It’ll get voted through again because of flu and usual winter workload in hospitals plus the backlog. Why were the hospitals empty in all of July-October?

Plus the government want to avoid having to provide a cost benefit analysis. They either do t have one or it doesn’t back these policies.

Anyone for this definitely isn’t suffering any financial or work/future issues. I even speak to old people who think it’s absurd and unfair on families and young people who will pay the price in the end. ‘We must cover them financially.’ That never really happens and won’t this time either. In the end they’ll get shafted, just too many of them aren’t aware of it.

Edited by Rudi Hedman (29 Nov 2020 1.20am)

As have been the deaths from known cases of pandemics of the past. Without lockdowns or vaccines. There is no 'second wave'. Pandemics/epidemics do not have second waves. It's a fact. This is a coronavirus. Different from all other coronaviruses, but behaving exactly the same. The pandemic ended in this country in April/May. Hospitals are nowhere near capacity. If they were, the Nightingale field hospitals would be busy. How many patients in those?

Stop believing the bollox spouted by the Gov and main stream media and do some real research.

I wonder, how many of you are actually directly financially affected by the restrictions, both now and next week?

Making sure that the people, and businesses, that are impacted are compensated is very important. Are you? Shops will reopen, lots are working at home, construction is busy. Are you?

To describe what has happened/will happen as a lockdown seems inaccurate to me when what we really have are restrictions on what we can do, with the promise of them being eased back if we all co-operate and eliminated as a vaccination programme gets established.

Moaning about the accuracy of testing, or the only partial success of track and trace, doesn't change or help, anyone or anything.

The whole point of doing this is to try and ensure we modify our behaviour so as to limit the spread of a highly infectious and dangerous virus before a vaccine becomes available. Not just to prevent deaths, important though that is, but to ensure that our health services remain able to treat all the other things we rely on it for at the time of year when it is normally busiest. Overload the NHS with C19 cases and there would be severe consequences. There have already been some, but it would likely be much worse. Many NHS staff are already suffering from burnout.

Some believe that the cure is worse than the disease but I don't believe that's true. It's easy to claim because it hasn't been seen and the grass is always greener on the other side. The economic impacts will be significant but they can be handled and recovered from, as we have always recovered in the past.

So after comparing the balance of expert opinion with the amateurs pontificating here I think we all ought to follow the advice and just get on with it. I am.

I am lucky. We are in Tier 1 from the start. Get it right and others can be too quite soon.

Of course it is a lockdown, many shops still closed and being told only travel if really necessary, I have always followed the rules and have been ultra careful but to say it is not a lockdown is totally wrong. Try walking around deserted high streets and shopping centres in Tier2/3 area's

Yes you are lucky, we were in Tier1 and have been put into Tier 2 for no apparent reason, so we were getting it right and still that is not good enough.
My son has been affected financially, he lost his job with no prospect of getting it back, now fully supported by us again, so yes as a family we are affected, nowhere near as bad as some but still affected.
Daughters boyfriend is unable to visit his family in the NW as they are in Tier 3.
I really don’t think you understand the strain this is putting on relationships and mental health, you will say you do, but really?
You still have to be rude about other posters, who have genuine valid points, while you sit in your Tier 1 haven.

Edited by Spiderman (29 Nov 2020 7.45am)

No it's not a lockdown! Not like we had before. The schools remain open and next week all the shops will re-open. More activities remain active and people are working. Life is being restricted, primarily socially. No-one likes it, but it's not going to hurt too much not being able to go to the pub or to watch football. It's survivable and temporary.

People being isolated and vulnerable is the biggest concern I see. I am only too aware of the impact on people's mental health as it has hit my own family. One of my daughters was admitted as an emergency a few weeks ago. Thank goodness that the NHS was there for her.

The issues of which area is in which Tier and where the boundaries are completely separate arguments, which I won't pass comment on as I am not party to all the various considerations. We expected to be in Tier 2 and anticipate being moved up in December, so plenty of uncertainty remains for us too.

I am sorry to hear about your son, but presumably he got some redundancy payments and now universal credit. He is also safe and being cared for. He and you aren't alone and I know it's tough for everyone but things will get better. We just need to stay together.

Whether points are valid, or not, will always be a matter of opinion, just as whether something is rude or straightforward.

My son had a seasonal zero hour contract at a theme park last year. He had 1 day refresher training in March, the next day he was told that park would not be opening for the foreseeable. No redundancy and no furlough payments. He had some savings which have now been eradicated so has just applied for Universal credit.
It may not officially be a lockdown but imo I have no more “freedom” than during the official lockdown