Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[gentlegreen]

I can't see what's wrong with a token gesture.
I was wearing a doubled-up cycling thing until recently.
the mask I bought in the local pound shop is so porous it might have been voile.
I'm using a reasonably serious one now.

You probably have close family and friends who aren't wearing masks. Why aren't you using this energy to speak with them? Why are you so keen to instead target people you don't know, who might be disabled (especially when the disability is likely to be PTSD), or who might have ASD? Not having a go btw but I really think it's something you need to think about before you start taking action. You feeling like you need to use the approach you suggest seems like a natural consequence of social media and internet culture (which treats any evidence of any individual existing as a spectacle everyone else is entitled to critque, consume and reply to) as well as a consequence of general erosure of physical communities (which leads to us having a lot less contextual knowledge about the people around us in the shops). If we want to get people wearing masks or do anything else to protect themselves and everyone else, we need to strengthen our communities (eg by reaching out to people we actually know and asking them if they are wearing their mask) and not alienate people (who are already defensive and/or vulnerable).

I have nothing to do with my family.
The generation above me are mostly racist Tory cunts.

 

[existentialist]

I can't see what's wrong with a token gesture.

Just because you can't see what's wrong, doesn't make it OK for you to then impose your views on someone else, whose history, pathology, etc., you have no clue about.

TBH, I think "mask-shaming" someone in the way you described is arguably worse than just quietly not wearing a mask.

 

[Wilf]

You probably have close family and friends who aren't wearing masks. Why aren't you using this energy to speak with them? Why are you so keen to instead target people you don't know, who might be disabled (especially when the disability is likely to be PTSD), or who might have ASD? Not having a go btw but I really think it's something you need to think about before you start taking action. You feeling like you need to use the approach you suggest seems like a natural consequence of social media and internet culture (which treats any evidence of any individual existing as a spectacle everyone else is entitled to critque, consume and reply to) as well as a consequence of general erosure of physical communities (which leads to us having a lot less contextual knowledge about the people around us in the shops). If we want to get people wearing masks or do anything else to protect themselves and everyone else, we need to strengthen our communities (eg by reaching out to people we actually know and asking them if they are wearing their mask) and not alienate people (who are already defensive and/or vulnerable).

Well said.

 

[Orang Utan]

I can't see what's wrong with a token gesture.
I was wearing a doubled-up cycling thing until recently.
the mask I bought in the local pound shop is so porous it might have been voile.
I'm using a reasonably serious one now.
I have nothing to do with my family.
The generation above me are mostly racist Tory cunts.

You seem to have inherited their intolerance and narrow mindedness

 

[Dogsauce]

I'm not feeling confident about September, with regard to secondary schools fully opening. If that is the plan.
They are harder to contain at that age. Most probably use public transport and it's cheek to jowl. Schools are far bigger and pupils move around to attend classes.
Combine that with autumn/winter, closed doors etc.

The one thing I am confident is that whatever they do decide with schools, they’ll announce it (possibly via Twitter) just a few hours before whatever measures have to be put in place, and not provide enough detail as to what the fuck staff need to do. They have form for this.

 

[Hyperdark]

The Government has a current tactic of absolving itself from responsibility by way of confusing and conflicting messages carefully designed so as whatever the outcome they can turn around and point to one of their many differing directives and say its the peoples fault for not following it.
Fair enough, Ignore the goverment and think for yourself.

We've reached the point of 'as good as it gets' in the UK and this winter in Europe will see far higher death rates than we have seen so far.

Personaly I am going into prepper mode as I expect that by mid september I will not want to be going to shops unless I really have to
Its your responsibility to be ready for what lies ahead, I advise you start preparing now as later we will see Panic.

 

[SpookyFrank]

The Government has a current tactic of absolving itself from responsibility by way of confusing and conflicting messages carefully designed so as whatever the outcome they can turn around and point to one of their many differing directives and say its the peoples fault for not following it.
Fair enough, Ignore the goverment and think for yourself.

We've reached the point of 'as good as it gets' in the UK and this winter in Europe will see far higher death rates than we have seen so far.

Personaly I am going into prepper mode as I expect that by mid september I will not want to be going to shops unless I really have to
Its your responsibility to be ready for what lies ahead, I advise you start preparing now as later we will see Panic.

If there's a risk of panic then probably the thing to do is to start talking up the risk of panic now and beat the rush.

 

[maomao]

this winter in Europe will see far higher death rates than we have seen so far.

I doubt that. There was very little done except hand washing in March. There's a few more tools to fight it now and doctors will have had nearly a year's experience treating it. And the pubs and trains won't be so busy if only because half the country's skint. There could well be a second wave, but I can't see the UK death figure hitting four figures a day again without something going very wrong.

 

[andysays]

If there's a risk of panic then probably the thing to do is to start talking up the risk of panic now and beat the rush.

Fucking hipsters:

"I was panicking before it was cool"

 

[existentialist]

Well, at least I'll know to make sure that my panic-bought bogrolls are reasonably decent ones, this time...

 

[CNT36]

Yep. Does anyone have a source on that that gives symptoms by age range? Either way, given the very small number of older counsellors and the high levels of infection it is not a good picture. That article also links to a study on an outbreak in an Israeli school:

Eurosurveillance | A large COVID-19 outbreak in a high school 10 days after schools’ reopening, Israel, May 2020

On 13 March 2020, Israel’s government declared closure of all schools. Schools fully reopened on 17 May 2020. Ten days later, a major outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred in a high school. The first case was registered on 26 May, the second on 27 May. They were not...

www.eurosurveillance.org

In that the youngest grade (age 12-13) had infection rates at 20% with more than 40% symptomatic. So yeah. School opening something to be very cautious about. Particularly given the time of year.

It is worth mentioning that even asymptomatic kids are getting (hopefully temporary) lung damage. This needs to be thought about as well as how infectious they can be.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

If there's a risk of panic then probably the thing to do is to start talking up the risk of panic now and beat the rush.

Better start tooling up now to get ahead of the outbreak of mass boat-happiness.

 

[Hyperdark]

Yes, defending yourself is fundamental MGO but we best not talk about the practicalities of that.
maomao, I would love to believe you are correct but disagree strongly.

SpookeyFrank I can't believe that discussing the possibility of panic here could have any effect on panic actually happening, how many people read this board? and even those that do are unlikely to have their views influenced by anything I say, I just got here.
Some are comfortable winging it, I prefer at least trying to be ahead of the curve and any extra invested is not ever a loss, I will eventually eat all those beans either way

 

[two sheds]

SpookeyFrank I can't believe that discussing the possibility of panic here could have any effect on panic actually happening, how many people read this board?

When you've been here longer you'll come to realize this place sets trends. A bit of unease here today spreads out like ripples of dismay in a panic pond

 

[Looby]

Well, at least I'll know to make sure that my panic-bought bogrolls are reasonably decent ones, this time...

We’re still getting through the massive pack I bought in March because that was all that was in the shop. I’ve just bought a new 9 pack.

 

[gentlegreen]

You seem to have inherited their intolerance and narrow mindedness

So the "mask-shy" are now a minority group who need understanding ?

 

[existentialist]

We’re still getting through the massive pack I bought in March because that was all that was in the shop. I’ve just bought a new 9 pack.

Same here - grabbed a pack from Home Bargains (which turned out to be rather rubbish), which I only opened about a month ago. I have calculated that one bog roll usually lasts me about 8 days.

But I think I want to pre-empt any second-spike panic buying, so quietly buying up a few more, plus dried pulses and tinned goods, seems like a fairly smart move: my stash of tinned tomatoes is nearly depleted, although I still have about half of my red lentil and kidney bean stockpile intact

 

[Steel Icarus]

I have calculated that one bog roll usually lasts me about 8 days.

Kinell. In our house of four we can do a roll in 8 hours

 

[SpookyFrank]

So the "mask-shy" are now a minority group who need understanding ?

Let's assume everyone not wearing a mask is just an antisocial arsehole with no valid excuse. You're not going to affect their behaviour by appealing to their sense of public duty, or trying to invoke their sense of shame, because they're antisocial arseholes.

If there are people with valid reasons, for example ASD, then all you're likely to do by barracking them in the street is cause them distress.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Kinell. In our house of four we can do a roll in 8 hours

And, if shitting was an Olympics sport, you would be gold medal winners.

 

[existentialist]

Kinell. In our house of four we can do a roll in 8 hours

I must admit, when I did the sums, I had to go back and recheck, because it seemed quite remarkable, but it was correct.

But yes - I've seen how fast, eg., a teenager can muller a bog roll, and it's quite remarkable. Winding the stuff around their hand, 20 sheets for a quick nose-blow...

It must be one of those rites of passage, like having kids - the day you start to realise that such indulgence costs Actual £££

 

[killer b]

my local supermarket has had to stick up signs about 'hidden disabilities' because of bellends like GG

 

[existentialist]

So the "mask-shy" are now a minority group who need understanding ?

That's one way of looking at it. Whatever enables you to square your head with the fact that ripping into them is offensive, and pointless.

Perhaps it might also help to heed the words of dozens of Urbanites who have pointed out that "the mask-shy" isn't a homogeneous group, and you JUST CAN'T KNOW what each person's narrative is.

 

[gentlegreen]

my local supermarket has had to stick up signs about 'hidden disabilities' because of bellends like GG

License for arseholery - though maybe it's reverse psychology because going maskless is then not "making a statement" or "winding up the libs" ...

 

[maomao]

And, if shitting was an Olympics sport, you would be gold medal winners.

If they were any good at it they'd probably use less bog roll.

 

[existentialist]

License for arseholery - though maybe it's reverse psychology because going maskless is then not "making a statement" or "winding up the libs" ...

What the actual fuck ARE you on about? Are you seriously trying to imply that anyone not wearing a mask IS making a statement, etc?

It's almost like you haven't read a single word from posters pointing out that, for some people, wearing a mask is significantly problematic. Which you presumably consider entitles you to go around "making statements" by ripping into people who don't have one.

That makes you a pretty damn nasty example of humanity, frankly...

 

[killer b]

License for arseholery - though maybe it's reverse psychology because going maskless is then not "making a statement" or "winding up the libs" ...

what are you talking about.

 

[gentlegreen]

you're putting yourselves firmly in the Widdecombe camp

 

[littlebabyjesus]

License for arseholery - though maybe it's reverse psychology because going maskless is then not "making a statement" or "winding up the libs" ...

Why do you care? It's a small minority that aren't wearing one. Whatever difference masks in shops are making to ongoing infection rates (it'll only be a small difference at best, in any case), the difference made by the odd person not wearing one without a valid excuse will be vanishingly small. It's really not worth getting upset about it.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Why do you care? It's a small minority that aren't wearing one. Whatever difference masks in shops are making to ongoing infection rates (it'll only be a small difference at best, in any case), the difference made by the odd person not wearing one without a valid excuse will be vanishingly small. It's really not worth getting upset about it.

GG is always up for a reason to decide the whole of the rest of humanity are cunts tbf.