Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[magneze]

They're pretty good round here in N London but still too many people not covering their sodding noses!!!

In terms of keeping social distance, not great, but honestly not many people are going to be able to manage that in an enclosed space.

Yeah, shops are too small in general to make that possible IMHO.

 

[IC3D]

London has a lot of young people away from home and only mixing with their own age. If you go around the estates the same age group are wearing masks presumably as grandad is just round the corner.

 

[Lord Camomile]

It would help even for them to be just the teensiest bit transparent and say 'We are trying to cut down on non-essential contact so that essential things like education and at least some economic activity can continue', because that does actually make some sense, like it or not. I know people are all 'Yeah, so we can only meet up where we spend money', but that's not a totally mercenary thing for the government to allow. Just the way it goes about everything is so sweatily dishonest and incompetent.

Exactly this. It absolutely infuriates me that although what they’re doing does in fact make sense they manage through utter utter incompetence to present it in a way that makes it seem like it doesn’t in fact make any sense! It’s fucking ridiculous.

Yes, yes, yes. Whether I agree or disagree with the finer points/priorities, what's just as infuriating is their complete inability to articulate things and just communicate their ideas to the general population.

Have been thinking about it in relation to management at work too, but the art of clear communication should be far higher up the managerial skillset than it currently is.

 

[brogdale]

I've just been in the north of Scotland for a week or so. It's very noticeable how differently people are behaving in certain contexts, compared to London or at least the part where I live. Up there absolutely everyone in the supermarket was wearing a mask, largely following the one way system and edging around each other slightly nervously in the aisles. In south london you are lucky if half the people have a mask on and there's pretty minimal performance of distancing. There are lots of potential reasons for this difference but it was pretty stark to see it.

Track and trace taking of details seemed to be being taken rather more seriously too.

England is being governed by a regime determinedly engendering a blame culture which undermines notions of self-responsibility; maybe Scotland not so much?

 

[Chilli.s]

Serco are far from renowned for their honesty.

 

[xenon]

I find this infuriating. Why can't they just say no more than 6 people to gather at any one time and make it a simple clear mesage?

Because you'd have to close the whole economy down. Pubs, cafes, sports clubs, work places, transport.

(just catching up with thread.)

 

[xenon]

What's this Covid Marshall thing?

<googles>

 

[existentialist]

What's this Covid Marshall thing?

<googles>

It's like Typhoid Mary, only with a Special Hat.

 

[teuchter]

London has a lot of young people away from home and only mixing with their own age. If you go around the estates the same age group are wearing masks presumably as grandad is just round the corner.

Can't say that matches my observations.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Surely this can't be right. Does Serco figures include all testing?

No it doesn't - there's the various pillars aren't there of which this is just one component. It might well still be shit, I don't know, but the tweet there doesn't really tell you anything - it's certainly not the killer point the tweeter seems to think.

 

[brogdale]

Presumably there'll be a rigorous ("world beating"?) vetting process for aspirant Covid Marshalls, otherwise how will they ensure that the 'service' is institutionally racist from the get go?

 

[Chilli.s]

Presumably there'll be a rigorous ("world beating"?) vetting process for aspirant Covid Marshalls, otherwise how will they ensure that the 'service' is institutionally racist from the get go?

That does sound like something Serco could easily manage.

 

[brogdale]

That does sound like something Serco could easily manage.

tbh it's going to be quite a self-selecting cohort of types eager to wear a uniform and command their fellow citizens; cunt magnet if ever there were one.

 

[sheothebudworths]

In the old days, it used to be that people would be more mindful of their behaviour in church.

 

[Chilli.s]

tbh it's going to be quite a self-selecting cohort of types eager to wear a uniform and command their fellow citizens; cunt magnet if ever there were one.

You could be right, it may depend in the uniform, perhaps something Boss c1939?

 

[miss direct]

I've seen a few people today wearing the sunflower lanyards (which means they're exempt from wearing a mask) - seems like a good idea.

Still have no idea why shop staff don't have to wear masks -guy on the door at Wilkos constantly shouting across the shop.

 

[two sheds]

Neighbour has just got a British Lung Foundation exemption badge (she only sent off for it yesterday). It has her name and why she's exempt, she filled the details in on line. Also a good idea.

 

[brogdale]

And then there's the special badge for the majority of those not bothering with a face covering...

 

[Cloo]

So we had our first choir rehearsal in a while on Tuesday, with social distancing, and I figured this rule change is an end to that, but chairperson has just emailed to say that organised events with rules may be exempt, which would actually make some sense. While there's no way to enforce social distancing in homes, within certain contexts it's easier to meet in a controlled way - in our case, windows & doors open, chairs 2m apart, face masks when we weren't singing. And people stuck to it, as some members are vulnerable. Similar I imagine for places of worship.

I am expecting we won't see a return to a nationwide 'no house visitors at all' again, although probably on a short-term local level if transmission very high.

 

[sheothebudworths]

2,919 new cases.

The testing figures for England (and Wales), due today, still haven't been updated

 

[Roadkill]

tbh it's going to be quite a self-selecting cohort of types eager to wear a uniform and command their fellow citizens; cunt magnet if ever there were one.

 

[Raheem]

The W's not for "warden".

 

[Roadkill]

The W's not for "warden".

 

[BlanketAddict]

HAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!

'Worship is the work of God'!

 

[Miss-Shelf]

One thing I have noticed on buses is an announcement that goes along the lines of "wearing masks on public transport is mandatory and there are police and transport officers patrolling the network to enforce this". Can't say I've seen any.

I've seen them at East Croydon on the trams. Ofc some travellers just wait, pull up their mask when inspectors get in and take it off later when inspectors leave

 

[Artaxerxes]

I've seen them at East Croydon on the trams. Ofc some travellers just wait, pull up their mask when inspectors get in and take it off later when inspectors leave

I assume that's why so many people have chin masks on.

 

[Roadkill]

Tbf the average C of E church is so draughty the congregation might as well be standing outside.

 

[Cloo]

Tbf the average C of E church is so draughty the congregation might as well be standing outside.

Never mind God's work, I imagine places of worship are settings where they are pretty good at sticking to distancing as you can have set place where people can sit and stay there. Plus I guess your average C of E church has a congregation of about 12, so distancing can't be that hard.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Never mind God's work, I imagine places of worship are settings where they are pretty good at sticking to distancing as you can have set place where people can sit and stay there. Plus I guess your average C of E church has a congregation of about 12, so distancing can't be that hard.

Hmmm. Last bit, sure thing. But they're coming together to have social contact and to sing together, in an enclosed space, and to give themselves up to a higher feeling of some kind. There are plenty of examples of outbreaks traced to churches in the US, which admittedly are generally pretty full. Also the average demographic, however sparse it may be, is prime covid-reaper age.

That archbishop twat comes pretty close to the idea that somehow god will protect people in churches. Not so different from the evangelical idiots in the US. Whatever a church congregation is, it is very certainly a social gathering, one of a highly intimate kind. Hence the word 'communion'. It's mad of him to suggest otherwise.

 

[Cid]

Hmmm. Last bit, sure thing. But they're coming together to have social contact and to sing together, in an enclosed space, and to give themselves up to a higher feeling of some kind. There are plenty of examples of outbreaks traced to churches in the US, which admittedly are generally pretty full. Also the average demographic, however sparse it may be, is prime covid-reaper age.

That archbishop twat comes pretty close to the idea that somehow god will protect people in churches. Not so different from the evangelical idiots in the US. Whatever a church congregation is, it is very certainly a social gathering, one of a highly intimate kind. Hence the word 'communion'. It's mad of him to suggest otherwise.

I dunno, I think a few warbled hymns are probably far lower risk than the impassioned singing of Shincheonji or those US mega-churches.

e2a: as roadkill pointed out slightly differently.