Accepted … 
The Indian coronavirus variant is now dominant in more than 40 areas in England - heightening fears of a return to local lockdowns or even the regional tier system.
Data from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, correct up to May 15, shows that the variant is now ascendant in 44 places in England.
Goodness Omah, that is quite scary…I really hope it doesn’t get a proper hold. Down there OR up here. 
I don’t think that the “Indian variant” will become rampant but its’ unwelcome presence will certainly impact on the expected return to normality.
Well we all know why that has happened, don’t we.
It seems to be government policy to allow access to this country to anybody and everybody, legal and illegal.
Then they blame us and impose more lockdowns!
Government backtracks over local travel advice after confusion
Ministers have backtracked over travel advice for eight areas worst-hit by the Indian Covid variant, after a change in guidance led to widespread confusion. The amended advice asks people to minimise travel into and out of Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside. Earlier advice had asked people to avoid non-essential travel altogether.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps admitted communication over the advice could have been “clearer”. Mr Shapps said the government would “learn from that”, but added he did not believe the change in advice was “actually all that complicated”. “This is not a new lockdown, this is not law, this is just some advice,” he told BBC Breakfast. “You can do exactly as you can elsewhere in the country. Some additional advice was provided in order to remind people that they happen to be living in areas where the risk of transmission is higher.”
Many people called off plans at short notice after it emerged on Monday that advice specifically for the eight areas had been published the previous week without any government announcement, which included asking people to avoid non-essential travel. The new advice - updated on Tuesday evening - asks people in the affected areas to meet outdoors and stay two metres apart from anyone in other households, wherever those things are possible. The updated advice also refers people to their local authorities’ Covid guidance and says anyone travelling to red or amber list countries should arrange “a testing or managed quarantine package”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the government wanted to encourage the public “to exercise their good judgement”, rather than issuing “top-down edicts”.
Patently, BJ’s government have not learned from experience and “local lockdown shambles” is the result … :shock:
How ironic that, on the day that The Dome is to expose the government’s incompetence last year, when, despite government “advice”, he “done a runner” to Durham, the Transport Secretary “advises” people in specified areas to “minimise travel” but then says that they can still go where they want … :roll:
Boris has done well with the vaccination programme and, although I’m not entirely convinced about the effectiveness of the lockdowns we’ve had, presumably they have at least encouraged the sensible citizens of this country to behave correctly.
What he has completely failed to do, however, is to prevent the unlimited ingress of people into this country who, in my opinion, have clearly been responsible for bringing the virus, and certainly further strains of it, into this country.
Why he has chosen to ignore, and to continue to permit, this latter problem I have no idea. I can only assume it indicates either incompetence or compliance with other influential people.
I’d go for incompetent AND compliance with other influential people … 
By JBR…(What he has completely failed to do, however, is to prevent the unlimited ingress of people into this country who, in my opinion, have clearly been responsible for bringing the virus, and certainly further strains of it, into this country.
Why he has chosen to ignore, and to continue to permit, this latter problem I have no idea. I can only assume it indicates either incompetence or compliance with other influential people.)
OR, He needs to stop pandering to others, grow a set, and do the right thing. :mad2: As he should have done at the start. 
I agree.
He almost got us out of the EU just before Christmas, or at least he had promised to do so.
Then he backed down.
A Maggie Thatcher or Winston Churchill he is not!
More like another Treason May.
Cases start to slowly rise
After a substantial decline since the start of the year, the average number of daily cases is now slowly rising.
A further 3,542 confirmed cases in the UK were announced by the government on Thursday, up from 2,874 cases reported a week ago.
Several areas, including Bolton, Leicester and Glasgow, are experiencing a surge in cases linked to the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19, also known as B.1.617.2.
Up to three quarters of all new cases are of the new variant, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday.
BJ may crow all he likes about how he’s protected the NHS, saved lives, fought and beaten the pandemic but he’s patently made a big mistake in letting the “Indian variant” into the country - no lesson learned there, then … :!:
If the 3,000+ cases per day (100,000 a month) persists, the rate of infection will be the same as it was in April/May last year … :shock:
Wonder what odds you’ll get on another lockdown before Christmas 
Perhaps even June:
Boris Johnson has said “we may need to wait” for the lifting of all Covid restrictions in England, which is currently planned for 21 June.
The PM said he saw nothing “currently in the data” to suggest the government would have to delay unlocking.
But he said there were signs of an increase in the number of cases of the Indian variant.
It comes after epidemiologist Prof Neil Ferguson said the reopening of society is now “in the balance”.
BJ’s hedging his bets … :!:
I’ve noticed that all announcements from BJ’s government end with something like
“At every stage we’ve been governed by a determination to protect life, to save life, to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed”
or
“We will continue to deliver the vaccine rollout, tackle the risks posed by variants and support the NHS and social care sector to recover from this pandemic”.
It’s so noticeable that it’s like a mantra - I’ve started a collection of these (patently untrue) protestations which are designed to hide the reality of the government’s disastrous response to the pandemic from the viewing/reading public - BJ and his mates are banking on the success of the vaccine to obscure the appalling deaths and social/economic consequences of the government’s lack of planning and direction of the last 18 months … :shock:
Sir BJ.
I can see the papers now - Steering the country through one of the worst times of its life. Aye right.
This is a “Pandemic” not an epidemic, no Government or any individual is fully in control of it.
Some governments are better at control than others - the USA is worst, the UK is seventh worst worldwide and second worst in Europe - well, Trump led the USA to 600,000 dead and BJ led the UK to 127,000 … 
Spitty, even you have to admit they could have done a better job of it all, eh?
I don’t think “Sir” will be good enough for Carrie - she’ll want BJ raised to the peerage so that she can be called “Your Ladyship” … 
Ha! Yes, that is true! 
Actual numbers mean nothing Omah, as younwell know ?
They must be in relation to actual population and then the area
available to that population ??
All of which are not in UK’s favour, especially if coupled to the
populations behaviour ??
Having said that it seems that that although cases of normal covid
are stable, the Indian variant has started to rise ?
If the vaccine, plus the local lock downs fail now, then we are in shyte
street !!
And l notice that the labour councils are against the local lock
downs ???
Donkeyman!