Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Most shop staff don't even wear masks themselves, which is ridiculous.

It's a bit difficult to enforce if, like in the shops near me, half the staff arent wearing them.

For some reason, staff are not required to wear them, customers are.

Which is why shops can't/won't enforce it on customers. In most German states everyone in any enclosed public space must wear a mask, those states that don't mandate it, everyone does anyway and you will be yelled at by staff and public alike if you enter without one. Not fucking hard, is it.

 

[BassJunkie]

She's just happily described herself as a 'layman' when it comes to this.

She's the Head of Track and Trace. Um..

If only there were epidemiologists who knew about how viruses spread, or other experts were available to do that job rather than the wife of a Tory MP.

I swear this government is nothing but a bunch of fucking gangsters, leading to all our lives being fucked up. It makes me despair.

 

[existentialist]

If they ever appear.

What, another empty promise from the Johnsonians? Surely not

 

[Supine]

Liverpool on the verge of a lockdown.

hasn't heard that. i'm in liverpool at the moment

 

[elbows]

Is it just this country whose testing system has entirely broken does anyone know - are the testing systems in for instance France Germany etc still functioning?

50m ago 16:11

Hundreds of workers at Covid-19 laboratories in France went on strike on Thursday, a trade union said, angry over poor working conditions as the coronavirus testing system buckles under huge demand.

Reuters reported that the CGT union said the strike was disrupting testing in some towns and could drag on if laboratory owners failed to deal with staff shortages and increase pay.

France has ramped up testing five-fold since the peak of the first wave and now carries out more than 1m tests a week. But at some testing centres, people queue around the block and results can take days because of the bottleneck in laboratories.

Le Figaro reported that in a meeting with senior ministers last week, President Emmanuel Macron said: “One million tests is all well and good, but it’s pointless if the results arrive too late.”

 

[elbows]

The following is depressing news but at least they are openly saying it there, rather than various places in England where hospital figures blatantly started to rise with barely a comment so far.

Coronavirus: Rhondda Cynon Taf and Caerphilly death spike warning

Public health official warns older people are being infected in Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

www.bbc.co.uk

"There is a high risk that with the level of cases in Caerphilly and RCT we will see increased hospital admissions," Dr Howe told BBC Radio Wales.

"And we are seeing older age groups now being infected and there is obviously a sad risk that we may be seeing deaths.

"We would expect that hospital admissions would be increasing around about now and we are perhaps starting to see that in Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, and there may be deaths in the coming days."

 

[Sue]

Absolutely - my sample is small, but all the hippies I know who're vocally anti-mask / covid deniers regularly share material from far-right sources. They share material from other sources too, but there doesn't seem to be any quality control at all, or any recognition from them when it's raised that it's a problem.

Yep, someone is known is the same (green hippy turned Covid conspiraloon).

Apparently what's going on was never about Covid but rather the oligarchs exerting control and the 'imminent biological & digital enslavement of the people.' I mean wtf?

 

[Doodler]

We're hoping it's paid positions. The fella works in care and it's the most soul-destroying powerless shitty fucking sector to ever exist. So he's hoping that marshall jobs exist and are paid, cos he'll apply for it. If it's just advising folk whilst being calm, he's your man.

My local city council began recruiting Covid marshalls over two months ago. The job description suggested they'd have to patrol some of the main shopping streets in the centre. Tact and politeness were emphasised. Their job won't be too hard if they can put up with self-entitled tourists and broadsheet readers. At my work staff have been assaulted (not badly) for asking customers to wear masks so no one bothers now. But we're more on the periphery. So I guess it depends on where the marshalls have to work. I hope things go okay for the fella on the job front.

 

[elbows]

Although I do not have access to most of the modelling done by SAGE etc, especially not recent stuff, I think I have mentioned that some earlier modelling and assumptions might mean they were expecting this viral resurgence to happen at least a month later than has actually been the case. And for all I know their modelling may also have been very wrong about how quickly infections would double.

For now I am going to have to rely on vaguer indications that they have indeed been blindsided by the timing yet again, even though I dont really feel like I need to much evidence in order to go with this hypothesis, it should almost be the default assumption by now.

Anyway on that note, I saw this in a BBC article about Dido's committee meeting, and I think it fits my criteria:

Lady Harding said they built the testing capacity for this autumn - which is now 242,817 a day - based on modelling from the Sage scientific advisory group.

"I don't think anybody was expecting to see the really sizable increase in demand that has happened over the last few weeks," she said.

Coronavirus: Test demand 'significantly outstripping' capacity

The number of under-17s seeking Covid-19 tests has doubled, the head of NHS Test and Trace tells MPs.

www.bbc.co.uk

To dissect what she said there a little, I would say that earlier modelling and demand predictions being wrong and people not expecting to see this resurgence as a result is one thing. But at some point the penny would have dropped and they must have updated their expectations. After all, we are following certain countries in Europe on this and various indicators have been visible in countries like Spain and France for quite some time now. So how long have they suspected that actually this massive supply-demand imbalance was looming?

 

[sojourner]

hasn't heard that. i'm in liverpool at the moment

Check the Liverpool Echo

 

[elbows]

I would prefer not to quote Laura Kuenssberg in this pandemic but there are moments where I think I have to.

Coronavirus: The tide was not turned - now what?

With coronavirus cases rising fast and local lockdowns building, the mood at Westminster is growing darker.

www.bbc.co.uk

The tide was not turned. Life is not back to normal.

And even some Conservative MPs are asking, what on earth is going on?

There is a burgeoning sense around Westminster, as the patchwork of local restrictions builds, that a nationwide tightening, even if temporary, may not be that far off, despite the prime minister's protestations that he will do everything to avoid it happening.

But whatever happens, Boris Johnson simply cannot be sure that the public, or indeed his own party, would be willing to acquiesce next time.

And.....

Yet many Conservative MPs, advisers, and some ministers, are frustrated with what they see as aggression from a tiny group that makes the decisions in Number 10.

Ruthless and effective is one thing.

Brutal and incompetent quite another.

 

[two sheds]

She hasn't blamed it all on Labour and Corbyn?

 

[Mation]

Like Indonesia?

Christ. 2020 is fucking miserable all round

 

[campanula]

I am kinda surprised that testing is (still) free and can't help feeling sceptical that there is likely to be some 'fastracking' for a price...And an agenda to determine test allocation. The private healthcare priorities (and political ideology) has determined the painfully brutal response to this pandemic Predatory disaster capitalism - lacking morality, decency, justice or integrity naturally appeals to the heartless, selfish, arrogant or stupidly vacuous. - they are a despicable bunch of inadequates.

 

[elbows]

I wonder how much difference my successful attempt to fret less about the immediate pandemic future for a big chunk of the summer is actually going to make to my mental health going forwards. Its already approaching a month since I was last able to sincerely inject a sense of optimism into my short-term outlook, optimism that does not come naturally to me. There are times when I know I have to make use of optimism to compensate for an inappropriate sense of how imminent a threat is. It worked quite well in June and July but I think I was pushing my luck by still attempting it in mid August, and now it already seems like quite a long time ago.

The only optimism that really comes naturally to me is the sort that has lead me to remark on a few occasions that I was still sort of expecting a few twists to the tale of this pandemic. Partly because when I looked at how huge the pre-pandemic gaps were in our knowledge and capabilities, I thought there was more than enough room to discover some factor that would at least add an important dimension to our expectations. I suppose there is still time for something of that sort, but the pandemic is mostly sticking to the most predictable script and that very much includes this resurgence. This is no surprise and was always the safest bet, but it also means I am left going on about the same core themes as always, and I'm not sure how much purpose is left in repeating such things all the bloody time.

This forum worked quite well as a general respiratory illness uptick warning indicator by the way. It was possible to tell that something had changed in the second half of August. Like an informal mini version of zoe covid, without the ability to go as far as creating actual estimated numbers, but an indicator all the same, and very timely.

 

[Roadkill]

I would prefer not to quote Laura Kuenssberg in this pandemic but there are moments where I think I have to.

Coronavirus: The tide was not turned - now what?

With coronavirus cases rising fast and local lockdowns building, the mood at Westminster is growing darker.

www.bbc.co.uk

Politically it's perhaps a little encouraging that Laura Keunssberg isn't just acting as Bluetooth speakers for No.10, as she usually does. Not that that makes the immediate future any less bleak.

 

[existentialist]

Politically it's perhaps a little encouraging that Laura Keunssberg isn't just acting as Bluetooth speakers for No.10, as she usually does. Not that that makes the immediate future any less bleak.

I have had a very jaundiced view of LK for a long time, but listening to her on the Brexitcast/Electioncast podcast has gone a long way towards enabling me to accept that - for whatever reason - she's not nearly as partisan when she's not doing her set pieces to camera/microphone.

 

[Doodler]

Perhaps there will be a growth in demands for a herd immunity approach to be revived. 'Lockdown hasn't worked' will be the slogan.

 

[elbows]

If I'm going to wank on about the pandemic sticking to the script then perhaps I should start to explore the biggest unknowns in the winter script.

Aside from the political unknowns, the mitigation measure unknowns, the public response unknowns, the weather unknowns, I think I should probably dig into all the unknowns relating to coinfection with the pandemic virus and a seasonal virus at the same time. I'm not quite ready to get into detail on that yet but if anybody else wants to get the ball rolling or indeed come up with some other unknowns to explore then I'll be happy.

 

[Roadkill]

I have had a very jaundiced view of LK for a long time, but listening to her on the Brexitcast/Electioncast podcast has gone a long way towards enabling me to accept that - for whatever reason - she's not nearly as partisan when she's not doing her set pieces to camera/microphone.

That is true, but it still leaves her being too partisan too much of the time.

 

[weepiper]

 

[BristolEcho]

Absolutely - my sample is small, but all the hippies I know who're vocally anti-mask / covid deniers regularly share material from far-right sources. They share material from other sources too, but there doesn't seem to be any quality control at all, or any recognition from them when it's raised that it's a problem.

That stuffs been bubbling along for ages amongst hippie scene's and it's where I've come across most anti-vax stuff previous to this pandemic.

 

[ska invita]

If I'm going to wank on about the pandemic sticking to the script then perhaps I should start to explore the biggest unknowns in the winter script.

Aside from the political unknowns, the mitigation measure unknowns, the public response unknowns, the weather unknowns, I think I should probably dig into all the unknowns relating to coinfection with the pandemic virus and a seasonal virus at the same time. I'm not quite ready to get into detail on that yet but if anybody else wants to get the ball rolling or indeed come up with some other unknowns to explore then I'll be happy.

theres also the option to not do any of that and just sit back and look after yourself and those around you

 

[frogwoman]

Perhaps there will be a growth in demands for a herd immunity approach to be revived. 'Lockdown hasn't worked' will be the slogan.

I don't think these demands ever went away tbh

 

[Roadkill]

View attachment 230756

Test and trace could be outsourced to Amazon. What the actual fuck?!

It's the Torygraph so quite possibly complete bollocks or some kind of dead cat, but startling even so.

 

[Thora]

I posted this on the testing thread as well, but it seems from my recent experience that there is currently no system for schools to be informed when pupils test positive - they just rely on parents informing them of test results. I was surprised that Test & Trace don't deal with that.

 

[elbows]

theres also the option to not do any of that and just sit back and look after yourself and those around you

Keeping my eye on the ball and indulging in detail and trying to get a few weeks ahead of the curve has mostly served my wellbeing and that of those around me quite well so far, especially as I picked the right months to spend less time on that stuff. So getting my teeth into detail is part of helping me cope with this next phase. Indeed these recent posts are probably largely about me repositioning myself so that I am not out of whack with this phase.

But yes, I do need to get the amount of time I spend on this stuff right. Too many hours the first time. Probably cant find enough stuff to talk about to quite repeat that mistake this time around though, but will keep an eye on it, cheers.

 

[Supine]

Test and trace could be outsourced to Amazon. What the actual fuck?!

It's the Torygraph so quite possibly complete bollocks or some kind of dead cat, but startling even so.

why not google? they already constantly know where we all are!

 

[existentialist]

Probably cant find enough stuff to talk about to quite repeat that mistake this time around though, but will keep an eye on it, cheers.

I bet you could, but I think you're wise to try not to...

 

[elbows]

Test and trace could be outsourced to Amazon. What the actual fuck?!

It's the Torygraph so quite possibly complete bollocks or some kind of dead cat, but startling even so.

If I look at this from just one narrow angle, a purely practical one, then I'd rather have a giant logistics & delivery company trying to make various bits of the system work than the 'professional service network' accountant consultancy wankers who have had a big slice of the current pie from what I can tell.

But obviously there are other implications.