Breaking News Boris press conference tonight 14/05/21

[Whichjab]

So, is Monday under threat? Change to school masks or hugs?

@SlipperyDippery

Until we have large outbreaks with many thousands of infected some people just don’t have the foresight to realise the error in opening up at this point. They fail to correlate a highly transmissible variant taking off just as we start easing off restrictions with the fact it will lead to a major outbreak and possible lockdown in literally a few months

What is your proposal then? How long should we stay under these current and totally unsustainable restrictions then?

It was always anticipated opening up would lead to an increase in cases. The issue is whether it leads to an increase in hospitalisations or deaths which place the NHS in jeopardy. We don’t have the data to suggest that yet do we, when we don’t know whether the Indian variant evades the vaccines?

It was anticipated we would open up and have a rise in cases yes. What was not anticipated was a far more transmissible variant taking root just before reopening that could scupper the work we’ve done the first part of this year.

You mention we don’t have the data re hospitalisations to support keeping locked down however we also don’t have the data to support opening up either except for the doubling of cases in areas with the variant. Let’s not even start on the lifting of masks in schools guidance in the face of an exponentially increasing strain. Does that not ring alarm bells for you?

We are stepping into the darkness once again, not only the darkness but with a blindfold on and our feet tied together.

I just wish the government and general public would look beyond the summer.

We've had a really shit November-May, barely living. So it is understandable that people want to be free.

But I can't bear the thought of having to spend next autumn, winter and spring in any form of lockdown again.

I would rather take things cautiously this summer to avoid many more months after that in restrictions.

The variants are the problem and travel increases the chances of variants. Therefore, the sensible thing would be to stop travel. We probably wouldn't be in this position if they have done that year ago but it seems lessons are not learned for some bizarre reason holidays are put in front of anything else.

To those saying “we’ve protected the vulnerable, but now they’re vaccinated, lets get on with life”, a lot of vulnerable and elderly BAME people in these hotspot areas (Bolton, Blackburn, Bedford) have refused the vaccine, and when they become ill with Covid, will overwhelm the NHS again.

So now the local elections are over the irreversible opening might be under threat?
Maybe he should talk about how he kept routes from India open as he was planning his trip there, rather than closing them for the public good.
How many times can he get away with doing everything too late

@Belladonna12

The variants are the problem and travel increases the chances of variants. Therefore, the sensible thing would be to stop travel. We probably wouldn't be in this position if they have done that year ago but it seems lessons are not learned for some bizarre reason holidays are put in front of anything else.

I am 100% in favour of opening up everything else, but keeping international travel locked down for the rest of 2021. I know it will fuck over the travel industry, but I mean, isn't already screwed? I feel it's our only chance of avoiding these variants.

@cheapandcrap

I just wish the government and general public would look beyond the summer.

We've had a really shit November-May, barely living. So it is understandable that people want to be free.

But I can't bear the thought of having to spend next autumn, winter and spring in any form of lockdown again.

I would rather take things cautiously this summer to avoid many more months after that in restrictions.

I agree. I wish this country would learn to walk a middle path. Keep up a moderate level of precautions (mask wearing, proper ventilation, no travel abroad etc) so we don’t have to be locked in our houses again. I don’t think my MH can stand another go of that.

@cheapandcrap

I just wish the government and general public would look beyond the summer.

We've had a really shit November-May, barely living. So it is understandable that people want to be free.

But I can't bear the thought of having to spend next autumn, winter and spring in any form of lockdown again.

I would rather take things cautiously this summer to avoid many more months after that in restrictions.

Agree, he was too cavalier last summer.

He should have added India to the red list weeks before he eventually did and we'll pay the cost of his mistakes.

@GlomOfNit

Unsavoury SAGE
"INDEPENDENT SAGE a group of scientists setting themselves up to provide more accessible and authoritative advice than SAGE itself recently celebrated the anniversary of their first public meeting. They have doubtless improved transparency by pressuring the government to reveal who sits on the SAGE committee and all the minutes of their meetings to get a better understanding of "the science" the government claimed to be following. They also released a rude video (now deleted) attacking Englands chief medical officer Chris Whitty and the UKs chief scientific advisor Patrick Vallance.
This reveals more about the egos , politics and academic ambitions of Independent SAGE than it does about the CMO and the CSA. At its best science provides a safe context to form a hypothesis , prove it wrong, go back to square one and keep repeating it until, say you come up with a Covid vaccine. At its worst vainglorious academics rip each other to shreds on Twitter with a certainty that belies the fact that science is built on error and uncertainty.

Private Eye.

And by the way - none of that was to say we should just let it run riot (although if anyone wants to argue that case, feel free).

It's to say, explicitly, that we need to actually live while we can.

If that means we're all back in lockdown in a few months... well that's horrible.

But we'd have been in lockdown anyway. We'd have been living under restrictions in order to escape the "Indian" variant.... and three months later when we'd contained it, the "Californian" variant would be getting ready to bite us in the arse.

Hospitals are coping (empty in some places) so might as well see family and enjoy life and let businesses attempt to make some money while we can.

#CELEBRATED. So they are enjoying this.

My DC school have already said mask-wearing is continuing, except during the actual lessons.

The school has not given any end date, so I guess until the end of the school year at least.

So - even if the government say no masks in schools, that is not what is going to happen in individual schools.

@Thewiseoneincognito
What was not anticipated was a far more transmissible variant taking root just before reopening that could scupper the work we’ve done the first part of this year

I think it was widely predicted, especially on MN!!

The problem for everyone saying they refuse to be locked down anymore (and believe me I feel the same) there's only so much you/we can do. People can go round each others houses, see their friends and family, hug each other, etc.

But if the pubs are shut, the cinemas are shut, etc it's still shit.

@Slingsanderrors

To those saying “we’ve protected the vulnerable, but now they’re vaccinated, lets get on with life”, a lot of vulnerable and elderly BAME people in these hotspot areas (Bolton, Blackburn, Bedford) have refused the vaccine, and when they become ill with Covid, will overwhelm the NHS again.

But we can't be expected to life a half-life indefinitely because some have chosen to refuse the vaccine and put themselves at risk. Why should we protect those people?

The NHS shouldn't become overwhelmed with the vast majority being vaccinated. The number of deaths in the under 40s was so small before vaccinations, I can't imagine that the remaining unvaccinated population will cause such a big demand. It's what doesn't seem to be taken into account in all of the gloomy 'modelling' predictions.

As much as I want things opened up slowly and carefully, I acknowledge it needs to be done, even if we have to take a step back at some point. People respite, their jobs/services and to live their lives.

I think Boris is going to talk is going to tell us they've made a great success of vaccination programme, but we should be aware and the government will closely monitor the Indian variant. He'll confirm surge testing and increased vaccination in some areas, and won't rule out having to have tiers again, ie areas that are struggling to keep numbers low with have to take a step back on what they're allowed to do.

[quote lightand]@Thewiseoneincognito
What was not anticipated was a far more transmissible variant taking root just before reopening that could scupper the work we’ve done the first part of this year

I think it was widely predicted, especially on MN!! [/quote]
It was also widely predicted on Twitter with a supposed leaked source from Whitehall that says this was always in the plan!

@TokyoSushi

I expect it'll be something along the lines of:

• You can go to Portugal
• We're not canceling Monday
• The vaccines seem to be working against the new variant
• We're going to do surge vaccinations & testing in the most affected areas such as Bolton for all over 18's
• Don't panic, but continue to exercise caution, wash your hands etc etc

My money's on this too.

But we'd have been in lockdown anyway. We'd have been living under restrictions in order to escape the "Indian" variant.... and three months later when we'd contained it, the "Californian" variant would be getting ready to bite us in the arse

Totally shit border control and totally incompetent travel policies have got us in this shithole again.

This is ridiculous now.

ELEVEN people have died of covid in the last 24 hours. ELEVEN. Out of 60ish million.

I work frontline, I have seen people in their 80s and 90s recover from covid, with no ill-effects. It has a 98% survival rate.

He cannot keep ruining the economy and stopping millions of people living freely, because some people might catch a virus and some people might die.
In the beginning, yes, it was new and scary and the NHS was on it's knees and over-run. But things have eased massively.

The NHS is ALWAYS over-run, it's short-staffed and underfunded.

Covid has just hilighted that the hardest working are generally amongst the lowest paid.

Boris can fuck off back to his newly refurbed flat and let the stressed out, overworked healthcare staff enjoy some of 2021 please.

I am 100% in favour of opening up everything else, but keeping international travel locked down for the rest of 2021. I know it will fuck over the travel industry, but I mean, isn't already screwed? I feel it's our only chance of avoiding these variants.

Yes, if they stopped international travel we could perhaps be like New Zealand or Australia or the Isle of Man.

@cheapandcrap

My DC school have already said mask-wearing is continuing, except during the actual lessons.

The school has not given any end date, so I guess until the end of the school year at least.

So - even if the government say no masks in schools, that is not what is going to happen in individual schools.

Our school confirmed yesterday that they were no longer necessary. (And today someone in my child's bubble tested positive...)

Another lockdown will start to make ppl wonder what the vaccines are for then. And take up for the autumn boosters will be lower because ppl wont see the point.

@CookieClub

This is ridiculous now.

ELEVEN people have died of covid in the last 24 hours. ELEVEN. Out of 60ish million.

I work frontline, I have seen people in their 80s and 90s recover from covid, with no ill-effects. It has a 98% survival rate.

He cannot keep ruining the economy and stopping millions of people living freely, because some people might catch a virus and some people might die.
In the beginning, yes, it was new and scary and the NHS was on it's knees and over-run. But things have eased massively.

The NHS is ALWAYS over-run, it's short-staffed and underfunded.

Covid has just hilighted that the hardest working are generally amongst the lowest paid.

Boris can fuck off back to his newly refurbed flat and let the stressed out, overworked healthcare staff enjoy some of 2021 please.

👏

Those suggesting slow vaccine uptake is driving Bolton etc, this is what the spectator had to say today:

“All eyes in the past few days have been on Bolton, the epicentre of the Indian variant in Britain, with 47 cases so far recorded there. It isn’t just the Indian B1.617.2 variant that is active there – in all, 473 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded there in the past seven days. That equates to a rate of 164 per 100,000 and an increase of 97 per cent on the previous week. Some inner-city areas with high ethnic minority populations have recorded low take-up rates of the vaccine, but this does not appear to be the case with Bolton – by 18 April, three weeks after all over-fifties had been offered a first dose, 95 per cent of them had been inoculated.

The second hotspot of B1.617.2 is neighbouring Blackburn, with 19 cases. In Blackburn, too, there has been a surge of infections in recent days, with 150 cases, or 100.2 per 100,000, an increase of 87 per cent over the week. There, 94 per cent of the over-fifties had taken up the offer of a vaccine.

In Bedford, where there have been ten cases of B1.617.2, cases are up 88.6 per cent over the week and are running at 72.7 per 100,000. There, 95 per cent of the over-fifties have taken up the vaccine.

There are districts with far lower take-up – most notably in Central London. In Westminster, by 18 April just 67 per cent of over-fifties had had the jab. Cases have been running at just 26 per 100,000 over the past week, an increase of just 1.5 per cent over the past seven days.”