Alert level down from 4 to 3

Several days without a death?

Gavin Williamson has just announced a further 173 fatalities

Yesterday Matt Hancock announced a further 135 deaths

*Ilovecheese”, yes, our county has been free from deaths for several days now, though I realise that is not the case for the country.

There are quite a few counties in Wales with no deaths to day and I imagine that is replicated across the uk

Oh sorry, Nandalot I didn't know you were in Wales.

No, not Wales, Lincolnshire.

11 day in Lincolnshire with no deaths and only two new confirmed cases in North Lincolnshire.

Right, got it!

So delighted at the announcement of all children to be back in full time school come September - do hope there is no U-turn on that. Whereas it is good that extra money is being made available to help with trying to boost the education of many children - this still misses the real point. Children need to be with their friends and peers at school.

Yes, I do know of the problems for the teachers and need to protect them, BUT perhaps the need to use some temporary classrooms, no school assemblies, use halls etc for teaching, probably need to recruit more staff to keep smaller classes, BUT do need to make this a priority.

So, I am now waiting for the usual doom forecasters on here to say they 'predict a new increase in cases....etc....etc. when/if they decrease the social distancing to 1-metre. I have, sometimes, even got the feeling that some on here actually WANT their prediction on this to come true so they can say how right they were.

So many children, even the most well adapted ones, are finding being away from their friends and regular school time increasingly difficult to cope with. Their mental health does need to be taken into account as well as the problems of the pandemic.

.

My area has had one death in the last 2 weeks and that person was very elderly and been ill for a while
We are below the national average on the r scale
Franbern I do so agree with your post my 6 form grand child has been told that from the end of June until summer break up, they will be offered ONE HOUR A WEEK at school They are desperately trying to keep up to speed in their bedroom It is dreadful for these kids mental health and their future and i m lucky that my grandchild has a bedroom and computer and WiFi many are not that lucky

With people still dying ?
Why can't they wait 4 weeks and if nobody has died of the virus within that time then reduce the level.

The level of infection where I live in Scotland is very, very low now but we are all being kept screwed down by Nicola Sturgeon.

I went out for supplies today and happened to see a number of people I know. Without fail, everyone is getting very cross at the situation, it seems so unnecessary.

It was very sad indeed to talk to a cafe owner who had been prepared to open up this weekend but has now been knocked back yet again. If NS isn’t careful, people are going to be dying not of Covid but of despair as they see their livelihoods disappearing down the drain forever.

SueDonim it's called 'Jockdown'!

I believe getting children back in education should be a priority, maybe the children could all wear masks and that would help stop the spread. As for going down a level, well there is still a large number of daily deaths and people catching the virus but Boris will do what he wants.

? Jane10! It’s bigger and better than Boris’s!

Lots of hand washing in the schools probably better than the masks. Also, maybe once a week testing for all teaching and support staff,

Bluebelle, I have two g.children in their first year 6th Form (year 12) - important university entrance exams next May and June. One has no time in school at all - the other has just had one hour pastoral face - to - face. Okay both have their own rooms and wi fi etc. and on-line lessons, BUT that is not the same. It is so hard keeping them focussed after such a long time.

Four weeks is a helluva long time in present circumstances - those who wish can stay at home, but so many small shops and holiday places etc may not survive that extra time.

SueDonim- and even more confusing!

I’ve given up trying to understand the rules, Jane10. We had a takeaway coffee & cake this afternoon from a cafe. We weren’t allowed to sit at their outdoor seating to eat it, but we were allowed to use the seating at the venue next door because they’re currently closed! It’s madness.

You were using seating that I assume had not been cleaned or disinfected? That’s brave.

franbern I m glad you understand everyone talks about primary kids and of course that’s important but this year 12 can change their whole lives 17 is such a difficult age they are on the verge of making big decisions should be going round choosing uni s etc and they don’t even know if they will get a place because there will be so many deferring this year that there will be double the amount the following year
My grandchild has had nothing face to face since March hardly seen any friends and trying so hard to keep up

Yes parsley I was sitting on a wall having a coffee with a friend this afternoon because the cafe wasn’t allowed to put the chairs out but everyone was sitting on the wall so I m sure the chairs would have been no more of a problem than the wall ?
It’s all a farce

Parsley3
What's brave about sitting on a bench , who on earth would think that it's not ok to do that?

Brave to sit on a bench? It was wooden so it’s unlikely any virus would survive for long. We’d also not long had heavy rain which had then dried up when the sun came out. There was no one else around. I had sanitiser and wipes which we used, as well.

The risk is minimal, I’d say. I’ve just also discovered tonight that there have been no deaths whatsoever in this area.

A large number of people do have some strange (and totally wrong)ideas about this and other virus. So, Parsley makes that comment about sitting on a bench or a wall. Other people will not open their windows. I hear of people washing all their shopping in soapy water when getting it in their homes, not touching delivery parcels for three days, etc. etc. there is much confusion.

I am by no means a supporter of Johnson and his gang - very much the opposite, and do think their handling throughout of this crisis has been really disgustingly bad - hence we have such a very high death rate in UK. So, very many u-turns, they really have no idea what they are doing.

However, getting ALL children back to school full time- for me - is a major priority. Think as much money as necessary needs to be available to assist schools have enough teachers and support staff, and room to ensure this is well in place for beginning of September. The millions of pounds wasted on the stupid 'in-house' ap would have been so much better spent in this way.

Bluebelle, I have also had that thought about increased number of students seeking Uni entry in 2021 - and also wonder how many Uni's will be decreasing the number of places available due to lack of funding. Do feel very sorry for those students who deferred from entry in 2019 to this year!! I also wonder if there might be a need to cancel A levels next year (as this year) and use assessments again. Whatever, it is so hard to keep 17-year olds at present really to keep up with the discipline of their work.