Does anyone in the North worry we’ll miss out again?

[Bettyboop89]

I’m in West Yorkshire and have had restrictions since the last lockdown, except for about 3 weeks around June/July time when we could mix inside households briefly.

When London’s numbers started going up, they were still in tier 2 and we were put into tier 3 again. Just before Christmas when London and the south east were rocketing again, we had some of the lowest numbers we’d had in a while. Now the new variant is here, our cases were rising a little again, they are falling now, but not as substantially as the south, because we are a lag behind again.
I’m really worried that we’ll come out of lockdown and back into there and we’ll be back into a higher tier again, my family lives in the south east, so due to this mismatch of tiers between us, we haven’t been able to travel and see each other since summer.
I know it’s just the way things are, but I feel sad because even when our cases were finally dropping we were obviously restricted because of the new variant that was found in the south east.

Hopefully it won’t turn out like that though and it’s just me being pessimistic and anxious!

One day in basically 9 months!

Yep... I am certain the same thing will happen again. I'm in Leicester and we haven't been out of lockdown since March. We had 2 weeks of being allowed to mix with up to 5 others in our back gardens but that was it. No mixing indoors for over 10 months now. Cases will rise here as things ease up in the South then we will be locked down again. I'm a positive person, grateful for my family etc but I don't think I can cope much longer. Feel so demotivated, frustrated and sad all the time and am just at my limit with it all.

I’ve decided I’ll be seeing my family in the south , even if we’re in different tiers because it’s destroying my mental health. They should have hopefully had the vaccine by then too or at least the first one. I’m not clinically vulnerable and I’m early thirties so I won’t be getting mine any time soon.

I read about them supplying us with less vaccines this week, it’s definitely true as my local page on Facebook is discussing it now and it seems they’ve had to put the brakes on vaccinations this week as they don’t have any...they’re going to start again next week with group 4.

I really feel for you all in Leicester. At least we had a small break over the summer.

[quote Bettyboop89]@DigitalGhost we are in West Yorkshire too, Calderdale.[/quote]
I'm in calderdale too. We got completely fucked last time didn't we. Our numbers weren't even bad compared to elsewhere. I am worried it'll happen again yes.

[quote Bettyboop89]@DigitalGhost we are in West Yorkshire too, Calderdale.[/quote]
We are in Kirklees and apart from a bit of July and August we have been in Lockdown since the end of April so almost a whole year.
It seems the threshold for lockdown is much higher for London than us

@TrustTheGeneGenie we did indeed! Our rates are falling now thankfully, as are neighbouring Kirklees and Leeds, not sure about Bradford or Lancashire.

I really hope it doesn’t happen again, as many of our little independent businesses just won’t survive it.

I think many just won’t follow the rules if the south and London get more freedoms than us up here. I also think there will be uproar, I’m not sure people will take it lying down this time, particularly with vaccines.

Andy Burnham is a good spokesman for Manchester, but the North as a whole really. Let’s hope he speaks up for us like he did before and they make it fair,

If you want to understand what government thinks of the north then you only need watch this short clip from Yes Minister. Over 30 years old but still accurate to this day.

I'm manchester and just assume we will live the rest of our lives in no less than tier 3...

Well obviously not but at this point it feels like it!

I agree on the whole. The only exception is Christmas. We joined 2 bubbles and I'm so thankful for that day we had together. We all isolated as much as we could beforehand to make it as safe as possible. Unfortunately the south didn't get that.

Yes, agree op, and they'll talk the talk about how a targeted approach is needed. Other than when cases are high in London, when national lockdown is the right approach.

I’m in Bolton, so around 4 week without full lockdown since March. I have complied but if London get it easier than anywhere else coming out im done. I’m sick of local lockdown, unless it’s London when we all have to join in. No extra support for the north ... then London get hit amazingly extra support but not backdated.

London has more hospital capacity than a lot of places. Hospital capacity is the biggest factor for deciding whether to lockdown.

My relatives aged 72 in Manchester have had their vaccines, other relatives in south 80+ havent, pros and cons

I agree. The thing that is annoying me is that our kids were in and out of school all autumn as we had high cases. As soon as This started happening in London - when our cases were reducing - there were shouts to shut schools and a national lockdown.

@DigitalGhost

Also worried about this too. They do love to shaft the north 😑

Except more people have been vaccinated in the North?

@Bellevu

London has more hospital capacity than a lot of places. Hospital capacity is the biggest factor for deciding whether to lockdown.

This

Yep the North is always forgotten, unless you live in Leeds. That seems to be where all the funding goes and fuck Calderdale, Kirklees, Bradford etc

[quote Bettyboop89]@LApprentiSorcier it might come to a point in that we may break the guidelines once we’re in tiers and travel to see my parents anyway, depending how things are then.[/quote]
I notice you say "break guidelines"

I have relatives in areas that have been in local lockdown forever. I didn't want to pressure them so never looked into it myself but it wasn't clear to me if the personal aspect was law or guidance.

In fact, it looked like guidance to me IIRC. So the laws seemed to be in place but about closing businesses etc but not specifically making it illegal to travel to a place outside the area of the lockdown.

I have only ever followed the law but my rellies were convinced police would be patrolling trains and my mum wasn't well so I couldn't really do a weekend away anyway.

But if it was guidelines, I'd have thought people would socialise more? I'm so confused.

I read about them supplying us with less vaccines this week, it’s definitely true as my local page on Facebook is discussing it now and it seems they’ve had to put the brakes on vaccinations this week as they don’t have any...they’re going to start again next week with group 4.

This is definitely grass is greener stuff - where I am in the SE they've only done 67% of over 80s!