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...

They can say what they like about Christmas Day - any last minute changes will not be obeyed so it would be utterly pointless.

I’m in tier 4, in a very high area. The last few weeks have been noticeably different with an uptick in school classes and closures etc. In tier 3 last week we had a 95% increase in cases in my area.

I’m sorry we need to deal with it for once and all like New Zealand has. Not stupid half measures that go on for a year and do nothing in the end. After all we are an island state. Let’s do it once and for all and get it right.

1.National lockdown till the numbers decrease hugely, including school and university closures.

1. Widespread and effective test and trace (not the hopeless system we have).
2. Dramatically increased vaccine program (if possible).
3. All travellers to Britain tested and quarantined if necessary.
4. No bullshit eat out to help out measures at the end of it.

It will hurt but what’s going on now is not working. The way it’s spreading everyone will be like us in the next few weeks anyway.

Some schools are already delayed back to school anyway, due to the testing thing. So no great leap to closures. May stay open for exam years.

unfortunately as pp have rightly pointed out the tiering system just doesn't work unless there is proper enforcement. Always a sense of "it's not fair". So for example I am in tier 3 but less than a mile from tier 2 area that actually has much higher rates than us.
If everyone is in the same boat people will not be tempted to travel and will be much better at following the rules.

Sadly national lockdown is inevitable - the sooner it starts the shorter it will need to be

I reckon new restrictions from Boxing Day. Would be much much better to have that coupled with test and trace really working, and regular asymptomatic testing of everyone.

Perhaps if we had a 2-3 week 'firebreak' lockdown, where the conditions are the same as the first lockdown, ie including all schools closed, except primary age and childcare for key workers, that would minimise disruption and have the best chance of breaking the current transmission chains?

if it's tier 4 for everywhere next to an existing tier 4 area, I wonder if that will include everywhere bordering Wales

I know it's linked to council and country boundaries, but that would be a blow to Herefordshire, which is currently Tier 1, but on the Welsh border.

We need to stop this chopping and changing up and down the tiers though, and give notice of significant changes at least a week or two in advance. It must be awful for pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons and non essential shops etc which don't know what they're doing from one day to the next, currently.

I'm in tier 2 and people are coming in from nearby tier 4 to finish their shopping etc so I fully expect to go straight to tier 4 soon.

This mutation has pissed all over their Xmas plan. They had gambled on the variables staying level through the mixing period and were ready for maybe a January lockdown similar to November. Now though, all bets are off. It’s frightening how easily the wheels could come off when mixed with Brexit and food delivery problems.

However, my mother hangs on the Govt every word. Been telling her for days to get some bits in though due to the speculation around Birmingham/West Mids.
Hugely sensible given a few supermarkets are closed for Boxing Day, so that will leave tomorrow for EVERYONE to panic buy stuff - even though the food shops will be open in tier 4.

Most corner shops and locals will be open Boxing Day. No need to panic.

It's that really true? I would not be happy leaving my 11 year old alone in the house from 8 to 6pm every dayand also wouldn't be happy leaving my 15 year old, because he is grossly irresponsible.

My kids are 12 and 17 and either one would be fine on their own or left together. Obviously I would phone the younger one through the day to make sure she was on track and ok. Most people I know would leave kids this age alone. I can’t imagine not being able to leave my son to get on with schoolwork when he was 15. By that if there are no additional needs I would be wanting to deal with the reason he’s so irresponsible.

By then,

T4 is lockdown, basically: Saint Boris and his merry men just can't bear to call it that. The government is pretending it isn't, because they don't want to admit that they putting the country in lockdown for a third time.

(Definition of insanity: doing the same thing again, and again, and again, hoping for a different result each time...)

Sky news commons Committee on now. Scientists.

BarbaraofSeville

...I know it's linked to council and country boundaries, but that would be a blow to Herefordshire, which is currently Tier 1, but on the Welsh border...

The firebreak we had in November did nothing in our area. Unless we have a national lockdown you’ll be in tier 4 in the next couple of weeks anyway.

(Definition of insanity: doing the same thing again, and again, and again, hoping for a different result each time...)

But lockdown does lead to a decrease in infections. It’s the coming out of lockdown that causes the issue.
I’m not a Boris fan, not a Tory but they have a very difficult job balancing everything.

I'm in tier 2 and people are coming in from nearby tier 4 to finish their shopping

It takes about 2 weeks for the data to come thru after high extra exposures, to be sure there is a sustained rise & the genomics were done in case of looking for today's 'Scary New Variant'*. So heavy shopping this week won't affect numbers used to decide tiers/controls until ~5-7 January.

Shops still aren't implicated as high exposure places, btw.
I'm living in a place outside London that IS known to have a lot of scary-new-variant and our hospital bed counts are spiking, although not Critical care beds (yet). I'm off to a few non-essential shops & gym today, since they won't be available if/when we go to Tier 4.

*we will hear about lots of these until we're bored by them

I also think lockdown from Boxing Day

It makes sense . Schools are off anyway .

We need a firebreak for the new variant . Things have changed and that’s not the governments fault . Thank goodness for porton down .

I agree with PP in that unless schools are shut like they were in spring, people will just carry on doing what they want regardless because they will think "What's the fucking point?"

Is Wales not run by Labour ?

As far as I can see they had more draconian measures but parts are in a dire situation. And now it seems because they have the new variant not necessarily because people were breaking the rules ?

I don’t think it matters what government is in charge the virus is a difficult thing to manage especially as it changes so much .

And please for anyone who harps on about the covid deaths are not actually covid deaths , just refer them to the excess death figures that are available for most European countries . It’s actually very high .

From what I understand the difference between T4 and lockdown are:

Lockdown: schools closed, there were no bubbles at the start (childcare or otherwise), no garden centres etc open, no weddings allowed at all (5 allowed to attend if one of those wanting to marry was dying - the bride, groom, 2 witnesses and person performing the ceremony), funerals 5 people only.

T4: schools open, bubbles and childcare allowed, garden centres and more shops open, weddings allowed with 5 people, funerals allowed for 30.

I think.

@BarbaraofSeville

Perhaps if we had a 2-3 week 'firebreak' lockdown, where the conditions are the same as the first lockdown, ie including all schools closed, except primary age and childcare for key workers, that would minimise disruption and have the best chance of breaking the current transmission chains?

if it's tier 4 for everywhere next to an existing tier 4 area, I wonder if that will include everywhere bordering Wales

I know it's linked to council and country boundaries, but that would be a blow to Herefordshire, which is currently Tier 1, but on the Welsh border.

We need to stop this chopping and changing up and down the tiers though, and give notice of significant changes at least a week or two in advance. It must be awful for pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons and non essential shops etc which don't know what they're doing from one day to the next, currently.

Tier 1 makes no sense for Herefordshire - cases have doubled in pretty much every borough in the last week and often not from a low base. Broxbourne is one of the worst boroughs in the country!

Lol 😂 tier tourist
I am getting so confused over the various tiers and what you can and can’t do

@LKJG

The thing is, are people going to stick to rules? Are Teens going to stay in for example? People have had enough of these restrictions and some will ignore them now.

My 17yo stepson has given up on the rules, which is causing a lot of friction between him and both households he lives with. I just don't want him in the house if he's going out doing what he's doing at the moment, but there's not really any other choice .. so it's just a terrible atmosphere between us all.

If covid doesn't kill us, the wedge it's brought between our family just might.

So why is it in Tier 1 then? Seems a bit random.

But then people probably need to stop being so hung up on the 'Tier 1' low risk, Tier 4 'every man, woman and dog has the virus'.

We're in Tier 3 and have lower infection rates than many Tier 2 areas and as illustrated on this thread, with the exception of the Scillies and possibly the Isle of Wight, there's free movement from Tier 4, despite being illegal/against advice.