Are you watching the Prime Minister speaking live on news channels?

I work with.children and I understand why he hasn’t shut the schools because it’s the elderly that are more at risk and if the children are off they’ll probably go to grandparents and then what will happen?

I cannot understand those people saying Boris isn’t doing enough, why does everyone have to wait to be told to socially distance themselves. If YOU felt it is a risk then don’t go it. Why oh why are we waiting for instructions all the time.
Ps I can’t stand Boris as a politician but it is, as usual his background staff making all the moves, don’t you see?!

73 countries have closed all their schools. There are schools closed in the UK. More schools will close. It's just a question of when.

Exactly... a question of when, but for everybody's sake, keep them in school as long as possible.
Scentia ?good post.Some people seem to need spoon feeding these days.Use common sense everybody!

I agree Scentia, it would seem that certain people on this forum consider that we are unable to take responsibility for ourselves, and have to be told what to do. At 72 years old, I have passed that stage.

No. Television doesn't go on here until about 7.30pm.

Radio 4 until then. So have listened to it, but avoided having to actually look at Boris.

(A little thing, but something to be grateful for.)

Bad luck paddy Anne...I think you’re in the naughty step but I still read your posts!

I loathe Boris as a politician but dont think he is doing badly. I worry this may be due to a rather pathetic need for an authority figure in a crisis.

Scentia - because many people simply don’t have the option to socially distance themselves. For example, there are no Govt requirements placed on employers to make adjustments for at risk staff or to ensure remote working is a right for staff who can work in this way. Ignore your employer at your peril.

Either way , I love the colours in the carpet in front of the dias. It's very Kaffe Fassatt.

I had my doubts about him when he first became PM but I think Boris is doing well in a very difficult job. He doesn't try to micromanage everything himself but brings in the experts.

One of my daughters used to dislike him when she lived in London but we had a conversation earlier and she also thinks he is doing a good job.

Thanks heaven Corbyn and Diane Abbot aren't in charge at the moment.

Unlikely to watch it, heard a 'brief' on the radio. I will be putting my trust and faith in the medical experts, the WHO and Public Health Wales and the other UK Public Health bodies. It's also like Sentia said, it's about using common sense too. Okay, some people, we've all met them, don't have much of that but there's no need for the rest of us to go flying with sheep.

Who cares who not in charge - doesn’t make the current incumbent better. Still, I’m glad they are including the Mayor of London in the Cobra meetings, which they weren’t initially. Let’s hope they’ve got it right. The fact that people are panic buying perhaps illustrates that not everyone is. trusting or sensible.

A lot of people have not got common sense though have they?

There is apparently emergency legislation in the pipeline which will be announced tomorrow. I wonder why he didn't expain that?

Interesting. Did it say what the emergency legislation might be?

Leaving politics to out of all this, being involved in industrial and workplace safety I have been amazed at very positive and "can do" attitude that has been adopted by a huge number of employers and business owners in the face of this crisis.

We have been overwhelmed by queries from employers who wish to enable their employees to work from home and in that the regulations, safety problems and liabilities all could face in such working situations. However, despite all the complex problems that both the employees and employers incur in setting up what is in very many cases a completely new system of working there is everywhere at this time in British industry and commerce a positivity that all the problems can and will be overcome.

Those employers that have no alternative but to have employees actually attend their places of work there is enormous effort to keep them as safe and healthy as is practically possible while at the same time training up those existing employees, especially in the distribution industry, for duplicate duties such as forklift driving, powered pallet truck handling and even for HGV distribution centre shunting operations.

The whole emphasis in the above is to see companies perform to optimum efficiency in the face of all the present problems and even larger problems yet to come in what is an ever-changing situation.

Tonights series of announcements by the government will once again change many things, but in the last few weeks, one thing I have become very sure of is that we will get through this as a nation because of the positive attitude being adopted by so many in our country's businesses and workplaces.

So, let all on this forum adopt the same attitude, for it is not about politics, but about reaching and passing that light at the end of the tunnel.

No, they don't vegansrock but that is in the eye of the beholder.

It will allow larger class sizes, detention of people, closure of ports etc. More here www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-uk-emergency-law-detain-police-immigration-matt-hancock-boris-johnson-a9404706.html

Well said Grandad.

Thankyou POGS, the world must be changing in a major way when you and me keep agreeing on so many matters.?

Stay safe POGS and everybody.

Thanks Trisher - look forward to hearing more tomorrow. I do hope there’s something in there about legal obligations on workplaces to introduce remote working and adjustments for at risk workers.

I'm with Grandad and POGS. I don't know enough to criticise Mr J and his advisors. Of course, I'm worried, I'm in a high risk group and wish we had more ventilators, testing kits and spare capacity in our NHS. What we do have though, are regular updates from the Prime Minister and his team. Their information and advice is bound to change as circumstances change.
We and our family/friendship group have been anticipating advice and for several days now, been reducing any unnecessary social contact. From this weekend, we'll be self isolating. We have several groups locally, including our Labour CLP setting up support for people in isolation.

I'm ok with schools remaining open. Large numbers of children in our town are on breakfast clubs and free school meals. We donated a number of items to the food bank when we did a supermarket shop. The boxes were full, so other people were obviously being more generous than usual.

It isn't all about "them", it's about us - we all have our part to play to try and reduce the pressure on the NHS. Hope the government puts in place some support for the economy

CherryCezzy
If you had listened more closely you might have heard that he had 2 of the countries experts in this field. But you didn't want to hear that, did you?

Thank you Grandad. It's good to hear how positive everyone is being. We may see changes for the future come from this.

Interesting listening to Trump. It appears his people have been talking to our people and he said the modelling (ours, it sounded like) shows that the most effective action showing in it at the moment is the whole household 14-day isolation.