Is it time for an experiment?

[Workingman]

The North East is about to go under new measures due to Covid - a stricter lockdown.

However, ever so many people are clamouring to get back to normal, so what about a middle way?

Draw an arc from the coast south of Sunderland all the way round Gateshead and Newcastle and back to the coast above North Shields. As best as possible keep everybody in and everyone else out. Now let things run in the eased down rules from a few weeks back and see how things go. If cases start to skyrocket we can immediately step in to what is a relatively small area and throw everything we have at the problem. But if things plateau, even at a slightly raised level, we then have a 'real world' answer to what will potentially happen nationally.

At the moment all we have is guesswork from both sides of the argument.

[cromwell]

That sounds like too much sense to me.
The infection figures in Bradford are at 90.0+. The rate in Northumberland is 25. Yet Northumberland is going to be in lockdown!
Nothing like ignoring a problem because of it being an embarassing problem.

Meanwhile that luminous, 24 carat gold plated tool Matt Hancock has come up with something that will save us all! Yes, he's got a new slogan!
"Circuit breaker" lockdowns.

The politicians we have - on both sides - are useless. The "experts" they consult have been repeatedly proved to be wrong. The government is allowing itself to be pushed this way and that by contradictory theories and a hostile media.

I'm at the point where I'd just say "let's do a Sweden" and leave it at that.

[TheOstrich]

The infection rate in Dorset is still extremely low compared to Bradford, but nevertheless has gone up by x4 of late in line with rises elsewhere,

Down in the town shopping today. Turned out to be the funeral of "Old Stalwart", who (I got this from the town's FB page) had decreed no fuss and no attendance at his appointment with the crematorium, and no gathering afterwards. So what did the Funeral Directors and (presumably) the family do? Arrange a slow passage from the undertakers down the High Street (man walking in front of the hearse) before travelling on, so people could if they wished show Old Stalwart their appreciation, by applause, of a life well lived.

The result? A crowd of (my estimate) 150+ possibly 200 crammed on the narrow pavements, with groups (especially at the bottom end of town) of around 15-20 people happily chatting away, waiting for the cortege. Social distancing? You're having a laugh, aren't you.

With all due respect to Old Stalwart and his family, it broke just about every current social convention in the book. The Government rule is "6 from multiple households outdoors". Should I do a Priti Patel and report the Funeral Directors to the authorities, then? No. Because nobody gives a beaver's tail any more.

Second spike? Might as well bring it on, I reckon - and the devil take the hindmost.

[Workingman]

At some time we are going to have to face the reallity of ending the lockdowns and we cannot do it with 'what ifs', 'maybes' and modelling. And we are going to have to stop the in, out, hokey cokey lockdowns we have today: we cannot keep doing them forever. We need to be able to observe the process in real time.

I was watching a piece about Eyam, Derbyshire, during the plague of 1665. Even though the wider area was free of plague they suspected it in the village so they shut the gates - nobody in or out. It's what we need to do today.

[saundra]

Our town is packed with visitors from Leeds Bradford Midland all on holiday so not wearing masks caravan parks full of oldies because schools are back so they are here after lockdown

Scarborough filley Whitby will soon be on the government hit list
And us locals still in isolation because of visitors you can't win

[Suff]

WM, my idea is slightly different. Draw your line, approve limited use of the Oxford vaccene and vaccinate everyone who wants it. Then let them get on with life.

That should sort things one way or another PDQ.