Up to the 2nd December.

Sorry haven't read the whole thread so apologies if already said, but Michael Gove is saying there's a real possibility the lockdown will go on beyond 2 December. Similar to the original lockdown, which was only meant to be 3 weeks but kept being extended. I think we can wave goodbye this year to Christmas as we know it.

The 'vulnerable' should decide how vulnerable they are. I shall be 75 on Friday so am in that range but will continue to go out and do what I can. All my birthday celebrations have been cancelled. Life is too short to not get the best out of it though.

Until a vaccine is found, Covid will continue to stalk the population. The main reason Boris is doing this lockdown is not to overwhelm the NHS. I really don't think he is concerned about the public other then that.

The virus is going nowhere - all they can do is try to contain it at manageable levels so that it doesn't overwhelm the NHS, until a vaccine is approved and who knows how long that will take. This will not be the last Lockdown and neither should it be. And if you are under the illusion that the Nightingale hospitals will solve the capacity problems, I wish someone would tell me just where they're going to get the staff for them, given that there are currently 40,000 nursing vacancies in the UK? NHS staff that I know are exhausted, off work with "long Covid", on anti-anxiety and anti-depressants, and generally dreading what's to come. And all those who want to "carry on" will, no doubt, still expect hospital beds for them and their loved ones if the worst happens? This is a slow marathon, not a sprint.

Didn't Boris say they were going to introduce mass, rapid testing with the army to help? This would surely help matters. Schools in Southampton are trialling a saliva test on all pupils and staff (this was developed in Southampton).

I think there are some people latching on to schools and universities because its easy to blame them, when all sectors of the population are at fault.

Anyone notice that Andy Burnham has gone very, very quiet?

Well, it's a bit of a desperate measure. In March the figures leading up to it did not suggest it was required* and during it, when analysed, they showed excess deaths due to the lockdown not the virus.
This time I just do not know but have to say I thought the govt would do it.
I'd say try and cope, be as positive as you can, draw on your inner resources, and fight any feelings of unhappiness.
I live alone and do not see anyone even without lockdown so I am already acclimatised. I suppose I am lucky that way. I make my own bread - in a cheap mixer now because I have a lot of pain and can't stand up or knead for long. I still have problems with the house left by a criminal builder and money problems because of him.
But looking back does not help. Take it one day at a time and be resourceful. I would not like to predict beyond the beginning of December.
I am sure the PM is not finding this easy. I think the action is one they feel they must do because they have so little else that they can offer.

*I'll try and add a short list of comparative figures someone sent me, called 'Dismissal of the Lockdown' applied to last March. I did verify against the Official numbers. The National and world figures were always available.

Assuming the decision isn't overturned in Parliament on Wednesday.

agree Jane, government are damned if they do and damned if they dont, everyone has an opinion different to everyone elses, but , really, none of us know the right way to go, its not a good place to be, young ones say they feel stifled as they cant go partying which is what young people do, us oldies are slowing losing touch with our grandchildren etc, I dont like the video calls , dont really know why, I do keep getting upset and depressed, having a husband with chronic health conditions does not help, he is depressed too, so both ends of the spectrum suffer as well as all in between, one thing I do know. I would hate to be prime minister , what a stressful job, whatever he says or does will be wrong , you just cant do right for doing wrong

I have GC at 6th form colleges and the are only part time and have been since September. There have been infections but have been controlled. This is currently lockdown extremely light. Schools open, work places open. Hospitality and leisure are closed, obviously with knock on effects. All the adults in this family will continue at work under these rules, as far as I can see. Of course there's an impact on job security, crystal ball would be useful.

It's pointless second-guessing what's likely to happen. It just gets people more worried.

I feel desperately sorry for the politicians and I don't think anything's certain about this situation. I certainly wouldn't like to be making these decisions myself.

However I live in a low-covid area (as indeed it has been all the way through this year); it seems very unfair on people and businesses locally to force an unnecessary national lockdown upon them. And I do like to go to a pub once or twice a week!

Meanwhile the waiting time for my knee replacement, already 18 months, extends ever longer. At this rate I'll be in a wheelchair before they get round to operating. Sigh.

Read Professor Gupta. This is awful, abysmal news. Hate it, all the pathetic of our land rejoicing, it will be a millstone for a century. We have a high death rate because of the NHS being too successful, people are living that should not be. Many of our fittest have to work long shifts because of wimps that have decided their previous illness precludes them coming in duty, others that have to work have have have to do their duty. Many nurses, midwives, teachers, transport workers are having to carry all the slope shoulders.

Why should the vulnerable be made to stay in again when the younger ones are out in big groups , partying and generally going against all advice. And I don't just mean teenagers and students.

I totally agree kids are the worse for carrying back germs i know my two grandchildren are like walking bottle of germs when thay get anything thay belive in shearing i can't see the point of lock down when u still have children coming home and a chance thay could of picked sinething up and affect the whole house hold

I’ve just been reading the papers. It seems there is very little evidence that schools are contributing to the current severe rise in cases. It’s a different scenario in the universities of course. Yes there have been some infections in schools, nearly always among the adults and, certainly in my area they seem to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. It’s yet another burden on our shaky economy if working parents have to homeschool and care for their children during the school day. I’ve also seen first hand how damaging this can be for the mental health of both children and parents.

mrsgreenfingers56

Thought Boris looked strain and drawn with his speech yesterday and no wonder. What an awful job he has and I honestly believe he is doing his best for us all.

Ditto.

Thought Boris looked strain and drawn with his speech yesterday and no wonder. What an awful job he has and I honestly believe he is doing his best for us all.

BlueBelle

I totally agree with the second set of scientists lock down the vulnerable and carry on carrying on

And when do you see lockdown for the vulnerable ending? Because if everyone else just goes about their normal business, the virus will have free reign over all of them. The 'non vulnerable' will think they are inviolable and all pretence at taking care will end - no masks, no social distancing, no sanitising.

Would any vulnerable people want to step out of their prison into that seething virus soup? I know I wouldn't.

We are now in lockdown until the 16th of December the Belgian government announced it on Friday night.
Schools on holiday this coming week and that has been extended for a further 10 days.
DD will be working longer hours SIL the same as usual, so it will be busy for Grandma.
Track and trace seems to work ok, DGS was tested last week and we isolated together for a week, great fun.!!!!!
We can go for walks thank goodness and some shops are open, and you can still get appointments with Opticians, Dentists etc. I had a haircut last week, nice timing.
St Nicolas comes on the 5th/6th of December luckily DGS Belgian Godparents take care of that, it's fine getting things online but as DGS is here during the week he is always very interested in any packages arriving.
Luckily I get deliveries for a friend here so I just put them away.
We are allowed one visitor if you live alone, a young woman I know had to self-isolate after returning from abroad, the Police came to her house everyday at different times to check she was there.
I hope this time it works.

AFAIK most universities aren't doing face-to-face teaching. My son was told before he returned that there would be three seminars a week, but has now been told that all teaching will be online until Christmas at least.

The social mixing is happening in halls of residence and student flats, where it's almost unavoidable.

Excellent comments above. Yes the school / university situation could be worked much more safely but the government just seem unwilling to show commitment to it. They throw out guidelines and make massive (and often false) assumptions about Covid safe environments and then just retreat with their fingers in their ears.

I would have thought a partial school lockdown would work. It would need a lot of organisation, but if schools were closed for 2 or 3 weeks, that time could be used for the preparation.

Rotas of small groups would need to be organised (bubbles). The students could go in, receive their instructions, ask questions and receive prepared work packs (teachers could plan them, admin staff could do the copying/putting together). Teachers would be timetabled to move around, while the students stayed in one room. Students go away for the rest of the week and do the work. Online support could be available at specific times for the students who need help.

I am no manager but the above sounds doable to me. The few staff that need to sheild could be the ones doing the online support.

This way, we could limit the contact students have with each other but they could also get some face to face teaching AND have online support. The work packs would get around the problem of students with poor IT not being able to access online lessons.

BlueBelle

Whenever we come out after a few weeks it ll shoot up
Until they get a workable track and trace nothing will make any difference or until they stop overseas travel This is now termed the ‘Spanish wave’ as it all came about from European travel, both ways
I m very annoyed as I m in a low risk area and we could easily have kept going

Nowhere in England or Wales in now considered to be low risk. Even places such as Cornwall and parts of Devon have incidence rates above the threshold considered to be critical by international definition.

Also, us Brits are an independent minded lot

Carefully worded. I’m sure we could all think of more apt expressions but I doubt GN would allow it.