Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[8115]

But you can split from your previous households.

 

[Mation]

3 households, 5 days. A support bubble counts as 1 household.

'Counts as' is not the same as 'is'. Each support bubble involves two households.

 

[Orang Utan]

Covid-19: Three households can mix over Christmas in UK

People can form a "Christmas bubble" and mix in homes and outdoors between 23 and 27 December.

www.bbc.co.uk

So up to 6 households can form a bubble? And each of those bubbles could, for 5 days, involve up to 3 alternative/temporary replacement (effectively additional) households, until they return to those households that usually form their bubble?

Someone please tell me I've got that wrong.

it's so Boris can see all of his kids

 

[8115]

So yes there is scope for a lot of mixing.

 

[killer b]

Covid-19: Three households can mix over Christmas in UK

People can form a "Christmas bubble" and mix in homes and outdoors between 23 and 27 December.

www.bbc.co.uk

So up to 6 households can form a bubble? And each of those bubbles could, for 5 days, involve up to 3 alternative/temporary replacement (effectively additional) households, until they return to those households that usually form their bubble?

Someone please tell me I've got that wrong.

where did you get the 6 households bit from?

 

[Mation]

it's so Boris can see all of his kids

Nah. Some. Most?

 

[8115]

where did you get the 6 households bit from?

3 support bubbles. Although I think in practice those occasions will be rare. People aren't completely stupid.

 

[Orang Utan]

we're not risking it, even though there's 3 households and 9 people

 

[Mation]

where did you get the 6 households bit from?

Each current support bubble comprises two households. Each support bubble counts as one household for purposes of Christmas. Three Christmas households will be allowed.

 

[two sheds]

This is going to be an exam question in future years.

If one support bubble comprises two households, each support bubble counts as one household for the purposes of Christmas, and three Christmas households will be allowed, how many of his children will Boris Johnson be able to see?

 

[frogwoman]

I'm very confused tbh

 

[8115]

3 households, 5 days, better not to if you can avoid it.

 

[8115]

Much like most years, then.

 

[blameless77]

Timeline for the next few weeks/months

(Mostly) Deprived areas move into Tier 3 restrictions. They don't have any disposable cash to chuck into the economy anyway right? Plus the plebs can't be trusted to behave themselves.

(Mostly) More affluent areas move into Tier 2. Middle class boomers flock to the shops en masse to prepare for a "family christmas", meet their friends for lunch at Zizzi's a couple of proseccos later they all pop round Joan's house for a couple of sherries because "it can't hurt". After all they're law abiding sensible folk who've paid their dues.

Chain pubs desperate to make up a shortfall offer crazy promotions on "Christmas non-party" bookings. Besuited mockneys in the "financial sector" swarm town centres getting pissed up and leary.

Meanwhile at the Universities thousands of students are gathered together for "mass testing" and then dispersed around the country.

A knackered, scared and confused populace gather with their elderly relatives at Christmas.

Johnson mumbles incherently something about " you probably shouldn't go out on NYE" during his televised address on Boxing Day. Nobody sees it, The Great Escape is on the other channel.

The broadsheets publish big glossy supplements on "quarantine free" ski destinations.

Noone is quite sure when the tiers kick back in, or even if they do. Apart from some people on the internet, they definitely know.

Some people gather in town centres on NYE. The pubs chuck out at 11.00 pm. Lots of street drinking follows. Some aggro with the cops.

Schools reopen

Hundreds of thousands of students travel all around the country again.

Covid cases soar. Johnson mutters somenthing about the selfish behavious on NYE means "we might have to think about introducing some stricter measures again, maybe, if you can't behave yourselves".

People start to talk about a looming "Lockdown III".

Half-term comes and goes with schools staying open, Gove announces that all exams will definitely take place. Relieved private school parents across Tier 2 go their quarantine free ski holdays.

Schools reopen.

Schools close a week later for a "factory reset" of two weeks.

Johnson tests positive for Covid again.

Lockdown III starts at the end of February...

So, do you think mass testing Will be effective?

 

[chilango]

So, do you think mass testing Will be effective?

effective in what?

 

[killer b]

Each current support bubble comprises two households. Each support bubble counts as one household for purposes of Christmas. Three Christmas households will be allowed.

basically this allows for (for example) me and my kids and my brother and his partner and kids to go to my mum & dads for a few days over christmas, should we want to. If my partner (who doesn't live with me) was in a support bubble with me, then she'd be able to come too. We wouldn't be able to visit anyone else during the christmas period.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Basically it's so complex you can do what you like, as long as you don't meet up in groups that are too big at any one time too obviously.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

Basically it's so complex you can do what you like, as long as you don't meet up in groups that are too big at any one time too obviously.

But only for five days, because even six days would be too dangerous obviously.

 

[Raheem]

Boris Johnson says the virus doesn't know it's Christmas. Someone get Geldof on the blower.

(Yes, it's November, but don't blame me, I didn't say it.)

 

[mx wcfc]

Christ, my family are already trying to come up with arguments around how we could get four households together on Boxing Day in a sort of "X is already in a support bubble with Y & Z [bollocks, incidentally] so that's one household, so even with A there, that's only two households, so we can go and see them" type nonsense.

This is going to go on everywhere and hundreds of thousands are just going to ignore the three household rule.

Me? Well, if I was that bothered about going to my dad's, I would - he lives in the back end of nowhere, so unless his only neighbour shops us, no-one is going to know. But, actually, I'd rather go to the Boxing Day football, for the first time pretty much ever.

(I am delighted for people who want to spend xmas with family and can now as a result of this rule)

 

[8115]

Christ, my family are already trying to come up with arguments around how we could get four households together on Boxing Day in a sort of "X is already in a support bubble with Y & Z [bollocks, incidentally] so that's one household, so even with A there, that's only two households, so we can go and see them" type nonsense.

This is going to go on everywhere and hundreds of thousands are just going to ignore the three household rule.

Me? Well, if I was that bothered about going to my dad's, I would - he lives in the back end of nowhere, so unless his only neighbour shops us, no-one is going to know. But, actually, I'd rather go to the Boxing Day football, for the first time pretty much ever.

(I am delighted for people who want to spend xmas with family and can now as a result of this rule)

Yeah but I think in my family we definitely won't go up to the max which we could, we usually do. Parents are older and vulnerable, it's just not worth the risk. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[blameless77]

effective in what?

Managing risk? Eg students returning?

 

[mx wcfc]

Yeah but I think in my family we definitely won't go up to the max which we could, we usually do. Parents are older and vulnerable, it's just not worth the risk. Swings and roundabouts.

My dad will be 77 on Boxing Day, but he's healthy, and not generally at risk in terms of being in a rural location. I doubt him and his wife are at risk, simply because they don't come into close contact with people very much and, I'm sure, they follow the rules. The likeliest vector into their house is my half siblings, plus one spouse, who will be there anyway. I'm more likely to pick up the virus at the football than I am at that family gathering.
Given that both my wife and daughter have had it, and I haven't, I'm sort of thinking I'm exempt anyway. (It's Ok, I know I'm not).

 

[teuchter]

Sounds to me like it's just going to cause transport mayhem so I'd rather go and visit family a month or two later without all that and a five day limit, and maybe my more elderly relatives will have been given a vaccine by then meaning a bit less worry about them getting something as a result.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Social distancing doesn't apply in those bubbles, too. Mrs SI burst into tears as she realised she could hug her mum and dad.

 

[Artaxerxes]

This is going to be an exam question in future years.

If one support bubble comprises two households, each support bubble counts as one household for the purposes of Christmas, and three Christmas households will be allowed, how many of his children will Boris Johnson be able to see?

“If Boris refuses to see his child does it exist?”

 

[chilango]

This is going to be an exam question teacher assessed task in future years.

If one support bubble comprises two households, each support bubble counts as one household for the purposes of Christmas, and three Christmas households will be allowed, how many of his children will Boris Johnson be able to see?

ffy

 

[wtfftw]

Social distancing doesn't apply in those bubbles, too. Mrs SI burst into tears as she realised she could hug her mum and dad.

This is the bit that I don't understand. I'm pleased for Mrs SI obvs but hugging parents carries exactly the same risk no matter the rules.

 

[teuchter]

Social distancing doesn't apply in those bubbles, too. Mrs SI burst into tears as she realised she could hug her mum and dad.

The change in the guidelines has zero effect on the risk of doing stuff though.

 

[chilango]

The change in the guidelines has zero effect on the risk of doing stuff though.

...except in changing people's behaviour. Including before and after this momentary hug.