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Original poster

Greater "this is not a lockdown" Manchester

138 replies

CityGirl182 · 10/06/2021 08:54

Anyone else sick of us being treated like this. I'm in one of the regions where "variants of concern are spreading" and am really annoyed by the messaging.
There's surge testing and a vaccine boost, although apparently we're not getting extra vaccine so surely this just means second vaccines will be delayed?
And we're being advised to avoid travel out of area and avoid meeting people inside. But you've got Andy Burnham out saying it's advisory and not a law. So do you want us to stop meeting inside or not? If it's only advisory then you've got some people bending over backwards cancelling plans and feeling conflicted about what we should be doing, and then there's some people just carrying on as normal. What's the point of this? If the government actually believes people need to do these things then why not say that and stop the mixed messaging and placing the guilt on us...

My son is invited to a party next week that's at an indoor play centre, do we go anymore?
Does my husband go to the gym? Can meet people in their garden? And no indication of how long we're being asked to do this, yet again...

OP posts:
Waxonwaxoff0 · 10/06/2021 08:56

I'm not in one of the affected areas but I feel for you and I think it's grossly unfair.

Frazzled2207 · 10/06/2021 08:57

I’m in gm and agree the situation is pretty grim. I’ll be being sensible but broadly carrying on as usual. Meeting people outside where possible but I will have kids friends over for playdates if they’ve been at school all day anyway.

Personally I still don’t fancy soft play so regardless of guidance/“rules” I’d be giving that a wide berth. But if you’ve already said you’re going then yeah I would.

AnyFucker · 10/06/2021 08:58

I live in the area and will be carrying on as planned

User135644 · 10/06/2021 09:02

They want people to stay home but don't want people to closed businesses. It's very mixed message.

Foxhasbigsocks · 10/06/2021 09:03

Family live in the area and we have a planned break with them. We will be meeting up as planned - all adults will have had double vaccines and kids and adults can all take tests before we meet.

FlatteredFool · 10/06/2021 09:13

It's a shit show and Andy Burnham lost my vote this year in the Mayoral elections because of his approach to the pandemic.
I was planning on visiting the Peak District over the next two weekends but as someone previously shielded and now the advice being to minimise non-essential travel in or out of the area then I'm not risking being on a crowded train. I don't drive so it would have to be by train.
All through this, "advice" has been largely ignored by many because unless it's law then people don't want to know. Even if it is law lots of people don't want to know! The attitudes on this site have highlighted that.
My sibling is travelling down to Wiltshire this weekend to visit family. She has some very interesting interpretations of the rules in general and is in several bubbles despite it being an all adult household with no care needs at allHmm

The government have not learned anything from their handling of the first wave, or second, and here we are again.

userxx · 10/06/2021 09:17

@AnyFucker

I live in the area and will be carrying on as planned

Same here. Enough is enough.

Pearlessence · 10/06/2021 09:17

This got me down to be honest. My partner and I have been very conscious of all rules and advisory guidance, and still we are in a highly affected area. This was down to genuinely believing in doing so was for the greater good. Sort of wish we hadn't bothered. Bloody sick of greater Manchester.

x2boys · 10/06/2021 09:23

Yep I'm in Bolton so our rates have now gone down a bit ,either lock us down or don't ,but wishy washy " guidelines" won't help anyone

KurtWilde · 10/06/2021 09:23

I'm not far from you in Yorkshire where we've now had a letter saying everyone has to be tested even those who have had 2 doses of vaccine. The variant of concern is now widespread in my postcode. Shocker. I won't be getting tested nor will I be changing my habits. Enough is enough. In my area we were in extended lockdown pretty much as long as GM and surrounding areas have been and it's getting ridiculous now.

englishmaninnewyork · 10/06/2021 09:25

Funny how so many of the areas have a high ethnic population. All feels a bit like racism to me.

Mistlewoeandwhine · 10/06/2021 09:30

I live in GM (one of the lower levels of Covid areas). My son was quite ill with Covid in 2020 (almost hospitalised). He has no underlying conditions btw. I’m annoyed that the kids are all so vulnerable. We are taking all the precautions and obeying all the rules, though since we’ve had two colds in the last few months, I’m not sure what good they are doing!

Honey12346 · 10/06/2021 09:30

Ignore it like everyone else is doing. I'm from MCR and I'm on holiday right now which is perfectly allowed... Was also on holiday last summer when they put us on local lockdown... So I'm allowed to travel to another country but not allowed to have a cup of tea at my friends house? Ridiculous...

Mistlewoeandwhine · 10/06/2021 09:33

I said to my husband months ago that Greater Manchester would stay high (not least because Manchester itself is a very young city with so many unvaccinated students) and that Johnson would have no qualms in putting a lot of penalties on us. We are a Red area and in the North, so of no consequence to them. Also I suspect that he is quite happy to punish us after Andy Burnham not doing what he wanted.

June2021 · 10/06/2021 09:39

@englishmaninnewyork

Funny how so many of the areas have a high ethnic population. All feels a bit like racism to me.
Racism? Not sure how it feels a bit like racism, could you expand?

Do the area's with higher outbreaks have different ethnicities or not/
Is the virus racist or not.
Is it down to people returning from India with the latest variant now rebranded as Delta? The failure to stop people travelling to countries with the particular variant that is currently of concern?
Is it down to social deprivation/over crowded housing/education/
Low levels of vaccination or not.

For anyone living in an area with a current outbreak of Delta can they help with any of the answers or is it just racism as the poster says but doesn't say why.

June2021 · 10/06/2021 09:41

@Mistlewoeandwhine

I said to my husband months ago that Greater Manchester would stay high (not least because Manchester itself is a very young city with so many unvaccinated students) and that Johnson would have no qualms in putting a lot of penalties on us. We are a Red area and in the North, so of no consequence to them. Also I suspect that he is quite happy to punish us after Andy Burnham not doing what he wanted.
Manchester 230 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week 30 May-5 Jun. The average area in England had 27*.

It is considerably higher than many areas in the country so not being punished - I imagine they are trying to stop it spreading

June2021 · 10/06/2021 09:42

@x2boys

Yep I'm in Bolton so our rates have now gone down a bit ,either lock us down or don't ,but wishy washy " guidelines" won't help anyone
Totally agree. Guidelines are useless when rates are high. Guidelines for lower areas of infection then people can make their own judgements but when in areas of higher infection it needs to be more law.
Peanutbuttercupisyum · 10/06/2021 09:44

Delete the app and move on. You’re vaccinated, the vulnerable and old are vaccinated, just get on with your life. 10 days is a long old time when you’re a single parent of a 6 year old. I don’t know anybody who would actually do this anymore tbh. In fact, I don’t know anybody with the app anymore!

Peanutbuttercupisyum · 10/06/2021 09:44

Ops sorry wrong thread...

HarebrightCedarmoon · 10/06/2021 09:46

I travelled to GM in half term and back to the south east. DM is still there, returning to the south east in a couple of weeks. A number of friends and family went on holiday to Cornwall and Devon from GM at the same time. Seems odd timing and rather half-arsed if there are real concerns. If they want to bring cases down then they need to do as they've done in Bolton - surge testing and vaccine buses. I don't even live there any more but am tired of the "naughty people in Manchester" narrative from the government.

Flyonawalk · 10/06/2021 09:46

This is so awful for you. There should be more about it in the media. It is wrong that they neglect issues outside London/the South. There needs to be more focus on what people in the north west are being made to deal with.

Thesearmsofmine · 10/06/2021 09:47

I’m in Kirklees and have had people knock at the door to offer doorstep testing and pop up vaccination centres. Nothing else has changed.

June2021 · 10/06/2021 09:47

@Peanutbuttercupisyum

Delete the app and move on. You’re vaccinated, the vulnerable and old are vaccinated, just get on with your life. 10 days is a long old time when you’re a single parent of a 6 year old. I don’t know anybody who would actually do this anymore tbh. In fact, I don’t know anybody with the app anymore!
We visited the SW for a break over the half term and every pub/restaurant we visited requested we use track and trace app. We had to login for every single person in the group with a phone. They were still taking it seriously - maybe that's why they have lower rates of infection? We grabbed a coffee from a small venue through a plastic shield and they wanted us to track and trace. I was surprised at how rigorous they were - no relaxing for the hospitality trade because they want to stay open.
Hoppinggreen · 10/06/2021 09:50

I’m not in Manchester but not far and in one of the affected areas
I am doing nothing different until it’s law rather than advice

Hoppinggreen · 10/06/2021 09:51

@Thesearmsofmine

I’m in Kirklees and have had people knock at the door to offer doorstep testing and pop up vaccination centres. Nothing else has changed.
We do too but apart from people handing out free test kits in Sainsburys car park I have seen nothing different at all