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?

What's the projected impact of overseas students I wonder - will there be a large increase in numbers needing hotel quarantine in August, returning for the September term? or will they be given the option to stay online? or will they (the new students at least) head off to universities elsewhere instead?

I certainly hope so. Our useless government could learn a lot from New Zealand.

[quote waterlego]**@Delatron,@MarshaBradyo

Thank you. It’s infuriating! The vast majority are doing as we’re told (and suffering greatly for it) Our government are accountable for the handling of the pandemic (a government I didn’t vote for)...so I’m really not up for being made to feel responsible for my own misery and that of so many others!

Saying all that, I’m luckier than a great many others so I will be ok; just a wobbly day for me.[/quote]
I know. After all this time and second harsh lock down. No school for up to two terms. I really don’t need to see posts on how easy we’ve had it. Esp from people not living it.

@Aixenprovence

What's the projected impact of overseas students I wonder - will there be a large increase in numbers needing hotel quarantine in August, returning for the September term? or will they be given the option to stay online? or will they (the new students at least) head off to universities elsewhere instead?

I do wonder about scale issues for U.K.

What comparative numbers are etc

@Aixenprovence apologies, the airport closure will 2 weeks not one, got that wrong. The idea behind the circuit breaker I think is that the extra time allows for more vaccinations to be completed. People as young as 30 can get vaccinated by some of the health groups here (officially from 40 yo but some private surgeries have said they will vaccinate younger if special need). Children between 16 and 24 are to be vaccinated so they can have exams later on.

Yes, if caps on arrivals have to be imposed (as in Aus and ?NZ) how will student arrivals be managed - I imagine they tend to be mostly all within a relatively small window in Aug/Sept?

Haven't been following the news much this morning, but my impression is that the govt hasn't really been questioned about these plans so far today - is that so? Given that decisions reportedly may be going to be taken tomorrow?

"The idea behind the circuit breaker I think is that the extra time allows for more vaccinations to be completed."

Thanks card swapping, that does makes sense in a way - though not if (as would be in UK's case) the policy is for the purpose of preventing vaccine-resistant mutations. If that's the concern, you would still need the ban/quarantine indefinitely even if you had 100% vaccinations that are currently 100% effective wouldn't you?

There'd presumably need to be arrangements for those who a) have to return to UK because visa wherever they are has expired, and b) can't afford quarantine? Presumably some kind of loan/means test for the quarantine?

@waterlego

*No, because you still refuse to do lockdown properly. You are still all visiting friends and family and going to school and work. We, in NZ stayed home. All of us. For 7 weeks. At home. No work. At all. You lie keep refusing to do this.*

Thank you for this @Athrawes. We have endured intermittent lockdown for almost a year. A great many of us are properly cracking up. Some are suicidal. Most of us have followed the rules, and continue to do so. I don’t know ANYONE who is visiting friends and family currently.

Why not kick us while we’re down?

Or, you know, acknowledge the differences between our two countries, and understand that our government has made numerous mistakes which have affected our rates.

So thank you for your helpful words on a morning in which I already feel utterly bleak and hopeless. 👏🏻

This.

We have stayed at home for months now. I imagine the average house here might be a little different to the average house in NZ too. My DH has been working from our bedroom, on our bed, since March. Our young children of different ages have been homeschooled by me in one room for months since March, it’s been full on and hasn’t been easy.

We haven’t seen family or friends in almost a year.

But yes, we’re all going to work and school and and visiting friends and family

@spiralshell, that sounds really really tough. I’m sorry you’ve had to live like that for so long. I really hope things will get gradually easier this year.

While I’m still hacked off about that post, I’m also kind of amused that the poster thinks the NZ citizens take all the credit for eradicating the virus by being well behaved and following all the lockdown rules, unlike these pesky, stupid, unruly Brits.

Actually, the credit goes to their PM who made the decision to properly shut their borders all the way back in March, while ours is still dithering over the same decision 10 months later 😆

Matt Hancock stressing that it is ILLEGAL to travel abroad if you don't have a reasonable excuse ALREADY.

I can see this is going to be followed up and enforced more...

@Aixenprovence

There'd presumably need to be arrangements for those who a) have to return to UK because visa wherever they are has expired, and b) can't afford quarantine? Presumably some kind of loan/means test for the quarantine?

For India, who required institutional quarantine for a lot of last year and is still requiring it for most U.K. arrivals, there was a loan system for quarantine. Same as when people got on repatriation flights last year from al over the world back to the U.K. they had to sign a piece of paper to say they’d pay back the U.K. government.

With expired visas last year, most governments extended their visa validity. Chinese students in the U.K. at the start of coronavirus we’re not forced to go back even if their visas expired. Practical solution.