Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[LDC]

Has she said how sorry she is to 1243 families?

She's actually painful to watch. I can't think of the phrase or term to describe it, but she strings together words and short phrases that individually make sense, but all together are just nonsense.

"In terms of that, thank you, the priority groups, reducing the numbers of people, the JVCI have a good plan, and I support police officers." WTF?

 

[planetgeli]

Well the BBC are reporting Hewitt as saying

"We will not linger on encouragement for those not following the rules".

What?

 

[Spandex]

I mean I'm one of the first to moan about people breaking rules, but fucking hell, a year into this pandemic, 1,200+ dead today, the whole country in a fucking mess, some grim weeks ahead, and what they're going on about is some people having raves and some not wearing masks on trains. What a fucking joke.

That's because this is all caused by rule breaking individuals. It's nothing to do with the government's ill judged decision to save Christmas or totally failing to control the spread of the new strain. Oh no. It's because some kids had a rave, some shithead refused to wear a mask and because Doris popped round Mary's house.

 

[Sue]

She's actually painful to watch. I can't think of the phrase or term to describe it, but she strings together words and short phrases that individually make sense, but all together are just nonsense.

"In terms of that, thank you, the priority groups, reducing the numbers of people, the JVCI have a good plan, and I support police officers." WTF?

Is it like Boardroom Bingo and she's just stringing together the management-speak phrases she drew out the hat...? Thank fuck this isn't about anything important. Oh.

 

[cupid_stunt]

It's going to get worst, as of Sun. 10th, there was 35,075 covid patients in hospital, the peak in the first wave was 'just' 21,648, that's an increase of over 60%.

 

[LDC]

How the actual suffering fuck is she Home Secretary?

 

[Supine]

She's actually painful to watch. I can't think of the phrase or term to describe it, but she strings together words and short phrases that individually make sense, but all together are just nonsense.

Word Salad. Truly painful to watch.

 

[Cid]

Questions aren't exactly brilliant.

 

[circleline]

Supermarkets, in my (eye of the storm) area at least, appear to have abandoned the strict one-way system that was in place for lock-down no.1. Seems regressive and smacks of Covid-fatigue..

 

[LeytonCatLady]

Supermarkets, in my (eye of the storm) area at least, appear to have abandoned the strict one-way system that was in place for lock-down no.1. Seems regressive and smacks of Covid-fatigue..

I notice also that even though they have markers indicating you should stand there until the person in front of you has moved, there's no way they're six feet apart. Probably not possible? I don't know. But yeah, social distancing at all times isn't as easy as it sounds. I like Spandex 's point above. The UK is a very tiny island, and a very densely populated island at that, so I think the virus would spread fast even if everyone was technically "obeying", which from my own observation most people seem to. But just like with benefit cuts, it's so much easier for the gov to scapegoat the little guy than it is to look at their own cack-handed, inconsistent advice.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Social distancing in supermarkets is fantasy stuff as far as I can see. Most people try their best but it's really only possible to a limited degree. Better to accept that and control for things like masks, numbers allowed in etc than messing around with markers and distancing reminders.

 

[Raheem]

Supermarkets, in my (eye of the storm) area at least, appear to have abandoned the strict one-way system that was in place for lock-down no.1. Seems regressive and smacks of Covid-fatigue..

Could be, or it could be something that has been assessed as not having a significant benefit.

 

[cupid_stunt]

She made a big thing about 45,000 fines having been issued, shame none of the media pointed out that in France over a million have been issued.

Tough on enforcement, my arse.

 

[souljacker]

Anything Priti Patel says I should do immediately makes me want to do the opposite.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Social distancing in supermarkets is fantasy stuff as far as I can see. Most people try their best but it's really only possible to a limited degree. Better to accept that and control for things like masks, numbers allowed in etc than messing around with markers and distancing reminders.

It could be made much better though quite easily - strict limits on numbers inside, based on the square footage. Then one way systems, distance markers on the floor. But, most importantly of all - one adult per household only. Stop the fucking family outings, the “oh, isn’t it a surprise I’ve bumped into you here” bullshit that supermarket workers up and down the country are reporting.

 

[IC3D]

Well done sky news shifting focus to workplaces and public transport from easy targets.

 

[BigMoaner]

is she pissed?

 

[circleline]

It could be made much better though quite easily - strict limits on numbers inside, based on the square footage. Then one way systems, distance markers on the floor. But, most importantly of all - one adult per household only. Stop the fucking family outings, the “oh, isn’t it a surprise I’ve bumped into you here” bullshit that supermarket workers up and down the country are reporting.

And yeah, the fucking family outings..

 

[existentialist]

is she pissed?

Drunk as a lord, on her own overweening self-regard.

 

[kebabking]

She made a big thing about 45,000 fines having been issued, shame none of the media pointed out that in France over a million have been issued.

Tough on enforcement, my arse.

A much better argument than 'are the rules being enforced?', is 'are the rules appropriate?'

Personally, from where I sit, the rules are broadly being adhered to by most people most of the time - but I would question whether the rules are appropriate: the Early Years Unit at my wife's school is open for all pupils by order of the DfE, I can go and view houses, there's no distinction between work that's essential and work that isn't, the supermarket I just visited had no one way system.

 

[maomao]

Arlene Foster was just on BBC news and seemed vaguely human. I think it was because Patel had just been on .

 

[Grace Johnson]

She made a big thing about 45,000 fines having been issued, shame none of the media pointed out that in France over a million have been issued.

Tough on enforcement, my arse.

So you're half as likely to get a fine than you are to die from it then. Aye Priti. Top policy that mate. Ffs

 

[bimble]

Anything Priti Patel says I should do immediately makes me want to do the opposite.

This is probably part of the problem, when it comes to non compliance, I mean if you / we / so many of us hate (& deeply distrust) the people whose job it is to tell us the rules that's just really not going to help is it.

 

[elbows]

1243 new deaths reported today, up from 830 last Tuesday.

The 7-day average of reported daily deaths was 676 last Tue., it went up to 926 yesterday, this takes it to 984 or 985, that's a total 45.6% increase in the last 7 days.

We are also at the moment where if I use September 1st onwards as the second wave, deaths by date of death within 28 days of a positive test will reach a higher number for the second wave than the first. With so much of the second wave deaths yet yet come, I dread to think how this comparison will look later. London, the West Midlands and the East of England are the only regions whose pubished data does not yet show their deaths since first of September as more than those before.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Just watching BBC South Today, remember when we came out of lockdown in December and the Isle of Wight, with 31 cases per 100k population, was put in tier 1?

Well, cases are now over 1100 per 100k, the hospital is at breaking point, and the military are on standby to airlift covid patients to the mainland.

 

[elbows]

Just watching BBC South Today, remember when we came out of lockdown in December and the Isle of Wight, with 31 cases per 100k population, was put in tier 1?

Well, cases are now over 1100 per 100k, the hospital is at breaking point, and the military are on standby to airlift covid patients to the mainland.

Yes and I remember some conversation here where there was some quibbling about going on about percentage increases without the context of low numbers, and I believe the Isle of Wight was the example used. I've mostly retired from droning on about exponential growth but it seems some still hadnt got their heads round that stuff. As for the government tier decisions, I recall being unimpressed at the time and making some sweeping statements about how there were no areas I would have placed in lower tiers at that time.

Meanwhile from the tentative signs department, daily hospital admissions/diagnoses in England by region using data from Statistics » COVID-19 Hospital Activity

 

[andysays]

Three more supermarkets join Morrisons and Sainsburys
Tesco, Asda and Waitrose ban shoppers without face masks

At least some of them are also saying they won't admit groups of shoppers.

And I also read that John Lewis are suspending Click and Collect, which seems sensible.

I'm starting to wonder if this will be another example of the government being effectively forced into tightening restrictions by the actions of others, in this case supermarkets and other large retailers.

 

[elbows]

I'm starting to wonder if this will be another example of the government being effectively forced into tightening restrictions by the actions of others, in this case supermarkets and other large retailers.

I see it as another example of entities deciding to do stuff they should have been doing for ages, only once we have reached the peak of the horror and they feel the need to act in a way that aligns with the current mood music. I'll never say that stuff is too late to achieve anything, because compliance after the peak matters to how quickly numbers are driven down, but I'm pained terribly at the moment by all the responses that could have achieved so much more if they came in September, October, November or December.

In some cases other factors may end up causing changes at this point, eg this is a stage where in various regions the level of staff absences has reached a moment where some stuff gets scaled back as a result.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Yes and I remember some conversation here where there was some quibbling about going on about percentage increases without the context of low numbers, and I believe the Isle of Wight was the example used.

I banged on about people moaning that Worthing was placed in tier 2 with just 25 cases/100k, when the IoW on 31 got put into tier 1, it was like banging my head against the wall, explaining our little urban borough was surrounded by rural district council areas with far higher rates, and those people come into Worthing for work, shopping & leisure, so we couldn't be compared to the IoW.

Then, I was also banging by head against the wall, when I pointed out in a zoom meeting that cases were doubling every week, and got push back from people saying 'yeah, but from low numbers'.

And what happened in just 4 weeks? 25 > 50 > 100 > 200 > 400, it's slowed a bit recently, but we're still on 730. Still, strangely, better off than the IoW.

 

[Mation]

A friend just texted me these recommendations from psychologists for anyone struggling to cope - apologies, can't find a link. Hope it's helpful. Mods, feel free to move if it's not the right thread.


1) Isolate yourself from news about the virus. (Everything going we need to know, we already know).

2) Don't look out for death toll. It's not a cricket match to know the latest score. Avoid that.

3) Don't look for additional information on the internet, it would weaken your mental state.

4) Avoid sending fatalistic messages. Some people don't have the same mental strength as you (Instead of helping, you could activate pathologies such as depression).

5) If possible, listen to music at home at a pleasant volume. Look for board games to entertain children, tell stories and future plans.

6) Maintain discipline in the home by washing your hands, putting up a sign or alarm for everyone in the house.

7) Your positive mood will help protect your immune system, while negative thoughts have been shown to depress your immune system and make it weak against viruses.

8) Most importantly, firmly believe that this shall also pass and we will be safe!

#Health


Stay positive. Stay safe.

1) Today a workmate in his 60s asked what he should do re coming to work if his wife gets covid. It was genuinely news to him that he should self-isolate and get a test. But, granted, he's not struggling to cope. He's almost totally oblivious. /anecdata

6) What?

7)

8) (Though I did read it as meaning a causal link. If it in fact meant 'things will get better' then I'd reduce the number of hmms to one.)

Noticed a lot less people out and about this time than in November.

Cycled in to work today and there were massive traffic jams.

I think that, absent a very obvious (and I mean IN YER FACE OBVIOUS) cause/effect link, many people will rationalise such a death in any way they can that absolves them of responsibility. That's wired-in - our psyches are very good at giving us soft landings when terrible things happen - and it takes a degree of self-awareness and emotional responsibility to see past the denial and recognise what actually happened.

But then people with a degree of self-awareness and emotional responsibility are fairly likely not to have made the dangerous choice in the first place.

The workmate who came in before Christmas talking about how ill he felt but that it wasn't covid and who then tested positive having (likely) infected others, is now claiming that he was totally asymptomatic. (Others were infected, but, tbf, it's not 100% clear what the chain of transmission was.)

Lies. I heard him describing how ill he felt and the nature of it. But perhaps he has to believe that he was asymptomatic, given that he potentially infected someone with compromised health and whose also compromised family are currently very ill.