Johnson cancels UK Christmas gatherings, shuts London shops over virus

@wipeout

My mom lives about 20 minutes from my "kiddies" by car. No one is being exposed to anything.

So everyone says.

So you are calling me a liar?

Just because my mom is a woman and is old does not mean she lacks the ability to ascertain the situation, assess the risk. and make a decision.

I think I just left it at "people" being poor at assessing actual risk. As you feign not to understand that, allow me to put it in more precise terms for you: by people, I mean any adult (seeing as children aren't considered legally competent or liable), and as a person from a country where we get pretty much our full set of rights on turning 18, I define adult as any person of 18 or older.

My "kids" are in their late 20s

I don't envy the politicians who have to make the decisions. I don't think there is a "correct" approach to the problem. We're basically waiting either for a cure or vaccine or for the virus to die out. In the meantime, we try to find an optimal position between allowing people to carry on as they wish and imposing restrictions to reduce stress on health services. I think we have to face the likely fact that many will suffer whatever is decided - whether directly from Covid or indirectly by losing a job or by missing medical treatment for another problem.

The sad thing, is that when you read between the lines, the British Public, are a bunch of dumb heads - who when they all know there's a serious virus around them, will go out to Pubs, Restaurants, expect to go abroad on Holidays, etc, etc and dont bother even wearing "Facemasks", and simply continue as normal...

Sadly, that seems to be the case. A minority perhaps - I know many who discuss the problem and try to take what they see as appropriate steps. But that unthinking group seems big enough to be a problem.

One has to wonder.... Darwinian rules may come home to roost.

But I suspect many in that group have already produced kids.

The BBC made an interesting unscheduled change to programming tonight to broadcast the Labor Leaders rebuke of the current Political leader - Boris Johnson's efforts.

It was a little bit embarrassing to watch. But what he said, was truthfully common-sensical.

The sad thing, is that when you read between the lines, the British Public, are a bunch of dumb heads - who when they all know there's a serious virus around them, will go out to Pubs, Restaurants, expect to go abroad on Holidays, etc, etc and dont bother even wearing "Facemasks", and simply continue as normal...

One has to wonder.... Darwinian rules may come home to roost.

My mom will see my kids. She is aware of the risk....fully.....and is willing to take it. She will self isolate for a few weeks after Christmas. It means that much to her.

@Tokyo-Engr - And if she develops symptoms during those weeks? Bet she'll be down the hospital taking up a bed and ventilator in no time.

The new strain has also been identified in Australia, the Netherlands and Denmark.

The Clueless Matt Hancock never had any stratagem, plan of action, or short long-term goal designed to achieve any means to contain the so-called new mutant strain.

Resign Go Now.

We have the most talentless leadership in living history. This cabinet is appalling. I had a conversation with an old university mate, a tribal Tory, talking to me, a tribal Labour voter.

We quickly agreed this the most inept leadership we’ve ever seen. This makes the cabinets of Brown, Cameron and May look stellar.

What a time to have this shower of ...

The Clueless Matt Hancock never had any stratagem, plan of action, or short long-term goal designed to achieve any means to contain the so-called new mutant strain.

Resign Go Now.

If we humans can just make it through the next six months or so without letting the virus run rampant, a whole lot of lives will be saved. It looks like the vaccines work, and that they will be delivered to those who want them, which is just about everyone.

Bless zichi, I know the predicament, and the emotional strain.

I never really got on with my grandmother. I was foolish.

We argued incessantly over political nonsensical stuff.

I am sure Families need Christmas, how that is managed emotionally and sensibly is the question.

Spoken like a true conservative. There is no middle ground, only two extremes in the binary world of the right.

Spoken like a true leftist. No sense of humor or irony.

Ive been saying from the start you quarantine the elderly and at risk while letting the young and healthy live life while at the same time not committing national suicide. You don't quarantine the entire population and you sure as hell don't give unlimited power to authoritarian politicians who never give it back.

I was proven right.

Children/teens can transmit the Covid-19 to parents/grandparents.

The rational thing to do then is remove children from their homes. Its the only way we can be sure no one will get sick and die.

It would be grossly irresponsible and foolhardy to question your wisdom, zichi.

The question for my English Grandparents/elder family members is loneliness.

The lack of close company of family brought about by sometimes weeks of isolation for there own welfare.

Christmas offers a wellbeing of family togetherness.

Maybe that is something that is worth drying for.

However, it neglects to understand the suffering of those left behind.

I have witnessed and experienced the loss of my Japanese Grandmother, bluntly up close, eye to eye, hand to hand, as life drains away.

It stuns the soul, leaves a mark I have not and probably never will be able to fully come to terms with.

Christmas hasn't been cancelled. Gatherings have.

So, lets get together on-line and celebrate the birth of Christ in a new way.

Sure. But the 25th of December isn't necessarily his birthday. What with calender changes and pagan festivals being appropriated by Christian ones, the actual date is very much debatable.

Anyway, wishing all my British comrades a safe and sage season.

My dad passed in March and my mom two months ago. I could not go visit them from Japan.

Used, Skype, FaceTime, LiNe and other Covid free venues. Such is life.

My mom will see my kids. She is aware of the risk....fully.....and is willing to take it. She will self isolate for a few weeks after Christmas.

If she is as you say fully aware of the risks, is she insisting the grandkids self-isolate for a couple of weeks before they come to see her? That would reduce the risk to her way more than her self-isolating after they’ve gone. (aka bolting the stable door)

Both Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer, are on the same page on this lunacy.

Starmer more so.

There is no Police force with the recourses to enforce such a policy even with the support of armed forces.

Can you imagine Officer Dibble, Christmas day knocks on an unsuspecting household,

"Hello, hello, hello, we have reports of a crescendo of Christmas cracker celebratory over usage, implying attentional family are on site contravening Tier 4 compliance"

"Stand back! from the dinner table!"

"Team surround the garden shed, check under the stairs Grandma and Grandpa could be hiding"

"How many Father Christmas?"

Boris caved in long ago. A real shame.

Caved in from what? You make it sound like he had a shape to begin with.

He’s another failed right wing populist. Garbage.

Boris caved in long ago. A real shame.

The Carrie Symonds Effect. Behind every weak man is an even weaker partner.

Boris caved in long ago. A real shame.

Just because my mom is a woman and is old does not mean she lacks the ability to ascertain the situation, assess the risk. and make a decision.

And here is the crux of the problem; we are witnessing the response of the weakest generation in history. They are panicked, they are scared, and they are outraged that they have to take personal responsibility in a life with no guarantees. They are experiencing their first traumatic experience and not dealing well with it at all.

The is an appalling blunder, make/take such a decision, without giving the public adequate warning is criminally incompetent. On hearing and witnessing Johnson announcement, an inevitable stampede out of the capital ensued.

Yes. He’s done it again. Another U-turn sewing confusion.

A disgrace of a leader. I know the Tories are looking for him to take the blame for this disaster and the Brexit fallout before throwing him our, but they need to get him out earlier.

After so many months in #10, Downing Street, London as a seemingly lackluster and flippant leader, he now shows his guts. This time, he is no joke, he is firm.

Yes, make sure be firm on all issues..

Keir Starmer is barely one rung behind the Boris Johnson clueless ladder.  

Starmers “circuit breaker”, methodology, a short period of national restrictions that SAGE believes or hopes will bring the R-rate down is unenforceable, one “circuit breaker”, will only lead on to the next. There has to be level headed pragmatism, smart reflection, winning hearts and minds and the confidence of public support.

Warn the public. Fully engage, appeal to their sense of reasoning, the future for your family health and welfare rests in your hands. And leave it at that.

I am genuinely frightened for my family. Many are in latter stages of there lives. I have begged them to think carefully before travelling. But I know they will. Not far, all have insisted on a family Christmas and to hell with the consequences.

Older and wiser, pull the other one, it give a perfect rendition of jingle bells.

Glad I’m here and not there.

@wipeout -

Definitely. "She just wanted to see the kiddies for Christmas" is an appeal to sentiment, not logic, and has nothing to do with infection control, so yeah, people travelling around contributes to the spread of the virus. So does the stubborn refusal to accept that it's not simply a matter of accepting risk to yourself (something that people are actually pretty poor at judging), but of putting others in danger by exposing them to the risk from yourself.

My mom lives about 20 minutes from my "kiddies" by car. No one is being exposed to anything.

Saying "Yeah I'll take that risk", which just about anyone can do, is not necessarily the same as understanding the risk, and is a long way from accepting the actual consequences of COVID-19, which can be brutal. And even that doesn't amount to taking responsibility, as few people have to find out how many others they've infected, who they were, or what happened to them.

Just because my mom is a woman and is old does not mean she lacks the ability to ascertain the situation, assess the risk. and make a decision.

The is an appalling blunder, make/take such a decision, without giving the public adequate warning is criminally incompetent. On hearing and witnessing Johnson announcement, an inevitable stampede out of the capital ensued.

In announcing the more restrictive category, Johnson said that a fast-moving new variant of the coronavirus that is more than 70% more transmissible than existing strains appears to be driving the rapid spread in London and southern England.

While London fared relatively well in controlling the virus throughout the fall, the city now has the highest infection rates in England. Officials said the new mutation accounted for some 60% of the capital's cases.  

These paragraphs indicate the potential deadly risks in play.

Johnson should have taken clear, careful structured preventative planning before any announcement.  

This Government are behaving like a bunch of headless chickens.

Once confidence in Government begins to evaporate, so will the public willingness pay attention and take heed.

Just a few weeks ago there were pictures of Brits out getting pissed, not wearing masks and congregating in groups.

Now, there have been a rise in infections-no surprises here.

If the virus begins to mutate to a similar strain in Japan then the same will occur here.

Christmas isn’t cancelled, this isn’t Cromwell and The Protectorate again. Christmas will be different. I feel sorry for those who will be alone, but Covid and death isn’t worth the risk.

Johnson should have announced this a couple of weeks back, instead he was mocking Starmer in the Commons last week who, after asking why the Government was ignoring rising Covid cases, was told by Johnson that he wanted to cancel Christmas and wanted to deliberately make people miserable. Cases have doubled in London this week, doubled in one week, the highest number amongst secondary school aged children, but Johnson stopped schools from closing early for the holiday.

Unfortunately many of those pictured in Oxford Street shopping were not from London, people travel from all over the South East to do shopping there, and then taking it home again. I suppose the Government will say this has nothing to do with the lorry blockade in Kent.

makes perfect sense after the first and second lockdowns worked so well.

The mutant virus can become more deadly. 86,000 virus deaths. The country is in a very serious situation.

At present, the British Government has been advised by scientist's that there is no evidence to suggest the new strain of Covid-19 is more deadly, or resistant to vaccine.

It is more contagious / infectious though.

Hence, tighter restrictions. WHO have been informed.

@Ah_so. How about giving them the choice

There is a choice, on Christmas Day.

@kohaku. Should I advise my mom to spend Christmas alone? I won't and she will not listen anyway....

I sincerely hope things work out well for your mom

How about giving them the choice?

When the hospitals are full, that is a choice that affects others.

The UK government ignored the scientists and did not act quickly enough in the spring, and has repeated exactly the same mistake again. Letting the disease spread costs lives, jobs, and pushes back the return to normality. Thanks to the government, the lockdown that should have happened in November is happening over Christmas. Well done PM Johnson!

My mother is getting the first vaccine shot tomorrow (Monday). She didn't apply and they contacted her just as an ordinary 80 year-old. That's how close we are to the beginning of the end. Assuming of course that people don't follow the government's lead in ignoring scientists and refuse to take the vaccine. My cousin has already told my aunt not to take it.

@BigYen. Very very sorry about your mom. I hope there is a next year for me. We really do not know.

Again my sincere condolences. I lost my dad 3 years back and it was awful

CoGrinch-19

@BigYen

Guess you are right. We should do as directed by the government. I will fall in line.

My mom will see my kids. She is aware of the risk....fully.....and is willing to take it. She will self isolate for a few weeks after Christmas. It means that much to her. We have had long conversations about this and I fully support and understand her decision.

Of couse, I will remain in Japan. I guess my mom is contributing to the spread of the virus by her actions per your logic.

@Ah_so. How about giving them the choice?

To mandate that a grandmother or grandfather cannot spend what could be their last Christmas with their family is draconian

I think the idea is to stop it from being their last Christmas.

Christmas cannot be "cancelled"

To mandate that a grandmother or grandfather cannot spend what could be their last Christmas with their family is draconian

Johnson cancels UK Christmas gatherings, shuts London shops over virus

Christmas has not been cancelled in England.

Rules have been tightened in some areas and get togethers scaled down.

So, lets get together on-line and celebrate the birth of Christ in a new way.