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Britain in Lockdown: PM Boris Johnson addresses the UK

Laika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Here is the full text of Boris Johnson's televised address to the UK.

Good evening,

The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone.

All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer

And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help.

And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have.

Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.

So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope – and save more lives.

And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic.

And though huge numbers are complying – and I thank you all – the time has now come for us all to do more.

From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.

Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households.

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

  • shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
  • one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household;
  • any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
  • travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.
That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home.

You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.

You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.

You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine – and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:

  • close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
  • we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
  • and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

No prime minister wants to enact measures like this.

I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.

And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.

And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.

But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost.

And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through.

Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service.

With the time you buy – by simply staying at home – we are increasing our stocks of equipment.

We are accelerating our search for treatments.

We are pioneering work on a vaccine.

And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.

I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus.

Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline.

But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted.

Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together.

To halt the spread of this disease.

To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives.

And I know that as they have in the past so many times.

The people of this country will rise to that challenge.

And we will come through it stronger than ever.

We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.

And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

Thank you.


Link: Boris Johnson's address to the nation in full

Do you think these measures are the right thing to do? How will it change your daily life in the UK? And what reaction do RF members outside of the UK have to these measures?
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
About time, he's done enough dithering about, glad he finally got off the fence

Across the channel we've had the same measures for a week.

It gets a bit close with the kids home all the time, cabin fever must be controlled.

Other than that its i case of get used to it
 

danieldemol

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Here is the full text of Boris Johnson's televised address to the UK.

Good evening,

The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone.

All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer

And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help.

And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have.

Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.

So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope – and save more lives.

And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic.

And though huge numbers are complying – and I thank you all – the time has now come for us all to do more.

From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.

Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households.

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

  • shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
  • one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household;
  • any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
  • travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.
That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home.

You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.

You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.

You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine – and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:

  • close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
  • we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
  • and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

No prime minister wants to enact measures like this.

I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.

And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.

And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.

But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost.

And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through.

Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service.

With the time you buy – by simply staying at home – we are increasing our stocks of equipment.

We are accelerating our search for treatments.

We are pioneering work on a vaccine.

And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.

I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus.

Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline.

But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted.

Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together.

To halt the spread of this disease.

To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives.

And I know that as they have in the past so many times.

The people of this country will rise to that challenge.

And we will come through it stronger than ever.

We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.

And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

Thank you.


Link: Boris Johnson's address to the nation in full

Do you think these measures are the right thing to do? How will it change your daily life in the UK? And what reaction do RF members outside of the UK have to these measures?
Did he mention whether people are allowed out to access social security services?
 

Laika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Did he mention whether people are allowed out to access social security services?

That is the full text of the speech he gave, so I assume not. We'll have to see how things unfold in the next few days and what clarifications will be offered in the way these rules are enforced.

(edit: here's the video...)

 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
Did he mention whether people are allowed out to access social security services?
They are being paid still. I am on welfare, but have no appointments at the jobcentre until june (they are usually every ~2 weeks). People can apply online and over the phone.
 

danieldemol

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
They are being paid still. I am on welfare, but have no appointments at the jobcentre until june (they are usually every ~2 weeks). People can apply online and over the phone.
So as long as you’re telephone line doesn’t go down or your not one of the elderly unable to use new fangled devices etc your sweet
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
Here is the full text of Boris Johnson's televised address to the UK.

Good evening,

The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone.

All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer

And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help.

And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have.

Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.

So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope – and save more lives.

And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic.

And though huge numbers are complying – and I thank you all – the time has now come for us all to do more.

From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.

Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households.

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

  • shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
  • one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household;
  • any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
  • travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.
That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home.

You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.

You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.

You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine – and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:

  • close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
  • we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
  • and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

No prime minister wants to enact measures like this.

I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.

And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.

And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.

But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost.

And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through.

Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service.

With the time you buy – by simply staying at home – we are increasing our stocks of equipment.

We are accelerating our search for treatments.

We are pioneering work on a vaccine.

And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.

I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus.

Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline.

But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted.

Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together.

To halt the spread of this disease.

To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives.

And I know that as they have in the past so many times.

The people of this country will rise to that challenge.

And we will come through it stronger than ever.

We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.

And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

Thank you.


Link: Boris Johnson's address to the nation in full

Do you think these measures are the right thing to do? How will it change your daily life in the UK? And what reaction do RF members outside of the UK have to these measures?
Yes I do. We need to jam the brakes on this epidemic, to buy time to get more PPE, ventilators and test kits and to get extra hospital capacity. Otherwise we'll be trying to play catch up and getting further and further behind. A big part of the reason is that the message has not really got through yet. This will give people the necessary shock.

We have to get the reproduction number down, from its basic value of 2.5 to below 1.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
The differences between Boris (and most other leaders) and Trump are quite evident, such that even if one is less disposed to the Tories, at least he just does the job of getting the message across rather than trying to score points or inflame matters.
 

Terrywoodenpic

Oldest Heretic
At least he listens to and and understands what his health advisers tell him, he gets his facts right. and does not just spout his own imaginations like Trump, who is now a dangerous source.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
The differences between Boris (and most other leaders) and Trump are quite evident, such that even if one is less disposed to the Tories, at least he just does the job of getting the message across rather than trying to score points or inflame matters.
Yes Bozo has been frogmarched, by the science and by the medics, into doing the unpleasant but necessary thing, at last.

A lot of people on the Right have the mindset that anything that tells you you cannot do exactly as you please, or involves social solidarity or cooperation, must be a socialist conspiracy. We have seen this on a range of issues, from climate change, to US gun control, or even to the compulsory wearing of seat belts. Hence we see a number of right wing leaders pretending Covid-19 is some sort of new excuse for hand-wringing by leftie snowflakes. Just look at Trump and Bolsonaro.

As you say, though, Bozo is not quite that daft. I think he has had the wit to realise this will bite him hard in the arse if he does not get a grip of it. He seems to be blessed with rather a sensible, if new and untried, Chancellor of the Exchequer and a hard-working if humdrum Health Secretary. And there are some useful and constructive critics, like Jeremy Hunt, on his own side as well. So we are getting there, I think, though Hunt thinks we've left it too late to avoid an Italy-style experience.

From what I read, there is a 2-week lag between the imposition of any new countermeasures and the start of an effect on the epidemic curve. So I do not believe the suggestion that this may be only for 3 weeks. I think that is just a piece of expectation management, rather like those mendacious airport announcements (nostalgia, eh?) telling you your flight has been delayed for 20 minutes [yeah - right]. I think we should prepare ourselves for this going on for 6-8 weeks at least.
 

Martin

Spam, wonderful spam (bloody vikings!)
About time too, though I wonder how a lock-down will be enforced with reduced police numbers. Hopefully most people will follow the advice, but it seems like some Brits still don't get it, or don't want to get it. We could so easily end up like Northern Italy, with hospitals completely overwhelmed, and London (the UK epicentre) is at particular risk.
 

Martin

Spam, wonderful spam (bloody vikings!)
Yes Bozo has been frogmarched, by the science and by the medics, into doing the unpleasant but necessary thing, at last.

A lot of people on the Right have the mindset that anything that tells you you cannot do exactly as you please, or involves social solidarity or cooperation, must be a socialist conspiracy. We have seen this on a range of issues, from climate change, to US gun control, or even to the compulsory wearing of seat belts. Hence we see a number of right wing leaders pretending Covid-19 is some sort of new excuse for hand-wringing by leftie snowflakes. Just look at Trump and Bolsonaro.

As you say, though, Bozo is not quite that daft. I think he has had the wit to realise this will bite him hard in the arse if he does not get a grip of it. He seems to be blessed with rather a sensible, if new and untried, Chancellor of the Exchequer and a hard-working if humdrum Health Secretary. And there are some useful and constructive critics, like Jeremy Hunt, on his own side as well. So we are getting there, I think, though Hunt thinks we've left it too late to avoid an Italy-style experience.

From what I read, there is a 2-week lag between the imposition of any new countermeasures and the start of an effect on the epidemic curve. So I do not believe the suggestion that this may be only for 3 weeks. I think that is just a piece of expectation management, rather like those mendacious airport announcements (nostalgia, eh?) telling you your flight has been delayed for 20 minutes [yeah - right]. I think we should prepare ourselves for this going on for 6-8 weeks at least.

Yes, we won't really be over this until a vaccine is widely available, which could be 18 months. The danger of relaxing restrictions too soon is that the infection rate will soar again.
I assume they will be observing what happens in other countries, to see what's most effective.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Hopefully these treatments will reduce the death rate, but they won't stop the spread of the disease.

That's what it seems to work for, tests are successful and now limited doses are being prescribed.

Anything that helps.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
Hopefully these treatments will reduce the death rate, but they won't stop the spread of the disease.
But what could be a game-changer would be if people can self-medicate with it at home, and thereby reduce the burden on hospitals.

The whole issue that is crashing the world's economy is the paramount need to not to overload all our health systems with severe cases. If we can stop that, we can take off a lot the controls that are paralysing our lives and economies.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
Yes Bozo has been frogmarched, by the science and by the medics, into doing the unpleasant but necessary thing, at last.

A lot of people on the Right have the mindset that anything that tells you you cannot do exactly as you please, or involves social solidarity or cooperation, must be a socialist conspiracy. We have seen this on a range of issues, from climate change, to US gun control, or even to the compulsory wearing of seat belts. Hence we see a number of right wing leaders pretending Covid-19 is some sort of new excuse for hand-wringing by leftie snowflakes. Just look at Trump and Bolsonaro.

As you say, though, Bozo is not quite that daft. I think he has had the wit to realise this will bite him hard in the arse if he does not get a grip of it. He seems to be blessed with rather a sensible, if new and untried, Chancellor of the Exchequer and a hard-working if humdrum Health Secretary. And there are some useful and constructive critics, like Jeremy Hunt, on his own side as well. So we are getting there, I think, though Hunt thinks we've left it too late to avoid an Italy-style experience.

From what I read, there is a 2-week lag between the imposition of any new countermeasures and the start of an effect on the epidemic curve. So I do not believe the suggestion that this may be only for 3 weeks. I think that is just a piece of expectation management, rather like those mendacious airport announcements (nostalgia, eh?) telling you your flight has been delayed for 20 minutes [yeah - right]. I think we should prepare ourselves for this going on for 6-8 weeks at least.

Yes, there doesn't seem to be a surplus of lefties all claiming it is all a conspiracy. o_O
 

Shad

Veteran Member

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

  • shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
  • one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household;
  • any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
  • travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.
Only established at a city to city level. City/town/etc.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:
  • close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
  • we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
  • and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.
This has only be enacted in part at the Fed level. At the city level 1 and 2 are in place along with fines.
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

Open here with warnings regarding playgrounds. A lot of parks have playgrounds here.

Do you think these measures are the right thing to do?

I see nothing about schools. Various communities in Canada are switching to the existing online services which is Canada's version of home schooling. Granted it is slowed a bit as teachers need to switch to the computer system which takes a bit of training.

And what reaction do RF members outside of the UK have to these measures?

Anything about income assistance?

Seems like the status quo for the outbreak.
 
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