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.

OP - you might be staying at home but many are not. Since Christmas the coast where we live has been packed. Lockdown has made no difference. Today there were thousands of cars across the day, driving back and forward along the sea front, parking up anywhere, people meeting friends for picnics - saw a group of 6 adults sitting on a bench and wall with a large box of takeaway cakes and donuts and takeaway coffees, no social distancing, another standing round the back of a van where they had a picnic laid out, all leaning in for food. They were queuing for fish and chips and ice creams, in long queues standing close together, same at coffee shops, going across to queue at the public loos. There was nowhere left to park and many cars were parked on verges, grass patches, double yellow lines.The beach was really busy - some people were playing volleyball, some had lit fires and were cooking. It's madness.
We were told to stay at home and go out once a day to exercise near our house, if we want to. That isn't what these people were doing. They were out for social activity for the day. I walk every day for two hours. I leave the house and walk a circuit that ends back at the house. Last lockdown was nothing like this.

The government could:
Stop takeaway food being sold apart from delivery to a residential address between 6-10pm.
A curfew after 7pm until 6am apart from those at work.
Only one adult to shop - children allowed with them and anyone needing help accompanied. People are back to shopping in families and pairs.
Schools and nurseries to only accept keyworker children from specific groups- it seems lots of people are self-identifying as key workers.
More shops to close.
This new mutation is much more transmissable. Every contact any of us have with other people will increase risk.
We are paying the price for mixing at Christmas and will do so for weeks yet.
It is not a case of doing this for a couple of weeks until the numbers drop a bit then all going back to normal. We will have different lives now for at least another year and perhaps face regular restrictions for many years.

A lot and I hope it's soon.

Everything needs to shut. Eyes, mouth, face.

That’ll sort it 👍

Oh FFS this is getting ridiculous now. Ration fuel. What about those of us who have to take family members to work? DS works in a supermarket and hasn’t been able to take his driving test because of the lockdowns. There’s one person spouting about restricting public transport, another wanting to ration fuel. How the fuck is he meant to get to work without a bus if I can’t get petrol?

And people clamouring to get rid of support bubbles. Yeah okay but if you live in a family then one adult has to move out so there is only one adult per household. At least that might make it a bit fairer.

Today there were thousands of cars across the day, driving back and forward along the sea front, parking up anywhere, people meeting friends for picnics - saw a group of 6 adults sitting on a bench and wall with a large box of takeaway cakes and donuts and takeaway coffees, no social distancing, another standing round the back of a van where they had a picnic laid out, all leaning in for food. They were queuing for fish and chips and ice creams, in long queues standing close together, same at coffee shops, going across to queue at the public loos. There was nowhere left to park and many cars were parked on verges, grass patches, double yellow lines.The beach was really busy - some people were playing volleyball, some had lit fires and were cooking. It's madness.

Is this a joke? It’s bloody freezing, even without Covid you couldn’t drag me to a beach in this weather. (Missing the point I know)

It's interesting that none of the papers are reporting consideration of the overseas arrivals angle - maybe introducing supervised hotel quarantine for arrivals - is that just not considered effective once the virus has spread? In fact does anywhere do supervised quarantine for arrivals apart from Australia and New Zealand?

(I realise a requirement for a negative test is being introduced here, but not sure how that addresses the issue of people catching it after the negative test - at the airport, on the plane and so on, then travelling home on public transport?)

They could get rid of support bubbles unless it’s “prescribed” by a GP for someone who is vulnerable mental health wise. That way only those who genuinely need it rather than those who think it’s be nice to have will take it up and it would be easier to police.*

Please please stop with the suggestions of getting rid of or severely limiting support bubbles. What does vulnerable mental health wise actually mean? Are you saying only someone who is already diagnosed with bipolar or schizophrenia or severe depression or another severe mental illness should be allowed a support bubble? I don't have a diagnosed mental illness, but I live alone and not having a support bubble for most of lockdown 1 nearly broke me. I can't do that again, I really can't. Are you expecting all of us who are eligible for a support bubble to make appointments with our GPs so we can tell them why we need our support bubbles? Where are all those extra GP appointments going to come from? Do you really think that's a good use of NHS time?

And if you really think that people are having support bubbles because they are nice to have, then you really don't understand what living alone has been like for many people during this. My support bubble is not just nice to have, it's an absolute lifeline and I honestly have no idea what state I'd be in without it.

One person per household shopping once a week would help.

And a support bubble being a household.. including them. Have a support bubble if you need one, but follow the same rules.

Also the suggestion of getting GPS to prescribe support bubbles is hilarious. Our health service is on its knees - a lot of people can’t get appointments. And you think flooding GP surgeries for requests for bubbles is going to help?!

@CherryRoulade

I think one of the simplest ways to restrict excessive movement and mixing would be to ration car fuel. Enough for a supermarket trip and an emergency trip to accident and emergency and everything else specifically requested. Critical workers get more, haulage get more, emergency services get more, but ‘leisure fuel’ restrictions would see far less day trips. I’d also do regional lockdown properly. No crossing from one are to another except with a permit. Get rid of places like the Range, Pet shops, Take away coffee shops, takeaways in general. Short hard lockdown, properly enforced. Then regional assessment of incidence. I’d close schools and offer secondary children of essential workers and the vulnerable boarding places in are excellently resourced public schools.

Ration fuel? Is that serious?

I don’t take any notice of what anyone thinks about the under 1 support bubble if they haven’t had a baby within the last year. They have no clue at all, any more than I have a clue what it’s been like for those who live alone, or for those who are working in hospitals

"We are paying the price for mixing at Christmas and will do so for weeks yet."

I'm not sure this is the reason in London and other tier 4 places though - mixing at Christmas was banned.

Ration fuel? I’m sure some people are completely insane. What’s going to happen, a government appointed minion is going to come and siphon off the excess in my fuel tank?

We are paying the price for mixing at Christmas and will do so for weeks yet.

Its not just Christmas mixing. Liverpool city region was still in T2 with bars and restaurants open for meals until 30th Jan. And shops were still open until the full lockdown was announced.

The biggest increases in cases in the NW has been in the area.

Quite clearly the socialising this allowed and the shops being open had an effect as places in the NW which also had mixing for Christmas but were in T3 and T4 sooner haven't seen anywhere near the same rises.

@Aixenprovence judging by social media a lot of people went ahead and mixed anyway

@Aixenprovence

"We are paying the price for mixing at Christmas and will do so for weeks yet."

I'm not sure this is the reason in London and other tier 4 places though - mixing at Christmas was banned.

It didn’t stop it though.

One person per household shopping once a week would help.

What do you suggest those without the money to buy or space to store a weeks shopping do, starve?

Once a week? What happens if you r in our of baby formula, your prescription runs out etc, tough shit die quietly?

As for support bubbles on prescription. Do you think gps don't have enough to do?! Sorry we can't provide the covid vaccine because we have to write out a million support bubble scripts this week.

I feel like I'm living on another planet.

The support bubbles are stopping people getting to the point where they need the overstretched services of the NHS and local authority care

I specifically said additional fuel for essential workers needing to travel to work, Iheartmysmart . Once he’d given you his ‘get to work’ fuel allowance, you’d have enough. Why do you need more?

A huge benefit for the environment to reduce car travel too.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

One person per household shopping once a week would help.

What do you suggest those without the money to buy or space to store a weeks shopping do, starve?

Oh ffs. What isn't paid weekly

@CherryRoulade thanks to you MN has reached a new level of madness

Those wanting to ration fuel.

You do realise people can use their legs without filling them up at Sainsbury’s?

@CherryRoulade

I specifically said additional fuel for essential workers needing to travel to work, Iheartmysmart . Once he’d given you his ‘get to work’ fuel allowance, you’d have enough. Why do you need more?

A huge benefit for the environment to reduce car travel too.

Christ. That's okay then what else would you like? People to be hung drawn and quartered in the centre of town for breaking restrictions?

It’s quite hard for people to admit that their ideas are reactionary and ill thought through isn’t it.