UK tightens restrictions, nixes Christmas gatherings over COVID-19 spread

[TexasTowelie]

LONDON — Millions of people must cancel their Christmas get-togethers and most shops have to close in London and much of southern England, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday as he imposed a new, stricter level of coronavirus restrictions on the region to curb rapidly spreading infections.

Johnson said Saturday that the capital and large areas in southern England already placed under the highest level of the U.K. government’s three-tiered coronavirus alert system will move into a new Tier 4 that requires all non-essential shops, hairdressers and indoor leisure venues to close after the end of business hours Saturday.

With just days to go until Christmas, Johnson also announced that a planned easing of socializing rules that would have allowed up to three households to meet in “Christmas bubbles” from Dec. 23 to Dec. 27 will be canceled for Tier 4 areas and sharply curtailed in the rest of England.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot proceed with Christmas as planned,” Johnson said.

Read more: https://www.al.com/news/2020/12/uk-tightens-restrictions-nixes-christmas-gatherings-over-covid-19-spread.html

[BigmanPigman]

1. Other European countries are taking similar precautions.

Smart move...will save lives.

[T_i_B]

2. Ah well, it's not like people are going to have to cancel everything

... at the last minute after making plans based on government advice now is it?

[Soph0571]

3. I flew to my twins on Friday

Having self isolated for two weeks, to be in her bubble for an extended period over Xmas and the new year, 24 hours later I would have been stuck in London on my own with nothing planned and would not have even been able to visit my English bubble as they are in tier 3. What really annoys me about this is that the sensible amongst us will have made very sensible and cautious arrangements to mitigate the risk of infection over Christmas, but we are being hammered by new rules because those who would have a massive Xmas, ignore the current arrangements etc do not know how to behave, and they are not going to change their behaviour, irrespective of what they are being told to do. Look at that rave in Putney last night hours after tier 4 was announced... heh.

Hancock on Marr this morning really got my goat. Already building the narrative that if infection rates continue to rise it is because we are not responsible enough. How about they start looking to those who break the rules with seeming impunity and leave the rest of us to live our responsible lives.

Will be interesting to see if I can get back in the new year though... seems like they are really manning the barricades this time.

[T_i_B]

4. If had been in the situation I was in during my 20's

I could have easily been one of those people crowding out St Pancras last night.

We now have countries queueing up to ban air travel from the UK. This is not going well.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. France has stopped freight from the UK for 48 hours

The French government said on Sunday that all passenger and human-handled freight transport from the UK to France would be suspended for 48 hours from 11pm GMT.

Eurotunnel said access to its Folkestone terminal would be suspended for passenger and freight traffic from 11pm, adding: “Customers with bookings after this time are advised NOT to travel to the terminal as they will not be able to cross to France.”
...
The decision is expected to create chaos in Kent from midnight with thousands of trucks returning to the EU unable to travel and the Brexit lorry park in nearby Ashford not ready until 1 January. The Department for Transport also has a facility in north-east Kent for lorries at Manston airport and may be forced to open this on Monday.

Rod McKenzie, policy director at the Road Haulage Association, said: “It’s only 48 hours, but the French ban will have a devastating effect on the supply chain.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/20/frances-covid-freight-ban-to-have-devastating-effect-on-uk-sector-warns

[Worried2020]

6. Hell - we shoulda locked down as soon as China did around Wuhan . . .

.
.

We managed to do that on 9/11 - frigadee . . .

more are dying EVERY DAY than did on 9/11

What the fuck is wrong with us?

(sigh)

W