Wales.

[Workingman]

It is going into an emergency "short, sharp" lockdown / circuit breaker / firebreak - take your pick, but only from 18:00 hrs on Friday because, as we all know, the virus only comes out at weekends.

Whether it will work or not is anyone's guess, but what it will do is allow us to compare and contrast a lockdown with the three tier system in England to see which works best - or if at all.

[TheOstrich]

Yep. What price we'll follow in a fortnight's time?

[saundra]

Will every road into wales be blocked
The trains closed
And airport
No they won't

Nothing is going to stop this virus
It's just panicking people

[Kaz]

I honestly am starting to think we should just shield the vulnerable, but otherwise just go about our business as usual. Because unless we get a vaccine it will just delay the inevitable......

[Workingman]

A health spokesman from Belgium admitted that they were at the point where they had lost control, and that seems to be the case in other places including the UK.

When something like Covid becomes endemic the only real option is to manage the number of cases (hopefully with a vaccine) until there is a natural and gradual decrease, as happened with outbreaks of the plague and Spanish flu.

We now hear that W. Yorkshire, the N. East and Notts are about to be raised to Tier 3, as predicted.

I agree with Kaz that all we are doing is delaying the inevitable.

[saundra]

I agree with kaz it's just a waiting game really
Let people make there own minds up but take there own precautionary measure
And if vulnerable and elderly people want to go out it's there decision entirely

[Suff]

News today that another vaccine candidate will have another 100m doses ready for Christmas, 40m already bought by the UK.

So that's 140m over two vaccines. The pressure lid is on, the solution is grinding slowly on, eventually pressure will burst and then expect people to suddenly rage that they are not getting access to the vaccine fast enough. Anti Vaccer's will get 1 inch of space in 6 point...

[Workingman]

The UK has 'ordered' some 340 million doses of six types of vaccine using four different processes. Only the Astra Zeneca and BioNTech ones will be anything near ready-to-roll by Christmas, but don't bet on it.

Christmas is also still ten weeks away and an awful lot of changes to the case numbers and deaths could take place between now and then. It will be interesting to see how the numbers change under lockdown (Wales) Tier 3 (parts of northern England) and Tier 1 and 2, the rest.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some levelling off in the worst affected areas or for rises in T1 and 2. Getting on top of it - no chance,

[Workingman]

Ireland has now announced that it will go into a very hard six week lockdown from Wednesday, with a goal of lifting the restrictions by Christmas.

What is this preoccupation places have with Christmas - Ramadan, Diwali, Hanukah, New Year and weekends? The virus is not religious and nor does it follow the Gregorian calendar - it's a virus.

If a quarantine / lockdown is desirable, and that's debatable, then it needs to be done at any time. Nothing else should matter.

[TheOstrich]

Putting aside the religious considerations, and assuming you believe that lockdowns are a worthwhile measure, I think the ROI has the correct approach in a hard six week lockdown.
I don't expect Wales's paltry 2-and-a-bit week period to have any real effect at all.