New 4-tier system for England

[Bantamzen]

Oh I dread to think of the financial implications of this but if we went with the do nothing route, Boris will be branded as a selfish killer from the press and he would be out of his job by now. Action had to be taken way back in March and action has to be taken yet again and this time a PROPER March style lockdown not the half hearted nonsense we had in November.

Who gives a stuff about BoJo? He can go do one anytime he likes.

As for a "proper March style lockdown", remind me how did that one go?

 

[philosopher]

I heard a theory mooted on Sky today that the new strain may not be any different, but transmission is up due to all the talk of vaccines, which is reducing compliance with the rules.

What most concerns me is that SAGE have effectively been able to get their own way twice in the last couple of months by presenting some pessimistic scenario which has persuaded the government to change their mind.

In late October, the government said no to the lockdown. SAGE then presented the 4000 deaths a day prediction and the government changed their mind. SAGE were later criticised for as they were only presenting the very worst and not a more likely situation.

Now, the government initially said no to the demand to end the Christmas bubbles. Sage then presented this new more transmissible mutant strain evidence. Again the government relented and gave into SAGE’s demands.

This is quite concerning as it suggests in future every time the government proposes a relaxation of the restrictions or resists tighter restrictions, SAGE will roll out some overly pessimistic prediction as they know that is how to get the government to change their mind.

 

[Paul_10]

it's a seasonal respiratory virus. It is going to spread, simple as that. There is no correlation between measures taken to try to stop it, and what acutally happens - e.g. some of the countries with the most paranoid restrictions (e.g. UK, Italy) are still seeing the worst spread.

If it was seasonal, why did the virus start coming back in September when the weather was still warm then? I'm not totally convinced on the seasonal aspect although factors like UV light could help hence when people were outraged of packed beaches, cases did not rise. No doubt as Whitty says, the virus probably favours colder weather hence the 2nd wave was possible even though Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon thought it could be all over by now.

And the march lockdown did have an impact, it takes a while but with complience being very high and everything bar supermarkets shut and even then we had the queing systems, it did help. Unfortunately as we all know, once you open up again and complience starts to wane then cases are likely to go up.

I'm just hoping the vaccines will be the answer though, lockdowns can only do so much as been proven.

 

[kristiang85]

Maybe that's part of the problem, complacency sets in and people are transmitting it without realising it.

There is no convincing science that asymptomatic transmission happens to such an extent that it is a problem. Which makes sense, as the virus uses the body's response (coughing etc) to spread itself.

It's criminal that politicians keep taking about asymptomatic transmission without any reference to the actual science that has gone on since we've understood this virus more.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Dec 2020 ==

If it was seasonal, why did the virus start coming back in September when the weather was still warm then?

Schools and universities, as happens every year with respiratory viruses (and offices getting fully occupied again after summer holidays, although that had less effect this year).

The rises in September were exactly in line with respiratory diseases every year.

 

[PHILIPE]

If it was seasonal, why did the virus start coming back in September when the weather was still warm then? I'm not totally convinced on the seasonal aspect although factors like UV light could help hence when people were outraged of packed beaches, cases did not rise. No doubt as Whitty says, the virus probably favours colder weather hence the 2nd wave was possible even though Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon thought it could be all over by now.

And the march lockdown did have an impact, it takes a while but with complience being very high and everything bar supermarkets shut and even then we had the queing systems, it did help. Unfortunately as we all know, once you open up again and complience starts to wane then cases are likely to go up.

I'm just hoping the vaccines will be the answer though, lockdowns can only do so much as been proven.

Lockdowns are the only answer the Government have

 

[Kite159]

Tier 4...
Here we go again

 

[6862]

The Prime Minister Our Dear Leader is speaking now.

 

[DB]

And the march lockdown did have an impact, it takes a while but with complience being very high and everything bar supermarkets shut and even then we had the queing systems, it did help. Unfortunately as we all know, once you open up again and complience starts to wane then cases are likely to go up.

You cannot possibly claim that with any certainty - the most which can realistically be said is that it might have had some impact - but equally it might not given that cases would have been reducing at that time of year anyway.

It's notable that none of the lockdowns taking place in the autumn/winter (in any country, so far as I'm aware) have made any significant difference.

 

[philjo]

Tier 4 areas now can’t meet other household at Christmas. Other areas the exemption is now for Christmas Day only,

 

[6862]

What an absolute tyrant our Prime Minister is.

 

[Darandio]

There's no evidence this strain causes more severe illness or higher mortality, so just like the other many mutations. He then chucks out a random figure about more transmission with the strain but admits it's early data and needs to be reviewed further.

I've switched off, that's all I need to see yet again that this whole lot are clueless.

 

[NorthOxonian]

The Tier 4 areas seem to cover anywhere in London and the South East which was moved into Tier 3. Seems rather unfair on the Portsmouth area, which is a substantial distance from London, and where the rise in cases may not be directly related to what's happening in the capital.

 

[Yew]

I wonder how long it will be before media opinion turns, now it's London bearing the brunt of restictions...

 

[Crossover]

Unbelieveable!

 

[DB]

Tier 4 areas now can’t meet other household at Christmas. Other areas the exemption is now for Christmas Day only,

Will they be running public transport on christmas day?

Of course, I know the answer to this - so they are basically restricting meeting up at christmas to those who own cars or live within walking distance.

 

[johntea]

"Err, ah, umm"

Next slide please

 

[duncanp]

Now then, who wants to bet that, within a few days, the whole of England is plunged into Tier 4 restrictions?

News conference at 4pm on Christmas Eve, with Ebenezer Scrooge Johnson announcing that everyone must stay at home and weld themselves into their house until Easter, all pubs still open must close until judgement day, and you are only allowed out to do essential shopping for 5 minutes once a fortnight?

Or perhaps he will go further and cancel the Queen's Christmas broadcast and announce more restrictions on Christmas Day at 3pm, just to "..keep this deadly killer virus under control and make sure that we are all safe.."

 

[D365]

I wonder how long it will be before media opinion turns, now it's London bearing the brunt of restictions...

Exactly my thoughts

 

[kristiang85]

This whole conference is a sham.

They are concentrating on "case" graphs, because they probably look the scariest. Even though this is just positive tests. More to the point, they always do absolute numbers rather than % of positive tests, so as testing has ramped up, of course "cases" go up.

They are saying don't travel from tier 4 in case you spread the new variant to new areas... Having just said its been around since September.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Whitty is the most competent of the three today.

Doesn't mean much to many though.

 

[DB]

Being done via abuse of emergency powers, of course!

Given that there are over a thousand mutations known, and this particular one has been around for months, isn't it convenient that it only suddently becomes such a problem after parliament is no longer sitting?

 

[island]

But they will stop us celebrating it, in my case by stopping me going to church.

You can still go to church.

 

[Yew]

"Err, ah, umm"

Next slide please

We're being ran by a buffoon who doesn't even know how to use a clicker!

 

[Scotrail12]

Shove it up your grande derrière, Monsieur Johnson!

 

[DB]

Just looking on the Dail Mail website - the news article about this already has quite a lit of comments, almost all of them highly critical.

Boris cancels Xmas for a THIRD of England amid 'mutant' Covid fears

At an emergency press conference, the PM announced that a third of England, including London and swathes of the home counties, will be shifted up to a brutal new 'Tier 4' from midnight.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Will be interesting to see what the slant the newpapers take on it tomorrow - hopefully there will be a lot of criticism!

 

[johntea]

"Things will be better by Easter!!!111"

Looks like that is when Tier 4 will be reviewed then...

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Mass non-abidance approaches.

And I will denigrate nobody for it.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I wonder how long it will be before media opinion turns, now it's London bearing the brunt of restictions...

At least that slimey good-for-nothing Andy Burnham won't be getting on his soapbox in Granada land - ranting at Westminster saying the North is being treated differently!!!

CJ

 

[Yew]

"Things will be better by Easter!!!111"

Looks like that is when Tier 4 will be reviewed then...

Is that the new "significant normality by november" or "six weeks to turn the tide"

 

[D365]

We're being ran by a buffoon who doesn't even know how to use a clicker!

I can never not laugh at "Next slide please". That was the running joke at my secondary school assemblies!