Make your damned minds up!

[Workingman]

"I'm in the "do whatever it takes" camp..."

As with sealing off whole districts as they do in Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, South Korea and other places? If that is what it takes, then yes, do it. Quarantine the areas of concern, with curfews, no one in - no one out. Control it and stop it spreading nationally, and of course vaccinate - the offer is there.

Unfortunately we will not do it, nor stop international travel, because we do not have the backbone. We don't want to upset anyone, do we?

"The only people hyping this up are the usual scientific suspects and the press."

Not so. It was the government that called last night's emergency conference and it was the PM who warned that it could make it more difficult to move to step four in June and that there was "the risk of disruption and delay"; his words, not the usual "sources say" we would get from the media. The timeline I provided shows where we are and why. Scientists and the media played no part in that happenstance, it is government owned.

Monday's easing goes ahead, but there are no guarantees for the future, as Cromwell points out.

[saundra]

Can't actually see an end to this virus
Don't believe the government who say we must all be vaccinated
Then one of the scientific fella says the vaccine not much good against the Indian strain
I will just stay in my own little world and drink tea

[Workingman]

Make mine a coffee and I'll join you Saundra.

[cruiser2]

I hope to go on a short cruise in July sailing from and to Southampton.
There are rules such as having had both vaccinations before yo will be allowed onto the ship.

I don'tlike lockdown. Have had an invite to a large store which will open on Monday. Some of the staff may have relations in Blackburn.
I would love to go to Bolton but as far as I am concerned it is a No Go area.

I don't listen much to the news. I cannot understand why Scotland and Wales have different rules to England. Is there something different about the water?

[TheOstrich]

Have had an invite to a large store which will open on Monday. Some of the staff may have relations in Blackburn.
I would love to go to Bolton but as far as I am concerned it is a No Go area.

I don't blame you, Cruiser. It would be a no-no for me as well.

I hope to go on a short cruise in July sailing from and to Southampton.

Is that right around the British Isles, Cruiser, calling at a few of the smaller ports, or once round the Bishop's Rock Lighthouse and home for tea?

[Suff]

I don't listen much to the news. I cannot understand why Scotland and Wales have different rules to England. Is there something different about the water?

They have devolved governments cruiser and one of their devolved powers is health.

They are politicians and no politician will willingly follow the decisions of another.

In short, they have different rules because they can and because it makes their devolved governments look like they are doing something for their local areas.

[Suff]

Monday's easing goes ahead, but there are no guarantees for the future, as Cromwell points out.

But, as promised, it is based on data. The UK as a whole is in the green zone, so unlocking continues.

If the UK as a whole remains in the green zone, then the next unlocking will also happen.

Regardless of the breast beating and strangulated screeching of certain "ex-spurts"

[cromwell]

See, that slightly annoys me too Suff.
Most of the predictions of SAGE and the other shroud wavers have been wildly inaccurate and pessimistic - an expert is someone who gets things right, not consistently wrong.

[cruiser2]

Is that right around the British Isles, Cruiser, calling at a few of the smaller ports, or once round the Bishop's Rock Lighthouse and home for tea? [/quote]

It goes from Southampton and back to Southampton. We sail for four nights, I assume we will be going down the Channel.
It will be the first Royal Caribbean sailing from Southampton this year. There are other cruise lines sailing before this from Southampton.
Will let you know what happens

[Workingman]

If the UK as a whole remains in the green zone, then the next unlocking will also happen.

IF it is based on data and IF those data show rises in cases, hospitalisations and deaths then another lockdown will be on the cards.

And it will not be a prediction from SAGE it will be advice based on facts, and under the special measures written into law the decision to lockdown or not will be taken by government, not by ex-spurts or the media.

See these recent statements by Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for details. "A local lockdown in Bolton has not been ruled out to help protect people from the spread of the Indian coronavirus variant" and "the government was prepared to implement restrictions if necessary."

IF it can be done for Bolton it can be done for the country. Currently it is too early to tell, but keep an eye on the government dashboard for the next few weeks.

Cruiser, enjoy the trip. I suppose that in the time you could get round the Scilly Isles and back.