Prime Minister to hold press conference at 16.00

I just wish they would issue firm & clear LAWS and then enforce them. Even for those of us not in Tier 4, they're now "asking us not to travel" but that puts us in a difficult position if friends or relatives are desperate to see us and we can't even say "it's the law, we can't" because it's not; at the moment it's just advisory, so it's causing all sorts of rows. And what about people who have booked cottages, etc. to go away for Christmas - they can't cancel them and get their money back, because the government isn't forbidding it. I can see another Lockdown happening very soon.

Yes, we are in tier4 south east

What a disaster for business

Retailers in tier 4 areas facing disaster of having stocked up for 22 days of pre Christmas sales, and now lost 5 most lucrative days of entire year and the Boxing Day sales at very least - physically won’t be able to shift stock... all on top of 9 months financial stress

On top of that trying to secure their supply lines from EU, many bringing in stock now, uncertain of both tariffs and level of cross channel disruption from Jan

On top of that still awaiting full clarity on supply lines to N Ireland, in particular e commerce customs decs/ VAT

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I am so sorry so many people’s plans have been spoiled, however surely after nine months of cancellations and last minute changes everyone should have had a Plan B in case they or any intended hosts became ill.

BoBo53

I am so sorry so many people’s plans have been spoiled, however surely after nine months of cancellations and last minute changes everyone should have had a Plan B in case they or any intended hosts became ill.

Maybe people are too rigid to change their plans.
By nature I am a "what iffer" and always have plans B, C or D in mind. Only recently on here I was ridiculed for having a risk assessment which covered various options. What people fail to understand is that making changes to that risk assessment can take place as and when the necessity arises. Plans should not be written in stone and filed in the cabinet without the planner being prepared to change and adapt them.

I think Boris is still playing it cool but the scientist are in a real panic .

BusterTank

I think Boris is still playing it cool but the scientist are in a real panic .

I don’t think Johnson has ever been cool in his life????.

But I do agree that a fast spread of covid is going to cause almost impossible odds if they don’t get a grip

Unfortunately, the vaccine is not a cure. We will have to learn to live with covid around us and continue to follow protocols. Wear a mask, wash our hands and sanitize. Like the flu, Covid may have different stains.

Having the vaccine doesn’t mean you can’t get Covid. There is no guarantee. The vaccine may ease symptoms. The vaccine is not an effective protection against transmission. Only safe distancing can do this. So it’s up to the people to listen and stay home.

In Canada, they are saying it will take another 2 years or more to work on other Covid vaccines. Like the flu that has different strains, so it is with Covid as it may have different strain too. So, I think we’re in this for more than 2 more years. But, that’s just my opinion. We’re going to have to live with this sort of situation and live and adapt to Covid in our lives.

Having the vaccine doesn’t mean you can’t get Covid. There is no guarantee. The vaccine may ease symptoms. The vaccine is not an effective protection against transmission. Only safe distancing can do this. So it’s up to the people to listen and stay home.
So why are people planning their replacement Christmases with all family members in May or June then?

It probably will be effective against transmission, it’s just that that aspect of it obviously hasn’t been trialed yet. Having said that we will still have to adhere to hands face space ventilate for the foreseeable future.

That’s what I don’t understand. It’s ok to have a small gathering with family. But, what if someone in the family is Covid positive and just doesn’t know they have it? I heard that all flights are being cancelled.

Why the hell are we still allowing people in and out of the country? My son lives in Melbourne and anyone arriving there is put on a bus and taken to a hotel where they have to self isolate for 2 weeks at their own expense. Their rate is now very low, so it obviously works! This is what we should have done back in March, we are a small island and should have closed our borders immediately instead of allowing all and sundry to arrive at airports and then travel all over the country spreading it far and wide. Unbelievably stupid.

Allie2, my future sanity depends on the vaccines working (as nothing else seems to). What I am failing to understanding is why the government isn't making vaccines mandatory (apart from those who can't have them for medical reasons, of course). The government just seems to be faffing around with measures that barely have any effect at all, as has been proved this past week. Covid isn't going to be stopped by hand washing, face masks... etc. Vaccines are our only hope. Please don't disparage them or say they won't work - they have to - or we may just all roll over and give up now.

Mrsdof

Why the hell are we still allowing people in and out of the country? My son lives in Melbourne and anyone arriving there is put on a bus and taken to a hotel where they have to self isolate for 2 weeks at their own expense. Their rate is now very low, so it obviously works! This is what we should have done back in March, we are a small island and should have closed our borders immediately instead of allowing all and sundry to arrive at airports and then travel all over the country spreading it far and wide. Unbelievably stupid.

Because we are too bloomin' liberal, that's why!

I guess, as a free society we can’t make them mandatory. But if people won’t be allowed to travel without one bit by bit everyone will have to be vaccinated. What I don’t understand why so much fake news about vaccines is allowed to be put out. The way things are going I don’t think people will be flying out of the country as, one by one countries are banning us from entering their countries! We are, yet again the sick man of Europe. I was just wondering,if, having made a mess of containing the original outbreak the WHO will stop people leaving or entering this country.

There aren’t enough vaccines to go round yet anyway - it will take a lot 2 years to vaccinate the whole country - not much point worrying about them being mandatory or otherwise at this point in time.

By then there will be data showing whether there is even any point in making them mandatory.

There are more than enough vaccines Nezumi65, the orders made so far are 40m doses of Pfizer, 100m doses of Oxford and 10m of Moderna which is enough vaccine for 75million people.

This is a fact check on the 98.54 survival rate. fullfact.org/online/survival-rate-figures/ plus it doesn't include people who are having never problems months afterward

Yes I know, but it will take about two years to vaccinate everyone once. So no point worrying about people who don't want it yet. Also don't know how long immunity lasts or whether the virus will mutate. It may end up being like flu and only given to people who qualify in some way.

It won’t take two years, not sure where you heard that - plans are in place to vaccinate all the vulnerable groups by the middle of this year, it will be available at GP practices and mass vaccination, so anybody who wants it will be covered off before the end of 2021. The more people who have the vaccine the less chance of mutation of course.

I feel very sorry for Boris, whatever he says there are always some people who disagree, I live in the South East, & we have cancelled Christmas, staying alive is more important to us, we can celebrate at Easter, hopefully.
It makes me very cross when people like Piers Starmer criticise, he hasn't got the decisions to make on our behalf.
If everybody did as they were asked, we probably wouldn't be in this situation.

Did as they asked? You mean go back to work, eat out to help out, go shopping....all advised by the PM.

do you mean keir starmer; i though he made some very good points that other people have been thinking, including some tory mps.

People are saying the hospitals are under stress and cannot cope .....when I asked last week about the situation (I had an appointment at the hospital in the City which was one of the first to take COVID patients) the answer was they are now nowhere near as busy as a few weeks ago ......BUT there are no figures from the government as to how many COVID patients have been treated in the extremely expensive Nightingale hospitals which were specially built ....and with the Army medical corps on standby to relieve pressure onNHS staff..............and also, how many people have died whilst waiting for urgent treatment for cancer, heart disease and anything else ....can we please see the break down of these figures, instead of being fed only that 'COVID related' illnesses are killing people .............I would love to see TRUTHFUL figures .........