I haven’t heard anything about the self employed. Have I missed it?

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They get Universal Credit equivalent to statutory sick pay. And UC in general is being increased by £1,000 a year.

(I think that's right, anyway - I was distracted a bit by the self-assessment stuff!)

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No you haven’t. I didn’t hear that either.

Also, the chancellor said shops would close. Boris didn’t. Does this mean shopping centres could open. 

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Shops not supermarkets ?

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Self employed were mentioned but didn’t get the exact detail.

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I assume supermarkets will stay open. But it’s not clear about normal retail.

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VAT payments deferred which will make a big difference for me. Plus no payment on account in July.

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Boris clarifies they will be open but I'm glad I went today watch the stampede in the morning 

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That's the bit I was listening to - I owe a payment on account for July, but I'm not self-employed. I'll check in a few days to see if that applies to me too...

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With measures to protect businesses, measures to prevent mortgage defaults, measures to help those renting and measures to continue to pay staff who are not working - and the host of other measures (such as help for the financial sector) - I think you're overestimating the risk by at least 15%.  

Every country on the planet is facing similar or identical challenges so the markets are unlikely to punish any single country for doing what is needed. It's not in anyone's interest to bring thbe whole edifice crashing down. Expect those with huge balance of trade surpluses to be especially keen to stabilise things: China and OPEC countries in particular need there to be functioning economies when this blows over - which it will, even if it takes months.

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Normal shops can stay open for now.

Those told to close are; cafes, pubs, clubs, restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres where people purposely go for social gathering

Normal retail should be closed. Major shopping centres will just have people shopping.

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Yes, but a lot cheaper than the whole house crashing down.

 

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I can imagine pop-up speakeasys appearing all over the place. People like Beast won't be thwarted that easily.

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Hence wby I said there's really not much choice.

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It'll be interesting how little that'll affect where I live.

Cafe - nearest 1 mile away.

Pub - at the end of the road, but they're switching to takeaway food.

Club - nearest 4 miles away.

Nightclub - 8 miles.

Theatre - 8 miles.

Cinema - 14 miles (or 70 feet, as I have one in the "posh shed" in the garden!)

Gym - 3 miles

Leisure centre - 8 miles.

The pub is the main one for people and even then most around here don't use it. Those that do will be sad tonight though!

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To be fair, if that's allowed, the message has been to stay at home and use 'social distancing'- we can debate whether it was reasonable to expect everyone to comply but the government allowed a short window to see if people would do the right thing.  As it stands it looks like a reasonable and necessary ratcheting up of the regime.

That leaves public transport but if essential staff need to get to work that has to keep running. Maybe they will have to manage how many people are in each carriage?  Perhaps insist everyone on public transport wears a mask? That would help a little.

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As everyone knows I have fully supported closure of pubs etc. And I believe this is an important step

HOWEVER

Normal retail shops should close.
Pubs should close immediately. All that will happen tonight is people will go out for one last hurrah. Just another evening of spread and infection. Another fudge

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Can you imagine trying to close every pub in the country - most currently open and many with quite a few customers in - immediately?  That would mean a riot.

Far safer to tell them to close tonight as normal and then just not reopen

 

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BoJo even said in his speech that people might be tempted to do that, but he asked them not to.

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Hopefully we can buy bottles and stand outside and drink. Or just go to the Tesco carpark

 

 

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UK Data

66,976 have been tested +2,355

62,993 negative 

3,983 positive +714

👍👍👍

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Data for the past 3 days

New cases

18th - 676
19th - 643
20th - 714

Daily deaths

18th - 32
19th - 41
20th - 33

Daily test results

18th - 5,779
19th - 8,400
20th - 2,355