Announcement today (Wed)?

[Mammamiaherewegoagainmymy]

Looks like they'll be an announcement of new restrictions today - ministers meeting this morning so (despite papers last night) doesn't seem they've decided what to do yet - more places in Tier 4 or national lockdown, maybe.

Robert Jenrick quoted in Guardian today saying 'A judgment needs to be made as to whether the tiered system is strong enough, or whether at some point in the future we need to take further action.' which sounds a bit ominous...

And I'm sure if they do cancel gatherings for the rest of the country people will absolutely stick to it after a government minister was on TV this morning advising apart from staggered starts, schools would return as normal in January. But two households can't meet for one day

Yes - based on previous speculation it's looking like it will be from boxing day, not before. Most likely Tier 4 for more of country, but sounds like ministers are starting to warn people that the tiered system is not strong enough for new variant... in which case would be strict lockdown again I guess... from Boxing day or maybe later.

Pmk

If it's said that schools will go back as they were before Christmas then people will do what they want I bet.
It's all mixed messages again.

Currently in tier 4 which feels like lockdown. Anyone any idea what would be different for those of us in T4 if there was a full lockdown

Someone on Mumsnet the other night was saying L4 everywhere from Boxing Day was looking likely

Mumsnet imo does seem to get it right quite often!

Although I was sure we were going to have 2 weeks at half term.
I think that was our missed opportunity. Why we were teased with a 5 day Christmas window of do what you want between 3 families I don't know!

Half term and a ban on mixing after that was what was needed.

But we can’t have it all can we? If we can’t have school mixing and household mixing then which do we choose? Close schools and allow people to mix at home?

@LJC1234

Currently in tier 4 which feels like lockdown. Anyone any idea what would be different for those of us in T4 if there was a full lockdown

I'm tier 4. It's lockdown basically , but with even more queues at the shops that can open.

@LJC1234

Currently in tier 4 which feels like lockdown. Anyone any idea what would be different for those of us in T4 if there was a full lockdown

School closures and a tightening up of what “essential retail” means I.e no garden centres.

@sheworkshardforthemoney MN seems to get most predictions right!! The 5 day window for the whole continent was ludicrous and was never sensible, particularly in the areas that are now tier 4, never mind anywhere else!!

Does anyone know what time the announcement is?

@GingerAndTheBiscuits we are tier 4 too, DH and I discussed this last night. The March lockdown was different to this, schools and childcare reduced opening and many shops that are open now were closed (although many of those were actually allowed to be open but chose to close for some time- Mac Donald’s and B&Q for example)

I don’t think a time has been given yet

@unicornparty
no but 5pm or so is usual.
Robert Jenrick was quite confident that none would come in before Boxing day - cancelling christmas again at this late notice would go down like a lead balloon I think.
I think either all of us will end up in tier 4 or a big increase in tier 4 areas and the rest of us in tier 3 .
Right now I don't think there is any justification for anything lower than tier 3 sadly. I notice cases in Cornwall have skyrocketed recently.

Trying to be positive just briefly though - the run up to Christmas is always about being out and about, buying stuff etc. Especially with being in lockdown until early December. If everyone ends up staying at home for a least the next 2-3 weeks and with schools off too you would hope that things will come down a fair bit.

Either way I think it's pointless speculating ATM because it's quite clear no decision has been taken yet. Other than that a decision will be made today.

Some garden centers that sold cleaning materials or pet food reopened back in May here during lockdown one.
It's still open in tier 4!

@LJC1234

Currently in tier 4 which feels like lockdown. Anyone any idea what would be different for those of us in T4 if there was a full lockdown

I thought T4 was lockdown?

Any of the visuals I've seen have described it as that?

So I guess it's going to be language and semantics? Are we T4 or are we locked down? Is whole county going into T4 or being out in national lockdown?

Only difference is lockdown originally closed schools and apart from staggered start back in January they have no plans for this.

So maybe that's the difference between lockdown and T4?

@Frazzled2207

Either way I think it's pointless speculating ATM because it's quite clear no decision has been taken yet. Other than that a decision will be made today.

Well, some people like to discuss things even if they’re uncertain. I think that’s Ok but you can always hide the thread if it annoys you

@Frazzled2207
But the usual suspects love to salivate at the prospect of more misery.

Fwiw I think the difference between tier 4 and lockdown is that tier 4’s parameters have already been specified - so they can’t change tier 4 and limit exercise/close schools, for example. Lockdown allows things to be stricter - its also national so people can’t be ‘tier tourists’...

I definitely think more areas will be placed into tier 4 from Boxing day. However, I don't think they'll say anything about schools yet. That will be January at the earliest, probably less than 24 hours before they're due to go back.

Well it's hardly a surprise. Why not just bloody do it. We are all sick of this drip drip drip feed. So unsettling.

[quote EmmanuelleMakro]@Frazzled2207
But the usual suspects love to salivate at the prospect of more misery.[/quote]
Or... people are anxious and find it helpful to discuss things?

Agree with Frazzled - with schools being closed I would have thought things would level off a tiny bit, plus next week tends to be a quieter week (especially as no Christmas sales likely to be happening) with less movement. If they keep schools closed for a couple of weeks and put everywhere on a high level of restrictions it should have an impact while they mass rollout the vaccine (fingers crossed for Oxford approval in next couple of days). I think a lot of people will have been getting themselves tested in anticipation of Christmas mixing so many of the positives may be asymptomatic cases therefore less likely to spread it (according to research I saw earlier in the week). Hospital admissions are not yet at the level they were in March. We can still get things a bit more under control. I haven’t seen anyone outside my household for 10 days now and I’m sure a significant number of people are in the same boat

its also national so people can’t be ‘tier tourists’
I agree.
Lots of Londoners with second home in Cornwall will have travelled there ( as they did on the summer -strange there was no Cornwall spike at that time).
Also means schools stay open as per Tier 4 schema, if it were classified as ‘lockdown’ people would be clamouring for a schools to close, which is a line I hope the gvt has the balls not to cross.