Starmer calling for lockdown (Edited by GNHQ)

Starmer, auto correct!

I believe that Sage advised it about 3 weeks ago. I think it could be more effective than the current half measures that don't seem to be achieving anything.

I heard Starmer's speech yesterday and I thought he made a lot of sense, especially re his suggestion to close schools down for a couple of weeks by extending the half term holiday. Northern Ireland has already confirmed that they're doing a 2 week circuit breaker, as is Czech Republic. We're in untrodden territory with this pandemic.

Yes a short sharp lockdown might do the trick. BUT then all the idiots will come out partying AGAIN and we’ll be back to square 1 AGAIN

Asian flu--1957/8 was a more deadlier strain than this pandemic we have now as globally, it killed 2-4million when we had a count of a world population of 3billion compared to now, 2020 where it's 7.5billion.
So bad was Asian flu that it only took 8 months to travel from Hong Kong to the UK.

We didn't have media hysteria whipping up fear back then, nor was there a lockdown. Between 9-12 million caught the disease in this country. In context, we have 260,000 confirmed cases of Covid 19. Deaths have mainly been attributed to underlying health problems.

Yes, we were far less densely populated in 1957 so social distancing wasn't the problem as it is now.
There are many aspects of it's ease in spreading in 2020, travel being the largest spreader which attracts crowds.

Severity of the Asian flu pandemic meant that it affected the young as badly as Covid does from 45yrs onwards. Asian flu sufferers varied in age from 5-14yrs and those children who contracted it died within 48hrs of admission.

I worked on such a ward which had been put aside for those with the 1957 pandemic. I was a cadet nurse and at 16/17 I saw deaths in young people who'd been left gasping for breath. I remember the ward being full of steam kettles and oxygen tents. It went on for nigh-on a year.

Given the population we have now we should have shut down completely in March and put economy etc to one side for 3 months which would have avoided the shambles that we have now.!!

Whatever measures are taken whilst you have totally idiotic people acting appalling as they were in Liverpool overnight we will never get the rate of infection down.

Unfortunately there does not seem to be the public consensus to go along with another total lockdown.

Good thing in the times today saying there should be a couple of Labour mps including Starmer co-opted into the cabinet. I agree.

Total lockdowns only achieve one thing.....that the hospitals can cope, it doesn’t do anything else, as we have seen, things soon go back to what we had before.
Local lockdowns work better where needed.To keep people in jobs and businesses going ( and local economies) the measures now just being introduced are worth trying first.
We have a situation, as do other countries where one faction is calling for one thing, and another faction calling for the opposite and the government in the middle trying to keep both the economy going, jobs and health.
If everyone ( or at least most people) were compliant with restrictions and face/space then we would see the spread of the virus reduce.

I think there is a risk of trying to 'save the economy' and also 'save lives' and ending up in the middle and doing neither effectively. In the end, if infections and deaths go up and up, that impacts on the economy too. There is a nettle to be grasped here - they cannot please all the people all the time, and politicians have to take difficult decisions. They have said they are 'following the science' - so why are they not doing exactly that?

I agree with Keir Starmer. He talks sense. I also agree with the poster who said there should be some Labour MPs in the cabinet.
I think our PM has completely lost the plot and I voted for him! He’s a ditherer.

Avoid crowds is all I can say. How can you catch something if you steer clear ? Don't go mooching around shops---enclosed areas. What could be simpler ? Resist and stay put.

I wonder if those plebs in Liverpool would have done what they did if this virus killed the young as Asian flu did ?
Why won't folk do as they're told ?

My 2 brothers and I had the Asian flu in 1957. We survived. My mother had bronchitis at the time. My father looked after all of us being free of the Asian flu. The doctor called in daily at first. I remember having hallucinations seeing my wallpaper moving. When we were recovering my brothers and I had terrific appetites!

I thought Boris's speech and rationale for the action he has taken made a lot of sense. There is a lot in what ellanvannin says. My Grandma died at the age of 64 (younger than I am now) in the Asian Flu epidemic- fine one day gone the next. Balancing our economy and way of life is not easy and whoever tries to do it will be told they are wrong.

PS ASIAN FLU
We were age 8-13 at the time.

From what I have read the lock down measures are mainly to do with saving the NHS from being overwhelmed with in cases. Even experts are saying this just suppresses the virus but will not be going away for a long time yet. So when the numbers go down and cases of depression, suicides and loneliness go up not adding cancer deaths that could have been treated and many other illnesses what can we do? We will have to live with it and provide better hygiene practices and space enablement to help the spread. More importantly people need to get their fitness and weight under control with help and support. The media bashing of young and old is not working. In my opinion of course.

Liverpool should be locked down severely for more than 3 weeks,,maybe bring the army in to control the ignorant selfish idiots and their appalling behaviour, I feel so sorry for the decent people of that city

In these times we are fighting a war against COVID. We should have a government of national unity rather than this political in fighting.

I can remember having Asian flu aged 14. I was at boarding school and can remember having to be taken out of early morning chapel in a state of near collapse and being violently sick on the path outside!!! The rest of it was a high temperature, the Dr coming and feeling very ill! The odd thing was that it came on suddenly, fine one minute bedridden the next! School closed down for a while as more and more people became ill. As we all recovered it opened again and that was that! or so it appeared!

Quilty

In these times we are fighting a war against COVID. We should have a government of national unity rather than this political in fighting.

I agree then it would stop all the blame being put on one party when things get back to 'normal' at the end of this. It will be easy to say in retrospect what should have been done but this has never happened before. I had Asian-flu quite badly when I was at school but nobody else in the house caught it even though we lived in a small house with one bathroom. People did not travel as much then and most did not have the money to spend in bars and restaurants.

If I'm not mistaken Keir Starmer has offered a few times to assist the PM in areas of lockdown (ie school closures etc) but has not been taken up on the offers. New eyes are needed, not just the old eyes of the past 7 months, which have done nothing to stop the spread (I know that people have to adhere to rules, and lots are not) but new ideas might be what is needed. The main parties should put together a team, put their differences aside and work together for the good of the country. This pandemic is not going to go away swiftly, but we must all be responsible for our own actions, politicians and public together.

There should be another lockdown and the penalties for not abiding by the rules applied more severely. Haven't seen any statistics on how many have been fined, charged with breaking laws during first lockdown. Amazing that someone was fined £1000 for riding an electric scooter with no insurance on a pavement in Edinburgh but the pokice are only expected to gave 'a word' with folk potentially spreading this horrible virus. We need to be tougher to make people realise how their actions affect others.

Oh I think we should do what Starmer says. Then he could enjoy some of the flack handed out by the media and the general public when it doesn’t immediately cure the virus and continues to damage the economy.

Good post Lemongrove.

Let’s give the current measures a chance to work.
I don’t want a government of national unity but including Starmer and the shadow health minister in Covid related cobra meetings would be helpful, not only to pool ideas but to stop the predictable criticism.
Sad to see all the covidiots partying when the vast majority are making sacrifices to stop the spread. Sick of media commentators excusing the idiots with phrases like ‘lockdown fatigue’ or blaming Cummings stupidity for the rest.
I’d like to see the media get behind the government and encourage the following of the rules.

That'll be the day!!!