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...

@Goldistheanswer did they say it was more serious in young people?

@busybee87 no nothing on that in this presser and I don’t think the scientists in SA know that’s true yet. I’ve read they are seeing more under 40s with serious disease but presumably that could be due to huge levels of transmission than because it’s more virulent .

Not read anything about kids, just under 40s.

There are anecdotal reports it causes more severe disease in younger age groups but nothing has been confirmed as far as I know.
I feel sick .

TBH that was better than I thought, I thought it would be from midnight tonight

Better? It would be better for it to be sooner.

They don't care about us community support workers either as we are not classed as "carers". It doesn't matter that I spend up to 2 hours at a time in the service users home (which can be up to 3 different places in a day). We have been told we do not qualify for the vaccine.....still we're super protected by our flimsy plastic aprons and visors (can't wear as mask as the people I see are deaf).

@Miseryl

I'm so relieved the north west has escaped tier increases under this review although no doubt that may change in the future.

I've just text the same thing to my friend.

There was something to say it could be but they think that maybe it’s just that more teens were mixing and transmitting it in SA. So by sheer numbers you will see more evidence of serious disease.

@Vitaminsss

Does anyone know who counts as “younger people” regarding the South Africa variant? Are we talking about those in early 20s or children?

Vitamin. I havent finished reading the whole thread but I'll reply here. I am in South Africa. The young people they are referring to are ages 15 to 19 years.

Our school leavers had parties in KwaZulu-Natal and 75% of the teenagers who attended tested Postive but most were asymptomatic. (some refused to test). It's certainly caused a shit storm of events.

We are reporting about 8000 to 9000 cases per day at the moment.

Yet there are always those who refuse to co-operate and still believe it all to be a hoax....

Flights from here have been banned from quite a few countries now, UK is still open for us to travel to. Anyone coming here needs a negative test but it does not seem to be the case for us flying out to UK.

Our schools are closed until 27th January anyway as it's the summer holidays. I think that helps but I have no idea what will happen in January as people are traveling all over.

It is very concerning.

She’s clearly not been into a school for a LONG time

Do they just not give a shit or do they genuinely not understand how children mix in school?

My friends are in South Africa visiting her parents. They flew out a week ago after negative tests etc. They due back in 10 days. Not sure how this is going to affect them but it sounds pretty serious. They have their 2 11 year old dds with them x

Why do they keep lying about schools?

The local secondary school has year group bubbles of 350, these students are supervised inside for lunch, no social distancing and very little mask wearing. Staff and students might as well spend an hour a day in a night club.

@SabrinaTheMiddleAgedBitch

Do they just not give a shit or do they genuinely not understand how children mix in school?

Absolute negligence for staff, pupils and their families.

So I want schools open but even I think Jenny h was talking shit then!

I hope the teacher unions are on this .. especially of younger children / teens are more at risk

The problem is the teaching unions are too militant and go too far. The NEU has even demanded that teachers jump the vaccine queue. I will be so embarrassed if I, as a healthy-ish person in my 30s, end up getting a vaccine before some very elderly or very vulnerable people, many of whom live with school age children, have had it.

The NASUWT has some sensible stuff to say but the NEU shouts louder and is too extreme to be taken seriously.

Norfolk goes from Tier 2 to Tier 4 skipping Tier 3 entirely..... oh fuck you Boris you twat

I'm too anxious to watch. Can someone tell me what Jenny Harries has said about schools reopening?

Shut everything down including the schools. Concentrate all efforts on getting as many people as possible vaccinated. This fannying about with four tiers is doing my head in.

Teachers should be top of the list for the vaccination if they want to keep schools open. They are throwing them to the wolves, I would be furious.

@SunshineOutdoors

I'm in York, where we'd got from approx 300 per 100,000 in October, down to 59 a couple of weeks ago, now we're back up to 120 ish but still no change from tier 2? Suelry if we've doubled in a couple of weeks it's only going to get worse? Also surrounded by tier 3 areas with many people coming here into town to go out.

We got up to 180/100k at our towns peak. Down to 60 ish and back up to 180 now over last 2-3 weeks.

We've just gone from T2 to 4. Or will do Saturday.

They look at other things than just the actual rates. You may find on 30th if the trend continues you will go back up.

@manicinsomniac

I hope the teacher unions are on this .. especially of younger children / teens are more at risk

The problem is the teaching unions are too militant and go too far. The NEU has even demanded that teachers jump the vaccine queue. I will be so embarrassed if I, as a healthy-ish person in my 30s, end up getting a vaccine before some very elderly or very vulnerable people, many of whom live with school age children, have had it.

The NASUWT has some sensible stuff to say but the NEU shouts louder and is too extreme to be taken seriously.

Personally I think school staff should have the same priority as healthcare staff.

Sabrina Dr jenny said early on that dc at low risk and because they face forward they mitigated risk.

She's mad. She did a q and a on here..

I'd quite like her to come back and explain herself.

Report to the Commons Science and Technology Committee - variant already in 'great majority if not all' European countries.
Matt Hancock - The new variant is highly concentrated and the stay at home rule aims to quell it.

Usual bollocks. This cat is out of the bag, this horse has bolted, this ship has sailed.

Stop feeding us bullshit, Mr Hancock.

Why not do the lockdowns from Christmas Day? Or straight away ?
The vaccines will take forever!
Happy Christmas .. hmm ,great!

Happy Christmas