Boris waffled on and done a 'fantastic' job in not using the term lock down. It was made clearer(and confirmed) once it was broke down with a review of his statement.
I didn't hear Boris say that all places of work should close aside from essential ones. He closed the non-essential shops, but my firm is a factory not a shop. We don't interact with the public in any way. We just see a few delivery/collection drivers each day. On our estate there are units that do car repairs. As far as I know these won't be forced to close either. When cars break down they will still need fixing. I heard Boris say going to work was allowed as long as working from home was impossible. I'm a factory manager. The office/paperwork side of my job could be done from home, but not supervising and running the shop floor (even with a skeleton staff). If I have misunderstood what the new rules are, I will find out soon enough. And if I am judged to be going against the spirit of the new rules by continuing to drive to & from work, I will think again. But Boris did not say everybody but essential workers should stop going to work. If that was actually what he meant, I would like that clarified.
As I understand it, the closure of all non-essential shops is designed to cut down on places where people (strangers) can gather and be too close together, with a high turnover of customers - coming in and leaving all the time - making matters worse. It could be argued that factories also allow people to gather together. However in the case of tiny firms like ours, people have plenty of space around them when they are working. We do have a communal canteen and toilets, but efforts are made to keep everything clean. Staff bring their own food to work. I hope I have understood the new rules correctly. I want to do my bit to keep the pressure off our NHS and essential workers. I also want to help my firm survive for as long as it can. If those two loyalties ever come into direct conflict, then my responsibility to the NHS (and saving lives) will come first. But I hope to help both causes for as long as possible.
Tbf the statement was all very flimsy and open to interpretation. I fully understand what you are saying and do not disagree with your take on it.
Here is an example of the potential for misinterpretation; This is from the BBC New website, just posted there. It says "travelling to and from essential work" If I had not watched Boris' statement and just read this article, I would think that all work except essential work is being closed down by the Government. What I think Boris meant was travelling to work is OK IF the travel itself is essential (cannot be avoided) because you can't do your particular job from home. That is NOT what the BBC article says. If the BBC article is supposed to match what I understand that Boris meant, it should say "essential travel to and from work" The placing of the word 'Essential' changes the whole meaning of the statement.
Politicians are already calling on the Government to clarify Boris' statement. Who is allowed to travel to and from work, and who is not allowed. Exactly the question I and many others need a clear answer to.
Some prat was just on the news, wandering around the City with his mask on and his phone on a selfie stick. When he was asked what he was doing, he said "updating my YouTube channel". And he thought that was a valid reason to be out on the streets. What a muppet
Here is some clarification from the BBC website regarding Boris 'lock down' statement. The last paragraph is what affects us most. As I interpret this, every one of us must stay at home unless we are doing one of the following things; Shopping for necessities - as infrequently as possible. Medical needs - going to the chemist or to the GP or other medical facilities (clinic, hospital) but only if essential. Going to work and back - only if it is impossible to work from home. Going out to exercise - once per day, and alone (or with somebody who lives at your home) - and must social distance. Attending a funeral - social distancing to be observed as much as possible. And while outside home, we are not allowed to meet with more than one other person at a time, unless they are somebody we share our home with. And we must still observe social distancing with them. For my part I do not use public transport to get to and from work, I drive. Petrol stations will still be open, so I assume I am allowed to top up with fuel (probably once every three weeks or so). My firm is not a shop, it is a small factory on an industrial estate. So I assume it will be allowed to remain open while it still has parts to manufacture goods, and still has customers (other businesses, not retail customers) to sell those goods to. I will no longer be allowed to stop off at the supermarket or a petrol station every morning on my way to work to buy a newspaper and some lunch snacks. That does not come under 'shopping for necessities'. And I'll no longer be able to visit housebound elderly relatives in Charlton every Saturday as I have done for years, unless I am providing an essential service to them, such as bringing medicine or food that they cannot go out to get themselves. Even then, I believe I am supposed to leave those things on the doorstep and not go into the house. That is going to be the hardest thing of all. I hope I can make my family understand that it is vital we all observe these rules. We cannot disregard them because it hurts us emotionally. That is the thin end of a wedge of excuses that will just get wider. Eventually all of us can think of a valid emotional excuse to bend the rules. And if we do, the lock down will fail. I will be reminding my folks that this WON'T be forever. At present it is for 3 weeks. It may well turn out to be for longer, but we must bear it and understand we are doing our duty. Duty is not easy. But it is required sometimes, and now is one of those times.
A word about our national mentality now. We are at War, Our Nation, our Society and Civilisation is under real threat. There are no more neutral parties. No more innocent bystanders. Every action each of us takes either helps to save lives, or helps to take lives. Disregarding the lock-down rules. Panic buying. Spreading alarmist information or fake news. Profiteering. Criminality, vandalism, even petty theft and the like. Selfishness. These behaviours deny essential food and medicines to people who really need them. These behaviours drain the resources of the Police and other key workers. These behaviours will help the virus to infect and kill more people - needlessly. Please think about everything you do each day. Is it the right thng?
A post on Netflix made me think. Our grand parents got called up to fight in world wars. Many of the queued up to enlist. We're being asked to socially isolate as much as possible. Stay home and watch TV. It's uncomfortable, but it's not the end of the world.
I think Mike Ashley is wrong to try and keep some of his stores open. Sports Direct does not sell 'essential' equipment. People can exercise without the latest glow-in-the-dark trainers. The once a day outing for health reasons is not supposed to be a bloody fashion parade. And of course, Ashley will force Sports Direct workers to go to work even if they don't want to - or risk losing their jobs. Even his cycle shops don't need to stay open. Most cycle owners should be able to repair their own bikes. If they get punctures or the like, they can go to Halfords (which I assume will be staying open, as it supplies & distributes vehicle parts, which must surely be classed as essential). Or they can leave their bike in the garage and go for a walk to keep fit. Mike Ashley is out of order. Putting his business interests ahead of his duty, and pretending he's doing it for our good. He knows bored, frustrated shoppers will flock to his stores, and they will be coining it in. Many people buy things they don't really need when they are feeling low or anxious. Ashley knows this and he cynically wants to exploit it. His behaviour will set an example for many other shop bosses to make spurious arguments for keeping their stores open too. The Government should order Mike Ashley to close his stores, and prosecute him if he refuses. That way Ashley can serve a useful purpose - as an example that the Government means what it says.
Tim Martin- another w*nker. TRied to keep nhis pubs open, saying that no transmission occurs in pubs. Then when he had to close them he only pays staff for the hours they've worked, telling them to apply for work in supermarkets. Richard Branson, Mike Ashley, Britannia Hotels, Tim Martin, the roll of dishonour goes on.
The top and bottom measures will have to be clarified as there are too many grey areas. Almost certainly that will be addressed today.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/24/uk-lockdown-rules-coronavirus-advice-government/ Read all other retail, this is the reason why. Wrongly of course.
So abit like the NHS shop I experienced on Sunday morning except it’ll be large gatherings of members of the public wanting to do DIY whilst in lockdown - madness
My local area seems noticeably quieter this morning. Maybe the penny is starting to drop for some of the congenitally dense. One idea would be for the media to replay the scenes currently being suffered in the A&Es of Bergamo and Madrid. People dying painful deaths ...no doubt some of them also thought it was safe to meet your mates in the park for a chat.
Useless Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan really has made a tit of himself over the London tube. He doesn’t seem to comprehend what the problem is - 1. Far fewer tubes - GOOD IDEA - but not if you are not regulating the number of non essential workers still accessing the tube stations. 2. All you are doing is forcing essential workers into closer proximity with NON essential workers. Even for an intellectual plankton like Khan, surely this cannot be that hard to understand?
