Ooops! That's what I get for bustling in and blurting, without reading what was said beforehand. Apologies!

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.

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.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...inant-24180579

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".

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 .....

OR, He needs to stop pandering to others, grow a set, and do the right thing. As he should have done at the start.