Prime Minister to make an announcement tonight at 5 p.m.

[Calmandmeasured1]

The Express reports:
"No indication has been given as to why the briefing has suddenly been called, however, it comes less than 24 hours after false reports in the German media caused alarm by claiming the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was ineffective among over-65s."

It could also be to make the announcement about hotel quarantining for those entering the country. I would imagine both subjects.

With the awful milestone of 100,000 deaths passed and less than 25% of the population having been infected I think it’s time to reflect on how prescient Prof Neil Fergusson was back in March. The Imperial forecasts have turned out to be entirely accurate.

The case numbers are falling because the schools are closed ffs!

Pumpkin - if we hadn't had Brexit we'd be relying on the EU for our vaccines and we'd be way behind where we are at present. There are lots of things you can say are worse due to Brexit but not this....

Boris seems to have gone grey overnight ?

The case numbers are falling because the schools are closed ffs!

Nothing to do with pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops, etc. being closed then?!

I thought it was about hotel quarrantine.

^Quite likely given that the EU are making moves to stop the vaccines made in the EU leaving the EU. Thanks Brexit voters.

Not a view I subscribe to actually. I think its WAY more complex than that.

@Bluntness100

The death rate is so high because so many elderly people are infected. The average age is 82 of those who die. Which means we are the stand alone nation that is totally and utterly unable to protect our elderly

They are becoming infected in care homes, hospitals, and at home, either via family or carers visiting.

It's a travesty that hospitals havn't been made safe. We were in last week for an appointment with DH's oncologist. Herded past large empty waiting areas to sit in a tiny cramped corner with no ventilation in a waiting area shared with those coming in for blood tests, so a constant stream of new people coming and going. Waiting there for an hour before going into the consultant's tiny cramped office, with a trainee GP advisor sat in the corner, where we went through treatment plans for another hour - again no ventilation. They had a whole department, we walked past loads of empty waiting areas and rooms, but still spent best part of 2 hours in a tiny unventilated area with a steady stream of people passing through. No wonder it spreads like wildfire through hospitals.

It’s because his incompetence has killed 100,000 people, so he wants to talk shite for a bit.

He's waffling worse than usual. Must be incredibly stressed.

What does a safe and cautious school re-opening look like Johnson? Where is the plan?
What about working parents who are also home schooling where's the help for them?

@TimeForLunch

The case numbers are falling because the schools are closed ffs!

Nothing to do with pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops, etc. being closed then?!

That’s helped too, but we were tier 3&4 for ages and had highest number of cases despite pubs gyms etc all being closed for a long time. We’ve only seen an actual decrease with schools closing.

Why is he talking about EXAMS??
I thought they were cancelled?
They're going to go ahead after all, aren't they?

Boris making promises on education that are vague as usual

Many weren't closed in tier four,

Schools are community hubs from 7 30 to 6pm with children blending families throughout the school via siblings, linking into nursery and secondary schools, catering, staff, office staff and teachers, tas... Bus, public transport... Connecting hundreds to each school, and thousands drawn from all over to each secondary school.

How on earth can some busy nights in pubs ie Thurs, Fri and Saturday possibly compare?

@samG76

Pumpkin - if we hadn't had Brexit we'd be relying on the EU for our vaccines and we'd be way behind where we are at present. There are lots of things you can say are worse due to Brexit but not this....

Yep. I'm as remain as they come, but the EU joint vaccine procurement has been a shitshow.

@PaddyF0dder

It’s because his incompetence has killed 100,000 people, so he wants to talk shite for a bit.

Whilst it's true mistakes and delays may have made things worse, you really can't say he's responsible for all deaths! That's a step too far, even for the most rabid Boris hater.

So nothing actually new...

Quite likely given that the EU are making moves to stop the vaccines made in the EU leaving the EU. Thanks Brexit voters.

Not a Brexit voter, but the EU vaccination program is a mess and that's of their own making. Now they are threatening with a trade war because of their own mess. If we were in the EU we would still be waiting for their coordinated efforts.

The EU isn't always right, you know.

Watching it now - is he actually going to say anything of note, or even answer a bloody question properly? These briefings are so frustrating. The Government’s performance throughout this entire affair has been utterly shameful.

No announcement at all.

I wish Mr Johnson would follow the example of the Dutch and Italian government and resign. I'd prefer him to be in prison for a very long time if not for the rest of his life, but that is not going to happen at present.

The number is twice that killed in the UK in the Blitz.

Oh stop. He hasn't killed anyone, a fucking virus has.

And no... I didn't vote for him and I don't think our government has done any better or any worse than any comparable country.

An unbiased read of world news tells you that!

And, again, the real numbers won't be known anywhere for a few years, and even then it will remain a best guess, given how many different recording procedures are being used.

It's depressing enough without politically based finger pointing.

Stand up and do the job if you think you could have done better, in real time, no hindsight.

I'm really glad I voted out of the EU. It's shocking they are using vaccines as a weapon. Though I'm afraid it doesn't surprise me.

Fuck's sake!!!

Why is he talking about EXAMS??
I thought they were cancelled?
They're going to go ahead after all, aren't they?

I know, confusing!