COVID-19/Lockdown/UK

UK

 COVID-19/Lockdown/UK(COVID-19/Lockdown)

File:Armed police visiting premises that refuse to close in Liverpool in October 2020.jpg A delegation of armed police visit a gym in Liverpool in October 2020 to impose a fine and demand it be shut down immediately.
Date	March 2020 - Present
Location	UK
Description	The UK police, afforded extensive new powers by the 329 page "Coronavirus bill" faced wide-ranging criticism in April 2020 for overstepping them. The first prosecution under the legislation they attempted was ruled unlawful.

The COVID-19 Lockdown in the UK was a sharp reversal of the early March response which "won much support across Britain: keep calm and wash your hands." It was ushered in with a 329 page piece of Coronavirus legislation. It was quite possibly ilegal"initially proscribed all political gatherings and public demonstrations without exception – a measure unprecedented in British history." The first prosecution attempted under it was ruled unlawful. It was promoted by UK deep state functionary, David Aaronovitch who wrote as late in September 2020 that Covid libertarians are a danger to us all.

Origins

The UK lockdown was decided upon after meetings of the highly secretive Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies‎‎ group. In April 2020, as frustration with the lockdown grew, the secrecy surrounding the group was widely criticised, with only a few members of the group publicly admitting the fact. Chris Whitty stated that he had been told not to reveal the names by the CPNI, for reasons of "national security". On 24 April, over 20 names of the group were published in the UK commercially-controlled media.

Sweeping powers

File:Peak-800x480.jpg

Derbyshire Police used drones to record a video warning the public to stay away from the Peak District during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

UK police was widely scorned for using drones in what was seen as heavy handed policing which exceeded even the powers give them.

Roads

UK police were criticised after it was discovered that "road checkpoints had been set up to quiz drivers about their journeys."

Supermarkets

UK police have been active in policing supermarkets, making sure that people only buy essential items, a policy the UK Home office explicitly disavowed.

"Cambridgeshire police later blamed an “over-exuberant” though “good-intentioned” officer" for

Northamptonshire Police chief constable Nick Adderley prompted criticism after saying his force was "only a few days away" from "marshalling supermarkets and checking the items in baskets and trolleys to see whether it's a legitimate, necessary item".

Gardens

File:UK police bothering old guy in lockdown.jpg

"South Yorkshire Police has apologised for telling a family they were not allowed on their own front garden during the Covid-19 lockdown."

Restaurants

Northamptonshire restaurateur Wanda Trela-Pyzalska was fined £5,000 for hosting a wedding.

Shifting schedules

On 23 March Boris Johnson announced a lockdown "for 3 weeks" to flatten the curve, i.e. prevent hospitals from being overloaded, an event which never came close to happening. Nevertheless, as with most other country's COVID Lockdowns, reopening was repeatedly delayed and the NHS requested patients stay away, leaving many hospitals largely empty.

15 April - No "exit strategy"

The Guardian reported on 15 April 2020 that the UK government has no exit plan for Covid-19 lockdown. Nadine Dorries statement that {{#subobject: |Has superobject=COVID-19/Lockdown/UK |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Nadine Dorries|+sep=, |Has text=“Journalists should stop asking about an ‘exit strategy.’ There is only one way we can ‘exit’ full lockdown and that is when we have a vaccine. Until then, we need to find ways we can adapt society and strike a balance between the health of the nation and our economy” |Is about=COVID-19/Lockdown/UK,COVID-19/Vaccine|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=15 April 2020 |Sourced from= |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName= |Has sourceURL=https://twitter.com/NadineDorries/status/1250494730451836928 }}“Journalists should stop asking about an ‘exit strategy.’ There is only one way we can ‘exit’ full lockdown and that is when we have a vaccine. Until then, we need to find ways we can adapt society and strike a balance between the health of the nation and our economy” was not well received, and within days, a more nuanced reply had been offered to this question.

"Second wave"

The so-called "casedemic" — a large increase in reported positives with only a slight increase in deaths.

The so-called "casedemic" — a large increase in reported positives with only a slight increase in deaths.

Just before the 6 month vote on whether to renew the UK COVID-19 legislation, testing was greatly increased, focusing on asymptomatic patients, resulting in a large increase in "cases" (attention shifted from deaths). A similar pattern of increasing cases was evidenced across Europe.

Integrity Initiative propagandist David Aaronovitch wrote an article in The Times entitled Covid libertarians are a danger to us all which suggested that lockdowns could buy time “before the vaccine arrives”. He did not mention Sweden, where the virus was more or less eliminated by their herd immunity strategy.

In October the WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge warned against overreliance on lockdowns except as a "last resort". A few days later, the UK government increased its lockdown measures in London and across much of the UK.

File:COVID 19 fence destroyed 2020.jpg

By the 6 November, hundreds of students from the University of Manchester destroyed "huge metal barriers" which had been suddenly erected around them as part of the second wave lockdown.

Boris Johnson declared a nationwide lockdown to begin from 5 November. The university apologised "for the concern and distress caused" and stated that the barrier, erected on the first day of the lockdown, was not a confinement measure, but was intended to address what the BBC termed "security concerns".

File:COVID 19 act like you've got it.jpg

UK government documents reveal deliberate efforts to promote people's sense of personal threat from the virus

File:I was just following orders.png

Pushback

The COVID Recovery Group is a group of Tory MPs who oppose lockdowns.

End?

Freedom Day on 19 July 2021.

References