Metal Up Your Ass and all that Jazz Room V2

Given that they've decided to not rethink Christmas rules I can see a bleak January ahead. 

I keep seeing reports that the bulk of new cases are in schools and I find that believable because I live of the walking route for two schools (my old primary and secondary) and most of the kids seem pretty oblivious to the pandemic. Maybe three who regularly come by my place that keep their mask on outside of the grounds. One of the primary school's in Halstead is completely closed due to Covid although I don't know how many cases that amounts to on the map and doesn't explain the outlaying grids that are also in the purple.  

Makes me wonder why they don't vaccinate the schools early. I get that they're aiming for the more vulnerable, but surely curbing the spread and trying to stamp the virus out is a more effective strategy? It's clear by this point that they're not going to order schools closed again despite evidence to suggest the necessity of it. 

We were not planning to mix at Christmas anyway. We decided it was not worth the added risk. We will Zoom call and have a virtual Christmas toast with each other. 

Let's just hope the vaccine remains effective for the new strain. 

All this change to the Christmas restrictions has been announced so late there's going to be so many people ignoring them. Makes no difference to our plans. We're not going anywhere or having anyone round our house.

I'd just go and get your order Adam. Groceries are essential after all. 

Short of them putting a road block in every way in and out of tier 4 what are they going to do?

Even if you were stopped by the police, I can't see anyone with even half a brain not realising that you're taking precautions and it is safer to do what you're doing. 

Personally I think they need to immediately roll out mass testing in areas they think this new strain is in. Or maybe prioritise getting the vaccine to everyone in those areas and seeing what happens. We don't even know if it works on the new version yet or even how effective on the previous it is going to be en masse. 

Too many unknowns and it's really giving me a headache. 

I still believe I had the fucking thing in the early days when they weren't well organised and it wasn't easy to get a test booked (I never was tested, I only base my belief on it by how ill I was: definitely not just the flu or a cold like some people still seem to think). But I'm still worried sick for my family. My Dad is getting on now and my grandmother is still around too having survived this so far under the care of my aunt, who had walking on eggshells.

Please keep checking in here so we know you're okay. While none of us know each other in real life I'm sure I'm not the only one here who thinks about our community during this difficult time and hope everyone is managing.

And I agree Paul, national lockdown is needed more than ever and not one they just switch off again. This new more contagious strain of Covid may not have taken hold of so much of the country so fast if Lockdown 2.0 hadn't been set back to tiers at the start of the month. 

Unfortunately everything is going to get worse as France has just blocked all freight going in and out of the UK, which could leave us with food and vaccine shortage. 

Bloody Brexit couldn't be coming at a worse time.

I hope the Leave crowd are happy now. 

I can understand Macron wanting to stop the new strain getting into his country (but it's already in Europe) and I've thought all along that travel except for freight should have been stopped all year, but even a 48 hour ban is worrying. Boris may well have to make serious concessions to get everything moving again. If that's Macron's intent. If it is he'll go down in history as the man who blackmailed the UK in a time of crisis.