Looks like nearly 30,000 new cases in France today. 4,600 in the UK. That suggests to me that the government is prepared to accept these numbers as the price to be paid for keeping the economy warm. This was the strategy of the UK, since, wisely I think, abandoned.
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Peter l imagine you are retired and don’t rely on being able to work to pay your bills! Maybe think about those who do and while the numbers aren’t escalating rapidly in many areas l find regional weekend lockdowns an intelligent compromise. No particular system seems to work 100% apart from complete lock down with everybody forced to stay at home all the time as in certain asiatic countries. Imagine trying to enforce that in Europe!. It’s already difficult enough getting everyone to respect the distance/mask rules, from what l have seen.
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Plumbers and lorry drivers cant work from home.
Hi Nicky, yes I’m retired having done my 45 years hard labour and yes, my life hasn’t really changed in the past year.
It must be tough for people who have to work despite the benefits paid out by the government but I was contesting a view that the situation is ´ manageable ´ when clearly to many it is not. For me thé situation is manageable but for my youngest daughter in law working in a busy Covid ward it has been far from manageable.
I honestly believe the only solution to best contain the pandemic is by a total lockdown. I think the weekend lockdowns only encourages more movement of people during the non lockdown periods which seems to defeat the object imo.
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Quite agree Bernard, add to that the police, builders, leccies , shop workers etc etc
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And encourages those who have no intention of playing by the rules in any case. Far too many of those everywhere.
Lockdowns work. It’s not rocket-science, is it? - stop people mixing and you stop the virus passing between them. Unfortunately you also stop normal human life. You stop what it means to be human - to talk, to dance, to love…
I have 4 healthy children in their teens and twenties, for whom covid would probably be nothing more than a bad cold, and see another lockdown through their eyes more than my own - so as a very last resort.
And I still think the comparisons between the UK in lockdown and France relatively free are misplaced. Yes cases in France have gone up - but deaths are still relatively low.
Perhaps folks need a reminder… England reported nearly 70,000 new cases on January 4, the day before the latest UK lockdown - topping off the worst week of the entire pandemic, averaging over 55,000 new cases every day, and over 1,000 deaths every day.
In my view, the UK had to lockdown - for once I don’t blame the government - but France is still nowhere near the horror faced by the UK in January.
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Yet, but if it continues its appalling war of attrition against the AZ vaccine, I can see figures mounting again.
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Agreed. And I take exception with the OP who said the ‘only’ way slow the spread is a lockdown. No - the way to slow the spread is a well organised vaccination programme. Which certainly happening in France or anywhere else in the EU.
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Agree 100% Sue but that’s the very thing we don’t have. Hence a lockdown being the only realistic solution to controlling it.
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Or people really making an effort to obey the bloody rules! In many scenarios (not all admittedly) it is possible. Open those windows and put those masks on!
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That too would help Jane.
Macron now hinting at a lockdown, at last…
Good luck to your daughter in law, it can 't be easy. I can understand why you would like a total lockdown. We have a horticultural and flower business and so can remain open during lockdown but I do know other people who would suffer from that situation. It's very difficult to get the right balance.
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Over 38,000 new cases in france yesterday, they are going to have to do something significant very soon.
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Should have been done six weeks ago to avoid this problem.
hopefully tonight Castex and Verron will put measures in place.
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I doubt it will be drastic, they need to stop pussy footing around again.