Further Restrictions 'Stricter than March' Needed

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From the Telegraph today:

Sage advisers are calling for a lockdown tougher than the one seen in March as they argue the current restrictions do not go far enough.

Professor Susan Michie, a health psychology professor at University College London who sits on a Sage subcommittee, said more stringent action was needed.

While around 90 per cent of Britons are sticking to the rules there are also "more people out and about”, Prof Michie told the Today programme.

"It should definitely be tightened,” she said. "This is quite a lax lockdown because we’ve still got a lot of household contact, people go in and out of other’s houses. We should have stricter rather than a less strict lockdown than we had in March.

“You have this wide definition of critical workers and therefore you’ve got really busy public transport. There's also this new variant, and we have the winter season and the virus survives for longer in the cold.”

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Do you think they'll follow through with this? Reduce the amount of children in schools, ban support bubbles, heavier policing of people going about their daily lives?

Stricter how what are they going to do? Let us all starve to death at home with no power, no water , no healthcare etc? I mean it would solve the corona issue because we would all be dead.

I think they need to find away to make firms let people wfh when they can... I know many companies are making staff come in =even though they can and did wfh in the last lockdown ... even with more spaced out desks they are still inside and sharing kitchen/washroom facilities...because the MD doesnt like it... he likes seeing his staff!
not sure what size company you call this 50 odd people...
they paid a lot for the offices so wants to get his money worth... and he's not alone if you look around teh car parks etc they are much busier...

Currently my preschool is open, 15 hours a week, term time. No keyworkers or vulnerable children. All but 2 are sahm. We are still operating, and taking up 7 keyworker spaces at school.

So that 17 families plus staff, out and about, mixing at pick up and drop off, needing constant reminding to social distance with other parents.

It won’t happen it’s one persons opinion that has been blown up to coincide with the governments new ad campaign to scare people into staying at home. Downing Street has already confirmed that tougher measures will not be coming in but they are focusing on enforcement from the police and pleading with the public. Anyone whose mental health is suffering at the moment I suggest you step away from this thread as the lockdown lovers of mumsnet will be throwing out all sorts of nonsense about new restrictions and bolting you into the house with your curtains closed until spring.

I think we should have banned big stores like Asda and B&M selling home stuff
That's what's happening in Italy. On "Red zone" days supermarkets are only allowed to buy essential goods (food and pharmacy products) not any of the extra stuff.

Here from what I see there's not much compliance.
I'm Not saying there isn't.
I had tok travel around a bit yesterday for my baby's prescription that some chemist's couldn't get. 8 chemist's I tried and had to go to the next town.
The traffic was horrendous. I then did groceries in asda and was bedlam. You walk through the ' home' bit at first and it was people mooching about. Because they have nothing else to do. Sick of sitting in?
And yes I brought some home bits that I needed whilst there and I'm sure many do. But also many just going for a day trip.

@Seeline I am an hours drive from mine and see every weekend? Why does how far make a difference ? We act as one household.

Another thread on here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4130481-To-refuse-to-go-back-to-the-office

I work in an office with 12 other people
At present everyone is in the office
There is no reason why people can’t work from home

So yes, the lockdown could (and probably should) get tougher. It's just one example, but those people could be working from home. They're not simply because the employer wants them in the office. I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of them were travelling by public transport to get there.

Imo, the 'bubbles' thing is a problem. Everyone seems to think they are entitled to form a bubble with someone. It should be limited to those who desperately need support. Not just those who'd like to see an additional person. Likewise the under-1 bubble. Couples with a baby can mix with more people, just because they have a baby? I totally get that a baby is hard work, but you should only bubble with someone for support if support is genuinely needed - in most cases where a baby has two parents, they should be able to manage.
I am well aware that there are exceptions.

There were hardly any cars on the road during the first lockdown. The amount of cars stuck in the snow here yesterday was ridiculous. Don't tell me they were essential travel. People asking where they can go sledging. Oh this place is busy but this place isnt.

playgrounds may be open @Everleigh2021, but it does not stop whingers whinging.

@Funkypolar

Everleigh2021 - I appreciate that your job must be stressful and that you are entitled to work in a safe environment and people should not be rude to you.

Some retail staff are also being bloody rude to customers too. M&S Foodhall last week. Wearing my mask, giving people space. At the self service checkout with DH and the assistant shouted at me that it was one person only at the tills and to STAND BACK. Not sure how I was meant to know this or why she had to be so aggressive but I complied of course and didn’t say anything.

I’m afraid I contacted M&S to let them know.

Out of curiosity, why were you and your DH both there?

Yes open and ours was very busy with schools shut. Usually thia time of year maybe 1 fanily this time maybe 20-30. The kids werent even playing just parents chatting.
Noone uses hand gel and obviously lives probably indefinitely outside on metal in these temps..

I think compliance is high, most people sticking to the spirit of the guidance even (let alone the letter of the law) and more people wearing masks outside (myself included). If this isn’t getting it under control then there is something else going on, maybe another mutation.

i would like to be stopped and asked! I didnt ask to work in an office

This lockdown isn’t working because there are too many exceptions to the rules and lots of people are stretching the exemptions to the limit so they can live relatively normally. This is nothing like the lockdown in March. There are traffic jams in London, people are meeting up in groups and then walking in pairs so they appear to be complying, schools are half full so transmission is high amongst schoolchildren, playgrounds are open so small children are all over each other and people are out and about driving to different areas because they are bored of walking in their local area after having spent 9 months doing it. I know lots of people who chop and change support bubbles so they can see lots of friends. It’s not going to be contained any time soon.

@Katie517 I think we know by now we can’t trust what the Government says they are going to do or not do...

Bagamoyo1 - M&S allows couples. It’s not illegal.

@Backbee

I think schools including nurseries should only offer places for NHS/Care/Police/Fire staff for the next 2-3weeks.

What about teachers, nursery staff, those who work in utilities, shop workers, delivery drivers, factories that process food etc...there are a lot of people who keep things 'ticking over'.

I think there is some discussion to be had here to be fair. E.g. last time most teachers I know had their children home with them (esp.as nurseries were closed). It was a bloody nightmare but we didn't want to send them in as too worried. A lot of people this time saying 'I have to send my children in even though we have one SAHP because XYZ.'

So I think people's understanding of only send them if you really really have too is different this time. We literally only had keyworker children where both parents were NHS /care etc doing normal working hours last time. And not one child older than Y7.

Not because we don't have people doing more varied key worker roles but because people did anything they could to keep their children at home. I remember we had x amount of parents register as key workers but most said they didn't want to take up their place.

They need to get tougher on businesses not allowing people to WFH, parents sending kids to school unnecessarily and socialising in houses and parks. Alas, I doubt any harsher measures will work as people are not afraid anymore.

@Everleigh2021 I'm referring to the general attitude on MN that people who are continuing to send their children to childcare (in whatever form...nursery/childminder/informal) are selfish and doing it because they can't be arsed to look after their own kids. I'm not sure why you are taking my comment so personally

This is a thread to discuss whether restrictions should be tougher, someone mentioned removing support bubbles and I feel this is not an option

And, FYI...my second job is in retail so I am fully aware of how it can be, you're not the only one doing it

It's quieter where I am than normal, but not the "ghost town" scenario we had back in March. Some shops aren't open, but lots that I would have thought would have to close are still trading. They only loosely fulfil the requirements of "essential shops".

Back in March I could walk down the centre of a usually very busy road to walk my dog. Now there's far too much traffic. :(

I think with regards support bubbles there needs to be some way of registering them and the two address. Too many people seem to use the support bubble either when they don’t fall into a category or as a way to see multiple people.

I saw someone on a fb group talking about one relative as her childcare bubble and another as her support bubble which really isn’t how it’s meant to work!

Last time people much more stuck you had to stay home.

Just examples in our friendship group:

My friend, a plumber, furloughed himself as he felt he had to. Now the guidance is clear “if you can’t work from home”. He can’t so he’s working again.

Childcare bubbles, aren’t allowed last time. I now know several friends in bubbles with at least one set of grandparents, where last time parents just struggled on wfh and looking after kids.

None of these people are breaking the rules, but just an example why there is far more “mixing” and therefore routes of transmission this time.

There are so many people being unnecessarily forced going into the office (and this is just people I know).

Face masks need to be outside. Even I am more relaxed and forget I can only go out once for exercise.

It's terrifying what might happen to our health service and so many of us.