What would you like to hear from Boris Johnson's announcement on Sunday evening?

[yorkie]

I was hoping for a reduction from 2m distancing to 1m as this has been proven to be just as effective by the WHO and would make reopening the economy and the use of public transport much easier, but it seems from the messages today that this isn’t changing which I find disappointing.

It has to happen soon; maybe from 1st June?

 

[Bletchleyite]

It has to happen soon; maybe from 1st June?

It sounds like there is going to be, like some countries, a 5 "stage" alert level. I think this near enough mirrors NZ, or was it Oz?

So we clearly have something like...

Stage 5: NHS overwhelmed, very strict lockdown - no going out at all? Didn't happen but I bet it was in the plan.
Stage 4: This is where we are now - "porous" lockdown
Stage 3: Where we're aiming for but aren't there yet
Stage 2: ?
Stage 1: ?
(Stage 0: it's naffed off, get on as before)

I wonder if stages 3 and 2 might have reductions to 1.5 then 1m?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I'd like to see pubs with large beer gardens to be allowed to reopen...

...and as if by magic, the heavens opened!

 

[northernchris]

Assuming you mean people who want to lockdown indefinitely / until a vaccine is found, it's a combination of those, and an inability to see the 'bigger picture'. There are loads of them on social media feeds; a selection can be found here.

While I'm firmly opposed to the 'lockdown until a vaccine is available' brigade, I can understand the reasons for the current lockdown (with sensible easements) continuing until the end of May, but I think that enough is enough by that point. We could lockdown until a vaccine is available and we'd still have deaths from this disease but sooner or later we have to look at the bigger picture.

There's also a real possibility that a vaccine will never be found, and there's a great deal of the population who need to earn a living in order to have a home in which to remain, which must not be overlooked. I think its probably best that we stick with lockdown until the end of the month, but I'm hopeful Boris will announce approximate dates we can be expected to visit family, travel more freely, have more businesses reopen etc.

The new slogan is an interesting one though, and for those who are terrified of the disease will probably do nothing to allay their fears whilst potentially increasing mobility of those who are against the lockdown

 

[bramling]

It has to happen soon; maybe from 1st June?

I wouldn’t bank money on it. Certainly where I am all the planning is very much working on the basis of 2 metres.

Politically I think it will be very difficult to retract from it, unless there’s some other mitigation, in other words masks, and that’s also politically difficult given we’ve heard for the last six months how ineffective they are!

 

[thejuggler]

German rates have risen. R now above 1.

 

[bramling]

I've never quite understood why men need to have their hair washed prior to having a trim. The first thing I do after a trip to the barbers is have a shower & wash my hair anyway to remove all the lose hair. It seems pointless having your hair washed prior to it being cut. A good hair cut always needs a good wash afterwards to bring out the shape & texture of the hair follicles to make the style look good.

CJ

I suspect it may well be that they want to look their best when they arrive in the hope of getting a better cut, or perhaps avoiding the barber doing it not as desired (obviously less of an issue if going for a restyle).

Personally I always get them to wash it, for those of us with plenty of hair they tend to appreciate as it makes the task easier. I’d rather they wash it than spray loads and loads of water, which seems to be the alternative.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

...and as if by magic, the heavens opened!

Now you are talking my language

 

[Huntergreed]

Scotland have now confirmed unlimited exercise for tomorrow, not much more detail than that though. Sturgeon has emphasised that she wants to keep restrictions as similar as possible to England however she will not hesitate to keep us in for longer if the evidence shows this is needed. Also confirmed schools will not be returning on June 1st. No more detail of what to expect tonight but it sounds like everything will remain the same for 3 more weeks up here and we're still using the 'stay at home' message rather than the 'stay alert' UK campaign.

 

[bramling]

Scotland have now confirmed unlimited exercise for tomorrow, not much more detail than that though. Sturgeon has emphasised that she wants to keep restrictions as similar as possible to England however she will not hesitate to keep us in for longer if the evidence shows this is needed. Also confirmed schools will not be returning on June 1st. No more detail of what to expect tonight but it sounds like everything will remain the same for 3 more weeks up here and we're still using the 'stay at home' message rather than the 'stay alert' UK campaign.

Have to say much as I dislike Sturgeon she’s delivered a clear unambiguous message, which like it or dislike it is clear to understand and thus open to scrutiny.

Let’s see if Boris manages to do similar, or if we get another muddled mess.

 

[Domh245]

I've never quite understood why men need to have their hair washed prior to having a trim.

It's a lot easier and pleasant to cut clean hair than dirty greasy hair! I always wash before going and then rinse it afterwards to get rid of the loose bits!

Politically I think it will be very difficult to retract from it, unless there’s some other mitigation, in other words masks, and that’s also politically difficult given we’ve heard for the last six months how ineffective they are!

It'll be interesting to see how the change in message from "stay home, save lives" to "control the virus, save lives" gets accepted. If the public are by and large willing to accept that, then I think it's certainly possible for them to roll back to 1m, with associated story about an improved situation and use of masks, etc.

 

[Huntergreed]

It'll be interesting to see how the change in message from "stay home, save lives" to "control the virus, save lives" gets accepted. If the public are by and large willing to accept that, then I think it's certainly possible for them to roll back to 1m, with associated story about an improved situation and use of masks, etc.

Certainly in Scotland today Sturgeon was still employing the tactic of scaring the public into their homes saying that anyone breaking the restrictions would “definitely cause unnecessary deaths” and emphasising it would be “catastrophic” to ease up, so I can see the Scots definitely not adjusting to a more relaxed system very easily

 

[bramling]

Certainly in Scotland today Sturgeon was still employing the tactic of scaring the public into their homes saying that anyone breaking the restrictions would “definitely cause unnecessary deaths” and emphasising it would be “catastrophic” to ease up, so I can see the Scots definitely not adjusting to a more relaxed system very easily

There’s irony that Scotland appears to be heading to keep strict rules, yet has the least dense population which in theory should mean fewer cases and easier social distancing.

The fact that devolved nations seem to be going their own ways now does point to Boris having lost grip. I don’t entirely believe Sturgeon when she says she isn’t playing politics, but at present she’s delivering much better performances than the UK government. Let’s hope that changes later tonight, Boris really needs to deliver a good performance and up the game. At the moment we have a chaotic mess, and that urgently needs to change.

 

[HLE]

Worth remembering that some furloughed workers won't be able to return to work for some time - some would probably prefer to return to work knowing they have a job to return to, than sitting around all day on reduced income worrying that if the scheme isn't extended beyond June that's them potentially unemployed.

 

[Bikeman78]

From experience, yes the above group, and you can possibly add to that:
* Older and elderly people especially those with underlying issues who think they'll be toast if they get it

I totally understand if older/elderly people want to stay in isolation but why would they care what other people do? Or is it a case of "If I can't go out then why should you?" There are exceptions, even in that category. My neighbour is 75 and he doesn't seem bothered. He has had visitors and he helped me mend the fence.

 

[Ianno87]

I totally understand if older/elderly people want to stay in isolation but why would they care what other people do? Or is it a case of "If I can't go out then why should you?" There are exceptions, even in that category. My neighbour is 75 and he doesn't seem bothered. He has had visitors and he helped me mend the fence.

Older generations seem to fall into general indifference to lockdown, as it doesn't really change (or they're not lettimg it change) what they do day to day anyway (e.g. shopping)

 

[bramling]

I totally understand if older/elderly people want to stay in isolation but why would they care what other people do? Or is it a case of "If I can't go out then why should you?" There are exceptions, even in that category. My neighbour is 75 and he doesn't seem bothered. He has had visitors and he helped me mend the fence.

To be fair I don't think there's anything sinister behind it, more a genuine hope that the virus can be eliminated from mass circulation in the same way China has (just about) managed.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Just been out for a walk, and it seems in practice to have changed from a strict 2m with people stopping at narrow bits to "just move to the extreme edge of the path". People aren't even really going on the grass to avoid people any more.

I have to confess that is what I was sometimes doing anyway alongside busier roads. Quieter side streets weren't usually an issue. This is for walkers: I usually give joggers a wide berth anyway, even under normal circumstances.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Worth remembering that some furloughed workers won't be able to return to work for some time - some would probably prefer to return to work knowing they have a job to return to, than sitting around all day on reduced income worrying that if the scheme isn't extended beyond June that's them potentially unemployed.

My industry (travel) is particularly at risk there. Only a few per cent are still working 5/5. Many are down to 4 day weeks, and an equally great number are furloughed right now. Apart from the obvious airline job cuts which have been well-publicized, I haven't heard of any high street or business travel agencies making redundancies. Yet.

I think the furlough pay should be extended into July and reviewed the previous month thereafter.

 

[oldman]

I was hoping for a reduction from 2m distancing to 1m as this has been proven to be just as effective by the WHO and would make reopening the economy and the use of public transport much easier, but it seems from the messages today that this isn’t changing which I find disappointing.

Yes, it's unfortunate a convenient round number has become a dogma.

 

[HLE]

My industry (travel) is particularly at risk there. Only a few per cent are still working 5/5. Many are down to 4 day weeks, and an equally great number are furloughed right now. Apart from the obvious airline job cuts which have been well-publicized, I haven't heard of any high street or business travel agencies making redundancies. Yet.

I think the furlough pay should be extended into July and reviewed the previous month thereafter.

I can only imagine how hard that sector is going to be hit in the short-medium term. They'll be a boom if and when the virus dies out.

Okay, in the short term the cost is huge, but, having been in a potential redundancy situation in the past the first thought is to stop all non essential spend. That won't help the economy if we see mass redundancies all at once.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Now you are talking my language

Typical really after a month of being teased by glorious sunshine we can barely enjoy, at least here in Yorkshire. Hopefully garden centres will open, although they've probably got a few days at least of rotten weather to get prepared.

 

[thejuggler]

There’s irony that Scotland appears to be heading to keep strict rules, yet has the least dense population which in theory should mean fewer cases and easier social distancing.

The fact that devolved nations seem to be going their own ways now does point to Boris having lost grip. I don’t entirely believe Sturgeon when she says she isn’t playing politics, but at present she’s delivering much better performances than the UK government. Let’s hope that changes later tonight, Boris really needs to deliver a good performance and up the game. At the moment we have a chaotic mess, and that urgently needs to change.

Scotland in many ways is similar to New Zealand. A small population over a wide area and limited medical facilities to meet their typical needs.

ICU bed availability and pockets of population a very long way from medical assistance, major hospitals and testing centres will be key to the decisions being taken.

Boris has now tried to explain the new phrase and I think it is designed as a child's 'Spot the Difference' game, the trick is there are no differences.

The new rules:

Stay at home as much as possible. No change
Work from home if you can. No change
Limit contact with people. No change
Stay 2m apart. No change
Wash your hands. No change

 

[yorksrob]

It would be interesting if they introduced the idea of social bubbles, as some countries on the continent are proposing. It could be the intermediate step between no one going anywhere as now, and everyone turning up on Snowden etc as some fear.

 

[Darandio]

Whatever he has to say i'd have much preferred if it was a live broadcast and not pre-recorded, it would have felt like a more direct message. It doesn't surprise though considering he's been a part time Prime Minister since he took office.

 

[alex397]

An apology, some honesty, and less waffle. That would be good.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Worth remembering that some furloughed workers won't be able to return to work for some time - some would probably prefer to return to work knowing they have a job to return to, than sitting around all day on reduced income worrying that if the scheme isn't extended beyond June that's them potentially unemployed.

Boris needs to consider "firing up the engines" of the economy. Whether or not "the engines" will actually move anything will be a different story

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's a lot easier and pleasant to cut clean hair than dirty greasy hair! I always wash before going and then rinse it afterwards to get rid of the loose bits!

I actually had a barber say to me the opposite, if it's a bit greasy (but not horribly so, i.e. you washed it the previous day) it's easier.

 

[Qwerty133]

There’s irony that Scotland appears to be heading to keep strict rules, yet has the least dense population which in theory should mean fewer cases and easier social distancing.

The fact that devolved nations seem to be going their own ways now does point to Boris having lost grip. I don’t entirely believe Sturgeon when she says she isn’t playing politics, but at present she’s delivering much better performances than the UK government. Let’s hope that changes later tonight, Boris really needs to deliver a good performance and up the game. At the moment we have a chaotic mess, and that urgently needs to change.

I don't think the devolved nations are going there own way, possibly with the exception of schools in Scotland (which needs to be understood in the context of a much earlier summer holiday in scotland), in terms of measures, even if they are slightly diverging on the tone of the message.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think the devolved nations are going there own way, possibly with the exception of schools in Scotland (which needs to be understood in the context of a much earlier summer holiday in scotland), in terms of measures, even if they are slightly diverging on the tone of the message.

Which may be sensible anyway.

This:

UKHSA data dashboard

Overall summary of the respiratory viruses in circulation within the UK

coronavirus.data.gov.uk

shows the new cases for England only (why it shows only England I have no idea, the deaths graph is for the whole UK). Ignore the last 3-4 bars because the figures are based on date of test so they take a few days to filter through, but it's clear that the trend in England is much more sharply down than the UK as a whole, largely because London is a couple of weeks ahead.

The deaths figure isn't necessarily the one to make a decision on, as it's 3-4 weeks behind infections.