New 4-tier system for England

[Yew]

In Yucatan, Mexico, where I have relocated to for the time being to spend time with family, masks are required everywhere when not in your home. Yes; even if you’re outdoors 50 metres from the nearest person. Yes; even if you’re in your car driving alone with the windows up. And yes; it is actively enforced. And no; I don’t think there are any exemptions.

They also (for a long time) implemented a total ban on any sale of alcohol anywhere.

That said, there are very few other restrictions, and no new lockdowns at all since the one in March.

Surely this shows that we're in a post evidence society, and all that matters is virtue signalling.

 

[trainophile]

On Sunday, a friend of my fathers drove from Euxton (Lancashire) to Southport (Merseyside) to drop off presents.
He was stopped on the Formby bypass by Merseyside Police and given 2 hours to drop off the presents and report to Chorley Police Station to prove that he had returned within the 2 hours or he would get a Fixed Penalty Notice.
(He accomplished this).

Presumably he was stopped due to numberplate recognition identifying his car as being from a different area? In which case it might have been fed back to Chorley police who could have followed up a no show.

I had a similar experience going to Southport on the train yesterday from Wigan.

When I got to the barriers at Southport, Merseyside Police had two officers stopping everyone off the train and they sent the two people on front of me back on the train.

I challenged the officer and explained it was guidance and not law. He eventually, after me explaining that 'should avoid' doesn't equate to 'must not', said that it might not be law but to think of the moral impact of spreading the virus from tier 3 to 2. I explained that his job was to uphold the law, not morals.

He let me carry on with my day

You are I believe still permitted to travel through higher tiers during a rail journey, so who's to know they hadn't started in e.g. Hereford (tier 1 currently) and changed at Birmingham. That's the route I use and I don't expect to be challenged on arrival.

 

[DB]

You are I believe still permitted to travel through higher tiers during a rail journey, so who's to know they hadn't started in e.g. Hereford (tier 1 currently) and changed at Birmingham. That's the route I use and I don't expect to be challenged on arrival.

But on what grounds? They had no justification in asking him to report back to a police station in the first place, as what he was doing was not an offence.

 

[nedchester]

But on what grounds? They had no justification in asking him to report back to a police station in the first place, as what he was doing was not an offence.

Exactly. The police would have no grounds to issue fines.

 

[trainophile]

Yes quite. It could have been an interesting conversation.

 

[DelayRepay]

Or if someone wanted to be awkward, they could attend the police station and ask to speak to a senior officer who could explain under what law the demand to attend the police station had been made...

There is an irony here. The Police were displeased that someone had made what they thought was an unnecessary journey, so their solution was to require the person to make another unnecessary journey later in the day to the police station.

Round here I think you'd be lucky to find the police station open. Last time I went past, it was locked up with a note saying to ring 101 if you needed anything!

 

[Ianigsy]

A town the size of Chorley can consider itself lucky to have a staffed police station with a public desk.

No doubt the desk sergeant then went back into the mess room and said 'You'll never guess what those Scousers have done now!" or words to that effect!

 

[yorksrob]

Never saw that on Juliet Bravo !

 

[bramling]

There is an irony here. The Police were displeased that someone had made what they thought was an unnecessary journey, so their solution was to require the person to make another unnecessary journey later in the day to the police station.

Round here I think you'd be lucky to find the police station open. Last time I went past, it was locked up with a note saying to ring 101 if you needed anything!

In any other situation one would think the whole thing was a prank, and arriving at the police station something like Candid Camera would pop out!

Seriously, they want someone to make an unnecessary trip to a police station? There’s a completely perverse logic there.

 

[Trackman]

Hancock is holding a news briefing at 3pm after a meeting about about moving other areas into tier 4.
I don't think Hancock would announce such measures though.

 

[TheSel]

Hancock is holding a news briefing at 3pm after a meeting about about moving other areas into tier 4.
I don't think Hancock would announce such measures though.

Tony might have done !

 

[Class 33]

Hancock is holding a news briefing at 3pm after a meeting about about moving other areas into tier 4.
I don't think Hancock would announce such measures though.

That's what I thought. If it was to move the whole(or much more) of the country into Tier 4 or a full national lockdown, I was assume Johnson would be hosting this briefing to announce it.

We shall see in a minute what Hancock comes up with though....

 

[Trackman]

He's on now, it's not looking good.

 

[Scotrail12]

Switched off a few mins in - physically can’t listen to this odious human.

 

[Darandio]

Switched off a few mins in - physically can’t listen to this odious human.

I didn't even switch on. If anyone can outline the main bits then that would be great, watching him spell it out might send me round the bend.

 

[roversfan2001]

Only the Isles of Scilly left in Tier 1 by the looks of things. Isle of Wight gone straight from Tier 1 to 3.

 

[Trackman]

Another new variant brought in from SA, Merry Christmas.

 

[Ianno87]

Anywhere East Anglia T4 from Boxing Day - Cambridgshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, etc.

 

[johntea]

Another new variant to help justify the full lockdown inevitably coming as a New Year present from Boris...

 

[bramling]

Another new variant to help justify the full lockdown inevitably coming as a New Year present from Boris...

Seems like it. Presume Boris is taking the day off today?!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Another new variant to help justify the full lockdown inevitably coming as a New Year present from Boris...

Ho, ho, hum!

Cheshire now to be in Tier 3. (Was Tier 2).

 

[Envy123]

Well, looks like my final swimming session for many months will be tomorrow.

 

[Bantamzen]

Another new variant to help justify the full lockdown inevitably coming as a New Year present from Boris...

Don't forget there's another week to go, plenty of time to decide on some more "concerning" & "worrying" new variants....

 

[Trackman]

He's waffling on about good news stories, vaccine etc.. . Yes... whatever... Sky News reports there no evidence that the Pfizer vaccine protects against the new variant (dunno which one)

 

[Ianno87]

Hancock seemingly reluctant to close schools (which is a good thing in my book), referring to more testing, etc.

 

[Yew]

Don't forget there's another week to go, plenty of time to decide on some more "concerning" & "worrying" new variants....

This does feel like the whole 'the best way to discover a new species is to look in your garden'. The more you look, the more you find, are these 'new' variants, or have they been there the whole time? Who knows

 

[VauxhallandI]

So some Tier 4 get Christmas but other Tier 4 don't. Usual logical approach

 

[Bertie the bus]

He's waffling on about good news stories, vaccine etc.. . Yes... whatever... Sky News reports there no evidence that the Pfizer vaccine protects against the new variant (dunno which one)

As I understand it there is no evidence either way because there hasn't been a study or clinical trials. Virtually all of the people who should be listened to are saying the probabilities are this variant will have no or limited effect on how the vaccine will work but of course those who thrive on scaremongering will take the no evidence the vaccine will work line.

 

[TheSel]

Exactly.

You could equally argue that there is no evidence that the vaccine won't cause, say, dementia in fifty years time. And guess what - there won't be - not until the time has elapsed.

Life is time limited. Get used to it. Move on and live life.

 

[Class 33]

That said though, whilst Bristol and North Somerset were lucky enough to be downgraded from Tier 3 to Tier 2, come the tiering reviews on 30th December I am expecting(though not wishing) that they'll be upgraded back to Tier 3 again! Because cases and infection rates are rising again. It looks like they'll both be over 200 per 100,000 again by then, and that may be over the threshold as being allowed to be in Tier 2!

A Hot Yoga studio I used to goto in Bristol a few years, I still receive email news updates from. They have had to close(again!!) from last month. But as Bristol is back in Tier 2 again, they say they will be opening again after the Christmas break on 29th December. Wouldn't be too surprised if due to the tiering review, that come 30th December they'll send another email saying they have to close again from New Year's Eve or New Year's Day until further notice! Barely a day or so after they re-opened! All these businesses having to keep opening and closing every few weeks(or indeed less) due to this crazy lockdown system the government has implemented, is not doing them any good atall.

And as I predicted, they've been and put Bristol back into Tier 3 again(though 6 days earlier than I thought it would be). So Bristol was back into Tier 2 for just 9 days only! When Bristol went down to Tier 2, many shops, pubs, restaurants were very happy they could re-open again, and people were feeling a little happier. This turned out to be very short lived! As I said, all this chopping and changing of non-essential retail and pubs, cafes, restaurants, etc having to keep closing and opening every couple of weeks(or even less) is not good for them atall. It's messing all these businesses about, and many of them I fear will end up having to close down for good as a result of all this ongoing nonsense.