What lockdown?

That's a good question Daisymae.

I agree.
With school open I don't think that it will make much of a difference to the spread.
The impending situation seems to me to be a worst of both worlds scenario.

Well it's really a mini-lockdown compared to last time because for understandable reasons schools & universities are staying open.

From an epidemiology view everything would close as that would be the most effective - that would be the next step if this doesn't work.

And people are actively looking for loopholes, my own AS wants to go to see a friend some distance away - his get-out "I'm going to help him fix some guttering so I'm going to work, aren't I?"
(Yes I told him what I thought of THAT!)

I accept we are in unprecedented times. I do not expect any government will sail through without making mistakes, or having to re-think its position.
I do not accept that our current government is managing to what could be called "a good enough" level. It feels reactive, chaotic and unstable.
SAGE recommended a two week fire breaker on 23.09.20. Starmer supported that. It made sense to me, here in covid central in the north west. That we lockdown for two weeks so the schools had an extra week closed over half term. Try to lower the R and protect the hospitals.
Last night, here in the north west, our ambulance service declared an emergency. The hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with covid patients. I don't have any close friends or family who this time round, don't know people who are positive for covid.
Too little, too late is my feeling. It's also worrying that the government has lost the support of many people. A teacher friend said how come she is safe to teach a class of 32 then come home to her partner and baby without increasing their risk. She can't visit friends indoors though.

Riverwalk many schools are only partially open already.
An email from my Head went out last Friday that only years 7 8 and 9 would be in school.
The virus is running rampant in schools in my area, which until Saturday was tier 2.
If too many staff are sick, schools have literally no option other than to close.

I should have added 'until further notice'.

The 'rumour' in our area is that secondary schools are likely to close soon because the virus is rampant. The evidence so far suggests that up to about age 10=11 children aren't super spreaders but that changes by the time they get into high school.
What a mess it all is.

Daisymae, I agree that it's just not going to work very well this time. It's not really a lockdown, is it?

People I know in work are supposed to be distancing but it's impossible to maintain in the workplace. There's no mention of the furlough scheme. Children are in school/college. Locally the hairdresser and pub are closing.

ExD
So what would you suggest when people have genuine household maintenance problems assuming that they have the money to pay professionals?
My OH had one such incident yesterday. A neighbour had a water leak. What should she have done: call the waterboard where at least 2 people would arrive. Call a plumber who would charge her lord knows what.
Or, use common sense and give us a call. Problem solved with one person in the house.
As far as I'm aware guttering is outside the house.

Our builder is here, working outside, we have a loo on hire for him in the garden and I handle his coffee cup with gloves and dunk it straight into a bowl of hot soapy water, social distancing at all times.
I guess though that the argument is about if he breaks down on the way here, as it was before, he might have to involve other services where social distancing can’t be maintained.

Well yes I would agree that guttering is usually outside buildings ?

I didn’t realized garden centers were essential shops, does anyone know are hotels closed?. Because that implies they are selling meals, motorway services too.

I think this lockdown is going to leak like a sieve.

@Daisymae I believe the furlough scheme has been extended to cover this period.
Having said that I agree with you that it's a half hearted attempt at a lockdown. Perhaps a touch of trying to please everyone (& pleasing no one).
With schools, colleges & universities still open it means that staff have to get to and from work, often using public transport if in a city.

My job can be (and is being) done at home, the same for my colleagues. However I have heard from one of them today that they are going to continue going in to the office because they don't like working from home. I'm annoyed about this but don't feel I can say anything (and our manager is off sick so can't get involved at the moment).

if it restricts the amount of people on the streets in the towns it has to be good........You would think it's normal times here. People no longer distancing........needs to stop!

As before, the government is putting profit before people.

Earlier today I watched a crowd of school children waiting for a public bus to school, not one of them had a mask on even when on the bus. I try to avoid being out when they come out of school, crowding together as they walk along the pavement because they give no-one any space and in the meanwhile we are only allowed to meet one other person outside and at a distance. To me all schools with older children should be closed and uni as well after all The Open University manage to teach people using an online system so why can't other students be taught this way. This virus is with us for some time, we will have a lock down after the New Year and another after Easter and each time more and more people will break the rules and make lockdown a waste of time.

Good morning everyone . I thought I would use the lockdown to do my mothers side of our family tree , most of her relatives are Irish and I noticed that some records don’t have Irish details . Has any of the dear Gransnet ladies had any positive experience with Ancestry or any other sites. Which is best ? Thankyou

And this is why we are in the mess we are in because people will not follow simple instructions

I absolutely agree!! Our local parks, canal sides & woods are extremely busy. People can't socialise indoors, so.....they're socialising outdoors!! So far so good....or is it? With Lockdown looming, restaurants & pubs closing, it'll be even busier out there now!!! As for this meeting, one other person from outside your household? Robert Jenerick has said this morning, that whole FAMILIES from one household, can meet another person outside, for exercise!!!!!! Where's the limits? Where's the restrictions? It's not good in my eyes......

susieboo, if you can use a mixture of sites - ancestry, find my past - both of which you can access all records if you go through your library and at this time can be accessed from home. also family search which is a free to use site but does have a lot of records that are on find my past.

well my opinion, I think the uni`s should have been closed, ie. they all are capable of studying via technology. must have the capability and the technology.

younger children, yes, I can see why some think they should keep going to school... however.....

Garden Centres open and Fish places, ie aquarium type thingies...

I think this is a complete....b........ up,,, if you can decipher that.. not a polite expression, I know

shaking head here.
I have written to my MP and told him as such

Farage and Laurence Fox forming new political parties, what has that got to do with this thread? well I like to widen a conversation at times.

shoot me down!

As I keep saying, all the Facebook ‘experts’ are helping people to justify their rule-breaking by posting ‘evidence’ that the precautions don’t work, and ridiculing the safety measures. This makes it easy to ignore the rules, which, granted, are a wee bit confusing.