Chris Whitty - another lockdown

As Peston just said, this is just a massive gamble- and asking the question 'why'!?!

The theory many are coming up with is that the only possible reason is that Johnson and ERG actually want the NHS to collapse totally- so they can have the perfect excuse to privatise it. Cynical- but it makes increasing sense.

Chomsky describes the technique very well- in this case, it stated with 'defund' and the job will be finished with 'catastrophic destruction in a pandemic' - just to make sure.

Let’s hope this latest announcement focuses the minds of those young people (and some older ones) who are still refusing the vaccine.

It should drive the message home to them that if they want to fully participate in life again, the vaccine is the way to go.

Carrot, bribe, threat?
Who cares what it’s called as long as it gets results.

PippaZ

On another point, I may scream at the next Conservative MP who trips out "we have to learn to live with it". It's trite and meaningless.

What we probably have to do is learn to coexist with it. If I live with "something" it's usually of benefit to me (and possibly the "thing"). Coexisting is not nearly as pleasant or as easy.

Taiwan appear to have got their outbreak under control again. I still don’t understand why people now just assume that a massive death rate is unavoidable .

I haven't heard anything on any of the news channels this evening that says this is a well thought through, science-based decision. Rather it is Johnson making decisions under pressure from a small group of backbenchers and then being terrified of what he has done.

Heaven help us, because the government don't seem to be.

Did anyone else hear about a shortage of PCR Tests?

Wouldn't be at all surprised if we have a shortage we seem to test around 4 times as much as many of our European neighbours

PippaZ

Did anyone else hear about a shortage of PCR Tests?

Yes, I have. There is also a shortage of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) and much suspicion that this is behind the decision not to vaccinate teenagers.

rosie1959

Wouldn't be at all surprised if we have a shortage we seem to test around 4 times as much as many of our European neighbours

The reason for that is that the government is advocating testing as an alternative to suppression of virus transmission.

There seems to be an increasing number of reports about shortage of PCR testing capacity.

This is one of them:

inews.co.uk/news/politics/covid-testing-capacity-strain-cases-rise-home-test-results-1105546

It's inevitable that the demand for PCR tests is high because the UK currently has more cases than almost any other country.

By the UK dashboard we have always tested high amounts of people even back in spring when cases were very low

rosie1959

Juicywords

Then close until they have been vaccinated

They have been closed for 15 months I know I would not do to well with no income for that long

Vaccine passports aren’t a new thing. They’re needed for certain professions or to visit certain countries.

The policy is giving nightclubs a chance to stay open. Currently nightclubs are even doing testing, as was “advised”.

“Aren’t even doing testing”

Juicywords

“Aren’t even doing testing”

There were young people interviewed on the news this morning, all said that they had to have a negative lateral flow test as condition of entry.

PippaZ

Did anyone else hear about a shortage of PCR Tests?

and lateral flow tests

I honestly believe there will be another lockdown in the Autumn.
After the governments let us have a spending spree covid will go through the roof.
All about revenue as i said in another post.

They're having a "Predict the date of the next lockdown" thread on Mumsnet.

Should we have one? Then we can all look back and see who's right....

LuckyFour

I'm fed up of hearing that this is all the government's fault. I don't understand people gathering in large numbers at every opportunity, then blaming the government when many people contract the virus. Would you have wanted to be in that crowd at the football or the tennis last week? I wouldn't. Even if some situations are allowed I would be making up my own mind whether it is safe and behave accordingly. We have to take responsibility for our own health, we can't just sit back and blame the government if we get ill.

I absolutely agree.
We have reached a point, high numbers of the population vaccinated and high Summer, where it’s the optimum time to try and live more normal lives.Those of us who are older and have health issues will continue to be careful, with mask wearing at times, using hand gel and washing hands and not kissing/ cuddling.
In any case, vast numbers of younger people have been mixing freely for quite a while now and not mask wearing, numbers of Covid cases have rocketed well before July 19th.
This is alright, what counts are ICU numbers and deaths.

Kali2

PippaZ

Did anyone else hear about a shortage of PCR Tests?

and lateral flow tests

In that case it may just have been tha lateral flow ones as I didn't hear it properly, Thank Kali2

lemongrove There is evidence that younger people are suffering debilitating after-effects, but - heyho - the government's adviser denies that long Covid exists.

That's quite apart from the evidence that letting the virus run rife will encourage the emergence of new variants. We are already seeing that current variants are escaping the full effects of vaccines, but what doe a few tens of thousands of lives matter to people who have already been vaccinated?

rosie1959

By the UK dashboard we have always tested high amounts of people even back in spring when cases were very low

Good! At least the government got something right. It's highly probably that other countries have higher case rates, but it doesn't mean that the illnesses and deaths in the UK don't matter.

BTW It has been government policy even when cases were low to control the virus by testing rather than control. Remember "Operation Moonshot"?

Alegrias1

They're having a "Predict the date of the next lockdown" thread on Mumsnet.

Should we have one? Then we can all look back and see who's right....

I think it will be after all the politicians have been on holiday, so 6th September

While the vacinnes continue to do their job there is no reason to lockdown and quite honestly the country can't afford to

GrannyGravy13

Juicywords

“Aren’t even doing testing”

There were young people interviewed on the news this morning, all said that they had to have a negative lateral flow test as condition of entry.

I heard a nightclub owner interviewed yesterday who said they hadn’t done testing.

JaneJudge

Alegrias1

They're having a "Predict the date of the next lockdown" thread on Mumsnet.

Should we have one? Then we can all look back and see who's right....

I think it will be after all the politicians have been on holiday, so 6th September

So on the 6th September you think we will all be confined to our houses for 23 hours a day, all the shops will be closed and the country will shut down again?