who would want to go out again after what the goverment has not done to protect its people ?
Not me or my family for sure!
Government still allowing people in the country with no quaranteen as well!
They are gonna seriously have to up their game to get us out of this mess!
Lockdown will not be lifted, Boris Johnson says in address to nation
should have started sooner to protect the uk terrible goverment they should be punished
Firstly I wish Johnson no harm & I am glad he’s made a full recovery,.
So he’s going to discuss easing the lockdown is he?
At the moment, per the science and thei scientists advice, the Virus is still raging out there and is far from beaten, for that is an illusion.
Part of the reason the reason the Virus is far from beaten, is the extra potency Johnson gave it, by not going into complete lockdown sooner, failure to shut down schools, business etc and not having the correct amount of PPE, Testing etc in place.
These were political decisions, He and his Gvt will be judged on in the future.
Now he speculates on relaxing the lockdown, with his friends in big business and others from his own party on his back.
Yes, from the social side many of us are being hugely challenged by the lockdown and the extra pressure it puts on us, to the point it’s impacting on our mental health and those we care for.
One thing is for sure, we owe it to the 20,000 plus whom have passed away in hospitals and perhaps double that figure, if you include the other social settings, to hold this Gvt to account. Then ensure their shortcomings are brought to the fore, so they accept any culpability, that is due.
I know it’s not exactly comparing apples with apples. Though the way Ardern in New Zealand has dealt with this pandemic is the complete opposite to how Johnson has.
There is no trade off between business and people’s health. As She said, without “people there is no business”.
If he lifts the lockdown prematurely, he’s playing with fire and even more lives.
Let’s hope for the best.
I’ve just listened to Boris Johnson’s statement in full here
He say’s nothing about easing the lockdown prematurely - in fact quite the opposite.
As a vulnerable person, even after it is lifted I shall be very wary indeed of going anywhere there are lots of people. Living in the New Forest, our figures for victims are fairly low, but nevertheless two members of one family have died. The mum was a gym instructor at a council gym! It isn’t always the oldest who succumb.
I’m due to go to Greece later in the year, my favourite place, I read this weekend that airlines are thinking of restarting at some stage with social distancing involving the window and aisle seats occupied, but not the one in the middle. Given the nature of the virus, and the length of time it can survive, I’m not sure whether this is a practical option??
Birmingham yesterday looked like Xmas shopping. And some beaches now busy too.
Boris is much too soft, especially at the start when he only requested people to stay at home.
Because virus trials have started I bet many think it’s OK now to go out.
Except for an early morning walk I’ve been home for 4 months.
.Forgetting now how to drive my car ……
…Now does the disinfectant go in the windscreen wash or oil top up? 
.
Don’t let Trumpy see this or he will have all Americans
scoffing chicken to act as a cure.
I’m curious! We are on the government critical care list. I have been told by gov.uk and my GP NOT to leave the house under any circumstances.
So, I’m carer to three, a critically ill disabled son being one of those. We have received food parcels off gov.uk
If Boris starts to ease the lockdown, what do people like us do?! Do we sit and wait for a vaccine?! We’ve not been out since 22/2/2020 and we’re coping but I don’t get to see my other sons or grandchildren. Am I expected to sit here for another 12-18th months? Desperately trying to find some clarity.
I don’t care about going out to the shops but we would love to go for a drive and I’ve been told twice now NO! I live in a rural area.
I have been out a few times in my car to get food. Today I went to the butchers for meat and veg. Very well organised, distancing, gel etc. I spent 5 years virtually unable to walk and it took me a very long time to recover from major cancer surgery. I want to live my life to the full,not locked down. I want my holiday in Crete later this year. Just when I thought I could do what I want after 40 years of caring, some idiot the other side of the world puts my whole life on hold so my savings have plummeted. Of course I don’t want to get ill, after 8 ops I’ve spent too much time in hospitals already. It just seems so unfair. I’m not by nature placid. I’m a free spirit!!!
I want to have my 2 day break that took me a very long time to feel ok about!
More than that I want my hugs from my grandchildren. Have them to mine for what they call nanny day. They love one to one with me. I desperately want to see my great granddaughter, who is is 2 weeks away from being 6months young and is developing so quickly. I take comfort from the thought my lovely hubby moved over to make room for her! Silly maybe. I said to someone who had a baby not long after losing her beloved grandmother, and she said that thought comforted her.
Maybe our hopes will be all the more sweeter when we get there!
I was planning a holiday for myself this year, put the wife into respite for a week and toddle off to Norfolk on my own in the hope of photographing Swallowtail Butterflies and Norfolk Hawker Dragonflies. It’s got to be mid-June to achieve that, the Norfolk Hawker has a fairly short flight season and is a species that tend to emerge all at the same time, unlike some species which spread their emergence over several weeks.
Maybe next year. 
Ajay
Norfolk is beautiful. That’s such a shame
Hi Heather,
I have read somewhere (unfortunately my brain is addled from 24/7 caring for S with autism, and I can’t remember where) the argument that it is ok to drive around if that counts as ‘exercise’ for someone with special needs.
The guidelines also state that it is ok to drive to an open space for exercise (more than once a day if needed) for those with special needs/autism - well if you live in a rural area - there must be lots of open spaces to drive to. Who said you can’t?
Melly1
This Forum is a centre and consensus of mutual self-help and advice. At least I think that is what it is supposed to be. Certainly that is the way that it works most of the time.
This particular conversation is different. Much despondency and negative feeling and blame of the Government.
I am trying not to make value judgements. I am trying to sympathise.This lockdown is a very depressing situation for many. I sense this depression when I read the posts in this conversation. My disabled wife is bored to tears; not been out of the house for weeks. At least I get out now and again, to bring in essential shopping and medical items and have some exercise.
The governments of various nations were faced with a situation they had not met before. They addressed it in various ways. I am not prepared to say that some were wrong and some were right. Nobody got it completely right. New Zealand I have always considered to be a well-run country, but it needs to be recognised that, though approximately the same area as the UK, it has a population of 4 million not 65 million, as well as being in an isolated location. This makes a difference in how the virus spreads.
Instead of trying to be wise after the event, and suggest things that the Government could have done better, I want to look at where we are now and where we should go next. There are plenty of things we can be positive about.
- There is now a definite downward decline in deaths owing to the virus. People are still dying, and every death is a tragedy for the family affected, but we cannot expect cases to stop abruptly.
- Nightingale hospitals have been less required than expected and are being run down. I cannot criticise the Government for over-providing. Too much is better than too little.
- We shall soon have a plan to phase out the lockdown. It is good to at least have a plan, even if it needs revision later. Restrictions will be relaxed a little at a time. Cases of outbreak will continue to be monitored. If they start to go up again, restrictions will be re-applied. However, with a cautious approach, I expect outbreaks will continue to fall. As each restriction is lifted we will sense some relief.
- Governments across the world are talking to one other, seeing what measures others are taking and how effective these measures are.
- Shops are nearly back to normal. There are still some shortages in the canned vegetable and home-bake departments but there are plenty of toilet rolls again. I even managed to get a bottle of alcohol-based anti-bacteria hand gel. £3.49 for a 300 ml bottle at Waitrose, much cheaper than from mail-order or on-line suppliers. (And you thought Waitrose was expensive!)
Yes it is tough that we cannot plan well-deserved holidays. My wife and I had to cancel a cruise earlier this year (more for reasons of her health issues than the coronavirus). We have had to put off two events, one in the west midlands and one in the north east. We have a significant anniversary looming but we cannot plan for that. We look beyond this difficult time, which we will get over, and look forward to new holiday ideas in due course. Maybe we should consider a less-ambitious but enjoyable staycation for the nearer future.
Can we try to look on the bright side? Positive things are being done to tackle this virus. If we co-operate with the restrictions, as nearly all of us are, we’ll get through this, learn from this and look forward to better times.
Hello Heather. My disabled wife is fed up with being cooped up in the house and I plan to take her for a drive. It will be to somewhere where there are no people nearby. If other people arrive we’ll move on. We’ll stay in the car. She cannot really take significant physical exercise but we would argue that seeing the sights and listening to the birdsong is a form or mental rehabilitation. I think this is self-isolation to every degree in the spiritual sense, if not exactly as drafted by the law.
You say you are on the critical care list. I am not sure what you mean by this; I cannot find it on gov.uk. Are you sure about “don’t leave under any circumstance”? I don’t want to countermand your GP’s advice but if he is giving you such a strict instruction he should consider the effect this has on your health and well-being, and come up with a solution that will make you feel OK about things.
with the goverment from what i have seen that china warned the uk goverment 3 times concerning this virus and didnt take alot of notice , the uk goverment also had a 5 week window that they didnt act on ,and now with possible china in the fireing line as reports are saying it was a cover up who do you beleive . there has been lack of ppe not only for health proffessionals but everyone , high prices online for ppe , gel etc ,there has been lack of testing i saw only yesterday that the goverment has failed its 100.000 target , there has been lots of promise from the goverment that has failed and caused a lot of misery with loseing loved ones friends and family you can t see , you cant hug , you can only see them online if the internet works , i feel sorry for all the people who has died not over the goverment faiings to protect its people , and now boris wants everyone back to work by may 26 and schools open by june 1 , there is going to be alot of people who wont return to work and wont send there kids back to school and then come home to kill the rest of the family with this virus , untill a proven vaccine is made and works 100% with little or no side effects for everyone and those who have underline conditions
Shielded people cannot leave the house at all.
These include people such as those who have had chemotherapy …other conditions included too.
These are the ones the government are sending food parcels too. They have also been described as the extremely clinicaly vulnerable group I believe.
The second group is as follow…those over 70 and those who have an underlying health condition…the latter could be under aged 70
Those on the vulnerable list can exercise once a day but cannot go into shops. I fall into that category as I have an underlying health condition
Matt Hancock announced these groups before the start of lockdown.
very well said Denis - my thoughts exactly 