Greater "this is not a lockdown" Manchester

[CityGirl182]

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...

"The south west is much more sparsely populated than the north west and there is less poverty. That's why there are lower rates, not because you're more well behaved"

Well said, wax. It beggars belief that there are people who can't seem to grasp this fact.

@x2boys

Oh FFS this narrative needs to stop ,when the northwest has high rate,s of virus it's always because us thick northerners are to stupid to follow the ,rules don't understand the importance blah blah,when rates were high in the south before and after Xmas it was because it was a new varient ,and we can't possibly lock London down ,etc ,people all over the country are not following the rules and guidelines,it's a virus it's spreads 🤷

Can you remember the scenes at Kings Cross and Euston, just before Christmas, when it was announced that London would be locking down? 10s of 1000s of Londoners queueing up to get on trains and taking the Kent variant North with them. Funny how that seems to have been forgotten about.

Personally I've cancelled plans for the weekend because there's an increased risk where I was going. It doesn't really matter to me whether it's law or just guidance so I think everyone needs to do what they feel is best.

Oh good grief. Why were Londoners travelling north? Because they live there or maybe in any one of the suburban towns along the train routes.

Or do you think everyone that works in London lives in Zone 1 & 2?

@Notonthestairs

Oh good grief. Why were Londoners travelling north? Because they live there or maybe in any one of the suburban towns along the train routes.

Or do you think everyone that works in London lives in Zone 1 & 2?

I think us northerners have a better idea why they were here and it had nothing to do with them living here. Second homes in the lakes and dales, extended family.

So let me get this straight. It's ok for southerners to do a mass exodus up north when London was under threat of lockdown, but it's NOT ok for northerners to travel out of their area to, say, Cornwall. Gotcha.

Don't blame Andy Burnham, if someone in the Tories as remotely able as him had been Prime Minister at least 10,000 fewer people would be dead.

Burnham disgracefully was bartering over money when cases were rocketing in the North. He wanted more money for GM per person than the other high tier areas of Merseyside and West Yorkshire. They had both accepted the money and immediately agreed to tier restrictions, while Burnham was holding it back for a few dollars more

@KurtWilde

"I think us northerners have a better idea why they were here and it had nothing to do with them living here. Second homes in the lakes and dales, extended family.

So let me get this straight. It's ok for southerners to do a mass exodus up north when London was under threat of lockdown, but it's NOT ok for northerners to travel out of their area to, say, Cornwall. Gotcha."

I said nothing of the sort.

I live on one of those train lines. I commute in to London. DH commutes in. The majority of our friends commute in. I have a good idea of the number of people who get off at Hatfield/Hertford/Stevenage/Peterborough. Kings Cross also services Cambridgeshire. Some of our friends were working from home but many couldn't. So I think those a lot of those people were waiting for trains home or as you mentioned possibly visiting family (given the number of Mumsnetters determined to have their young adults home for Christmas).

I don't know anyone with a second home - however I'd imagine that if you can afford a second home you'd probably afford a car (especially given how crap the train services can be) and if travelling for Christmas and taking gifts etc you'd opt to use it.

I dont know anything about Cornwall.

@Notonthestairs how many people do you know who commute in from the actual north though? Yorkshire? Lancashire? I bet there aren't many. Certainly not enough to make up the exodus up to those areas we saw Londoners making.

I've talked to a few that get on at Doncaster and York but less than probably a dozen over the years!

I do fully accept that a lot of young people will have returned to parents houses for Christmas & New Year. Our neighbours and friends had their student kids back from Lancaster/Newcastle/Brighton and assume it will have happened in both directions.

Kings Cross is our best link north - but that also goes for train users from the south west and south east - come in to Paddington/Waterloo, tube to Kings Cross and then onward.

So not everyone travelling out of London will have started their journey in London.

I know North Norfolk saw an influx of second home owners as did Suffolk but given the terrible state of the roads and public transport and the local reporting/complaints of four by fours and terrible driving I think most would have driven there.

But I don't discount some second home owners using trains. I guess numbers of car hires from stations would probably reveal a lot about who moved where.

Sorry, still thinking about it...

It's entirely feasible parent 1 travelled up in car when schools broke up. Parent 2 arrives by train at a later date.

I may need to row back.

@Flaxmeadow

Don't blame Andy Burnham, if someone in the Tories as remotely able as him had been Prime Minister at least 10,000 fewer people would be dead.

Burnham disgracefully was bartering over money when cases were rocketing in the North. He wanted more money for GM per person than the other high tier areas of Merseyside and West Yorkshire. They had both accepted the money and immediately agreed to tier restrictions, while Burnham was holding it back for a few dollars more

I will never forget or forgive him for that disgusting grandstanding display. The man is a gobshite of the highest order.

I’m in Lancashire - no surprise from my user name
The district where I live and also work has very low rates but county council lump us all in together - lancs is a huge county with big rural areas as well as densely populated ex mill towns with heaps of closely packed in housing in terraced areas
I’m changing nothing unless it becomes law

@Notonthestairs

Oh good grief. Why were Londoners travelling north? Because they live there or maybe in any one of the suburban towns along the train routes.

Or do you think everyone that works in London lives in Zone 1 & 2?

Come off it. They were mostly trying to escape the impending lockdown. Many of them were interviewed for BBC news and said so themselves. Or do you think they were lying?