Coronavirus

[Alsty]

Well, Michael Gove said he didn't think enforcement of face masks in shops should be mandatory just days before it was, so at least it would be consistent for him to be misinformed.

I think local lockdowns and better testing and tracing are going to be the key to keeping it under control. We have much better ideas how to manage it now than we did at the start of the year. However this is a reminder that this virus is incredibly infectious and we forget that at our peril. It shows the importance of social distancing and that large gatherings such as those in nightclubs are not compatible, as Spain has unfortunately shown. I believe nightclubs were also a problem in South Korea when they unlocked.

People must understand it's "new normal", not "back to normal".

 

[delta79]

Am I right to be fearful, or am I being too hasty and pessimistic?

I would say realist.
We do have to be careful with how we move forward and how we protect from covid positive people returning from other countries.

I do wonder if test on landing with isolate until results return clear. That should turn 14 days into 3 to 5 days.

Local lockdown is the way the uk is going to deal with this now as it is 'less' damaging to the economy.




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[Islander]

People must understand it's "new normal", not "back to normal".

"New normal" is such an appalling term though, I hate it with a passion. There's nothing normal with the situation right now, social distancing / masks / restrictions etc. should never be considered 'normal', they should be considered a necessity in the current situation, but it's not healthy to try and persuade people that it's how things will be forevermore.

We're not back to normal, but we should aim to return to normal, be that in 8-12 months or more.

 

[James]

I told him I was fearful about a situation like we had back in March/April, where the entire world went into lockdown, and he told me that even if cases do rise again, we likely won’t go back into full lockdown again like we did in spring, as we have less blunt instruments to use now to try and control the spread. Thinking about it, I think even Boris Johnson has rejected the idea of a second national lockdown, instead opting for local lockdowns.

There are plenty of mechanisms in place now that will not require a country wide lockdown, so there's no need to worry about that. The government will do what they can to keep the economy running in one way or another. The quick reaction with Spain is a good example of how government will take smaller actions that do not affect the entire population.

Best thing you can do is play your part, stay safe and follow the rules as best as you can. The more people that do that, the sooner we will lead back to a life of normality.

 

[Matt N]

"New normal" is such an appalling term though, I hate it with a passion. There's nothing normal with the situation right now, social distancing / masks / restrictions etc. should never be considered 'normal', they should be considered a necessity in the current situation, but it's not healthy to try and persuade people that it's how things will be forevermore.

We're not back to normal, but we should aim to return to normal, be that in 8-12 months or more.

My personal thought is that if/when a vaccine is found, the government will aim to vaccinate as many people as possible in as little time as possible, and then when the vaccine is “widely available” and/or sufficient numbers have been vaccinated, the government will then give the go ahead to return life to normal.

Humans are social creatures by nature, so I think it would almost go against human nature to keep social distancing and the other measures in place once the threat posed by COVID is managed. Not to mention, the economic recovery of the world could be achieved far more quickly without the measures in place than they could be with the measures in place, for sure.

 

[pluk]

Boris Johnson has today declared that the second wave has begun in Europe. Now while I think that is slightly hasty wording,

Would be interesting to know what qualifications Boris has to make such a statement?

The typical politician qualifications-None.

That would be hasty wording.
Except that's not what he said, he didn't declare anything, he said "I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic".

Acknowledging signs of a second wave is not the same as declaring there is one.

I do wonder if test on landing with isolate until results return clear. That should turn 14 days into 3 to 5 days.

Unfortunately I think it remains the case that the test is ineffective prior to symptoms.

 

[imanautie]

That would be hasty wording.
Except that's not what he said, he didn't declare anything, he said "I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic".

Acknowledging signs of a second wave is not the same as declaring there is one.



Unfortunately I think it remains the case that the test is ineffective prior to symptoms.

That's probably why they are looking into double testing, one test potencially abroad or at the airport and another several days later and if they both clear then you stop isolation.

 

[rob666]

The local elephant in the room, coming from sunny Blackburn.
In the simplest terms, Islam means no gambling or drinking.
So the menfolk often do both, in private, in small groups, in garages and portacabins on industrial estates, every weekend.
Taboo, so never admitted or discussed.
Tricky to manage.

 

[BigT]

The local elephant in the room, coming from sunny Blackburn.
In the simplest terms, Islam means no gambling or drinking.
So the menfolk often do both, in private, in small groups, in garages and portacabins on industrial estates, every weekend.
Taboo, so never admitted or discussed.
Tricky to manage.

shhh your not allowed to discuss that or the thought police will be along to lock you up and throw away the key.
Nor are you allowed to discuss that nearly all of the places that are seeing flare ups are all the places where our Asian brothers are at there highest concentrations or that mosques are constantly breaking social distance rules.

 

[Benzin]

The implication that no other races or creeds are breaking any social distancing is more of an issue. Saw plenty of different people not wearing mask, or neighbours having family over when the ruling was you shouldn't.

"Thought police" my arse.

 

[BigT]

Saw plenty of different people not wearing mask, or neighbours having family over when the ruling was you shouldn't.

That may be true but what do Leicester, Blackburn, Bradford, Luton and Oldham all have in common?
Only yesterday there was a report that BAME people were disproportionately fined for breaking Covid rules, is it that police are all racist pigs or could it just be that BAME are not quite so good at following rules?

 

[Plastic Person]

That may be true but what do Leicester, Blackburn, Bradford, Luton and Oldham all have in common?

That they were all once influential manufacturing hubs that required cheap and often exploited overseas labour throughout the 1960s and 1970s?

Only yesterday there was a report that BAME people were disproportionately fined for breaking Covid rules, is it that police are all racist pigs or could it just be that BAME are not quite so good at following rules?

Even the extremely unlikely event that you are not in fact asking this question in good faith, this is definitely one of the worst things I've ever seen posted on this forum.

 

[rob666]

I was speaking earlier about issues of religion putting a spanner in the covid works regarding matters of alcohol and gambling, not a gutter level knee jerk racist remark.

 

[Benzin]

I was speaking earlier about issues of religion putting a spanner in the covid works regarding matters of alcohol and gambling, not a gutter level knee jerk racist remark.

That is true, but at the same time it isn't necessarily just applicable to Islamic people. Though rather than religious taboo Johnno is usually sneaking off down the pub to neck a few to avoid the wife finding out. But other religions no doubt have their taboos snuck out in a back end industrial area as well.

At least you weren't saying/inferring "the areas with high rates are full of Muslims" and closing the book on that being THE cause.

 

[Skyscraper]

My local Chinese takeaway have put signs up saying "no mask, no entry". They've lost my dad's custom now.

I think this is why a lot of stores aren't enforcing the rules- they know that anyone with a legitimate exemption could sue them.

 

[imanautie]

My local Chinese takeaway have put signs up saying "no mask, no entry". They've lost my dad's custom now.

I think this is why a lot of stores aren't enforcing the rules- they know that anyone with a legitimate exemption could sue them.

Just because placed have those signs up doesn't mean they don't accept excemptions.

 

[Dave]

My local Chinese takeaway have put signs up saying "no mask, no entry". They've lost my dad's custom now.

I think this is why a lot of stores aren't enforcing the rules- they know that anyone with a legitimate exemption could sue them.

There are so few legitimate exemptions, so many of the “scare” stories about masks making breathing difficult or dropping oxygen levels make me wonder how the human race has survived this long.

At the end of the day shops have the right to deny access for any reason (they are private property), if you don’t want to wear a mask for the minute it takes to collect a phoned in order then you have issues that go beyond any health concerns.

 

[RoyJess]

Wearing a mask it to help protect the shop-workers.

Shop workers have the right to feel safe and protected from this virus. If they become ill, who is going to serve you?

 

[imanautie]

There are so few legitimate exemptions, so many of the “scare” stories about masks making breathing difficult or dropping oxygen levels make me wonder how the human race has survived this long.

At the end of the day shops have the right to deny access for any reason (they are private property), if you don’t want to wear a mask for the minute it takes to collect a phoned in order then you have issues that go beyond any health concerns.

What would you suggest for me then? Just shove my phone in their face? (I know Travelodge staines didn't exactly like it)

 

[Dave]

Wearing a mask it to help protect the shop-workers.

Shop workers have the right to feel safe and protected from this virus. If they become ill, who is going to serve you?

Exactly, for nearly every person saying they can’t wear a mask it’s pure selfishness. Yes they are annoying, yes they take some time to get used to but genuinely the longest time you will spend in a shop without a break is 30-40 min. For most people that is just a matter of dealing with it.