The Prime Minister is set to announce to the nation at 18:45 this evening (Saturday) that we are going into another national lockdown, of sorts, putting massive uncertainty on the livelihoods of thousands of Islanders.
According to reports in the national press, the Government is set to reveal plans to plunge the country back into dark days with a lockdown that could last the whole of November and could come into force as soon as Wednesday next week.
This time around schools and other educational establishments are expected to remain open but pubs and other non-essential retail could close, with office workers once again told to work from home – undoing all the hard work businesses have been putting in to get the doors back open in a COVID-secure way.
For Islanders, the impact may be less significant than earlier in the year with the summer season now long gone. But with very little improvement in the situation the country finds itself in, it does raise the question of whether major events will be able to go ahead in 2021.
Although yet to be officially confirmed, it is said that the lockdown will last until 1st December in a bid to save Christmas, however, it isn’t unreasonable to think that Boris Johnson may end up extending the lockdown much like he did earlier in 2020. It is unclear what, if any, financial support will be in place for businesses and workers.
The dire news comes as the furlough scheme comes to an end, as well as the end of mortgage holidays.
The Isle of Wight remains one of the safest places in the country in terms of COVID infections and deaths, but locals now look set to be dragged into tight restrictions that other parts of the country are already seeing.
Although the number of cases per day is much higher than in April, due to increased testing, the number of deaths are nowhere near comparable.
Government cabinet members will meet this afternoon at 13:30 to discuss this situation and make final decisions on what is to happen next.
UPDATE @ 14:45 – It has now been announced that the press briefing will be at 17:00 and not 16:00 as initially announced.
UPDATE @ 17:00 – The announcement has been rescheduled until 18:30.
UPDATE @ 18:30 – The announcement is due to start shortly. All the latest information has been published here: islandecho.co.uk/island-back-into-lockdown-from-thursday-announces-prime-minister/
All because some people can’t follow instructions to try and reduce the risk!
[citation needed] as Wikipedia would say
Its why I used the word “try”. Nothing needed citation! The alternative is for everybody to go about their daily business as if it doesn’t exist…and look where that’s getting us…
No, because the PM wants us to be fit enough to spend three weeks pre Christmas, the main money maker for diminished High street
They did the same with the Holiday season, IF you remember. Early lockdown, all CV testing slowed over the main Hol period, so as to not scare hol trade, then, soon as kids back to school, more testing and more cases.
All about tills ringing, not our safety.
More like loads more money for Amazon over the next month. Which, in turn, means more money for China as well. Considering most purchases from Amazon are made in China.
Perhaps Amazon should be renamed Yangtze.
People might vote you down (tories) but you are speaking the truth well done
I voted Tory, and would do so again, not having a ‘go’ at the PM, but wise enough to know that money is what drives the country not a person or a party, thus they are doing a tricky job. For us, it is simple, we care for our loved ones.
Yet the PM has to care for the whole of the economy, and the health of the nation, so, a compromise is made, and to me, that is what is happening as it did in the Summer.
The PM knows shops rely on Christmas trade, more so than ever this year, so will hope to ease restrictions by Early Dec, so spending can resume in time to save some shops and pubs etc for small Christmas party gatherings.
Yet he can’t ‘say’ such, as people would complain if they considered wealth before health, UNTIL they were starving, but then of course, it would all be too late.
Hence the ‘plan’ imo.
That lying toad will probably cancel Christmas and the last person to do that was Cromwell and we all remember what happened to him …exhumed after death and hung drawn and quartered, with his head stuck on a pole….
“196 years before Charles Dickens’ festive tale of humbug was published, Oliver Cromwell sealed his reputation as Britain’s foremost Scrooge when parliament, under his influence, outlawed Christmas.
But banning Christmas wasn’t just a symbolic act of parliament. The English Civil War was drawing to a close and Parliament was overrun with puritans who believed Christmas was ‘Popish’ so in 1647 they made celebrating the festival a punishable offence.”
Put the Army on the streets of the UK so ALL restrictions and lockdown rules are adhered too. It’s the only way. People in Tier 3 in the north of the UK openly admit to not following the guidelines. Boris has GOT TO GET TOUGH to ensure the R number is bought back down below 1. Too many people will lose their lives prematurely if they don’t do something constructive now. As usual, they are 2 weeks too late but this lockdown has got to be bought in because the number of infections in some parts of the country is spiralling out of control. The NHS hospitals will get overwhelmed. I really hope we don’t see coach and car loads still driving off the ferries in the next 4 weeks, coming here for a break!?!?!?!?
two weeks late? so your saying France and Germany are spot on with there lockdown and we should follow the leaders?
Thought about moving to China?
No. My thoughts come from our Prime Minister and his bumblings, pleading with the nation to follow the guidelines when clearly, millions were not, hence the virus is, has, spread out of control. Tough measures for tough times that’s all Tony.
Why am I getting negative votes. The PM has acted too slowly and has not been able to ensure everyone adheres to his lockdown rules. People up in Manchester , Liverpool and the likes openly admit to not doing what they are asked. So why are people so surprised another lockdown has to be applied. Remember, hands, face, space.
Because you are gullible.
Lockdowns DONT BLOODY WORK
We’ve had one.weve mostly worn masks.and it’s obv still here.going too be.its a virus.der
Panic, scare us and bs everyone with fake numbers aint how you deal with this.cases arent deaths .hospitals are not overwhelmed.flues season will…standard that.iv seen empty hosp so quit believing the hysteria
You follow sweden.thats it ! Say no more
Why don`t you go and live in Russia or China …as you seem to like their totalitarian life style…
Does this mean all off to Seaview for a Barbecue!
Got any evidence for that ?
What risk are you inferring to?
It’s called common sense and trying to help where possible…if people stay in there’s less risk of contracting most illnesses…just seems sensible to me
As the chance of a lasting effect of any vaccine is more than questionable, then it seems that, over the next decade, most of us will catch CV at some time. Locking down, only stalls, not prevents this likelyhood.
So surely better to keep the very vulnerable locked away, and let the rest try to avoid cv as we have been doing, and so long as the hospitals can just cope, let it run it’s course.
The PM seems to be doing what he did for the Summer hol season, trying to keep the numbers low, so we can all go out and ‘spend’ just three weeks prior to Christmas.
Hence like in the Summer we were locked in, pre the main season, that was allowed to happen, then, not surprisingly number were kept quite UNTIL the season ended.
Same will happen now.
Only allowed ‘out’ to spend, then once the main shopping spree is over, back to reality.
Wait until Feb next year, this is the good times.
“As the chance of a lasting effect of any vaccine is more than questionable,” Don’t make statements on science you do not understand. There are several ways the body defends against a virus. The one that is not giving as good as protection they hoped is antibodys. This is not abnormal. T cells is the protection that can last a year or more. They do not yet know if they can give the long term protection we need. A long road yet. Don’t abandon hope and throw everyone under the bus because one treatment is not as good as it could have been.
Another shut down will NOT!!! Stop covid, it will destroy the economy, who will pay for the NHS when we are bankrupt???
We get free healthcare from the NHS
I expect they will get financial support from the government seeing as they have too much money for their bank
“We get free healthcare from the NHS”
Must be nice not having a job and not paying any National Insurance for “free” healthcare
Health care is not free we pay for it from our wages.
Very well said if we stopped national insurance perhaps all these dead heads would stop having babies to claim benefits system is a joke you should only get something out of this country if you put something in
Here here, well said. Too many wasters get everything for nothing.
What’s going to happen when the hospital are crawling with COVID-19 patients and say me or you have a heart attack who’s going to look after us ???
It’s all about controlling the flow of patients in all circumstances.
Let’s hope all the supermarkets introduce rationing straightaway then there won’t be the supply problems like in the first lockdown.
no chance already started the Waxxnkers
Looks like Boris is looking up for help! !
Just goes to show how out of control and useless he is.
Ok Mr know it all, tell us what the answers are?????
Second time around, will the ferries stop bringing holiday visitors from God only knows where to the island this time? LOCKDOWN has got to mean LOCKDOWN which in my understanding means no travelling to a second home or holiday destination!!!!! Everything will close all but ESSENTIAL SHOPS, so don’t panic everyone, Tesco and all the other supermarkets will be well stocked and receiving food deliveries as NORMAL.
Lock down = lock down, no close the likes of tesco as well
Change name to miss twat how would people eat no doubt your on benefits and gets food delivered
So what are we all supposed to survive on???? Fresh air….. Bit of a silly comment really, we all need food.
Too true about holiday visitors!
June 2020 ” Mr justice said there would be a 2nd lockdown end of the year” but he’s just a conspiracy fool”
Perhaps some will take notice now . I’d just like someone in government to convince me and many others why we on the island are being unfairly punished as we still have one of the lowest infection rates in the u.k. Why compare us to areas that have the highest infection rates. Something stinks here. What’s coming next?
Mandatory app for everybody. Track and trace for everybody! That’s what’s next, watch!
Track and trace is not functioning properly. Recently someone I know had an email starting off dear miss xxxxxxxxxx you have been in contact company with a person that has been tested as positive blah blah blah. Firstly that someone was not female,not his name and most glaringly doesn’t have track and trace on his mobile . There’s an awful lot of bull shxt coming from so called scientist advisors especially SAGE. God help us.
Oh hello, your back. Well of course there is a 2nd lockdown, there always was going to be, but it’s because of the alarming rate of COVID infections and as not to overwhelm our NHS, no other conspiracy. If people only did as they were instructed, but oh no. Look at the infection rate up north, out of control due to non compliance and over crowding. I really don’t know where this will all end.
So in your opinion do you think it’s fair that we are being unfairly punished here on the island ?
What is not fair, are people from highly infected parts of the country travelling to very low infected parts, eg, IOW. I know the economy and all that needed to keep going but in the end, our infection rate increased due to mainland visitors. Don’t worry too much, there will still be many of low intelligence not adhering to the lockdown rules on the island.
Try at least another 2 to 3 years of this! Maybe be more?
Yes, probably……I am so angry that someone, a country is responsible for this mess, yet nothing is being investigated to get to the truth. The whole world have just accepted it.
Careful ,your stepping into conspiracy territory,lol.. look if people knew the truth about what’s going on!? Then we could sort this out. But most believe what they are told, so this is what happens. TC.
Lock down after lock down will not stop this virus, it may slightly slow it. It is here and until everyone excepts that will have to live with it and it’s mutations it’ll cost not only jobs but the country more money, the NHS could cope…. What would they do if there was a national disaster like an earthquake in other countries or a war, too much of the NHS can’t cope they need to. First lock down 13 weeks 4 will do nothing this time of year. As for schools still being open why? Young people may not show signs of covid but could still be carriers again no logic this will affect people more mentally than the virus it self
Yes it’s a known fact most colds are brought into the home by young children whose immune systems are not as strong as an adult,so by keeping the schools open it won’t make any difference.We can’t keep shutting them it is wrong, and it is wrong to keep causing more carnage trying to control a virus with a 99% recovery rate. It’s bullsh**t saying it’s about saving the NHS every year before this “virus” they couldn’t cope all because the government wouldn’t put more of our money into them,rather to spend it on their fatcat selves
And we haven’t even begun to get nearly enough ready for Brexit!
Interesting times ahead, and probably not long before we are bankrupt. Never mind we can always call on our European partners to bail us out. Oh wait……..
The EU doesn’t ‘bail’ other nations out. Remember Greece and Spain a few years back? Utterly broke.
Is it just coincidence that we leave the EU and then all this happens, causing major problems for our economy
Great conspiracy theory lol
Well it is imo, the same ‘coincidence’ that the most vilest crimes have only occured en masse in the West since it allowed in much of the third world under various guises of ‘ m igrants, a sylum seekers, war victims, and i llegals.
The overcrowding, lack of homes, anti social behaviour, drain on our jails, courts, NHS, education services, and welfare state are ‘all’ a coincidence too.
Is that why Jeromy Corbin was on red funnel last night
If the lockdown is coming then ONLY food shops should open, NOT B&Q, NOT GARDEN CENTRES, and also limit stock of foods per customer, only 1 person from the family should be allowed in, that way the wife and husband etc, cannot go in individually and get double the shopping for the household. Stop the sale of alcohol too. Make this a proper lockdown this time, oh yes, stop the ferries from bringing 2nd homeowner and holidaymakers from coming over, but maybe it’s too late already.
Absolutely, agree 100%
They should stop the sale of alcohol and cigarettes. Close takeaways, encourage people to cook Healthy dinners at home from scratch.
Keep gyms open or install outside gyms.
It’s no good being obese and smoking; then wearing a mask. These people obviously do not care about their health anyway.
Whitelink and Red Funnel need to reintroduce the Stay in Your Car policy for the foreseeable.
They need to stop people coming here and flooding the holiday parks etc…..
How about, ‘stay at home, don’t get in your car and travel to the IOW at all’ that’s more like it……
Being a business owner I hope that people will listen this time. If you care about the high street and genuinely care about your own job then I would stay at home. This second lockdown will be much harder on businesses than the first. 4 weeks of hard lockdown will be better than a year of suffering.
So are Seely and Stewart going to tell Wightlink and Red funnel what essential travel means this time.
Ooooooh no, I doubt that very much!!!!!!
please god help me i ai,nt got a fuxxcking clue what to do now…ol bobo looking for insperation from god who ever he may be.
I think we all saw this coming. We have a moral duty to do what is being asked of us and protect the NHS so that the people who need to access it can. We have the chance to shut the stable door before the horse has bolted. Keep safe everyone. Clean hands, wear a mask and keep your distance.
Covid will be around for some time until travel is stopped, quarantine is introduced for everyone entering the country and migrants are forced back to France instead of being accommodated in hotels in UK cities.
We were encouraged to eat out in August with Eat out to Help out offer from government. Now they are saying Stay in again…. farcical to say the least.
Too many sheep listening to the false stats on BBC. Wearing masks has now proved not to work. Been wearing masks since end of July and numbers have risen.
Watch this space…..the lockdown will probably be extended.