Lockdown Latest
 
So, hot on the heels of my last missif we now have the Government’s re-opening programme and if we look at the first announcement that was unveiled, my concern was that this had reversed what should be the guiding principle for this process, which should be ‘data not dates,’ yet we were bombarded by a range of dates, through which the country would re-open.
 
As you’ve probably by now read, there are 4 Stages of unlocking with 2 dates in Stage 1 – 8th March and 29th March; Stage 2 – 12th April; Stage 3 - 17th May; and Stage 4 – 21st June. All of these dates were announced with the accompanying statement - “NO EARLIER THAN..” So, dates before data.
 
Being cynical, one could make the case that if in two weeks we had absolutely no Covid infections, no hospitalisations and no deaths, that we would still be waiting until June for things to get back to normal.
 
However, it’s reported in the press today that government sources now indicate that if there is “better-than-expected-data” that these timings could be “reviewed.” So even over 24 hours we still can’t get any certainty in all this and the glaring omission in all of this is that the Government has studiously avoided setting any metric as to what will be the ’triggers’ for these ‘revisions.’ In other words, what are actually “better-than-expected-figures”?
 
As I mentioned earlier this week, the key virus metrics to date are far better than official predictions so we should absolutely expect that some serious review and amendment of the dates and stages is taken soon and then kept to.
 
My major concern is that when we read the original announcement these projected dates and stages were to be a red line and there would be “no going back to lockdown,” however, we then got the ’small print’ which said that all this was conditional on, for one thing, people behaving themselves…!!! So, if between now and whenever, if there are two raves and someone caught having a picnic on a beach in the UK, Commissar Hancock could have us back in lockdown until Christmas.
 
As you can tell, I’m reaching the end of my tether with the way this has been managed – the vaccination programme apart – which has been a success (especially since I’ve had my first jab), but the disappointment is in the slow proposed rate of unlocking. A Conservative MP Steve Baker expressed this - “Today’s pace of change will be a hammer blow to aviation, pubs, restaurants, hotels, gyms and pools, the arts and entertainment. It seems to be modelling not data, driving decisions.”  I’m sure with a bit more time he’d have mentioned martial arts clubs….
 
As to when we can get going again and open our clubs, the stages were not helpful given their original dates and even by 12th April - Step 2, only then could gyms open but only for individuals and households
 
Only at Stage 3 – 17th May, could 'adult indoor group sports and exercise classes can start up again', if the original timescales are kept to.
 
The only bit of blue sky therefore is that, assuming they keep their word, better figures will trigger a review of these dates; ‘fingers crossed.’
 
The moment we get any update I’ll be back in touch.
 
Peter