What can we expect from tomorrow's announcement?

PECS I know - I was aware that my comment was already off topic, so didn't want to derail the thread further. There were various options available (offering courses by distance learning as well as in-person would open them up to more mature students, for instance) but the 'head in the sand' approach of the government just left things to take their course, with the resultant chaos.

Well, we'll know in an hour whether the rumours are true.

I'm tired of listening to the news, tired of people strutting about announcing what should have been done, when we can all be so clever with the powerful tool of hindsight, tired of people knocking the government when they are having to make decisions in hours and days with an ever shifting situation that nobody can predict, decisions that might normally take months and years, tired of the 'entitled' bleating about their personal freedom. Like MOnica I am masked, keeping my distance and washing my hands. That's it for me. 'Overloaded with bad news and drowning in statistics, I am now switching off.

Fortunately, my rural village on the Northumberland Coast so far free of Covid19. This, however, more by luck than judgement. When the government began easing lock-down second home owners and tourist descended and the result, not surprising, to find the virus appearing in one or two small rural Northumberland coastal communities. The number in total low and has remained so thank goodness. Elderly and compromised local residents shielding and have been since the end of February. Those in the communities supporting the vulnerable also put at risk by allowing freedom of movement from the country as a whole.

Newcastle upon Tyne, some fifty miles from my village, largely in the county of Tyne and Wear not Northumberland. It is a university city with a large number of reported incidents of the virus among students. Again no one should be surprised since returning countrywide students, combined with a youthful sense of impunity, spreading the virus the inevitable outcome.

To be fair, though, sparklingsilver it's perfectly understandable that people living in Newcastle (or any other city) who are elderly or compromised might want to head for rural villages fifty miles away where things are safer, isn't it? I don't think it's reasonable to expect people to stay put and risk infection in order to keep safe areas safe for other people. They might, but that sort of behaviour is pretty rare - I'm thinking of the village of Eyam.

I don't think that people moving into villages is any more selfish than expecting them to stay put in areas of high infection is, to be honest.

*Missfoodlove*: I thought we used Jungle Drums!!

*Doodledog* The elderly and/or compromised of Newcastle (or any where else) should be shielding there not travelling to other communities posing a possible risk.

I have been shielding for almost ten months, and without the help from my community could not have managed. It is my responsibility to keep myself safe as much as possible, and also my responsibility to ensure, as far as possible, I do harm others - and being unselfish part of the responsibility.

That is my view.

Of course the Government have been leaking to the press (not so much leaking) because where do you think a lot of the press get their funding from? Letting the nation stew is part of keeping up the fear. I heard about a couple more people committing suicide because they cannot cope with what is happening.

It is wicked how the North in particular are being treated especially when it was them who helped Boris get into power - look how he has repaid them!

Glad to hear more and more people are turning away from the news - I watch UK Column as they tell it how it is.

Unbelievable - just been reported that the WHO (Accidentally) now Confirm Covid Is No More Dangerous than Flu. Will that curb Boris or change his policy?

Dentists also now reporting that Face Masks are causing “Decaying Teeth, Receding Gum Lines and Seriously Sour Breath.”
Nothing will be done until more people speak out - the tide is beginning to turn!

Dentists also now reporting that Face Masks are causing Decaying Teeth, Receding Gum Lines and Seriously Sour Breath.

It's not the wearing of face masks causing this,NannyC2 but the lack of dental checkups and treatment for 4-5 months.

NannyC2 It is wicked how the North in particular are being treated especially when it was them who helped Boris get into power - look how he has repaid them!

How is he supposed to "repay them" in your view, NannyC2? Let them all die of Covid by not protecting them?

Please show a link to your statement re the alleged WHO comment re flu.

Should have been; I do not harm others - and being unselfish part of the responsibility.

Personally, I have been so disgusted with BBC News, and Channel 4 News, I turned off long ago. Cannot tell the truth from the political distortions.

I agree I’m in Newcastle and more and more people are wearing masks outdoors especially in busier places. Buses/metros/shops we are all keeping to the rules. It’s up to everyone young and old to keep themselves and others safe. Children are often asymptomatic but millions of them go home to their families every day after school . I think there’s a lot more young kids carrying it than we think

It doesn't help when retail outlets aren't very cooperative. I watched people entering my local Lidl yesterday, and hardly anyone used the hand and basket sanitiser. In their defence (?), it can't be seen on entry, you have to look for it, and it is actually behind some displays. When I mentioned this to a member of staff, he said that they were limited in where they can put it. Other stores can have it at the entrance, so I'm not sure why Lidl can't.

Meanwhile, my local paper has reported a sit down wedding reception with 80 guests being visited by police.

I read that MissAdventure what is wrong with people? Do they think that the rules just do not apply to them?

Like others, I rarely listen to or watch the news now.
Nothing is new.
In Gateshead, where we live, most people are keeping to the basic precautions.
I don't know if it's any different at night though.

I agree that the universities have exacerbated Covid but this might be a good thing- increasing herd immunity. They will probably be fine and some may never know they’ve had it! Older people must take their own precautions- I think London and the southeast were affected badly in March/April by Covid - no tests were available and there must have been thousands like me who had it but are not part of any statistics. Therefore London is less affected second time around because of herd immunity.

As a northerner. Can I put some things in perspective ?, I personally only know of 2 people who have had covid. One lives down south and brought it back from Italy in January and the other one is a friend who we only keep in touch with by phone. We have had to give up our sporting activities and have not seen friends who we play with, since March and are unlikely to be able to start again any time soon. We have only been in a supermarket twice since March relying on family for a weekly grocery order. One of the few people we see is the tester from ONS who comes to do our monthly covid test.
Our life is taking isolation to a whole new level.--=boring, Thank goodness for the telephone.

One or two posters have mentioned they have been sheilding for nine or ten months now. I was officially shielded also, but this ended in August. (6 months/south east england)
Can you tell me if this is official policy, or is it that some folk have just chosen to remain isolated?

vickymeldrew I have continued to shield since 11th March when I went into early lockdown. I have managed to get supermarket delivery slots, and have only been out a handful of times, either to give the car a run or to go to the dentist for emergency treatment.

My children and friends have visited in the garden. No one has been inside my house.

I have chosen to do this as I'm juggling a number of illnesses, not least long-term M.E. and have had to learn to live with symptoms such as coastiepostie described from having "Long Covid". I don't want to risk getting any worse than I already am.

I think the traffic light system being called ‘medium’ ‘high’ and ‘very high’ risk is psychologically very clever right now.

Not ‘low’ ‘medium’ and ‘high’.

It reminds us all as Professor Van Tam said, just how very serious this is at present.

I’d respect the government a lot more if they showed real decisiveness and for example Made mask wearing compulsory in public end of story, starting now, not next week or whatever.
Went for a meal (up north,..) last night at a well known chain. Immaculate COVID safe had to wear mask when not at table etc etc, On leaving saw a young couple being refused entry As they had no mask. Well done !

Media pitting us against each other.
North v south, black v white, young v old. Next thing it’ll be men bringing it to their wives from the golf course or women bringing home to husbands from the book club, men v women.
We have family and friends all over the UK and can give plenty of examples of north, south, black, white, young, old, rich, poor, men, women being absolutely reckless or being very sensible.
This morning a journalist in Wales asked our health minister if they intended to do anything about the English bringing the infection across the border to the Welsh, so nations being pitted against each other too. City folk, country folk townspeople all blaming each other.
Why can’t we all stay at home wherever possible, mix with as few people as possible, wash hands, keep distance, wear a mask. If you can’t do it for you do it for your loved ones.
For the minority please stop whinging about loneliness, sad Christmas or not trick or treating, for one year, maybe two, make some sacrifices like the rest.
To quote Boris ‘Your minor cough could be someone else’s death knell’.

Milest0ne My DS lives in York and he told me only yesterday, that while they got through wave one of COVID knowing only one person who had COVID, and he worked for the NHS, in this second wave he knows of several families in his street who have had/have the illness and they are hearing of others they know who have had the disease.

I suspect that first time round the disease occurred mainly in clusters, care homes and NHS workers we know of, but also other work and living groups, while this time round it seems to have become more pervasive in the wider community, which is what makes it so much more difficult to control. It is possible there are other factors in transmission that have yet to be identified.

Yes, there is a high incidence among university students, but they only present a small proportion of the total rise in any area, and they tend to live within their own community and mix almost entirely with other students, so they are unlikely to be the cause by the rise of cases in the wider community. the rises were, anyway, well under way weeks before the university term began.

My son was shielding from the start of lockdown, due to having lung cancer, but a month into lockdown, he tested positive for covid. The only way the doctors thought he`d picked it up was on one of his hospital appointments. Thankfully, he`s now negative, but my niece, who works in a care home, has now tested positive.