Is the government preparing is for a New Zealand scenario?

[lockdownbreakdown]

Does anyone else think we are going to be locked down until the majority are vaccinated and then the borders are going to be closed indefinitely to prevent new strains? I definitely get this vibe from all the stuff leaked in the press. It seems to be the only way we can stop new variant from ruining the vaccination programme as we cant vaccinate the kids if we let in new strains from abroad we will be going back into lockdown indefinitely. Thoughts?

I think thats now the ambition.

In practice we will find out why we are not New Zealand in time.

When does the pregnancy glow start? I’m about 12 weeks give or take a couple of days (dating scan on the 2nd) and I literally look like a troll, I’m bloated to the point I’m already in maternity wear, I’m so tired I haven’t brushed my hair in a week, my skin is terrible and I just look like a wreck 😂😂😂 and to add insult I thought I was out of the woods with morning sickness as i hadn’t been sick for a week then boom today I’ve either been festering on the sofa with the blinds shut (headache) or head down the loo and I just wanna know when I’m gonna look/ feel like a human again hahahaha

Israel stopped anyone but their own passport holders entering the country during the entire pandemic (very wise) the flight ban is for a week.

They ve been a lot stricter than the UK.

Whoops ignore that I meant to add as new thread sorry 😂😂😂😂😂

Covid comparison with NZ are driving me mad, I’ve seen Din many making the comparison and it’s completely ludicrous to do that

NZ is slightly bigger in the to the UK, not much bigger but slightly

NZ have between 6 & 7 million inhabitants whereas the UK has something like 65 million

It’s far easier to control a virus where, per person NZ have about ten times the space to do so and it’s far easier to shut their borders than it is in the UK

Heathrow is one of the biggest transit hubs for worldwide travel, from what I’ve seen inside Heathrow it’s a total mess trying to control incoming crowds but I feel that if the UK said no flights, no ships dock, nothing comes in and out for 14 days we may stand a chance but I very much doubt Bumbling Boris will do this

@lockdownbreakdown

Well it seems that Israel ARE pulling a Bew Zealand to protect their vaccine programme. From today they are hermetically sealongs themselves off from the world. All flights in and out are now banned. I really think, as we are right behind them, we will do the same.

Interesting

I don’t think your figures show that Spain is doing well. Despite keeping children in for weeks (horrific). So no their strict lockdown didn’t work.

All of Europe is currently doing badly.

Uk could not of achieved what nz have even at the beginning as we are bigger and it was here long before we knew it.
But what we can do surely now is learn some lessons and strict quarantine for all arriving from now on , whilst we try and do vaccines and get numbers down.
Why should I sit at home and give up everything , yet someone can fly off to dubai to party, if they can afford that then they can afford the quarantine after. We should at least close borders for a couple months whilst we roll out vaccine and other countries do.
And if people have to travel they have to quarantine on return as well.

Well yes @Oscarsdaddy all those sensible and true facts are excuses and whinging according to some posters. In their little safe haven.

Most of europe is faring badly and most of europe have had borders open and travelling between.
Germany were doing so well and its a very different picture now, whilst most of europes figures are not as bad as uk ( except a couple) they still are not good .
I can't understand why all countries are not banning international travel except in exceptional circumstances whilst each country tries to get this under control.

Stable door, horse, bolted.

Re: Spain vs UK

Deaths in Spain (per million of population) were higher than in the UK up until the new variant picked up. Strict lockdown or outdoor mask mandate did nothing to curtail the spread.

It is clear that right now UK is suffering more than other European countries but, unfortunately, the new variant has originated in Kent. Even if it is "only" 35% more transmittable as suggested by the latest studies, it still makes a very big difference to the R rate and ultimate death toll.

No chance - they’re not that smart

This is exactly it , the rates in Ireland were actually pretty low pre Christmas and went up with incredible speed over Christmas because of this new variant. It's what is causing these huge issues now in Ireland and the UK.
I have family in France and all schools,childcare and loads of non essential shops are open and they've had a slow start with vaccines. Yes, they have curfew but effectively so do we as absolutely nothing open so no one is out anyway after 6pm.
Is this all possible because they don't have this new variant in circulation?

@wintertravel1980

Re: Spain vs UK

Deaths in Spain (per million of population) were higher than in the UK up until the new variant picked up. Strict lockdown or outdoor mask mandate did nothing to curtail the spread.

It is clear that right now UK is suffering more than other European countries but, unfortunately, the new variant has originated in Kent. Even if it is "only" 35% more transmittable as suggested by the latest studies, it still makes a very big difference to the R rate and ultimate death toll.

The UK has consistently had a higher excess deaths toll than any other country in Europe, indeed one of the highest in the world.

Yes agree on the new variant and its effects on deaths etc, that's also why its vital to suppress this virus.

I have always wondered why a country like China, that doesn't normally care too much about its citizens, went all out to eradicate CV.

We didn't do that, so more chance to mutate.

@Oscarsdaddy

A lot of what you say sounds fair but if by: "I feel that if the UK said no flights, no ships dock, nothing comes in and out for 14 days we may stand a chance" .....you mean zero movements, absolutely nothing "in or out", including freight and the crew that have to go with it then I'd suggest that's not an option if you want to keep things like the NHS running, (mentions yet again as examples of stuff freighted in PPE, pharmaceuticals, covid testing kits), let alone the supermarkets stocked.

@winetomorrow

From a British person in NZ... our first lockdown was weeks of nothing. No going to work. Supermarkets/shops where essential, but that was it. I work for lawyers and fully expected to be told I couldn't work from home/old school/need access to deeds. But government said NO! Every person that didn't have to be physically present in a role had to stay home. And if you did need to be present in an office then too bad, work we'd to claim the subsidy. The worst lawyers I knew (in NZ, so paling in comparison to some of the old school people I've for before in the rest of the world) all shut down their practice and worked from home as best they could. Key workers were hospital staff, food distribution and that was pretty much it. No takeaways, no nothing. If you weren't involved in keeping people alive you're not a key worker. And it worked! 6 weeks of nothing has meant a year of normalacy, except the rest of the world is locked off. We miss you, sort it out and join us!

Thank you for putting this so clearly.

The UK is screwed. I cannot see an end to this with this incompletely incompetent government and frankly a nation of whingers.

I'm pretty sure New Zealand has freight by both sea and air......

frankly a nation of whingers

And you are? What exactly

@lockdownbreakdown

I'm pretty sure New Zealand has freight by both sea and air......

AFAIK I know it does..

and FWIW by way of illustration a couple of "snapshots" of what has been going on with regard to air freight into the UK..

www.aerotime.aero/26447-virgin-atlantic-cargo-prepares-to-transport-covid-19-vaccine

www.aviationbusinessnews.com/cargo/british-airways-increases-cargo-flights-from-china-to-uk-to-deliver-ppe-supplies/

I’m in India. Over 1.2bn people and the cities densely populated beyond anything in the U.K.

Hasn’t eradicated covid by any means but per capita rate is waaay down on U.K. People here are looking with horror at the U.K. for not shutting its borders and not enforcing quarantine - both of which were done for many long months here, along with other very stringent lockdown measures.

Compared to India, the U.K. simply didn’t really lockdown.

It wasn’t a perfect approach - getting pharmaceuticals to leave India on freight was a challenge for the U.K. and for daily wage earners it was awful - but it’s a country that’s the total opposite of NZ in every way and lockdown worked pretty well here really.

The UK has consistently had a higher excess deaths toll than any other country in Europe, indeed one of the highest in the world.

Not higher than Spain. Here is the relative comparison from FT.

The vaccination Doesn't stop you getting it or spreading it its not what a once you have it your sorted, its a virus you can maybe make your symptoms less but we are going to have to start living with it. The more you vaccinate the more it will mutate same as flu does. This is about the strain on the NHS and that alone, other countries are managing but we are not due to the state of our NHS bf this kicked off. If the government cared about the people it wouldn't be stretching the Pfizer jab from 3 weeks between shots to 12 against advice and testing. In that time the virus could mutate again and where would we be then?

@Whu020 other countries are not managing with their healthcare either , why do you think they have lovkdowns etc in place