Boris announcing in House of Commons now

Barmeyoldbat

Growstuff, actually I do know 18 year olds who have gone to uni, two of my GC, one in year 3 and the other just starting. So please don't assume I have no experience or knowledge of students.
I agree that they are getting a bad deal with regards to education but that doesn't change the fact that they need to act in a more responsible manner and keep themselves and others safe from the virus and they are not at uni just to have fun and party.

"They"? I object to you lumping them all together as some kind of homogenous group. My son has just gone back to Newcastle and most certainly won't be out partying. He wasn't affected by the A level debacle, but he's still got a loan of £9250 per annum and almost the same again for maintenance for online lectures. Do you know any other group which is paying that much to live away from home and be confined to a pokey toom?

12Jo
Good post.

I wasn't aware that Italy was coping any better than here in Britain. This is a world wide pandemic. It isn't restricted to Britain. Countries where there are fewer people, or are more rural, or don't have a strong drinking culture, or where the population all respect their government, or, or, or. Some countries are doing better, but none are safe. Look what happened in New Zealand. They eliminated the virus and despite that it came back.

Juana

I wish people would stop criticising Boris and the government .We are in an unprecedented situation as are many other countries who are also blaming their governments. If certain people had adhered to the rules instead of selfishly doing what they wanted we would not be in the situation we are in now. People queuing outside Costco in Manchester at the weekend were clearly oblivious of safety measures, no social distancing , hardly anyone in face coverings, if this is happening elsewhere no wonder cases are surging.

People have every right to criticise. We live in a democracy!

Maybe if Johnson acted like a leader, people would respect hum and not criticise so much.

maddyone

12Jo
Good post.

I wasn't aware that Italy was coping any better than here in Britain. This is a world wide pandemic. It isn't restricted to Britain. Countries where there are fewer people, or are more rural, or don't have a strong drinking culture, or where the population all respect their government, or, or, or. Some countries are doing better, but none are safe. Look what happened in New Zealand. They eliminated the virus and despite that it came back.

Yes, it came back but the numbers are tiny compared with what we've come to expect every day. Nobody can kill the virus, but it's how it's managed which matters.

maddyone and trisher Just to say, I live in the actual North! Manchester and Liverpool are really North Midlands. ? My very much northern friend was appalled by the lack of masks in Liverpool. Here in Northumberland we are very conscientious.

NannanI’m confused too. Also some people seem to be of the opinion that if something is allowed they’ll do it. Even though I probably could visit my children and children but I’m not doing so. Rather than try to work out what I can and can’t do I just do nothing!

Here are just a few of my masks!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202010/medium-891988-16025965952641294973809.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202010/medium-518828-1602596620892-303150565.jpg

We received this through the letterbox this morning. We are in Northumberland (tier 2 Amber)and

Sorry the second pic is sideways on!

Good post, 12JO.

It is a pity that if people criticise the way that the Government is handling the virus some people take it as a party political comment instead of considering the comments on their merits.

Is there someone who thinks the Government has done a really good job that couldn't be improved upon? If so, provide some evidence for your view instead of a party political comment please.

In my little corner of the country I was very confused by last night's tier system. We are 438 per 100,000 and in tier 1.
So everyone carries on as usual.

The main problem has been imo that the government has given contracts out for PPE, testing (and without going to tender) etc to all of their mates. And my biggest bugbear at the moment is Johnson’s insistence on calling test and trace NHS test and trace when it isn’t NHS and he makes any implication of it failing (which it is ) as a criticism of the NHS.

I think Northumberland County Council have done a good job of explaining to every household what we can/should and can't/shouldn't do even if we don't like it! Today's card through the door sets it all out very clearly.

Northumberland seems to be an incredibly well run sort of place.

Juana

I wish people would stop criticising Boris and the government .We are in an unprecedented situation as are many other countries who are also blaming their governments. If certain people had adhered to the rules instead of selfishly doing what they wanted we would not be in the situation we are in now. People queuing outside Costco in Manchester at the weekend were clearly oblivious of safety measures, no social distancing , hardly anyone in face coverings, if this is happening elsewhere no wonder cases are surging.

Juana Well said. It's selfish morons like these who are literally killing innocent people most of whom are obeying the rules. Boris and this government are doing the best they can to safeguard the population and they need support not the non stop criticism from the bitter Labour party.

I have no way of comparing MayBee but the card we received is good.

If certain people had adhered to the rules instead of selfishly doing what they wanted we would not be in the situation we are in now.

Noticeably one Dominic Cummings.... When the person who helped to write the rules breaks them and goes unpunished it's inevitable that people will follow their lead...

By that reasoning MaizieD perhaps we should all jump on trains and travel round the UK like a Scottish Female MP or travel miles when the whole of the UK was in lockdown like Mr.Kinnock.

There are lots of folks breaking the rules and using Dominic Cummings as an excuse shows the mentality of some!!

Of someone put their hand in the fire, or drunk themselves stupid and took drugs would the rest of the Country follow?

Ms Ferrier (sp) actually had a positive Covid Test and knowingly put others on public transport and various other outlets at risk. A far serious episode than Dominic Cummings.

No it shows that in a situation like this the country requires leadership, it would have shown leadership to sack Cummings but that didnt happen.

The more confused people are the less likely that they will comply with the rules. I live in Scotland and I do agree that Nicola answers all the questions and sounds confidant in what she's saying

There was a lot of prevarication and downright lying within the DC case and they both admitted to believing they had the virus, yet they travelled anyway. No different, morally, than Ms Ferrier. My daughter and her husband were both quite ill with the virus symptoms, late March, with two children under six years old and another on the way. They stayed home and managed without help.

its time we fined anyone who does not follow the rules instead of making the majority pay for the idiots who flout the rules don't keep blaming the government fine the idiots £5,000 a time and give them a criminal record, take them to court and charge them with endangering the lives of people who do abide by the rules

BTW Whoever it was who claimed that the government is combining flu and Covid statistics (can't find the post now) was wrong ....

fullfact.org/health/julia-hartley-brewer-flu-covid/

fordk4

its time we fined anyone who does not follow the rules instead of making the majority pay for the idiots who flout the rules don't keep blaming the government fine the idiots £5,000 a time and give them a criminal record, take them to court and charge them with endangering the lives of people who do abide by the rules

fordk4 Well said. This is no time for the soft touch approach. We are far too lenient to wrong doers in this country.