Will London be locked down before Christmas?

[endoftether4]

Could Londoners be locked down again this Christmas? How likely do people think this is? I’m dreading having to spend another Christmas without my family and am considering leaving early to avoid another lockdown.

Love the way everyone worries about London being locked down.

Yeah. You're so worried you took the time to click on a thread about it.

And it's quite the opposite. Few people, government, included have much if any concern for Londoners - particularly the hundreds of thousands of elderly and vulnerable.

England is a big place you know and there's more to it than just London...

Then don't click on a thread titled about... London.

Although it is kind of relevant for all - seeing as London is the capital city, and the rest of the country's cash cow (often at the expense of Londoners). Which is why the government won't take action to protect lives and health. Not unless and until it threatens to spill out of London.

Which is why the government won't take action to protect lives and health. Not unless and until it threatens to spill out of London.

As has been the case for each bad wave. Every time it's been too late for Londoners.

I'm a stickler for following the rules but during the first lockdown I was worried about my 91 year old father (now 93) who lives 15 minutes away and is the sort of person who really needs company. So I used to drive over, park a couple of feet from his front door and sit in the boot of my car while he sat in his open doorway and we'd have a half hour chat. He was warm but i froze, so used to take a bottle of wine over and very carefully, keeping well away from him, pour him a glass. It kept him sane and safe and happy. If we go into another lockdown, I'm intending to do exactly the same no matter what anyone says. Laws are blunt instruments at best. We know how this bug spreads but if we use our common sense SOMETIMES (not always) there are still ways to see our families.

Separately, how would a London only lockdown work? The airports are wide open. Hundreds of thousands a day will be travelling in and out of London (from all over the UK) to get to and from their destinations.

It's pointless doing regional lockdowns. Outside of London too. Huge numbers of people work, go to school, and do other essential travel across regional borders.

@SclepIntoChristmas

My DH went into London today after being off for 2 weeks with Covid. He went to pick up things so he can work from home. He said the bars were packed full of people as he walked to the station.

Whereas I was in the City this afternoon and the streets, shops and coffee bars were deserted. Even in this weird Covid world, this was far from normal for a Wed afternoon.

The only real people I saw were near Spitalfields but they seemed to be shoppers rather than workers/locals.

[quote seconddayout]@thenovice I am 100% certain that had Michael Gove or Jeremy Hunt become Prime Minister, there would have been far fewer deaths, and the periods of restriction in 2020 and the first half of 2021 would have been much shorter.

I value human life, I don't think Mr Johnson does.

As for restrictions, I predict any new ones will be England wide, and my guess is an announcement from January 3rd or 4th.[/quote]

And although Keir Starmer and Gordon Brown are perhaps not ever going to win "The World's Most Sexy / Charismatic Man" competition, either of them would have been a 100% safer pair of hands to deal with Brexit (we wouldn't have had it) and pandemic (we wouldn't have one of the highest per capita death rates in the Western World)...

BJ and his cronies have just royally b"ggered GB for not just our generation but our kids too.

Democracy is a truly broken system.

West end pubs won’t be busy for long, staff are testing positive in droves, Id be surprised if a lot have enough staff to last the week.
DH works in a west end pub, his branch had 5 call in with a positive result today, their sister pub had 15 staff test positive yesterday. They’ve been wearing masks & doing LFTs daily.

@Tealightsandd
Too late for Londoners: I agree.

By the time Chris Whitty starts to sound alarmed I or someone else in my house is usually just starting to feel better. I've been isolating for nearly a week and don't have most of my Christmas presents. Nor do I have an online food shop booked for next week, and all the slots are taken. So hoping I can get to the shops before they close!

Too many dead, too many long term ill, will not help the economy to recover. Lock down and save lives and save the economy. The Goverment can go into long term debt and pay of the debt off over the long term.

On politicians: I didn't think I would ever say this, but cool, practical and above all scientifically-minded Maggie would have been my choice for Covid PM.

@hopsalong

I hope you're fully recovered in good time to make the shops 🤞 The one positive is, touch wood, you should all be well for Christmas (hopefully with food!).

@hopsalong

On politicians: I didn't think I would ever say this, but cool, practical and above all scientifically-minded Maggie would have been my choice for Covid PM.

Yes. Many faults, but she was a scientist (like Angela Merkel). She was also what's needed in a pandemic. A strong leader willing to make unpopular indecisions. Whether that was unpopular with the public - or her own MPs.

*decisions, not indecisions.

I'm making typos all over the place tonight. Think it's time to log off and have an early night.

Those of you saying London is a ghost town - which part of town would that be? I was out and about in various parts of town on the weekend taking the DCs to their usual weekend activities. Everywhere was busy - the tube, buses, shops, streets. You could barely move on the Southbank for crowds. I tried to book a hotel room somewhere central on the Sat night for a friend - everywhere fully booked. Queues outside restaurants for tables.

The only difference I have noticed is my usual bus to/from work is much quieter since the work from home message has changed.

Because of all the Tory party cockups from last Xmas, they’ll wait til new year. Omicron will do its thing til then.

Yes I don't know where the ghost town people are. It's still very busy. (Which is usually so lovely around Christmas time).

Yes it will lockdown, but not before we've spent all our money to help the economy. So I'm guessing it will be after Christmas and Boxing Day for shopping and sales, this is when shops rely on spending for their financial year. So I reckon before New Year's Eve, but after boxing day.

@nancy75

West end pubs won’t be busy for long, staff are testing positive in droves, Id be surprised if a lot have enough staff to last the week. DH works in a west end pub, his branch had 5 call in with a positive result today, their sister pub had 15 staff test positive yesterday. They’ve been wearing masks & doing LFTs daily.

Dd works in a west end theatre. They are currently closed along with lots of others.

@HundredMilesAnHour I was in Holborn / Bloomsbury (close to the City, for those who don't know London) and it was busy. I guess that's the difference between a hospitality/shopping heavier area and a predominantly office area. Plus unis where there are still many students (and therefore also staff) on campus.

I’ve just got home from a night out in the City and it was pretty busy in the pubs . The restaurant we went to was empty apart from us which was really sad for the owners , they said they’d had lots of cancellations.

I don’t think they can afford to.

[quote Jourdain11]@HundredMilesAnHour I was in Holborn / Bloomsbury (close to the City, for those who don't know London) and it was busy. I guess that's the difference between a hospitality/shopping heavier area and a predominantly office area. Plus unis where there are still many students (and therefore also staff) on campus.[/quote]
From what I've seen today and the last few days, areas which are popular with tourists / daytrippers are busy still but as soon as you get a street away, it's very quiet. It's as if most actual Londoners (and certainly office workers) are staying well away / locally / home. That's my experience based on Shoreditch / Spitalfields & Brick Lane / Whitechapel / Bethnal Green / Aldgate / Tower Hill / St Paul's / Clerkenwell / Holborn / Bank. (I visit all of these places on pretty much a daily basis, some of them multiple times a day).

In contrast, Fortnum on Sat late afternoon was pandemonium. And on Sun morning there were people queueing outside at 11am. But I walked through the West End (from Hyde Park Corner via Piccadilly & Leicester Square & The Strand) to Temple on Sun lunchtime and it was very quiet.

Well saying that my sister got an email from her childrens school asking what she may need in January for home schooling as they've had wind of a lockdown after Christmas

Why just London? If there’s a lockdown we’ll all be affected.
Also why ask Mumsnet , I don’t think you’ll get a definitive answer here.
You’ll be told soon enough by the people supposedly in charge!

Think he said that last year then locked down