Is there another lockdown now or not?

[Overthebow]

BBC is showing new guidance for Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

Is this supposed to be another lockdown? I’m confused.

I hope this remains guidance and the areas don't expand . I live close to one of the areas but not in it and I am desperate to go away for the weekend.

I can't get over those that are minimising it, the irreversible lifting of lockdown, and yet here we are quietly issuing guidance advising non essential travel, which obviously won't work. So what's the next plan...

In my opinion, people need to get on and do what they want to do while they legally can, as soon as possible.
I dont trust this government with anything at all, regarding covid.

I would think so if they test negative for Covid and are vaccinated. I imagine people in those areas would be given vaccines as a priority, regardless of age.

However half term is almost upon us and I am not sure who or where people are 'allowed' to travel at the moment.

I don’t live in these areas but doubt the measures will make any difference. I’m fully vaccinated so certainly wouldn’t be sticking to it when people who hadn’t been vaccinated were causing the mess in the first place.

@Overthebow

On Friday? So people have had the whole weekend without realising? Hoe has this happened without being publicised?

It definitely was publicised over the weekend, I'm going away at half term and breathed a sigh of relief when the list was read out on the radio as the place I'm going isn't on it but other family members will be affected

I don't remember exactly which day I heard it, it was before Saturday evening as I had a conversation about it with a friend then.

It’s guidance just apply common sense. If you are vaccinated there is no need to even think about taking notice otherwise when will this end?!? I’m not in one of the areas but there is no way I would be taking notice of this “advice” And wouldn’t even if it was law! LFTs are widely available, all the vulnerable are vaccinated, hospitalisations are incredibly low and falling this has to stop!

Flash to bang @Lovemusic33 there hasn't been enough time yet.
Let's hope the vaccine can take it.

Surprise surprise lockdown by the back door. Enjoy your freedom while you can. I give it 3 weeks until further restrictions come back and 21st June easing doesn't happen. Look at the reaction in this thread "why was this not published...have we learnt nothing...etc" they are winding the public up to demand something is done

The treatment of places like Leicester is disgusting. For a year now it has been almost permanently illegal to even have a cup of tea in a neighbours house - imagine the mental health damage being done.

They should focus on more vaccines and they should also allow those who are low risk to relax rather than frightening them. People who are vaccinated also should relax now. This is ludicrous - there is now clear evidence the vaccines are effective against all known variants.

I also think this is just an insane way to run a public health campaign - lockdown was an emergency measure in a totally unknown situation. We cannot keep ordering people to put their lives on hold - particularly when the whole purpose of this was to protect the NHS

The public have been decieved into thinking lots of people are at risk of dying of Covid - totally wrong as any public health expert will tell you - the average age of death from Covid is 82 - above the age expectancy in the UK.

Btw I am not a covid denier! It is real, it is very concerning - but the risk has been massively over exaggerated in order to get people to comply with lockdown - and enough is enough.

@Lissy23

I’m gutted about this. I’m not in those areas specifically, but I’m very close...I’m in Calderdale. We had additional restrictions last time. I’ll be so gutted if we’re back in that situation again. I’ve got lots of trips booked and seeing my family/friends who I haven’t seen in over a year. We’ve not been included yet, but I feel it’s just a matter of time 🙁

I’m in Kirklees and I think that there are only really a couple of areas here where the rate has gone up so much but they lump us all together. I’m closer to Halifax than Dewsbury or Batley for example but because I’m officially in Kirklees we will be subject to the rules anyway Having said that while I will follow official rules “guidance” can bugger off frankly

@Wondergirl100

The treatment of places like Leicester is disgusting. For a year now it has been almost permanently illegal to even have a cup of tea in a neighbours house - imagine the mental health damage being done.

They should focus on more vaccines and they should also allow those who are low risk to relax rather than frightening them. People who are vaccinated also should relax now. This is ludicrous - there is now clear evidence the vaccines are effective against all known variants.

I don't see how it's disgusting, there is clearly a serious systemic issue there that must be down to behaviour of residents.

If they can't find out what is causing that city to be such an outlier then it's sensible to try and stop the spread as much as possible.

Just want to remind everyone that vaccine take up in Bolton is in line with national average take-up. Don't fall for lies. The variant is escaping the vaccine to some extent, that is more of an issue than their take up rate.
@picturesandpickles

Could you please post a credible link to this claim you have made. Because the science says that the variant does not "escape the vaccine". If you have some sort of proof that the scientists who developed the vaccines, and Public Health England are lying to us about this, could you explain where we can all find this evidence.

Can people please remember that not all the conspiracy theorists are anti-vaxxers? Simply because something is posted does not make it true.

@Overthebow

Yes I did read it, it’s a confusing article. I thought we were unlocking, not imposing more guidance.

If you’d booked to stay in a hotel, and when you arrived it was on fire, would you stay there anyway or change your plans? 🤔

The “guidance” for these areas is on the same government webpages as the “guidance “ for the rest of the country that things are easing.

It has NOT been communicated. The local MPs, government and Public Health authorities are all over Twitter saying they were not informed.

To those saying it’s just guidance, which “guidance” are you following and why?

How do you know it exists to follow it??

I'm not sure why it's come as such a surprise. Other UK nations are back to a 'tier' system, so it shouldn't be shocking that England are going to do the same.

It sucks, yes, but its for a reason, no matter how much someone stomps their feet and says it isn't fair.

“ If they can't find out what is causing that city to be such an outlier then it's sensible to try and stop the spread as much as possible.”

But clearly whatever is being done in terms of restrictions hasn’t stopped the spread, has it

How can they introduce this sort of guidance without even telling local authorities?
How to utterly undermine trust....

@everythingthelighttouches

The “guidance” for these areas is on the same government webpages as the “guidance “ for the rest of the country that things are easing.

It has NOT been communicated. The local MPs, government and Public Health authorities are all over Twitter saying they were not informed.

To those saying it’s just guidance, which “guidance” are you following and why?

How do you know it exists to follow it??

Exactly, who knows what invisible guidance we might be all not following!

I don't see how it's disgusting, there is clearly a serious systemic issue there that must be down to behaviour of residents.

Yes, of course, just blame the people who live there. It couldn't possibly, despite the conclusions of many significant studies across the world including in the UK, be down to endemic poverty in some areas of the country, which very firmly lies with government policy.

@BelleBlueBell what a nasty attitude! It's certainly not the fault of every Leicester resident!

There are many many of us in Leicester who have followed both the rules and the guidance. It's unhelpful to be blamed by people like you, who we are trying to protect by following the rules but who don't seem to recognise how hard things have been, or what it is like to be blamed.

No real effort has been made to understand what is happening, or help us. We are people just like you- children, old people, vulnerable people.

@NotBot

Well, soz Boris, I’ll still be going on my half term holiday tomorrow. And if the traffic at rush hour, bars, pubs, restaurants, kids indoor activities in Kirklees is anything to go by, no-one has a clue.. & I doubt will do anything different..

This is killing our area. Businesses are going left, right & centre. Mental health is on the floor. Enough.

This.

Endless 'variants' and lockdowns by the backdoor.

Fuck that.

@Moondust001 thank you for your most recent post.

www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do#if-youre-in-an-area-where-the-new-covid-19-variant-is-spreading

From the government webpages

“ If you’re in an area where the new COVID-19 variant is spreading
This new variant is sometimes referred to as the variant first identified in India. It is spreading fastest in:

Bedford Borough Council
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
Burnley Borough Council
Kirklees Council
Leicester City Council
London Borough of Hounslow
North Tyneside Council
The new COVID-19 variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble.

In the areas listed above, wherever possible, you should try to:

meet outside rather than inside where possible
keep 2 metres apart from people that you don’t live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them), this includes friends and family you don’t live with
avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education”

Yes, the shops and pubs are still open (which this “guidance “ makes no sense alongside ), but it is significantly different from everywhere else in the country.

I live just on the edge of Leicester (outside this area) and I remember the shambolic and shameful way the government dealt with the first Leicester lockdown (which also occurred just as restrictions were easing nationally).

It was totally unclear at that time where the border of the restrictions was. Our local MPs (Tory and labour) we’re up half the night trying to get in touch with the cabinet office to find out what the hell was going on.

This is worse in terms of communication.