Coronavirus (Non-Politics)

[GBJ]

Someone I know had a family member die of Covid, her mum in ICU and still had family and friends over at Christmas. Now she’s tested positive. How do you get through to people like that?

The short answer is, you can’t.

At any other given time I’d say that was natural selection tbh. Unfortunately in the current climate, one persons risk-taking isn’t restricted to themselves alone, and the likelihood is others will be affected by those very actions.

 

[Member]

Very interesting and informative, couple of questions, it says no slowdown even though been in tier 4 for 2 weeks - is 2 weeks long enough to be seeing any impact - or is the impact still to be seen in the next week or so? Schools have been shut for at least 2 weeks - are we saying shutting schools has had no impact?

We won't see the impact of schools being close over Christmas just yet because there's around a 2 week lag. Plus Christmas is unusual, because of the interhousehold mingling and stuff, so you could well see cases increase in the younger population and it's down to Christmas mixing, rather than the school closures not working to limit transmission.

I think schools should have been shut from today, the stalling is causing real damage, and I say this as a parent to two young primary school children who I'd rather not have in the house when I need to work. They love school and I'd like nothing more for them to be there and safe, but I don't think they should be open at moment.

P.S. just for clarity I'm in the NW, not in Essex, where I appreciate things are different.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Nicola Sturgeon just announced that all schools on mainland Scotland to close til the end of Jan (well, excluding key workers’ kids). Assuming that Boris will follow suit.

 

[Member]

Nicola Sturgeon just announced that all schools on mainland Scotland to close til the end of Jan (well, excluding key workers’ kids). Assuming that Boris will follow suit.

Plus a 'stay at home' legally enforced order for everything apart from essential reasons.

 

[Special Blue]

Scotland in lockdown from midnight!
Are we likely to follow?

 

[Special Blue]

Scotland in lockdown from midnight!
Are we likely to follow?

Sorry LS quicker than me!

 

[Chrisb]

A few weeks ago, before the second strain, I was queuing in the Factory Shop in Rayleigh when two ladies behind me, probably mid 60's, kept getting too close each time I moved forward. I very politely asked them to move back a bit - they were not happy at all with that and one said 'we aren't actually queuing we are browsing the shelves so that makes it different'. Some people just do not get it.

 

[Special Blue]

A few weeks ago, before the second strain, I was queuing in the Factory Shop in Rayleigh when two ladies behind me, probably mid 60's, kept getting too close each time I moved forward. I very politely asked them to move back a bit - they were not happy at all with that and one said 'we aren't actually queuing we are browsing the shelves so that makes it different'. Some people just do get it.

Essential browsing?? what's that all about?

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Plus a 'stay at home' legally enforced order for everything apart from essential reasons.

Yup as per March/April.

 

[RobM]

Scotland in lockdown from midnight!
Are we likely to follow?

There really isn't another option.

 

[GBJ]

I can’t see anything other than us following suit tbh. Public announcement scheduled for 8pm tonight.

Remember, it was only yesterday that Boris was insisting that schools were safe for kids to return to today.

If he has to go back on that advice just a day later... well, let’s just say the optics aren’t good.

 

[Member]

I can’t see anything other than us following suit tbh. Public announcement scheduled for 8pm tonight.

Remember, it was only yesterday that Boris was insisting that schools were safe for kids to return to today.

If he has to go back on that advice just a day later... well, let’s just say the optics aren’t good.

He now has Scotland, the virus, and the unions/teachers to pin this on.

 

[ESG]

Yup as per March/April.

Maybe with some military presence in certain areas to enforce with force.

 

[RHB]

There will be people of all age groups that don't bother with following the rules. Interestingly one poster has seen over 65s being very bad whereas I've been pushed to witness that. although they don't always wear them over the nose. So collectively we can do better regardless of age.

 

[ESG]

Scotland in lockdown from midnight!
Are we likely to follow?

But elite Football and egg chasing can carry on

 

[RHB]

Essential browsing?? what's that all about?

The Factory Shop, you heard it here first.

 

[Holy Joe]

We won't see the impact of schools being close over Christmas just yet because there's around a 2 week lag. Plus Christmas is unusual, because of the interhousehold mingling and stuff, so you could well see cases increase in the younger population and it's down to Christmas mixing, rather than the school closures not working to limit transmission.

I think schools should have been shut from today, the stalling is causing real damage, and I say this as a parent to two young primary school children who I'd rather not have in the house when I need to work. They love school and I'd like nothing more for them to be there and safe, but I don't think they should be open at moment.

P.S. just for clarity I'm in the NW, not in Essex, where I appreciate things are different.

I'll play devils advocate here - if it's too soon for the impact on closing schools to be felt, then isn't it also too soon to judge if Tier 4 is effective?

As an aside secondary schools in Wickford/Basildon shut a couple of weeks before the proper school hols started - I don't think my son has attended lessons in school since mid November, and that wasn't his year/class having to isolate - the school shut due to lack of teachers. So some areas probably have some limited data on impact.

 

[Chrisb]

Essential browsing?? what's that all about?

Yes, non-essential shops were open at that time but they seemed to think that queuing and browsing had different rules.

 

[Chrisb]

There will be people of all age groups that don't bother with following the rules. Interestingly one poster has seen over 65s being very bad whereas I've been pushed to witness that. although they don't always wear them over the nose. So collectively we can do better regardless of age.

To be fair, I am only 3 years away from that age group, but I have to agree that the older people are the ones I have mostly seen not following the advice although I am sure that it isn't deliberate in most cases.

 

[Member]

I'll play devils advocate here - if it's too soon for the impact on closing schools to be felt, then isn't it also too soon to judge if Tier 4 is effective?

As an aside secondary schools in Wickford/Basildon shut a couple of weeks before the proper school hols started - I don't think my son has attended lessons in school since mid November, and that wasn't his year/class having to isolate - the school shut due to lack of teachers. So some areas probably have some limited data on impact.

Tier 4 probably isn't effective for the new variant, it's a policy that's been running since November and it wasn't designed for this new variant. We didn't get the numbers low enough in the autumn which has enabled this new variant to take hold and become probably the dominant variant in the population now, which is probably more transmissible and therefore we face a prolonged and highly restrictive period over the next weeks/months. As usual, we've moved too late which causes more deaths and misery, including the length of lockdown necessary to bring things back under control. We've been our own worst enemy in relaxing things over Christmas when they should have been tightened.

We could have maybe got away with a 4 week Christmas break lockdown which only disrupts 2 weeks of school, but instead we might now be looking at a 6 week lockdown. We've also enabled one day of school/mixing, just for good measure, and have missed out on the opportunity for teachers to be planning remote teaching rather than face-to-face teaching.