Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[maomao]

I walk the dog which is perfectly acceptable exercise - you probably get as much exercise walking to and from the river bank. Not an activity I've ever done, but has to be healthy and calming in the fresh air. Building up vitamin D levels too

You won't get vitamin D from the sun in this country between September and March. If you're shadow's longer than you are tall or you've got long sleeves on forget about it.

 

[Teaboy]

Leeds is just like normal, except the shops and pubs are shut. Nothing like the first lockdown.

Was Leeds already in Tier 3? We were in tier 2 prior to the lockdown but it feels like the only thing that has changed is hospitality is either closed or doing take aways. Pretty much how I imagine tier 3 would be.

I assume the cafes are only doing takeaway?

As that's all they are allowed to do, same with restaurants and pubs.

Yes, but not many people were sitting inside before anyway. Loads of places to sit around town and down by the river.

One thing that did take me flying back to lockdown 1 was the unseasonably good weather we had yet again. It was t-shirt weather on Saturday and Sunday was nice. Its human nature to be outside in decent weather.

 

[Orang Utan]

Leeds never went into Tier 3 as it was superceded by the second ‘lockdown’

 

[StoneRoad]

I've not been out to see how things are in the local centre of population, but judging by the amount of traffic, not a lot has changed from before 5th November 2020.
OH is currently doing some shopping, I'll ask the question ...

 

[maomao]

I've been in town today and it's nothing like the first lockdown. Most of the shops in the malls are closed but somehow Rymans is open. Just in case someone urgently needs a pencil I suppose. Roads are much busier than I expected. Dry cleaner is open but business is bad apparently. I wish they'd close it then I'd have an excuse not to wear a suit.

 

[Orang Utan]

I've been in town today and it's nothing like the first lockdown. Most of the shops in the malls are closed but somehow Rymans is open. Just in case someone urgently needs a pencil I suppose. Roads are much busier than I expected. Dry cleaner is open but business is bad apparently. I wish they'd close it then I'd have an excuse not to wear a suit.

Ryman’s is probably allowed to stay open cos they do printing

 

[killer b]

I wish they'd close it then I'd have an excuse not to wear a suit.

no-one else needs to know they're open

 

[teuchter]

I expect the vaccine news might have a fairly substantial negative impact on compliance with "lockdown" rules.

 

[maomao]

no-one else needs to know they're open

Except the scores of suit wearers in my workplace.

 

[Teaboy]

The Dear Leader is giving a press conference starting any mo now apparently. Some waffle about vaccines by the sounds of it.

 

[Sue]

The Dear Leader is giving a press conference starting any mo now apparently. Some waffle about vaccines by the sounds of it.

Dammit, thought YOU MEANT THE OTHER DEAR LEADER.

(Wrong thread. This is bound you be way less fun though.)

 

[LDC]

Daily briefing. Jesus fucking Christ that Brigadier is painful to watch.

 

[Badgers]

Huzzah

 

[zora]

Daily briefing. Jesus fucking Christ that Brigadier is painful to watch.

Ah, I see now - I thought "brigadier" was some sort of euphemism!

 

[elbows]

Daily briefing. Jesus fucking Christ that Brigadier is painful to watch.

I got through it by distracting myself with the size of his pockets. He could carry a lot of lateral flow tests in those.

 

[elbows]

Van-Tam isnt perfect but he is head and shoulders above the rest of the official pandemic comms bunch. Prepared to talk about vaccine reality, how rubbish everyone feels about the current situation and even to refer to the virus by its actual name which includes SARS.

 

[LDC]

I got through it by distracting myself with the size of his pockets. He could carry a lot of lateral flow tests in those.

Yeah I saw that, fucking huge. They weren't bulging full of charisma though.

 

[Santino]

He's not wearing a poppy. Why does he hate Our Boys?

 

[elbows]

Van-Tam reports that he has hit peak analogy, choo choo.

 

[Weller]

Van-Tam reports that he has hit peak analogy, choo choo.

Yes saw the train analogy just
I am working from home but still got the usual Monday meeting full of similar annoying analogies off our quality fat controller guy too

 

[elbows]

Mind the Watford gap.

 

[Cloo]

My parents are planning to come back from Slovakia when flights resume next month, but I'm not convinced it's a good idea, much as I'd love to see them.

 

[Teaboy]

My parents are planning to come back from Slovakia when flights resume next month, but I'm not convinced it's a good idea, much as I'd love to see them.

Personally I felt for a long time now that international travel during a pandemic is very far from being a good idea. Given the situation we found ourselves in in August and September and reports linking the latest virulent strain with Spain I think I was probably right.

I also have a pretty jaded view of the safety of air travel. If someone is sat beside you or near you and has the virus i don't care what air filters the airline claim they have, you're getting the virus.

2 week isolation doesn't sound much fun either. A couple of friends did it in Ireland this summer. They drove over from the UK with all their food and supplies with them. They still said it was a real slog.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Personally I felt for a long time now that international travel during a pandemic is very far from being a good idea.

Travel company share prices have all spiked massively after yesterday's vaccine news.

 

[Teaboy]

Travel company share prices have all spiked massively after yesterday's vaccine news.

Of course. The industry is absolutely fucked and they're going to be desperate to try and get as much travel going as possible. Doesn't mean its a good idea.

My g/f has just had to listen to a 25 minute rant from the boss of a major London advertising company saying that now we have a vaccine coming we should all be getting back to normal and now. I think its probably best we don't trust wealthy executives to act in the best interest of the country.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I've been in town today and it's nothing like the first lockdown. Most of the shops in the malls are closed but somehow Rymans is open. Just in case someone urgently needs a pencil I suppose. Roads are much busier than I expected. Dry cleaner is open but business is bad apparently. I wish they'd close it then I'd have an excuse not to wear a suit.

Same here. The number of people on the busses I use is exactly the same as last week and road traffic in general is also at exactly the same level as last week.
There's people out and about on the streets all over the place.
And also...inexplicably....WH Smith is open....just in case someone urgently needs a pencil.

 

[The39thStep]

Personally I felt for a long time now that international travel during a pandemic is very far from being a good idea. Given the situation we found ourselves in in August and September and reports linking the latest virulent strain with Spain I think I was probably right.

I also have a pretty jaded view of the safety of air travel. If someone is sat beside you or near you and has the virus i don't care what air filters the airline claim they have, you're getting the virus.

2 week isolation doesn't sound much fun either. A couple of friends did it in Ireland this summer. They drove over from the UK with all their food and supplies with them. They still said it was a real slog.

TBF The flight I came on from Portugal Sunday was about a third full , loads of empty rows and after take off they allowed anyone who wanted to move move . Everyone wore masks , had to press the attendant bell to go to the toilet . Even getting off the plane people attempted to socially distance and were patient.

 

[2hats]

I was talking to a senior surgeon at a major London hospital (teaching/A&E), the evening before the Pfizer news release. They are working in ICU on the frontline dealing with COVID patients (around 40 right now), as well as being involved in a key SARS-CoV-2 research study and vaccine development. They and colleagues observe a very soft lockdown ("this isn't really a lockdown") and would, from a medical/scientific point of view, expect the current 'lockdown' to have to be extended. Of course, what politicians decide to do is entirely another matter.

 

[Teaboy]

TBF The flight I came on from Portugal Sunday was about a third full , loads of empty rows and after take off they allowed anyone who wanted to move move . Everyone wore masks , had to press the attendant bell to go to the toilet . Even getting off the plane people attempted to socially distance and were patient.

Well yes, because much less people are flying, the airline would fill that up much more if they could. This only works if enough of us think flying is a bad idea or are prevented from doing so.

 

[wtfftw]

Well yes, because much less people are flying, the airline would fill that up much more if they could. This only works if enough of us think flying is a bad idea or are prevented from doing so.

This concerns me about Christmas travel. As I understand it, trains aren't selling tickets at reduced capacity there's just less demand + face masks.