We should have locked down earlier

My youngest missed 5 weeks of school last term - in an exam year and we are in a. Area with one of the lowest rates of infection.

If they go ahead with their plan as it is I predict new variant rapidly increasing here (& we have an elderly population with few beds).

Rather than last minute changes of plan, they need to scan the idea of exams (Gove’s reforms have made that much harder, but also harder to keep fair external assessment) & concentrate on the pandemic response and supporting children who need the wider supports provided by school.

Throws hands up in the air and decides to hibernate under the duvet for 12 months ????

Money thrown down the drain

Nightingales, £220 million.

Test and Trace £22billion!!

Surely the biggest scandal of the decade?

The UK locked down in March, the numbers dropped dramatically.

When things began to open up over the summer months numbers remained relatively low.

Numbers began to rise when Education at all levels returned.

There have been numerous regions under different levels of lockdown since March, but numbers in Leicester and Greater. Manchester for instance continued to rise despite the restrictions.

Lockdowns are only as effective as the populations willingness to fully comply, you only have to read some of the threads on GN to see that non-compliance is rife.

There are many conspiracy theorists with large followers on SM who simply deny the very existence of Covid, along with the growing anti-vaccine movement.

Having troops on the streets of the UK or sealing folks in their homes which happened in China is unpalatable to the majority? I have no idea what the solution is.

The balancing act between civil liberties and civil constraints is very delicate.

You’ve got a Tory MP on Twitter at the moment saying that driving is more dangerous to under 60’s without underlying health conditions than Covid.

Older people of Telford I think she’s just let you know what she thinks of you.

GrannyGravy13 the numbers also dropped significantly in March as it was a proper lockdown, no garden centres or others now deemed essential. This has of course a huge financial hit and it’s ok for me, with my jolly nice pension thanks, but devastating for others. If you have a mild dose and no food in the house isolation and staying off work is not going to happen, however irresponsible it may be. People have also become blasé, we’ve all seen it. I really don’t know the answer, nor would I want to be a decision maker.

Numbers actually fell in Manchester after it was moved to Tier 3 and now has fewer than half the number of cases per 100,000 than my area, which seems to have become very complacent.

In Sydney, the solution was "Let's go early, let's go hard and let's get this baby".

Jaxjacky I agree, our business was deemed essential so we remained open. This entailed financial outlay to ensure Covid safe compliance throughout the offices, warehouse, stores and yard. Decisions on who to furlough, a rota system to ensure no unnecessary mixing of staff.

It is easy for those with a guaranteed income to call for a further hard lockdown.

The last nine months have taken its toll on the mental health and well-being of so many which has to be addressed.

growstuff Covid complacency is rising across the UK, I am not a fan of house arrest but have no idea how to cajole the population into compliance.

Why the haste to open school, especially as the Science has advised against, but then this government has selective hearing.? Teachers are not trained medical people and I seem to have read somewhere that there will no medical grade PPE equipment for Teachers after their "training. "Of course the School Nurse is a thing of the past. Quite honestly I think the idea is a non starter, too fraught with difficulties and is using a testing system which is known to be quite ineffective..
It seems that again the Education Sec. has sat on his hands ,has done no planning and this is his idea of getting out of an impossible situation.

To have had a complete lockdown would have been virtually impossible. Which would have meant no movement whatsoever, planes/trains or any other vehicles, as this would have been the only way to have eradicated such a disease----which is why we still have it floating around and it'll be with us for the rest of next year too until every living soul is vaccinated and practices cleanliness in every way.

Nezumi65

They’re now messing up school.

Headlines ‘army will support schools in testing’

Reality. Army are at the end of a phone line

The lateral flow tests are not reliable enough anyway (50%? Even less against the new variant) & if I have understood correctly the plan is to not send bubbles home to isolate but to keep pretty much everyone in schools. Madness. And you don’t need hindsight to tell you that.

Essex County Council have asked parents to organise a test for their children up to a week before they're supposed to return. I don't understand the sense in that. They could be tested negative and be infected half an hour after they walk out of the test centre.

EllanVannin

To have had a complete lockdown would have been virtually impossible. Which would have meant no movement whatsoever, planes/trains or any other vehicles, as this would have been the only way to have eradicated such a disease----which is why we still have it floating around and it'll be with us for the rest of next year too until every living soul is vaccinated and practices cleanliness in every way.

Cleanliness isn't the answer - social distancing is.

westendgirl Schools still haven't been told what's happening. It's rumoured that pupils will be expected to administer the tests themselves. In Liverpool, self-administered tests were less than 50% accurate.

I agree Alexa

GrannyGravy13

growstuff Covid complacency is rising across the UK, I am not a fan of house arrest but have no idea how to cajole the population into compliance.

The ex-teacher in me says there are times when people just have to do as they're told and be made to do so. There isn't any other solution.

Having troops on the streets of the UK or sealing folks in their homes which happened in China is unpalatable to the majority? I have no idea what the solution is

Grannygravy
A good, but rather belated solution, would be to copy Australia! We didn't achieve our current situation by chance.
We too had troops "on the street" to assist police in handing out severe fines to rules transgressors and helping out with the logistics associated with things like traffic control at testing stations.
"Sealing folks in their homes" sounds hysterical when it should be called "lockdown'"
Self control and a strong sense of community spirit plus hefty fines for breaches of the rules have turned out to be very effective!
Good Health

On the Northern beaches in NSW everyone is in lockdown. No one in and no one out. Everyone in the locked down area has been tested and in additionTest & Trace used. Both my SiL and eldest GS have been traced & tested. Ok its a far smaller area with fewer cases but they’ve hit it on the head - hard. Police are out blocking roads and if you’re on the wrong side of the boundary, you’re fined heavily. Only 3 new cases this week. This is what should have been done here from Day 1 instead of fannying about for the past 8 months. On the upside, we have a vaccination being trotted out and they don’t- yet.
I really don't know how we can make the population comply. I’m in T2 with no local cases until Christmas Eve when the manager of our one shop (next is 5 miles away in T3?) tested positive. Neither he nor 2 of the staff wore masks. He comes from Swindon in T4. Nuff said. So, here we go ......

Cleanliness counts for a lot, growstuff. Under normal circumstances when out and about we inadvertantly touch many things without thinking. Surely, these are times when it's just as important in being careful about touching/ handling as it is to socially distance ?

Whilst part of me agrees with you, for many many years both Labour and Conservative Governments have operated a carrot form of governance as opposed to the stick method. Even in a worldwide pandemic it is difficult if not nigh on impossible to change 60 million plus inhabitants mindset.

With our family and close friends we have followed every guideline, at times it has been heartbreaking, unfortunately their are a lot of people out there only interested in themselves.

Sorry that was in answer to griwstuff

Just reading about a bunch of British backpackers ( not always the cleanest of people ) who barged in on a party in Sydney so the Government are deciding on deportation of these idiots who broke restrictions on Christmas Day.

EllanVannin The biggest cause of transmission is airborne "aerosol" droplets. No amount of handwashing and wiping down surfaces will stop people being infected, if they're in close contact, especially in a poorly ventilated area, for more than a few minutes. That's why classrooms just aren't safe - and can never be - and the government was told but didn't listen.

Correction. Swindon is T3 and holding, just !

Too many have ignored restrictions/ regulations for a pandemic to suddenly disappear.