Exactly that. The aim is for lockdown to be a one time thing. If you’re not sure that the R0 is under 1 and firmly under 1 for a decent period then any loosening risks the R0 rising and the country having to go back into lockdown to protect the healthcare system. Is lockdown inconvenient? Highly. Is it better than having the NHS completely collapse and unravel killing thousands from both corona and preventable non-corona deaths that happen because the healthcare system has collapsed? Hell the f*** yes.

 

As Sturgeon said today, the light is at the end of the tunnel. We all need to continue to act in a smart and socially conscientious way to allow that light to get brighter and closer instead of being extinguished entirely.

I know we’re all craving human contact and outside life but bitching and whining ain’t going to lower the R0 value. If it was a correlating factor the US would have an R0 of -999.999.999.999,99 and that’s just at 1600 Penn!

Things in Germany are loosening up nicely now. BVG restored the full timetable today, museums and the zoo can reopen and hairdressers are a go. Merkel and the heads of states meet mid week to talk about the next steps. I’m just keen for an idea of when the border will reopen. I’d love for family and friends to be able to visit in oct/nov time

 

Are you actually telling me October or November would be a best case scenario for seeing friends and family surely you have got to be joking.

Are you actually telling me October or November would be a best case scenario for seeing friends and family surely you have got to be joking.

I think he’s meaning in terms of it being safe for family to be able to fly over and visit - not zero contact with any family or friends until Oct. Travelling to a different country is obviously different to visiting local people.

6 weeks?? Tbh I don't remember exactly how long mine was as a kid but it felt longer!

 

In any case, news this morning that at the start of this week (7th) that Boris won't actually be making an announcement about what next steps will be until Sunday, literally the last possible point for it to be still the same week.

 

Thoughts? Personally - I get the logic, but in terms of honesty with the public it feels like taking the piss to say "we'll lockdown for three weeks, then review", and actually to not review until the end of a fourth week on top. I feel that the uncertainty & inability to trust the government to keep a promise is incredibly unhelpful right now, even if their strategy is sensible in and of itself.

 

Schools in Ireland get off in the 3rd weeknof June and close until 1st sept give or take whereas in the uk it's more like mid July or the third week Of July but as said above I would say the people who've done tests just stay off unless needed.

People started reporting being forced to sign positive result forms over here. I don’t know for sure if it’s indeed happening because that news would spread quickly and the jig would be up but Kremlin doing something like this seems incredibly likely. Hence the bump in cases without an increase in deaths.

 

Edit: looks like it’s just a few cases in the same area and the officials are calling it a human error.

Edited May 4, 20205 yr by Condebola*

YouGov today:

How has the government handled coronavirus testing?

Very/fairly well - 42%

Fairly/very badly - 49%

Don’t know - 9%

 

I’m surprised even that many are disapproving with the general attitude of the country or at least what feels like it.

Given the extent to which the press are portraying Johnson as some kind of super-hero rather than the dithering, bumbling idiot that he is, I'm actually quite reassured by that result. Maybe the electorate aren't quite as gullible as I thought. It should give the opposition something on which to build as the government's lies are exposed.

Something that I haven't seen yet about the danger of this communication strategy...

 

This is week 4 of what was promised to us as a three-week lockdown, and a bank holiday is approaching.

 

We, people who make an effort to actively keep up with the news, are aware that an announcement is coming on Sunday and to hold off until then making any changes.

 

But due to this odd communication strategy, how many people who don't keep up so much with the news will start to revert to normal over the bank holiday, going by the logic "well, they said the lockdown was for another three weeks, and it's been another three weeks, I'm taking my normal bank holiday, we've done what they asked us!"

I’m surprised there’s anyone who’s not actively following the news. This isn’t exactly background noise.

You're surprised people who are holed up in their houses already stressed and depressed might not be checking in regularly to hear the latest numbers of people who've died and how everything in the world is on fire?

 

In any case, it's a poor show to just trust that 60 million people, that will statistically include people with low IQ, dementia etc. as well as people who are generally ill-informed, will just assume that a three-week lockdown that was already a big sacrifice will continue until the end of a fourth week, without being explicitly told so. Imagine if, to go back to something we discussed earlier in the thread, in one year the kids' summer holiday went on for an extra week, despite the people being explicitly told that it was to be six weeks only. That the government just trusted that people would continue as they had been and not assume that the dates they were told would be the dates they needed to abide by.

I’m surprised there’s anyone who’s not actively following the news. This isn’t exactly background noise.

 

Many people have stopped watching the news given how toxic it is.

Something that I haven't seen yet about the danger of this communication strategy...

 

This is week 4 of what was promised to us as a three-week lockdown, and a bank holiday is approaching.

 

We, people who make an effort to actively keep up with the news, are aware that an announcement is coming on Sunday and to hold off until then making any changes.

 

But due to this odd communication strategy, how many people who don't keep up so much with the news will start to revert to normal over the bank holiday, going by the logic "well, they said the lockdown was for another three weeks, and it's been another three weeks, I'm taking my normal bank holiday, we've done what they asked us!"

 

Agreed on this point, I commented on this a few pages back and was laughed at for questioning that people would not understand this blatant lack of communication.

 

Most people I know think the review announcement is on Thursday. Would someone who doesn’t read online forums or news even know it has been moved to Sunday

If people are too stressed to even watch the news for fear of the statistics then surely they wouldn’t want to risk spending an entire bank holiday outside without even checking to see if its ok? You can blame the government for a lot of things, I know I do, you can even blame them for not sticking to Thursday but at the end of the day they have said when they will be announcing the plans and they’ve actually said it in decent time.

 

And what if these people go outside this weekend? What exactly do you think will happen to them? I imagine the only people who break the rules next weekend will be the ones who have been breaking the rules already or the morons who went to the beach before the lockdown began. People who know the rules and just don’t want to follow them.

 

 

I'm so confused as to why the UK government doesnt work with DATES instead of weeks

 

But apart from that, I am also confused why people feel the need to stick to the exact date. Like if you don't hear news about things opening, isn't it obvious nothing is opening :')

I’m surprised there’s anyone who’s not actively following the news. This isn’t exactly background noise.

I only check the news briefly on my phone first thing in the morning now. The lack of progress in ending the pandemic and the projection of no hope by the media puts me off watching the news for a long time. I end up feeling angry and sad whenever I watch the news for a prolonged period of time so I try to find things to mentally escape from everything coronavirus related more often now.

I'm so confused as to why the UK government doesnt work with DATES instead of weeks

 

But apart from that, I am also confused why people feel the need to stick to the exact date. Like if you don't hear news about things opening, isn't it obvious nothing is opening :')

 

Apparently though we’re contending with people who will actively avoid any news and so will never no when it’s safe. Although the argument doesn’t stick well given the people in this hypothetical situation knew to listen to the news of a three week lockdown in the first place.

I only check the news briefly on my phone first thing in the morning now. The lack of progress in ending the pandemic and the projection of no hope by the media puts me off watching the news for a long time. I end up feeling angry and sad whenever I watch the news for a prolonged period of time so I try to find things to mentally escape from everything coronavirus related more often now.

 

Yes, but you are still checking it daily which is the most anyone really has to do.

If measures will be lifted, you will not hear about it just on the news.

You will get push notifications on ur phone

Emails in your email from stores etc

 

Surely the rock these people live under can't be that big?

I think this is exactly where the debate went round in circles last time and it does appear people in this thread like to rip apart anything people have said.

 

The main argument to those who have said there is confusion is there is no reason why the government can’t give dates and stick to them rather than say ‘3 weeks’ when it’s never been 3 weeks.

 

Many people believe there will be an update on Thursday.

 

As time has gone on people are also watching and reading news less and less due to the constant doom and gloom.

 

It is really not hard to understand that when the government don’t give Specific dates there will be confusion.

Even if you didn't watch the news at all, you'd know if lockdown was over from friends and family messaging you wanting to meet up... Unless you have no friends.

If measures will be lifted, you will not hear about it just on the news.

You will get push notifications on ur phone

Emails in your email from stores etc

 

Surely the rock these people live under can't be that big?

 

It's just an excuse from people and plus anyone who has done any form of communication strategy before knows you can put as much comms out as you like, but you cannot force people to watch/tune in. It's a consumer decision all you can do is try and sign post effectively and as clearly as possible.

 

Agree these current lockdown measures are a bit sketchy. Originally I thought the announcement was on Thursday too, but looking back I think this came from the media itself rather than from the Government, but either way someone probably tipped them off so they have changed their mind at the 11th hour as to the date. Pretty sure as the week goes on it will be hard to avoid, the BBC were plugging it at every available opportunity today.

 

Seems like most businesses and trade unions have seen some versions of the plans and they are now in consulation with the Goverment to provide feedback. I was asked indirectly today about plans and there was a big call this afternoon from TPTB so I would imagine groups have been set a deadline for 5th/6th to feedback to the Goverment even though they probably know exactly what they are going to do..

 

I think this is exactly where the debate went round in circles last time and it does appear people in this thread like to rip apart anything people have said.

 

Nobody is ripping anyone or anything apart, we are as confused by the people not knowing about the news as they are by us knowing all about it