Announcements today?

[Tillsforthrills]

Is BoJo expected to make an official announcement today or is it just speculation?

@LacyEdge

It’s blowing my mind that Hunt is now the voice of reason about the NHS. Cognitive dissonance. Still, any port in a storm.

Jeremy Hunt, who allegedly authored a book/document about how to privatise/dismantle the NHS..

We are in doomed situation then.

Shh everyone, BoJo is still having his lunchtime nap, keep the noise down.

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

He's not going to resign (he's looking to good to his mates atm) We will all be in Tier 4 - that has been made clear this morning, and poss full lockdown. Shielding will be back as they can use it as a ruse to close schools. Today would be better but bet will be Wednesday.

My son's on the extremely vulnerable list and from the emailed letter he had about it last week the Tier 4 advice for him is pretty much shielding anyway. Basically stay in, (hes an adult so dont go to college) and try to stay 2m away from others even at home.

Even if he was to resign,
You think anything would be any different?

Labour wants to lockdown now!

They are going on ‘advice’
That ‘advice’ would be the same, whoever is in charge

Yes no messing with Nicola decisive and no smirking. Whilst Bojo caught with his pants down again.

Wow, Jeremy Hunt currently top story on DFail website right now. He says to close the borders (along with schools, etc).

Only 10-11 months late, but better late than never.

Close the GD borders! A new variant is in SA that may well be resistant to the vaccine, but still we allow people to fly freely in and out of the country. Maybe they will wait until everyone is back from their winter sun holidays and then close the borders (wishful thinking)

@EeeehElsie

I'm absolutely pig sick of people blaming the 'non compliant' public for the spread. Millions of people have just spent Christmas apart from loved ones for the greater good. Yes, there will always be a few people who think they're above the rules but the morally superior types blaming others need to consider that millions of people are still going to work, because they have no choice. Carers, retail staff, delivery staff, teachers, health care workers, binmen, food processing staff... All have no choice but to work. All those millions of people in close quarters through no fault of their own, every day and night, will have far more of an effect on infection numbers than a handful of idiots having mates over for a party. Also, viruses are designed to spread, that's what they do, and this one is terribly good at what it does.

The shambolic handling of it all has hardly helped, either.

The Greater Good!

I can't read those words without thinking of the film Hot Fuzz.

The world's gone mental.

I think lots of mistakes were made.

Masks should of been from March for example

Schools shouldnt of gone back today

But whatever way you look at it and whatever he does, some will agree, some wont.

Bet May is dancing around her house thankful its not in her hands

@EeeehElsie

I'm absolutely pig sick of people blaming the 'non compliant' public for the spread. Millions of people have just spent Christmas apart from loved ones for the greater good. Yes, there will always be a few people who think they're above the rules but the morally superior types blaming others need to consider that millions of people are still going to work, because they have no choice. Carers, retail staff, delivery staff, teachers, health care workers, binmen, food processing staff... All have no choice but to work. All those millions of people in close quarters through no fault of their own, every day and night, will have far more of an effect on infection numbers than a handful of idiots having mates over for a party. Also, viruses are designed to spread, that's what they do, and this one is terribly good at what it does.

The shambolic handling of it all has hardly helped, either.

I totally agree with you. ‘Non compliant’ seem to be some people’s new favourite words. I just wish they would stop believing everything they read on Facebook and MSM.

Well done Scotland. Bit of sense.

Meanwhile in England......

[quote Unsure33]@Helenj1977

To those that actually listened to what he said , they are safe for pupils and the figures for hospitals etc prove that young people do not get really ill with this virus .

However he did say it’s the mixing of households that’s a problem . They take it back home to parents and other family depending on the individual circumstances.

So they were having to weigh up the importance of children’s education . Mental health , and obviously parents who needed to work with the current figures .

So not quite what you said .[/quote]
If schools were “safe” for pupils, school age children wouldn’t have the highest rates of infection in the population. It is true that they are less likely to get as ill as older people from it. The danger lies in them inadvertently taking it home and infecting family- hence the (also true) bit about household mixing.
But how do you keep children in school without mixing with others? Answer - you can’t, at least under current DfE guidance which still discourages the wearing of face coverings in classrooms, and which still makes it impossible to properly social distance.
The cognitive dissonance and blatant hypocrisy of this Government’s schools policy is breathtaking.

@dreamingbohemian

The main problem is that this government's only answer is to shut things down completely, once things are really bad.

There are all sorts of public hygiene things you can do to decrease transmission while not shutting down the whole country, as you see in a number of Asian countries. For example to go into a supermarket you have to go through an automated checkpoint that takes your temperature, verifies you're wearing a mask, and makes you sanitise your hands. Disinfectant constantly sprayed in public areas. Really effective tracing operations. Masks everywhere.

Our government is too -- what? lazy? incompetent? stupid? to do anything that detailed though. There is just this sledgehammer approach, shut down huge portions of the country one by one. And when that doesn't work, put all the blame on us.

None of the above. This country is too terrified of offending people. You're looking at a country that's too terrified to fly a flag in case someone somewhere, gets upset.

They're hardly going to start mass fumigaring people.

Well Scotland has just gone for a lock down!

The point about online shopping is valid. Things are mostly being delivered as quickly as ever. That can't be done if you reduce warehouse workers etc to 'safe' levels especially as online shopping will have increased massively.

There needs to be some sort of control with essentials delivered but non essentials delayed so workplaces can be safer. And work places should be checked for compliance. And nhs trackers should be switched on. Not like reports I've heard of supermarkets telling staff to switch them off.

Boris was obviously just waiting for Nicola to make the decision for him!

I wish Wales would follow Scotland but nope. Cases are higher here but no there still waiting for more evidence, stupid imho.

What is essential retail in Scotland?

Is the range/b and m/home bargains all still open? Under the ruse of being ‘essential’?

@the80sweregreat

Why are things not being sprayed down? The supermarkets were so much cleaner back in the summer but lately they have gone back to being grubbier again ( I know it's winter time and people in and out in the bad weather etc , but I have noticed this) Investing in more cleaners probably isn't their priority just now, when maybe it should be. A few places didnt even have sanitizer available or just empty bottles hanging around! I use my own ,but not everyone does this.

Our local supermarkets had hour closures/ half hour closures for cleaning every few hours. I do think this should be done again.

You're looking at a country that's too terrified to fly a flag in case someone somewhere, gets upset.

What shitrag did you get that from?

You're looking at a country that's too terrified to fly a flag in case someone somewhere, gets upset

What rot.

@Friendsoneuptown

Nicola Sturgeon is speaking now. We are back in lockdown aka March until the end of January.

She's brilliant at addressing people clearly, effectively, calmly and with great clarity of reasoning.

Johnson reported in papers today : The risk to teachers, and of course we will do everything we can to protect teachers, but the risk to teachers is no greater than it is to anyone else

So what does 'everything we can' include? As current Government policy does not include: prioritising school staff for vaccination, providing testing for primary school staff, using rotas to allow for distancing between pupils or permit mask wearing in classrooms.

Implement some of the above and they may keep primaries open in some form.

But we do know Conservative Governments never ever want to listen to Unions that represent workers rights.

A professor of pandemics said on R4 this morning that the only surprise he’s had during this pandemic, is the incompetence of the western world on dealing with the virus.
These govts weren’t willing to follow and listen to govts who have dealt with viruses like this - Sars, bird flu etc. Western govts thought they knew better and did the exact opposite of Singapore, Vietnam etc. What is so utterly mystifying is why the UK, USA etc are still ignoring those countries which have almost eradicated the virus.

I can see the Scottish border from my house. Seriously considering moving it brick by brick a few miles north.

If they are going to tighten restrictions they really need to sort out the border problem. It’s laughably bad. I’m not saying that should be the only measure, but they need to stop ignoring it.