Looks like the plans are now leaked.

[pinkhappy]

The Times seems to have leaked the plans now. I for one will be very happy if children's outdoor sport starts on March 8.

March 8:
Schools
Kids outdoor sport
Golf + Tennis

Early April:
🛍Non-essential retail
Outdoor pubs + restaurants

Mid April:
Gyms

May:
Cinemas + Theatre
Indoor pubs + restaurants

August:
Foreign holidays
Clubs

Hairdressers are non essential in a bloody pandemic

It's essential for the hairdressers to get back to work, especially if they've fallen through Rishi's support cracks and ended up part of the 3 million excluded from support. They risk losing their savings, businesses and even their homes if they can't get back open soon.

It's all well and good for pensioners, public sector workers, and furloughed staff to sit back and watch the money roll in. But lots of workers, especially self employed, havn't been supported properly and NEED to get back to work.

@SimonJT

I just want to know when marriages can happen again, we’re meant to be getting married at the end of April.

That is what I want to know too - we have just had to cancel our third wedding date, so really want to know when we can actually get married.

Good luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed for April

But studychick.

The country’s leading scientists and experts on vaccination make decisions about who to vaccinate when.

They look at scientific evidence. They don’t base their decisions on ‘keeping certain groups happy.’

Just like the surge that was going to happen last summer when people went to beaches? Only it didn’t, rates plummeted and then plateaued. So disappointing for all the Cassandras.

No, but we did start seeing rising numbers in August, after people had been going to pubs/restaurants, Rishi's crazy "eat out to spread covid" scheme, foreign travel allowed, etc.

Let's get schools back first along with small shops, hairdressers, etc. Pubs and restaurants can wait for another few months, as can foreign travel.

I don't understand the logic of delaying non-essential shops from opening for three weeks after schools open. Realistically the risk from places like charity shops, bookshops, kitchen shops etc is incredibly low provided that mask and sanitiser rules stay in place.

@Nith

I don't understand the logic of delaying non-essential shops from opening for three weeks after schools open. Realistically the risk from places like charity shops, bookshops, kitchen shops etc is incredibly low provided that mask and sanitiser rules stay in place.

it's not the risk they bring but it's another reason for people to go out and socialise

I'm thrilled schools are reopening, online learning doesn't work for everyone and it is having a negative effect on some childrens learning. It does make my life easier not to teach and work at the same time. We had no cases of Covid in our class at all last year, and there's only be 2 in the entire school. I know this is dependant on area and we are in a London Borough, we were expecting more cases. The school themselves have said they want the children back in.

Surely the rise in rates in August was more likely to be from people returning from holidays (particularly overseas ones)?

Lockdowns are to prevent too many in hospital at one time.

Lockdowns are not to ''keep us safe from the virus''.

Now such a high percentage of the vulnerable are vaccinated we come out of lockdown. People will still catch it. Some of them will die of it. But not so many that the NHS is overwhelmed.

That's the harsh truth.
Lockdown is not to ''keep us all safe''.*

This !
' stay safe ' has always been ridiculous

Life is not ever 'safe'
Fed up of the hyperbole now

@Nith

I don't understand the logic of delaying non-essential shops from opening for three weeks after schools open. Realistically the risk from places like charity shops, bookshops, kitchen shops etc is incredibly low provided that mask and sanitiser rules stay in place.

They are still indoors though which are higher risk. Opening all the schools at once is risky enough. They don't exactly know what it will do to the R.

They clearly think that lockdown is/will break down spontaneously in the next few weeks so they have to put school and socialising ahead of business this time around purely because of the effect on the R.

Once thats been monitored and more vaccinations done, we will be better placed for more indoor interaction.

They are trying to do the least possible for as long as possible indoors.

Good. We need to get on with living. The vaccines are being put to use, the most vulnerable are well in their way to being jabbed. There comes a point in time where we just have to get on with it.

They're saying on sky news that some things will change between 8th March and 29th March (schools, outdoor sports, socialising with 1 other household outdoors etc) and then the government are saying nothing will happen for 4 weeks to analyse the effect and then 1 weeks notice before the next opening - likely non essential retail which would actually be May - 5 weeks from the last change on 29th May.....🤷‍♀️

@freezingcoldsnow

They're saying on sky news that some things will change between 8th March and 29th March (schools, outdoor sports, socialising with 1 other household outdoors etc) and then the government are saying nothing will happen for 4 weeks to analyse the effect and then 1 weeks notice before the next opening - likely non essential retail which would actually be May - 5 weeks from the last change on 29th May.....🤷‍♀️

And that that point in May is 3 weeks after the end of the over 50s vaccine.

@PinkFondantFancy

Agree *@freezingcoldsnow* it's absolutely ridiculous that hairdressers are left so late. They go to an enormous amount of effort to be 'safe'. I guess it's because the MPs don't use them....

Boris Johnson certainly doesn’t 😂

If this does turn out to be what actually is announced then at least there is some logic to it. Still would prefer school return to be in phases, and socially distanced cinemas could be earlier I think.

I'll be interested in when I can visit my mum above all.

@Kazzyhoward the majority of hairdressers are women, so given Mr Johnson's misogyny will be low on the list. Just as it will be sport largely played by men that comes first.

Doubt things like this will be allowed in a long time

God knows how I explain that to her. "You don't get the 100th birthday party you've been planning for years, we have no idea when you might be allowed one, and let's not talk about postponing because frankly you might be dead by the time this is all over - so you'll never see friends and family again. You'll get a card from the Queen, but you're not keen on the monarchy so that's no consolation".

Fuck that. Worst case scenario we'll have something in the garden - she's still in her own home.

I know nothing is 100% but has anything been leaked about UK holidays?

@Kazzyhoward

Hairdressers are non essential in a bloody pandemic

It's essential for the hairdressers to get back to work, especially if they've fallen through Rishi's support cracks and ended up part of the 3 million excluded from support. They risk losing their savings, businesses and even their homes if they can't get back open soon.

It's all well and good for pensioners, public sector workers, and furloughed staff to sit back and watch the money roll in. But lots of workers, especially self employed, havn't been supported properly and NEED to get back to work.

This. 100% this.

Ball achingly slow...how many more businesses will fail as a result of this..

@MercyBooth

Those who think there will be another lockdown by July. Do you really think the Government will say no to the Royal Family. They have an event planned on the 1st July to commemorate what would have been Princess Dianas 60th birthday

I don't thing the government are basing their decisions on the RF's social events. Beatrice had to cancel her wedding then had a much scaled down version. What an odd thing thing to think is part of the government's considerations!

Love all the people on here insisting that we're due for another lockdown by the end of this year.

To be fair Chris Whitty did say that he thought there would be restrictions needed in Winter 2021.

[quote peak2021]@Kazzyhoward the majority of hairdressers are women, so given Mr Johnson's misogyny will be low on the list. Just as it will be sport largely played by men that comes first.[/quote]
The majority of barbers are men.

I actually think its very sensible. People are getting fatigued and compliance is slipping and will even more when peoples own vulnerable family members are vaccinated. Its clear how many more people are out and about compared to last lockdown. If they prolong it as long as some pp want then people will just stop listening. And once you have stopped complying and started seeing family and they magically don't die (which statistically they are v v unlikely to) then it would be virtually impossible to bring that 'fear' back should restrictions ever be needed again.

Release things in a controlled way as vaccinations are going up and up and the weather improves etc. Allow people a breather, a 'reward' for the crappy first part of the year. It's as safe now as it ever will be (I hugged my 91 year old gran for the first time in a year and she held my now one year old for the first time. She's been vaccinated as have I and what if it does mutate and we are back to square one soon? We will have missed the one opportunity possibly before she dies for her to hug her newest great grandchild).

We don't know what the future holds so we have to make the most of the improved weather etc to do the things humans are meant to do and interact with their family. I was v strict last summer and in a lot of ways I wish I hadn't and I had pushed every boundary to the max and seen more people as I now feel I wasted the opportunity trying to be 'good' and 'compliant'.

Hair and beauty need to be open. They've been so badly affected through all of this.