Tighter restrictions? What else can be "tighter"??

[R2221]

Schools closed, work places closed, nailbars, hairdressers, clothes shops, closed. My high street is dead and a couple of big shops are permanently closing down. We've been totally indoors, going out only to get grocery and exercise.

Oh, gyms are closed, no play dates, birthdays, dinners or even coffee with friends. WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE TO STOP THE SPREAD??? What would "tighter" restrictions mean? To me, next tighter level means no grocery and exercise :(

My local hospital is totally full. I don't understand why.

Tighter restrictions. No gathering outside take aways and coffee shops. No sitting around on park benches. One trip out for one hour per day. No bubbles. No moving between households. There lots that could be done short term.

Does anyone else think the government leak potential ideas to the newspapers to sound out public opinion on future measures?

Its been government policy to do this for the last three years. Its got the name 'trial balloon' thats how common it is. Its not restricted to Covid.

But yes its definitely happening, but in this case I think that they've already done that research and whats happening now is the public (and businesses) are being prepared and primed for the inevitable announcement that has already been decided so it doesn't come as a shock.

Expect a lot more media access to hospitals this week (which is about time). The government have tried to cover it up, but have no realised the situation is so bad they have to make the public more aware of it even if its damaging or distressing.

@WrongKindOfFace

Perhaps the army could nail shut all doors and pour gruel through the letterbox once a day?

@Aixenprovence

"They will probably concentrate on banning overnight stays and outdoor exercise instead."

Ah - what happened to encouraging people to reduce BMI to reduce their risk if they caught corona? (I admit overnight stays don't have much to do with that, but exercise?) Is there any evidence that outdoor exercise spreads the virus - I appreciate that it could if it's aerosol spread, but am not sure if any studies have been done on this? (I realise you weren't advocating this by the way, just stating it's a possibility)

Theres not a lot of logic in much of this. In Scotland for instance, gyms and swimming pools remained closed for months whilst pubs were allowed to be open. You could sit down with total strangers with no masks on to drink alcohol but not allowed to visit parents in their own home.

I really do think much of the decision making is based on protecting the government from blame, and is really the product of an incompetent, panicking government lurching from one random decision to another.

There is far too much emphasis on tighter restrictions, harder lockdown, infinitely variable rules and who is breaking them etc.

The government has so far failed to treat this as a public health issue. Instead they are treating it as a criminal matter, which is counterproductive but also convenient for them because everyone's busy pointing fingers at each other for breaking The Rules™ instead of holding the government to account for making safe, effective isolation even possible.

The vast majority of people do actually want to keep themselves safe, and their loved ones safe, but a huge fuckton of people are not able to because they work in very insecure jobs and are living from one payday to the next with nothing to spare. If their employer tells them they must go in then they must go in, even if they can just as well WFH. If they need to go in and their employer has followed the 'covid-secure' guidance then they just have to lump it, even when it's very obvious that 'covid-secure' will do little to prevent infection in their workplace. Even if employees or workers know they've been in close contact with someone who has the virus, if for whatever reason T&T has not yet contacted them, they will have no official authorisation to take time off to isolate so they still have to go in, knowing there is a fair chance they could be spreading the virus to colleagues, customers, clients etc.

People are also unable to effectively isolate because they live in households with other people, sometimes relatives, sometimes strangers, and the government has decided it completely doesn't matter if you infect the rest of your household, just as long as you Stay At Home.

Clearly this is bullshit.

The question is not 'What else can be tighter?', the question is 'What else can we do to reduce transmission?' and these are not the same thing.

Workplaces aren't closed! Anyone who isn't able to work from home is still being told by this government to keep going to work!

The government is distracting us by suggesting this is about households mixing. The vast majority of people are being extremely careful. But the guidelines still mean large numbers of people are commuting every day to work despite the new more transmissible variant! Schools also remain very full as the government have increased the definition of "key worker" and added that children who have no access to Wifi/laptops are vulnerable and can still come to school - on one hand, fair enough, but on the other hand, haven't they already had 9 months to sort out the laptops????!

Cafes should close. "Domestic staff" shouldn't be working - nannies, cleaners etc. Construction workers shouldn't be working - lots of deaths in the last wave.

The only trouble is that the government would have to shell out in order to enable everybody to actually shut down.

I can see why it's scary for them to do that. But do they honestly think that another six months to a year of this uncertainty, NHS strain and repeated lockdowns is going to be any better for the economy?

What's the point of a curfew? There's nothing open at night, anyway - except supermarkets, and it's a quiet time to shop.

@LangClegsInSpace

There is far too much emphasis on tighter restrictions, harder lockdown, infinitely variable rules and who is breaking them etc.

The government has so far failed to treat this as a public health issue. Instead they are treating it as a criminal matter, which is counterproductive but also convenient for them because everyone's busy pointing fingers at each other for breaking The Rules™ instead of holding the government to account for making safe, effective isolation even possible.

The vast majority of people do actually want to keep themselves safe, and their loved ones safe, but a huge fuckton of people are not able to because they work in very insecure jobs and are living from one payday to the next with nothing to spare. If their employer tells them they must go in then they must go in, even if they can just as well WFH. If they need to go in and their employer has followed the 'covid-secure' guidance then they just have to lump it, even when it's very obvious that 'covid-secure' will do little to prevent infection in their workplace. Even if employees or workers know they've been in close contact with someone who has the virus, if for whatever reason T&T has not yet contacted them, they will have no official authorisation to take time off to isolate so they still have to go in, knowing there is a fair chance they could be spreading the virus to colleagues, customers, clients etc.

People are also unable to effectively isolate because they live in households with other people, sometimes relatives, sometimes strangers, and the government has decided it completely doesn't matter if you infect the rest of your household, just as long as you Stay At Home.

Clearly this is bullshit.

The question is not 'What else can be tighter?', the question is 'What else can we do to reduce transmission?' and these are not the same thing.

This, 100%.

This thread is insane. Everyone picking the increased restrictions that affect them least and gunning for that.

And who is going to be checking up on all these extra rules like keeping track of the registering of bubbles etc, public servant key workers who are having to stop work because their partner isn’t a key worker and they have no childcare?

@RedToothBrush the fail is

Probably the quickest but the most horrendous way out of this pandemic would be to go completely hard & vicious, just put down anyone who has a positive test result or who's bubble has burst.

But thank God we don't live in a society that would even think about doing this.

I think meeting up with one person outside is definitely being abused. We saw 2 of our neighbours massively stretching this rule today.

Parents are still letting their teenagers out and they are hanging around in groups and not social distancing. I know as I have one and a lot of people she knows are still hanging around on fields, going to each others house.

Schools have got way too many kids in them. The school I work in has almost 50%. Should be 2 key workers who work out of the home.

Nurseries should be closed except to KW to match schools.

All shops to close such as the range, b&m.

@katy1213

What's the point of a curfew? There's nothing open at night, anyway - except supermarkets, and it's a quiet time to shop.

Especially in January, it's hardly like people are going to be jollying in the street in the dark and it's freezing cold

@Robbybobtail

Can someone explain how a curfew would help?

It wouldn’t, but misery really likes company and there are many many sad, miserable bastards on mumsnet unfortunately.

Yep!

Also those of you saying max 1hr exercise. Do you honestly think that where covid is spreading? Because if so, wow!

I can’t speak for any other areas but my area in London ( one of the highest rates in the uk) are simply taking the mick.

You have shops selling knitting and crafts goods open , the furniture shop that went to Costco and stocked up on waters and juice to sell and calling themselves an essential shop. An entire street with every single shop open from the toy shop to the ladies coats and hosiery, but they get around this by putting newspapers on the windows. In fact a lot of the shops have started doing this and then they have customers inside like normal. The nail salon next door to the police station, is open but have the windows newspapered, although the owner may want to tell her customers to not stand outside having a cigarette with their freshly painted toe nails waiting to dry.

The Costa coffee has queues out the door, with no social distancing but I don’t think take always should close though, I think it will be fine to remain open if delivery only.

My useless council won’t do anything and nor the police despite my borough being on the news several times about being one of the worst areas in the UK.

Where I am nothing has changed. In March/April it was so quiet, last Friday it was busier than the lead up to Christmas.

I think there are areas in the Uk that really are sticking to the rules, and unfair to impose more restrictions, but where I am... it really is a big F you and “we don’t believe in Covid” mentality

They have to do further lockdown, surely.

Key worker definition school place tightening.

Much tighter restriction on employers to allow staff to wfh

Agree with domestic staff. My cleaner is not coming and I will pay her in full but I know few are doing this.

I can see why it's scary for them to do that. But do they honestly think that another six months to a year of this uncertainty, NHS strain and repeated lockdowns is going to be any better for the economy?

Do you honestly think the things you suggest will prevent further lockdowns? They won’t. They might help bring this wave to an end but they won’t stop future ones once we open up. Only the vaccines can do that (we hope).

All the people I know who’ve tested positive over the last few weeks have picked it up from hospitals - either by working in one or at appointments.

I really hope this isn’t representative of where most cases are coming from as if it is I fear a return to health screening and scheduled treatments and ops being cancelled again

"Are religious services a significant contributor to the case numbers?"

I think there have been some instances overseas in mega churches. Not sure there is any evidence that they have been a significant contributor here. I think that is the point that leaders made to the govt when they were banned in lockdown 2.

But the size of the gathering and the physical structure will vary a huge amount. Where you have large draughty buildings with wide aisles, where people can easily sit 6 ft each away from each other there may be less risk!

@Sitt

This thread is insane. Everyone picking the increased restrictions that affect them least and gunning for that.

And who is going to be checking up on all these extra rules like keeping track of the registering of bubbles etc, public servant key workers who are having to stop work because their partner isn’t a key worker and they have no childcare?

Absolutely true. Like I live wit my partner with no children so it would be easy for me to shout about support bubbles. But I have enough empathy to know people have different struggles to me.

It's really sad how people are so keen to be blameful and turn against each other tlocer covid and lockdown.

MrsMomoa dismissing those of us who want a slightly tighter lockdown for a while as paranoid and miserable because 'we're all going to die anyway' is taking the piss, yes.
Because, guess what, i'd rather not for a while yet, and i'd rather my family didn't either.. but hey, if it doesn't bother you as to when you pop your clogs thats up to you. Don't dismiss others concerns.

@Calmandmeasured1

*Why does Boris need to be in a support bubble?" I wonder if the support bubble for those with children under 1 came about because of a suggestion/pressure from Carrie.

It was actually Dominic Cummings of all people who suggested it, after a single mum emailed his wife asking for help.

Yeah its getting like lord of the flies on here

Covid is largely a disease of the overweight. Restricting exercise is a fucking own goal

I despair of this government

@PotteringAlong

Our local press are reporting 6pm curfew Closing nurseries Removal of support bubbles Closure of “essential” shops like garden centres.

I am completely confused by the idea that curfews would help. I know other countries have done it, but surely if nothing else it forces everyone to shop in a shorter time period, so shops will be busier. People who at the moment like to shop at 10pm because it’s quieter and they feel safer will be forced to shop with everyone else during the day.