Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

Is Lockdown easing gradually?

Seems to me that every day I take my exercise quota walking the dog that there are more and more people out there doing whatever it is they are doing. The weather helps but there is noticeably more activity. Also garden centres, Screwfix, B&Q are operating click and collect services for non essential stuff like bedding plants. Online delivery is rife for everything from wallpaper to whisky (I’ve done both). Rightly or wrongly, Dartford B&Q is to open from Thursday this week with a limit of 100 people instore at any one time.  The A2 seems busier by the day.  Is it just me or are people quietly and slowly returning to stuff without fuss?
«13456747

Comments

  • moutuakilla
    moutuakilla Posts: 7,568
    Seems to me that every day I take my exercise quota walking the dog that there are more and more people out there doing whatever it is they are doing. The weather helps but there is noticeably more activity. Also garden centres, Screwfix, B&Q are operating click and collect services for non essential stuff like bedding plants. Online delivery is rife for everything from wallpaper to whisky (I’ve done both). Rightly or wrongly, Dartford B&Q is to open from Thursday this week with a limit of 100 people instore at any one time.  The A2 seems busier by the day.  Is it just me or are people quietly and slowly returning to stuff without fuss?
    When they shouldn't be?
  • CharltonMadrid
    CharltonMadrid Posts: 5,091
    It certainly doesn´t feel like it here in Spain: we´ve been inside now for over five weeks with (for me) just one visit to the shop a week, no garden or balcony. Happy to do it if it contributes to this situation improving though.

  • lockdown never properly started. 

    Why is b and q dartford allowed to open and why 100 people. That seems a lot to me! Why is buying paint deemed as essential but yet my business remains shut? This has put me in a bad mood now!

    I don’t agree with Click and collect but that should happen first and remain in place.

    letting people do that will not slow the rate and will keep the schools and other business closed longer.
  • Sillybilly
    Sillybilly Posts: 9,234
    lockdown never properly started. 

    Why is b and q dartford allowed to open and why 100 people. That seems a lot to me! Why is buying paint deemed as essential but yet my business remains shut? This has put me in a bad mood now!

    I don’t agree with Click and collect but that should happen first and remain in place.

    letting people do that will not slow the rate and will keep the schools and other business closed longer.
    Yup. Hard to disagree mate. 
  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,918
    edited April 2020
    Social distancing thread version 2
  • Very tasteless "joke" featuring Abbott doing the rounds on the subject. Smacks of racism.
  • Huskaris
    Huskaris Posts: 9,848
    I think that much like how the "lockdown" was more or less instigated by the public/private individuals, the breaking of the "lockdown" will be without the government sanctioning it. 
  • Huskaris
    Huskaris Posts: 9,848
    Very tasteless "joke" featuring Abbott doing the rounds on the subject. Smacks of racism.
    Haven't seen it. I'm sure it's incredibly racist though, if it's about her, it has to be. Between her and Priti Patel the racism they have faced is beyond belief. Why else would anyone criticise these otherwise genius women?
  • stonemuse
    stonemuse Posts: 34,000
    Very tasteless "joke" featuring Abbott doing the rounds on the subject. Smacks of racism.
    So what is the point of mentioning a tasteless joke ... surely better to say nothing so that it doesn’t get publicity? 
  • Sponsored links:



  • It certainly doesn´t feel like it here in Spain: we´ve been inside now for over five weeks with (for me) just one visit to the shop a week, no garden or balcony. Happy to do it if it contributes to this situation improving though.

    @CharltonMadrid do you mean you do not have a garden or balcony or that Spain is not even allowing people to go in their gardens?
  • CharltonMadrid
    CharltonMadrid Posts: 5,091
    It certainly doesn´t feel like it here in Spain: we´ve been inside now for over five weeks with (for me) just one visit to the shop a week, no garden or balcony. Happy to do it if it contributes to this situation improving though.

    @CharltonMadrid do you mean you do not have a garden or balcony or that Spain is not even allowing people to go in their gardens?
    Unfortunately for me it's the former! 
  • palarsehater
    palarsehater Posts: 12,296
    It’s never really been a lockdown in the uk imo 
  • Covered End
    Covered End Posts: 51,995
    Seems to me that every day I take my exercise quota walking the dog that there are more and more people out there doing whatever it is they are doing. The weather helps but there is noticeably more activity. Also garden centres, Screwfix, B&Q are operating click and collect services for non essential stuff like bedding plants. Online delivery is rife for everything from wallpaper to whisky (I’ve done both). Rightly or wrongly, Dartford B&Q is to open from Thursday this week with a limit of 100 people instore at any one time.  The A2 seems busier by the day.  Is it just me or are people quietly and slowly returning to stuff without fuss?
    Quite possibly/probably, which is why the government have been at pains not to encourage this in the last week, by announcing the plans to come out of lock down.
  • stonemuse
    stonemuse Posts: 34,000
    Pity this thread has been hijacked like so many others. 

    It could be a useful reference point, but here we go again with the political inferences ... as said before, certain people just can’t help themselves. 

    Selfish and grandstanding at a time when most of us want to share information. 
  • ken from bexley
    ken from bexley Posts: 5,083
    edited April 2020
    Seems to me that every day I take my exercise quota walking the dog that there are more and more people out there doing whatever it is they are doing. The weather helps but there is noticeably more activity. Also garden centres, Screwfix, B&Q are operating click and collect services for non essential stuff like bedding plants. Online delivery is rife for everything from wallpaper to whisky (I’ve done both). Rightly or wrongly, Dartford B&Q is to open from Thursday this week with a limit of 100 people instore at any one time.  The A2 seems busier by the day.  Is it just me or are people quietly and slowly returning to stuff without fuss?

    ...............................Certainly more people around here walking about, and although most people are  respecting the 2 metre rules, some individuals do not  seem capable of doing so! We are lucky being down here by the coast, Hythe has lots of open spaces and parks, it's one of the reasons we moved down here. Not sure about some of the building companies doing work on  building new houses and extensions on rather large houses we noticed on our walk yesterday, hardly essential, and certainly against the 'spirit' of  the guidelines, appreciate that it might be possible to social distancing  on certain sites, but both my sons are in the building trade, and neither of them are working. I am not talking about someone needing there gas boiler fixed, or  even serviced, or getting  things done on safety grounds, but putting in artificial turf and working on a detached garage to park  the fourth car is not really on in my opinion. I wonder if the  workmen really want to do this, but are too scarred to tell the employer  no.  Personally my job these days is looking after my two grandchildren  2-3 days each week, but have not done so, miss them like crazy, but speak most days on zoom. They are just toddlers, its the granddaughters birthday in 3 weeks, going to find it hard not to  see her!. Just hoping the lockdown is relaxed.
  • AFKABartram
    AFKABartram Posts: 57,825
    Going to delete out all the Abbott stuff in a min, not racist in the slightest but just not relevant or needed for this thread.

    grateful if we could stay on track now please
  • AFKABartram
    AFKABartram Posts: 57,825
    Think things quite noticeably are tbh. 

    Know of tradesman who have been home last few weeks returning this week or next week, plus little soundbytes from what other families are doing engaging with others (which they still think is within the rules) but is a bit nearer to contact than what they have been doing etc..
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 20,843
    All governments (so this is not party political) use leaks and rumour to test public opinion. Perhaps an example of this was the rumour that schools would re-open in May - the general public response was negative so out comes Gove (who is chairing a cabinet committee who are looking at how best to ease the lockdown) to deny it. Expect more of the same and ultimately the lockdown will ease in direct correlation to public opinion - politicians above all else are focused on votes!
    There is a schism in government - those that are focusing on the economy (lead by Sunak) and those focusing on public health (lead by Hancock).
  • sam3110
    sam3110 Posts: 21,265
    The lockdown should have been a lot more severe, no going outside whatsoever apart from shopping for food and going to essential jobs. Anyone found outside without written consent is ordered to go home and fined. No exercise, no dog walking, no going for a bike ride with your snotty nosed kids, nothing. Would be a lot less contact and a lot less cases and deaths long term, but we were too wishy washy with it and this can be seen if you do venture out to any parks. Hilly Fields, Ladywell Park and Greenwich Park are all (just about) walking distance from me and the amount of people out and about flouting the rules is astonishing.

    I've seen 20 people picnics, personal trainers running gym classes of a dozen or so people, people playing football, dog walkers with 5-6 dogs that aren't theirs (so they are traveling to multiple households to pick up and drop off dogs) it's insane
  • Sponsored links:



  • AFKABartram
    AFKABartram Posts: 57,825
    bobmunro said:
    All governments (so this is not party political) use leaks and rumour to test public opinion. Perhaps an example of this was the rumour that schools would re-open in May - the general public response was negative so out comes Gove (who is chairing a cabinet committee who are looking at how best to ease the lockdown) to deny it. Expect more of the same and ultimately the lockdown will ease in direct correlation to public opinion - politicians above all else are focused on votes!
    There is a schism in government - those that are focusing on the economy (lead by Sunak) and those focusing on public health (lead by Hancock).
    Teacher I know from a local borough said last week they were being prepared for a return to school by mid-May. Can’t see it In anyway myself but that’s what he was told last week. 
  • Leeds_Addick
    Leeds_Addick Posts: 4,699
    bobmunro said:
    All governments (so this is not party political) use leaks and rumour to test public opinion. Perhaps an example of this was the rumour that schools would re-open in May - the general public response was negative so out comes Gove (who is chairing a cabinet committee who are looking at how best to ease the lockdown) to deny it. Expect more of the same and ultimately the lockdown will ease in direct correlation to public opinion - politicians above all else are focused on votes!
    There is a schism in government - those that are focusing on the economy (lead by Sunak) and those focusing on public health (lead by Hancock).
    Teacher I know from a local borough said last week they were being prepared for a return to school by mid-May. Can’t see it In anyway myself but that’s what he was told last week. 
    I believe that was a government leak to 'test the waters' and see how it would be received
  • I’ve been out to the chemist this morning. The amount of builders, local authority reactive maintenance people, road workers, all working closely together or sitting in the same van, b&q opening which will surely lead to wickes, screw fix etc following. It’s crazy, we might as well send the kids back to school tomorrow. 

    the amount of people out and about working in non essential jobs is crazy, it’s making me think about when I start pushing for work and earning again
  • Lordflashheart
    Lordflashheart Posts: 5,622
    We were walking our two dogs at local park, but there were always lots of people there - at weekend I made decision to put them in the Land Rover and we drive to Lullingstone Golf Course - much better in terms not being anywhere near anyone else - I guess technically that is not essential travel

    In terms of slide towards people being lax about lockdown, the traffic is still incredibly light - it’s brilliant - seeing the M25 at 5 in the evening with hardly any traffic is incredible

    I do agree though that there seems to be a gradual increase in trades going back to work, sharing vans etc

    They are putting a new roof on the school behind my house and they have not stopped working at all - there doesn’t seem to be any social distancing either
  • LenGlover
    LenGlover Posts: 31,651
    In Switzerland schools are returning week commencing 27 April and many Offices from 11May as things stand.

    So far during this episode we've been about 3 weeks behind but have followed them pretty much from my observations.

    Switzerland, unlike us, has not let people in as far as I know or out. If they have it's been very controlled and restricted, unlike us with people coming in whereby they literally jump off the aeroplane at Heathrow, or wherever, and go about their business.
  • Friend Or Defoe
    Friend Or Defoe Posts: 18,085
    It certainly doesn´t feel like it here in Spain: we´ve been inside now for over five weeks with (for me) just one visit to the shop a week, no garden or balcony. Happy to do it if it contributes to this situation improving though.


    Snap, but in London and no idea how many weeks now, 4?!
  • CharltonMadrid
    CharltonMadrid Posts: 5,091
    The next stage here is that next week children (up to the age of 12) are going to be let out with parents for a short time each day. There is also some talk about older people being allowed out for walks as well, but apart from that it looks like any easing of other restrictions are pretty far off.
  • Croydon
    Croydon Posts: 12,728
    bobmunro said:
    All governments (so this is not party political) use leaks and rumour to test public opinion. Perhaps an example of this was the rumour that schools would re-open in May - the general public response was negative so out comes Gove (who is chairing a cabinet committee who are looking at how best to ease the lockdown) to deny it. Expect more of the same and ultimately the lockdown will ease in direct correlation to public opinion - politicians above all else are focused on votes!
    There is a schism in government - those that are focusing on the economy (lead by Sunak) and those focusing on public health (lead by Hancock).
    Teacher I know from a local borough said last week they were being prepared for a return to school by mid-May. Can’t see it In anyway myself but that’s what he was told last week. 
    My mum's a teacher and she's been told it's unlikely to be back til September. Private school in Surrey. 
  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 69,846
    Other countries may be relaxing, but then their restrictions were often tighter than ours anyway
    bobmunro said:
    All governments (so this is not party political) use leaks and rumour to test public opinion. Perhaps an example of this was the rumour that schools would re-open in May - the general public response was negative so out comes Gove (who is chairing a cabinet committee who are looking at how best to ease the lockdown) to deny it. Expect more of the same and ultimately the lockdown will ease in direct correlation to public opinion - politicians above all else are focused on votes!
    There is a schism in government - those that are focusing on the economy (lead by Sunak) and those focusing on public health (lead by Hancock).
    It's entirely correct that governments have to balance the extremes of "C19 is all that matters" and "getting the economy moving again"

    It's taxation from economic activity which pays for our public services such as the NHS, and even from a health point of view the current lockdown will have an adverse impact on fitness and mental health.
  • AFKABartram
    AFKABartram Posts: 57,825
    Just took son for his daily mile run over local park. Some bloke had lifted his kid over the locked gate to the playground so he could go on the climbing frames and slides. We had words.

    I really do despair at times.