What lockdown?

Reading the various Covid threads, I wonder where all the other people like DH and I are?

Covid has made little difference to us.

Since we retired we can't afford to eat out, go on holiday, go to the cinema, theatre etc.

And we don't consider ourselves poor, either, as we have a home, electricity, heating, three meals a day, but life as an OAP doesn't run to luxeries.

We are away on our caravan in Devon, booked and paid for weeks before this lockdown was suggested. We now have to come back tomorrow according to the govt website, rather than next Sunday, yet we are far more isolated here than in our densely populated city suburb. To add to the confusion, last nights local BBC TV was saying if you're on a domestic (UK) holiday, you don't have to go home early, you can stay til the end of your holiday. It's all a hopeless muddle.

Growing0ldDisgracefully

We are away on our caravan in Devon, booked and paid for weeks before this lockdown was suggested. We now have to come back tomorrow according to the govt website, rather than next Sunday, yet we are far more isolated here than in our densely populated city suburb. To add to the confusion, last nights local BBC TV was saying if you're on a domestic (UK) holiday, you don't have to go home early, you can stay til the end of your holiday. It's all a hopeless muddle.

Are you sure it says that on the govt web site? It sounds bonkers

I saw that travel is banned unless for work purposes. I’m sure it says people abroad should come home as and when their holiday finishes (which should prevent huge crowds in the airports presumably) but no one should travel abroad other than for work purposes. I’m not sure about returning from a UK holiday. It does state that no one should have travelled to an area that’s a different tier than that which they live in. That was already in place though. My opinion only: I don’t see what difference it makes if you stay the full two weeks so long as you’re in an isolated position, and you’re in the same tier as you live in at home. If you’ve changed tiers, you shouldn’t have done and you should return home.

I think the current government guidance is, if you are currently staying at a property in England you may finish your holiday. That's probably sensible as most people staying in hotels and cottages have an end date perhaps a week only at this time of year.
It might be more open ended if you are staying in your own caravan or camper van but I do think it is sensible to head home anyway so as not to overburdened local services at this time.

Romola

The thing that's annoying me is the prohibition on any meetings in private gardens. What is wrong with me and my DH meeting our next-door neighbours, also a pensioner couple, in the garden? And why can't we form a bubble with them?

Because one part of the bubble has to be a person living on their own or with children under 18. You aren’t living alone and neither are they !!!

Sorry, I worded that badly. UK hotels are obviously shutting down on Thursday so will have to tell guests to leave

Ellianne

Sorry, I worded that badly. UK hotels are obviously shutting down on Thursday so will have to tell guests to leave

No hotels can stay open for people engaged in essential travel - although of course they may very well choose not to do so for financial reasons (England at least - don’t know about other countries)

Someone from Wales on Radio 4 earlier said how nice it was to be emerging from a 2 week circuit breaker - has swifter action in Wales really been effective at slowing things down? Maybe time will tell but as our government is so reluctant to react, even in the face of good advice and evidence, I don't feel confident in us getting to grips with this any time soon.

This 'lockdown' will only effect us in that we can't see friends and family or travel far otherwise life will be much the same. The weather isn't encouraging us to go out much anyway.

It seems to me that the main gist of it is to stop people socialising informally, especially where alcohol is likely to be involved. As soon as booze is involved people forget the rules, so this lockdown is a wake up for those who flout the rules and have no consideration for others.

I saw somewhere too that if you are already on holiday you can complete it (I suppose unless you are in accomodation that is closing down). The bit I was annoyed about is the report that once lockdown was announced there was a rush of people booking holidays abroad before it came in! even though general advice is don't travel unless essential. I would have loved to travel this year - was supposed to go to a wedding in Oz too - but I would prefer to wait until things improve and am not worried it will be cancelled or that I could pick something up at the airport/plane/abroad etc. Rising rapidly in Europe too so why risk it. If they don't have to quarantine could be merrily bringing more cases in.
For up to date, accurate advice - not hearsay/social media etc check out the gov.uk website as others have mentioned, if you are able to post on should be able to access that.

I don't think anyone knows what to do for the best, HMG included. They're trying various permutations of lockdown, partial closures, Tiers, regional approaches, seeing what other countries do, you name it.

In fact the whole of the UK is one very large guinea pig, if you ask me.

Thanks suziewoozie. I'm in a high tourist area where they are all shutting up today, but of course travelleing workers' hotels need to continue to operate.

The major thing this time is you can NOT have people into your home. I'm guessing the epidemiologists have said the majority of transmission is happening in people's homes. Which I can imagine from what my neighbours say - seems people just cannot see their own family as sources of harm.

Susieboo
Irish family research is very difficult as essjay said the main two Ancestry and Find my Past do have some records.
and Family Search.
I have Irish ancestors too have tried to find my GtGtGrandfather for over 40 years but can’t pin him down.

I believe the only real way is to go to Dublin records office but then again so many records were destroyed in 1922 by fire and then by the government.
Although many records were lost in the 1922 fire, other records can be used to supplement the information lost. Prior to the destruction of the records, many noted antiquarians and researchers made copies and abstracts of the records. Staff at the Public Records Office, Dublin made a wide appeal to these antiquarians and legal officers to acquire copies of the records. These efforts resulted in a collection of over 20,000 copies of wills deposited in the record office.

The Griffiths Valuation has good info but you need to know where exactly your relatives come from village/town not just
area as unless your looking for a very unusual name, the whole thing is a nightmare.Very best of Luck

Some people thought they'd make the most of it before the lockdown.
Read and despair:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-54769055

I saw about that rave on either the news, or posted on Facebook (can’t remember which) last night. It’s illegal, why didn’t the police shut it down?

As I understand it, hotels in England can only accommodate people who need to travel for work. There are no other reasons that allow people to legally stay in a hotel. I suspect many hotels will temporarily close.

Flakesdayout I think the guidance is very confusing. It seems that a single case sometimes doesn't lead to sensible isolation.

It’s illegal, why didn’t the police shut it down?
They tried, maddyone but apparently received such resistance, violence and abuse that they had to call for help from Wiltshire police as well.

I suspect many hotels will temporarily close.
And then open again for Chritsmas and New Year parties?

Good gracious Callistemon, I didn’t know that! It makes me wonder what we are coming to. Very sad.

Ellianne
And then the whole cycle will start all over again. Oh dear, what a mess.

I agree with you Ellianne. Here in France we got just over
24 hours notice before it all began again, lockdown or
confinement as its called and the dreaded 'attestation' to
fill out (on your phone now but still...) every time you put
your nose out of your door.
Did you see the pictures of Paris spewing out in panic to get
to the countryside. Great - not!
In the countryside we were very lightly affected and now its
potential for infecting everyone is raised enormously,
madness!

Our huge local ‘garden centre’ is renowned for its numerous varied Christmas tree displays. They also have various outlet shops and a big food department, in addition to a large covered plant sale area.
The whole place is going to be open, and I know that there will be very long queues of customers, who came from miles around. Many of our small local establishments, who have been admitting only one person at a time, are being instructed to close.
Does this make sense to any of you?

09:39 BGB31 "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"

So Why, BGB31, does other people going into work annoy you.? If you can work from home you are lucky. Other people may not have the space or the facilities to work from home effectively. If you are working at home, you are as safe as you can be, and considerably safer than health workers, teachers, supermarket workers and all other keyworkers who have no choice but to go in to workplace, but I don't see how getting annoyed at others who are unable to work from home
effectively for whatever reason actually achieves very much as presumably if they are the only person going into your work place, they are still able to socially distance.