What can we expect from tomorrow's announcement?

I’m sorry if we Northeners are responsible for spreading Covid. We are so friendly that we just can’t help ourselves!

Well I'm in the North and I happen to know what is happening. Large numbers of students in the pubs in student areas at lunch time, returning to their student accommodation with carry outs from the supermarket to carry on partying. And of course they have to be dressed for their on-line lecture- well the top half at least! But can you really compare that with having to get ready, leave your accommodation and meet others in lecture halls or studies?
As for why the North won't obey the rules well it is because they realise the absolute idiocy of what has been applied so far. That chucking everyone out of the pub at 10pm just means everyone stands outside finishing their conversations and mixing. Because having a later closing time would have meant people choosing when they left rather than everyone mixing at 10.
That there is actually very little evidence that the virus is transmitted in pubs.
So unless the rules are made with real considerations for what is actually happening and not for what people in London think is happening then people will just carry on behaving the way they are.

I’m glad I don’t have to decide what happens, as I think the perfect solution probably doesn’t exist. It just isn’t possible for everybody to go home and stay there for weeks until the virus (may) burn itself out. The days of us living in very small self-sufficient units have long gone.

However restrictions are structured, people need to go out to get food, obtain medical care etc. Some need to work to provide this and to ensure supplies of power and water etc. Yet more need to work to support them. Weeks of lockdown reduced things, but it didn’t go away.

Well the virus loves humans to keep moving around and mixing..if they did not it would fade away.

It takes will, strength and leadership to make unpopular decisions for the long term benefit of all.

I know it feels like a long time, I know people are suffering huge financial hardship & associated anxiety & loneliness but it is , so far, less than a year.
If the cabinet had the will they could call a two week total lockdown with only essential business( food & medical etc) open. Then slowly re-open , especially in the low risk areas with effective swift testing, tracking & tracing run by experts.
There are people like us, living in 'temporary ' camps for years having bebecome refugees due to war or political dictatorships etc.
We have the solution in our hands, they don't.

Will Northerners stop taking it personally (as if it’s offensive)
because trisher mentioned the North.
It may have been said tongue in cheek, or meant as sarcasm perhaps because she is from the North, or even because most of the hardest hit Covid places are actually in the North and a lot of people there aren’t abiding by the rules.
At least give trisher the chance to defend her point of view.
I’m a Northerner too but it isn’t a sacred place.

I see that trisher has come back on this ( didn’t notice.)

If we were confident that the plans were objective and done fairly I think people would accept it.

But it isn’t is it?

It's down to all the idiots who can't follow simple instructions. No matter which government you will always get the ones who will not do as instructed.

I'm "in the North" and I do follow the rules (and my friends and neighbours do) but I can well understand why some people have given up - they're confusing, there's no logic (why 6 people? What does the science say about that magic number?); they keep changing, and not a single person in the government comes across as competent (apart from the chancellor, but everyone only approves of him because he's handing out money). Even the track & trace system is clearly not working - a friend's son was contacted to let him know that he had been in contact with someone who had tested positive A WEEK AGO (!) In the week since, he's visited his parents, his sister who has just had a baby, plus his frail elderly grandfather and is now waiting for result of his test. He is very scared that he might have passed this on without knowing he was positive. (If you want to know what an absolute shambles it is - see the Panorama programme "Test and Trace Exposed" on the BBC iPlayer). If only we could have faith in what our government is doing, or a Leader that inspires confidence, it would make such a difference. (Didn't like what Thatcher did to the mining communities but WOW she would have knocked this lot into shape).

Aw thanks lemon I really appreciate your support. I know we have huge disagreements but you've made me quite emotional today.

“It's very doubtfull if people in the North will abide by any rules.”

Trisha. What an obnoxious thing to say

?You are welcome trisher

One thing that bugs me - why do the government make these announcements usually at 4pm?
How are those at work (as been instructed by the same government) supposed to see or here about them? Not every business has access to either tv or radio that is available to employees !

Could it be that the rules are simply being imposed to cover the absolute inadequacy of our test and trace system? That what is happening is not the fault of the population but the absolute failure of a system that has cost millions.

I guess the government, the scientists,the statisticians had nothing to base anything on, pandemics aren’t actually common events, so many of us have ‘better’ conclusions/ideas and can only follow our noses. My husband and I like many others spent six months in the house Not seeing anyone,(he was/is shielded), and were just enjoying a little freedom! Another six on the lockdown is driving us mad, we’re are both 83, and getting desperate but can only follow The Rules I suppose.

I have no idea why Northern England has got such a high rate of infection 800 + cases per 100,000 in some areas 600+ cases per 100,000 in Liverpool, but facts are facts and something has to be done to put a halt to it.

Not all of The North has poor housing etc. Here in the S E we have the most deprived town in the UK (Jaywick). The virus is here to stay, it’s not going anywhere, it is up to all of us to do our best to control our own immediate environment and our socialising.

The media is yet again setting The North and The South of UK against each other, I think it is called click bait in media terminology.

trisher Your quote: "It's very doubtfull if people in the North will abide by any rules." How rude to say this trisher

Thank you for your comment Knittynatter. I agree - There are many in the North following rules.

My daughter and GD lives near Warrington (between Liverpool and Manchester) and are following all the restrictions. Her colleagues where she works in Liverpool and friends around her are doing the same. She's worked from home since beg. of March and hasn't seen her partner (he lives near Swansea) for over a month now. She's had one visit out recently and that's to complete dental work (crown) she had started in January. Due to the delay the tooth now couldn't be saved and she has had to have it removed.

We ring every day and she sounds so depressed. It's so hard knowing that she could have to live like this for months and months.

The annoying fact is that her area has never had a lot of cases/death (currently 0-2 cases) but it is close to Warrington so her area has to abide by the restrictions now imposed on Warrington.

I wish all GNers would follow the rules. There are a few who still think they can break them. Iffing and Butting - Planning parties. Planning family gatherings for Christmas. Planning holidays. Less movement for everyone would help.

I'd like a clearer breakdown of the number of cases a day, As well as daily number of cases, it should be broken down daily into age range, particularly in the high spots. That could help with policing.

MOnica, I agree re households vs present rule of six. Much better to allow households to either nominate another household with whom they can “bubble”, regardless of one household having to be a single person or single parent or, as you suggest, limit number of households you could mee each week. My concern is for the mental health of children and adults as we go into what looks like being a very long winter!

Thank you for your follow up comment trisher. I'd spent so long on my comment I've just seen yours.

If you actually raised your eyes and looked at other countries you would find that the virus is behaving in exactly the same way as it is in the U.K.

There are waves of it across countries, where it was not necessarily very bad in the first wave.

Look at the bigger picture and don’t go with what is easy by believing everything you are being fed and read about people in particular areas being non-compliant.

Another northerner here, I can't help feeling that the Government in London wants to be seen to be taking decisive action so they've decided to lockdown "The North". What are the infection rates in Central London? Is there no infection among students in Oxford or Cambridge?. Watched Kay Burley this morning who pointed out to Oliver Dowden that out of 750 new cases only 33 came from the hospitality industries - this makes a mockery of closing pubs and restaurants.

That sounds good and clear. Allow to meet with one other household only per week, or every ten days, no limit on numbers. Rule of six is easily manipulated, you could meet up with six people from six different households one day, then the next day meet up with a totally different group of six people, so in two days at least 36 different inter actions between different people, (maths not my strong point) . A household is a bubble of sorts, allow one meet up per week between two bubbles. There should be a new dictionary for Covid...furlough, mothball, r rate, curve, asymptomatic, unprecedented, self isolate, shield, test trace, toilet paper, pasta, Cummings effect, Masks . What a year!

Funny how no-one ever mentions schools, always regarded as germ factories and impossible to make safe. Numbers prohibit social distancing and masks are impractical. Whilst this situation obtains, the virus will spread.

Live in Cornwall where the covid rate is fairly low, generally the locals, especially in the villages where we have an older population, have been careful, many of not venturing far and staying away from the tourist hot spots .There are pockets with a few cases ie Falmouth with its university.Even during the summer with the huge numbers of visitors the rate has stayed low, but it was also low across the country.But now with the rate climbing I am waiting to see if Boris and co will stop those from lock down areas coming down here on holiday.Half term is looming and many campsites etc are booked up...will it be business or health first.....

Is the PM going to include or exclude Dominic Cummings from these rules ?