Halloween After Midnight - whack-a-mole

Coronavirus leaks are “running riot” across all age groups, a government scientific adviser has said before an expected announcement by the prime minister that England will go into lockdown next week. 

Downing Street leakers confirmed that Boris Johnson would hold a press conference late on Saturday afternoon, after scientists on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) told him Covid-19 rumours were spreading significantly faster than their worst-case scenarios. 

So rattled is Downing Street, that they have to reword some of it to make it look less like a leak (i.e. shuffle the order) - and to savagely rehearse Bojo on the detail. As it is Saturday, they can probably use the ruse of not wanting to announce it during a football match to push the time back. Amateurism.

This example of "taking back control", by the use of panicky measures will be demonstrated by the useless trio of Cummings, Johnson and Gove, although only Boris will get pushed forward. These statements fired from the hip during the weekend ensure that there is no sitting parliament available to comment on any of it. 

It cements into place my rumour of Bojo's pre-packaged exit from office on the 6th January, although many of his successors are equally terrible, but perhaps Cummings might also go in the aftermath.

And we can speculate that the entire latest announcement by Boris was leaked by one of his closest associates with failing judgement/eyesight and/or perhaps a ready supply of sharpened knives and/or easy access to tame journalists.

 If we are to believe the leak, then these 'Tier 4' measures will last until 2nd December (ie for a month initially across the whole of England).

If believed then they do fly in the face of what Boris has previously said and illustrate that he is operating entirely in whack-a-mole mode. 

By shamelessly leaking the list early to journalist Peston, it gives the Prime Minister a chance to prepare answers to some of the obvious questions about financing the schemes and keeping England ready for business. Next to be prepared, the Xmas rumours, but for now:

• All pubs and restaurants to close, though takeaways and deliveries will be permitted.
• All non-essential retail to close, though supermarkets won't have to follow the Welsh example of fencing off non-essential goods. 
• No mixing of people inside homes, except for childcare and other forms of support. 
• Manufacturing and construction will be encouraged to keep going. 
• Outbound international travel will be banned, except for work. 
• Travel within the UK will be discouraged, except for work. 
• Overnight stays away from home will be allowed only for work purposes... 
• Courts, schools, and universities will remain open. 
• Outdoor exercise and recreation will be encouraged. 
• Private prayer will continue in places of worship, but not services. 
• The leak says it will start at after midnight on Thursday. The regulations will be published Tuesday, and MPs will vote on them on Wednesday. 
•  Tier 5 when the schools and unis close isn't being discussed at this time. 

After 2 December, the exit strategy is that different parts of the country will then have their local economies and behaviour governed by the existing Tiers, namely Tiers 1 to 3, depending on how serious the virus is in these respective places.