Independent SAGE recommend immediate circuit breaker lockdown for UK

[shoulders]

https://www.independentsage.org/emergency-statement-on-omicron-15-december-2021/

This does appear purely to justify the inevitable Xmas mixing.

Tories surely aren't going to do that, we'll all take the hit.

Thanks for bomb dog who posted this in the variant thread. I thought we may as well start a separate thread for it.

[bgmnts]

I love all the new terms like roadmap and circuit breaker.

Anyway, they can't do a circuit breaker because a lot of horrid tory cunts are pretending to care about mental health.

[wooders1978]

Fuck 'em - independent twats

[Milo]

The Welsh term previously was firebreak which makes more sense.

[dissolute ocelot]

It definitely feels like we're on the path to another lockdown. With people staying away from businesses, politicians saying "Don't go out too much", and all kinds of events being cancelled, it's feeling like March 2020. Businesses either need customers, or to close and return to furlough. Businesses (and their staff) need support and as much certainty as the government can provide. Either furlough or eat out to help out and even Boris isn't stupid enough for the latter. Ultimately it's business not science that will decide.

[Cloud]

Yeah the message is escalating as quickly as omicron is doubling (every 2 days).  Definitely wouldn't count on ringing in the new year at the pub.  Or indeed anywhere but home unless you're on your allotted 1 hour of outdoor exercise.

[jobotic]

There won't be a lockdown because Sunak will have to use taxpayers money to help businesses stay afloat again, not just Tory donors.

They'll just tell people not to use pubs (for instance) but tell them they can stay open anyway.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I imagine quite a lot of people working in hospitality are rightly angry with the government right now for not reopening the furlough scheme for these areas of the economy. Even if there won't be another lockdown in January, it would surely make sense to close pubs, nightclubs etc now and offer furlough for all staff. It's clear they won't make anything like the amount of money they usually make in December so closing them and offering the furlough scheme might actually ensure we don't see another round of pub closures.

As you say it will require taxpayers' money so it could alienate a lot of Tory voters. I don't know how many people in hospitality vote Tory anyway so maybe they calculate that it won't cause much of a difference to the Tories' vote, in particular if there is an improvement in the hospitality sector in 2023 and 2024.

[MojoJojo]

There won't be another lock down unless it looks like hospitals are going to be overwhelmed. They don't care if lots of people catch covid, only if they get sick enough to need hospitalisation. Current predictions have the range at between 2000-6000 peak admissions a day, compared to a peak of about 4000 last year.

The danger is lockdowns take ~2 weeks to take effect, and by the time we know hospitals are going to be overwhelmed it might be too late.

[Dr Rock]

LOCKDOWN NOW

[Fambo Number Mive]

If enough people get covid at the same time in sectors where they cannot work from home, would the government lockdown even if hospitals weren't at the peak they were in Jan 2021? I presume the number of medical and food logistics staff off sick at any one time would be the main concern.

[beanheadmcginty]

Dedication's what you need. If you want to be a CIRCUIT BREAKER.