the nastiness and rudeness and selfishness that seems to be everywhere.

Overpopulation and an aging population have not helped at all

I take your point, and while there's been a lot of talk about "major resets" economically, I've sometimes wondered if this isn't nature's way of addressing the above

Nobody wants to see deaths, especially when they come too close to home, but in a situation where we have limited control maybe it's time to realise that we can't save everyone, all the time, from everything?

wishing we could all pull together rather than the nastiness and rudeness and selfishness that seems to be everywhere

The problem with this is that for some of us "pulling together" in the way I suspect you mean is extremely damaging to our loved ones. I have real and genuine concerns that at least two of my siblings are at suicide risk. I need to see them. In person and not outside. They need care.

@BewareTheBeardedFatMan.

Yes and they talked about it in the conference’s and warned everyone to tone down Christmas . Then they found out more information and acted in 24 hours.

Arête british public a load of lemmings ? Could they not do wat they were asked and time it all down making it smaller ?

They did not hide the information that made it clear what they new at that stage .

The chief medical officer confirmed they acted within 24 hours of the new info. By of course the virus knows when Christmas occurs .

Seems like we need to act as a dictatorship now then . That’s what you want ?

@treening

Sorry to hear that . You are allowed to do that under the rules . So of course you must.

@pennylane83

Did you actually watch the conference in the week? They said the opposite. Tone it down . Think carefully about mixing households at all . But they understood that Christmas and peoples MH was important.