For everyone who's bending the rules!

I think a total lockdwon is the only answer.
Having said that, we live in Sweden where there hasnt been any kind of lockdown and things have been bad but not like the UK ,however the scientists here and politicians are starting to think, and have today introduced som restrictions like closing some gyms etc, face masks to be worn on public transport at peak times ie. 7-9 and 3-6pm ! incredable do they think the virus disappears from 9 until 3 and comes back again! Dont get me started.

If we all stuck to the rules we wouldn't be in half the mess we are in now . There are still people not wearing masks , still mixing all because they think it's there democratic right not to . I will bet my bottom dollar these people will refuse to have the vaccine . I think it's time every body grew up and stopped being selfish . Unless we all pull together we will be in the same situation next year .

Springychicken, I’ve been wondering about the eyes for some time and looking at some research being done. So much so that I’ve ordered some builders’ safety goggles! Not worn them out yet as I don’t go out except maybe once in three weeks to supermarket. We’ve been warned from start not to touch our eyes and surgeons and Covid ITU staff all wear shields or goggles ...... aerosols can get in through the eye (mucous?) just as through nose and mouth - less easily maybe but all the same, could this new variant be better at this?

Spookwriter23

The virus didn't come from any animals dead or alive, it came from a lab which right near the wet market,

Oh yes? How do you know that? I've read about it on conspiracy websites, but never seen any real evidence.

PS. Has anybody had better internet connectivity since people started having 5G implants?

It's not cats, it is PEOPLE spreading it! Jesus. Talk about conspiracy theories.

FAR too much going out. Close schools (teachers have said, FAR too many children in schools even now who don't need to be), close churches. No one needs to shop daily. Once a week. STOP all external exercise for one month.

Get the army on the streets. Make passes with dates and times on them essential.

5 minutes exposure from 20 feet away with the OLD strain. The new strain is far more contagious. Cats... (shaking my head).

www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-12-09/five-minutes-from-20-feet-away-south-korean-study-shows-perils-of-indoor-dining-for-covid-19

BlueSky

Closing pubs and restaurants (with safety measure in place) didn’t make much difference (not that I visit either).

How do you know?

Closing pubs and restaurants (with safety measure in place) didn’t make much difference (not that I visit either).

Don't believe all you hear, Spookwriter www.snopes.com/news/2020/04/01/covid-19-bioweapon/

There is a young Chinese, doctor who worked in the lab, she fled China, came on loose women, an told them about the lab, she's now in hiding, she can't ever go back to her family in China, because if she did, they'd kill her,

My neighbour who is a nurse in a busy hospital totally ignores the rules.
She had friends leaving her house and even stood at the gate shouting goodbye to them at the top of her voice!

The virus didn't come from any animals dead or alive, it came from a lab which right near the wet market,

"winterwhite" Once the virus starts to spread without constant restraint, it infects more people in each of its generations. It is like the old story of the king who rewarded someone who helped him, by promising him gold - one piece for the first square on a chessboard, double that on the next, doubled again on each subsequent square. By the time the board was covered, the king had to give away all the gold in the kingdom, and was bankrupt. 1, 2, 4, 8. 16. 32. 64. 128, 256, 518, 1,036, 2,072, 4,144, 8,288, 16,576, 33,152 - and that is just the first sixteen squares of the sixtyfour on the chess board. It would be the first sixteen generations of infection by the virus. That takes about a week on average to pass on to the next person, so if each person infected two others, sixteen generations would take about four months to spread from one to more than 40,000 people.

All churches in Scotland are closed indefinitely.

Possibly the increase in infections is as much to to with the fact that the new mutation is much more easily transmissible. That coupled with the fact that in the cold of Winter we are less likely to throw open windows or remain outside. I'm not sure how people can be certain that others are flouting the rules, especially if as they claim they are are remaining shut in at home themselves. It is estimated that around 20% of infections are transmitted in hospitals themselves.
Very sorry to hear of Marydoll's heart attack and wish her a good recovery.

Kate54, two workers in the Tesco superstore in Greenock , Inverclyde have died from the virus.

In the brief spell, when I was released from shielding, I used to do the odd, early morning visit to the supermarket, just to get out.

The difference in hygiene standards was so worrying.
Sainsburys was by far the most superior, wider aisles, security staff on the door, socially distanced queuing and gallons of sanitiser.

Unfortunately, that's now a distant memory. Who would have thought a supermarket visit would be the highlight of my week! ?

BlueSky

Too easy to blame others, all looking for a scapegoat. Even countries with stricter laws and hefty fines are still in a mess, so god help us if it is indeed in the air we breathe!

It's always been in the air we breathe in enclosed and poorly ventilated spaces.

larry5

I am on the church council of a Methodist Church and the council made the decision this week to close the church for foreseeable future. Other Methodist Churches in the area have made the same decision. Other churches have to do what the denomination say so C of E and Catholic Churches may be open. I don’t know, for example, what mosques are doing.

I think Catholic churches where I live are staying open at the moment. I do think it poses a risk as the people will gather and chatter before and after the services. Wish Boris would just close all places of worship for the time being. It's that saying - just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do it. The churches may have in place social distancing but it's the socialising that's taking place that shouldn't be. If Boris won't ban communal worship then the Bishops and leaders of other faiths need to take that step themselves.

Gillycats

Gosh Hetty, I do hope you’re on the mend soon. We should all stay away from others as much as possible. It’s so contagious. It’s NOT our government’s fault. They are doing the best they can. It is the fault of the Chinese government. They sat by and did nothing when they knew they had a terrible problem. We should learn from that. As Einstein said - ‘The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.’
We must all do our bit, whether we agree with it or not, to protect ourselves. And hopefully China will come clean soon xxx

You are wrong. It is not the fault of the Chinese government that the British government has been so inept. Transmission in the UK has been high because efforts to suppress infection have been so half-hearted. The chances of a successful variant emerging were higher because the rate of transmission was so high. Mutations happen all the time and are random, but the chances of a successful mutation are higher if transmission rates are high.

I've just finished watching the Andrew Marr show. Found it interesting that Matt Hancock practised the 'stay at home' suggestion/plea for his interview whereas Sir Keith Starmer made the journey to the studio.

Too easy to blame others, all looking for a scapegoat. Even countries with stricter laws and hefty fines are still in a mess, so god help us if it is indeed in the air we breathe!

Congregations may be small in some churches but not in all faiths. For the moment all places of worship where people meet communally should be closed as should garden centres. A minority of people are still recklessly showing that they don’t care about transmission of the virus and the resulting deaths. People who continue to do this should receive a criminal record not just a fine. One last point the main road near where I live had barely any traffic on it during the first lockdown. Now there is virtually no difference to the normal amount of traffic. As schools are closed, most people are working from home and there is only one supermarket in the town it is a mystery as to where these people are all going.

I understand that Baggs and agree.
However, partly to deal with pressure on GPS and hospitals, the minor ailments service has been extended and pharmacists have been given more powers, (can't think of the appropriate word) to take the pressure off those services,.
The staff themselves stated that some cases did not merit an A&E visit.
If you cannot get a doctors appointment, you can phone still 111 and seek advice.

I am at the other end of the spectrum, I should have presented at A&E earlier than I did, but because I knew how overwhelmed they were, I delayed going, I was very foolish and am indeed fortunate to be here writing this post!

Its all about balance.

Nobody has mentioned the economy here. Where jobs can be kept going e.g hairdressers going into care homes, that surely has to be at least considered...
Someone else (*Dorsetcupcakes*?) states that supermarkets were rife with the virus. Is that actually the case? They have certainly become much more lax this time round and need to up their game. But apparently most of the transmission takes place in people’s homes, among families.

I think more people are adhering to the advice now but we are reaping the consequences of activity 2-4 weeks ago...not really surprised after what I was seeing.

M0nica

I think just blaming other people breaking the rules is an easy way out and a way of wrapping one self in the comfort blanket of self awarded virtue.

I do not think that many people are breaking the rules, certainly not enough to explain the explosive growth of new cases over the last month all over the country whether urban suburban, rural or deeply rural.

I think that there must be another vector involved in its rapid spread other than being more infectious and aerosol spray. We know that covid is a zoonotic disease; that Denmark slaughtered its farmed mink population after the disease was found on the farms and it has been found on occasion, in the cat population. Could this vector be an animal that has a symptomless version of the illness and can pass it to humans; cats, dogs, guinea pigs or any small animal that is handled. Just an idea.

Way to go M0nica, to have even more people scared into giving up their blameless pets without a shred of scientific evidence.