he's in a lab coat, but her's is not like any lab coat I've ever seen.
It looks like a screenshot from the opening scene of some corona-based porno
Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion
- Thread starter Sasaferrato
- Start date
It looks like a screenshot from the opening scene of some corona-based porno
Corona Boner: Look at the baubles on that!*
*tree
*tree
2hats
Dust.
Broadly correct.
Should you visit your relatives for Christmas? What the scientists say
The rules allow three bubbles to come together for five days, but is that a good idea? Three experts explain what they will be doing
Damian Whitworth
Monday November 30 2020, 12.01am, The Times
And so it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree that said there would be five days of Christmas. And some took these good tidings of great joy and went with the multitude that came forth unto a “bubble” (maximum two other families.)
But others were sore afraid and said: “Let us abide in the home, keeping watch over our flock and wait until next year when the virus might be gone away.”
Here is the Christmas coronavirus conundrum. The government says that from December 23 to 27 we can travel around freely and gather in three-household groups. But is that actually a good idea? We asked three experts on the virus what they are planning to do and for their advice to those who want to navigate the season in larger groups.
“I’m afraid that I can’t comprehend the calculation that argues that, faced with an ongoing winter crisis of a lethal virus that’s been destroying our lives and our livelihoods, we need to temporarily suspend the battle for the sake of Christmas,” says Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London. “I find this simply mind-boggling, and not just as one who is a rational scientist and an atheist. If other religions have had to devise distanced ways to deal with Eid, Diwali, Passover, Yom Kippur, why wasn’t this possible for Christmas? Will it have been worthwhile if the ITUs [intensive therapy units] start to fill up? So, ‘no’ to joint Christmas bubbles. Sorry to sound grumpy.”
Linda Bauld, a professor of public health at the Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh, says that ideally people wouldn’t mix, but “obviously there are circumstances where people would wish to and that’s fine. Mental health, depression, anxiety and loneliness are really important to consider. Those are other harms that we have to balance.”
Ian Jones, a professor of virology at Reading University, says that families should carefully assess the risks of meeting other households. “It can happen, but on a reduced scale. ‘Come round for a sherry,’ should be abandoned this year. Limited meetings will typically be with family groups that you have been in touch with routinely and where their history for the two weeks before the meeting is known. Generally these will be local, at the same tier level. Longer-distance interactions, especially from a high tier to a lower tier, should be limited. ‘See you when all this is over,’ would be the sensible option.”
Are you planning to meet other households?
“No. Christmas will be just our family,” Altmann says.
“Yes,” Jones says. “I will see my children and grandchildren, all of whom are local, but even that will be subject to the kids’ runny nose status at the time. I am sure it will be only this Christmas, and even if virus circulation is lower than today, which I hope will be the case in a month’s time, there will be a higher than normal risk for this time of year, which should factor in to anyone’s thinking.”
Bauld plans a visit to an uncle who lives in the Scottish Borders. “I would prioritise that. He lives alone. I have not seen him for months and I will go and see him either in a well-managed local café or for a walk. I can go in my own vehicle. Nobody else will be disadvantaged.”
Should we try to avoid including older and more vulnerable people in bubbles if possible?
“Completely and utterly. It would be incredibly cruel and inappropriate to endanger the elderly and vulnerable,” Altmann says.
Bauld says that it depends on how older and vulnerable relatives are managing nine months into the pandemic. “If you’ve got elderly relatives who live together and everybody’s comfortable that they’d rather err on the side of caution and not see each other face to face, and they’re not isolated and lonely, then yes, I think we should avoid seeing older and vulnerable relatives if we can. But there will be circumstances where the benefits of meeting outweigh the disadvantages.”
Jones says that when making a risk assessment we should remember that the overall goal is to keep virus circulation to a minimum. “But more personally, it would be awful for anyone to feel they brought the virus to someone who then suffers a serious bout of illness.”
Would you advise paying for a private Covid test before going into a Christmas bubble?
“If people want to take advantage of private testing, that’s fine,” Bauld says. “They need to recognise that a single test is not a foolproof indicator that they don’t have the virus.”
Altmann says that it could be a pragmatic step, but Jones disagrees. “Current over-the-counter prices effectively rule them out for many families, and in order for the concept to work you would need the group you are mixing with to also be tested. I think a mental risk assessment that errs on the side of caution is the most useful approach for most people under most circumstances.”
If a day trip is practical, is that better than staying overnight?
“Far better to try and have a brief visit because duration of contact, particularly indoors, is really important. We know from studies that the longer people are together, the greater the risk,” Bauld says.
Better still would be snacks and drinks in the garden, Altmann says.
“I doubt it makes much difference,” Jones says. “The time of contact with an infected individual is a factor in transmission, but it is very hard to quantify in everyday circumstances. If there is a risk then you place yourself or others in it as soon as you meet, and it remains in place until you leave. The much more important decision is whether to go at all.”
If local hotels are open, would it be better to stay in one to reduce exposure to others during a stay?
Bauld thinks that it might be a good idea if visiting older and more vulnerable family members.
Altmann agrees, as long as the hotel allows for proper social distancing from other guests.
Jones says that the issues around distancing from strangers makes this a complicated calculation, “and unless there is a really pressing need I think the situation is best avoided”.
Would you travel by public transport to visit relatives or during the run-up to a visit?
“No,” says Altmann, who adds that parents collecting students from university by car should wear a mask and so should their offspring. “Because of cases at my son’s school, we’ve been doing the school run in masks and with all car windows open.”
Bauld says that visiting relatives by car is preferable to a train or a bus, “while recognising that some people don’t have that luxury, and remembering we are being advised only to share private vehicles with household members”.
Jones says that as long as you follow the guidelines travelling on public transport should not matter. “I continue to commute by train. The carriages are relatively empty, there is regular cleaning and the majority of travellers are masked. Contrast that with a long car journey with petrol, coffee and pee breaks. A clear either/or is simply not possible, but public transport does not come out badly.”
Should we maintain social distancing while in the bubble?
Yes, as far as possible, Altmann suggests.
Bauld describes as “hilarious” a recommendation in America last week that Thanksgiving guests should be spread through different rooms in a house when eating dinner. “You can see that in a ranch-style American house, but if you’re in a two-up two-down in Canterbury it’s not really an option.”
Jones is sceptical about the practicality of social distancing in a Christmas bubble. “For me that gets a bit silly. You make your decision to meet and then wear a mask and sit at the opposite end of the room? The decision to meet or not meet should be the focus, not some sort of fudged halfway house.”
Will you be hugging anyone from outside your household in a “Christmas bubble”?
“No, unfortunately,” Bauld says.
“Other than immediate family, once we have decided to meet — no,” Jones says.
“Definitely not,” says Altmann, whose house will be free of mistletoe. “Looking a bit like we may not even get a tree — minimising unnecessary shopping!”
Will you sit down for a meal with those who are not normally in your household?
“No,” say all three of our experts. “But I completely understand the circumstances where people would. Just make sure one person is in the kitchen and takes responsibility there, and try to avoid, in terms of your seating, having people from different households facing one another,” Bauld says.
“As long as the risk assessment is done, I think it could happen,” Jones says.
In America at Thanksgiving the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommended taking your own food, drink, plates, cups and utensils to dinner. Is this a good idea for Christmas lunch?
“Not a bad idea,” Altmann says.
“Really maintain high hand hygiene when you’re in somebody else’s home, but avoiding sharing cutlery and dishes is a good idea,” Bauld says.
“Not for me,” Jones says. “The relative level of virus transmission via inanimate surfaces, compared to aerosols, is low, and if we think that most of what we use will have come out of a dishwasher, I don’t think there are any additional risks. If the household has an infection, that is the risk, so again the yes/no decision to meet is the critical one. If you are alarmed and are going to feel threatened whenever you touch something, don’t go.”
The rules allow three bubbles to come together for five days, but is that a good idea? Three experts explain what they will be doing
Damian Whitworth
Monday November 30 2020, 12.01am, The Times
And so it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree that said there would be five days of Christmas. And some took these good tidings of great joy and went with the multitude that came forth unto a “bubble” (maximum two other families.)
But others were sore afraid and said: “Let us abide in the home, keeping watch over our flock and wait until next year when the virus might be gone away.”
Here is the Christmas coronavirus conundrum. The government says that from December 23 to 27 we can travel around freely and gather in three-household groups. But is that actually a good idea? We asked three experts on the virus what they are planning to do and for their advice to those who want to navigate the season in larger groups.
“I’m afraid that I can’t comprehend the calculation that argues that, faced with an ongoing winter crisis of a lethal virus that’s been destroying our lives and our livelihoods, we need to temporarily suspend the battle for the sake of Christmas,” says Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London. “I find this simply mind-boggling, and not just as one who is a rational scientist and an atheist. If other religions have had to devise distanced ways to deal with Eid, Diwali, Passover, Yom Kippur, why wasn’t this possible for Christmas? Will it have been worthwhile if the ITUs [intensive therapy units] start to fill up? So, ‘no’ to joint Christmas bubbles. Sorry to sound grumpy.”
Linda Bauld, a professor of public health at the Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh, says that ideally people wouldn’t mix, but “obviously there are circumstances where people would wish to and that’s fine. Mental health, depression, anxiety and loneliness are really important to consider. Those are other harms that we have to balance.”
Ian Jones, a professor of virology at Reading University, says that families should carefully assess the risks of meeting other households. “It can happen, but on a reduced scale. ‘Come round for a sherry,’ should be abandoned this year. Limited meetings will typically be with family groups that you have been in touch with routinely and where their history for the two weeks before the meeting is known. Generally these will be local, at the same tier level. Longer-distance interactions, especially from a high tier to a lower tier, should be limited. ‘See you when all this is over,’ would be the sensible option.”
Are you planning to meet other households?
“No. Christmas will be just our family,” Altmann says.
“Yes,” Jones says. “I will see my children and grandchildren, all of whom are local, but even that will be subject to the kids’ runny nose status at the time. I am sure it will be only this Christmas, and even if virus circulation is lower than today, which I hope will be the case in a month’s time, there will be a higher than normal risk for this time of year, which should factor in to anyone’s thinking.”
Bauld plans a visit to an uncle who lives in the Scottish Borders. “I would prioritise that. He lives alone. I have not seen him for months and I will go and see him either in a well-managed local café or for a walk. I can go in my own vehicle. Nobody else will be disadvantaged.”
Should we try to avoid including older and more vulnerable people in bubbles if possible?
“Completely and utterly. It would be incredibly cruel and inappropriate to endanger the elderly and vulnerable,” Altmann says.
Bauld says that it depends on how older and vulnerable relatives are managing nine months into the pandemic. “If you’ve got elderly relatives who live together and everybody’s comfortable that they’d rather err on the side of caution and not see each other face to face, and they’re not isolated and lonely, then yes, I think we should avoid seeing older and vulnerable relatives if we can. But there will be circumstances where the benefits of meeting outweigh the disadvantages.”
Jones says that when making a risk assessment we should remember that the overall goal is to keep virus circulation to a minimum. “But more personally, it would be awful for anyone to feel they brought the virus to someone who then suffers a serious bout of illness.”
Would you advise paying for a private Covid test before going into a Christmas bubble?
“If people want to take advantage of private testing, that’s fine,” Bauld says. “They need to recognise that a single test is not a foolproof indicator that they don’t have the virus.”
Altmann says that it could be a pragmatic step, but Jones disagrees. “Current over-the-counter prices effectively rule them out for many families, and in order for the concept to work you would need the group you are mixing with to also be tested. I think a mental risk assessment that errs on the side of caution is the most useful approach for most people under most circumstances.”
If a day trip is practical, is that better than staying overnight?
“Far better to try and have a brief visit because duration of contact, particularly indoors, is really important. We know from studies that the longer people are together, the greater the risk,” Bauld says.
Better still would be snacks and drinks in the garden, Altmann says.
“I doubt it makes much difference,” Jones says. “The time of contact with an infected individual is a factor in transmission, but it is very hard to quantify in everyday circumstances. If there is a risk then you place yourself or others in it as soon as you meet, and it remains in place until you leave. The much more important decision is whether to go at all.”
If local hotels are open, would it be better to stay in one to reduce exposure to others during a stay?
Bauld thinks that it might be a good idea if visiting older and more vulnerable family members.
Altmann agrees, as long as the hotel allows for proper social distancing from other guests.
Jones says that the issues around distancing from strangers makes this a complicated calculation, “and unless there is a really pressing need I think the situation is best avoided”.
Would you travel by public transport to visit relatives or during the run-up to a visit?
“No,” says Altmann, who adds that parents collecting students from university by car should wear a mask and so should their offspring. “Because of cases at my son’s school, we’ve been doing the school run in masks and with all car windows open.”
Bauld says that visiting relatives by car is preferable to a train or a bus, “while recognising that some people don’t have that luxury, and remembering we are being advised only to share private vehicles with household members”.
Jones says that as long as you follow the guidelines travelling on public transport should not matter. “I continue to commute by train. The carriages are relatively empty, there is regular cleaning and the majority of travellers are masked. Contrast that with a long car journey with petrol, coffee and pee breaks. A clear either/or is simply not possible, but public transport does not come out badly.”
Should we maintain social distancing while in the bubble?
Yes, as far as possible, Altmann suggests.
Bauld describes as “hilarious” a recommendation in America last week that Thanksgiving guests should be spread through different rooms in a house when eating dinner. “You can see that in a ranch-style American house, but if you’re in a two-up two-down in Canterbury it’s not really an option.”
Jones is sceptical about the practicality of social distancing in a Christmas bubble. “For me that gets a bit silly. You make your decision to meet and then wear a mask and sit at the opposite end of the room? The decision to meet or not meet should be the focus, not some sort of fudged halfway house.”
Will you be hugging anyone from outside your household in a “Christmas bubble”?
“No, unfortunately,” Bauld says.
“Other than immediate family, once we have decided to meet — no,” Jones says.
“Definitely not,” says Altmann, whose house will be free of mistletoe. “Looking a bit like we may not even get a tree — minimising unnecessary shopping!”
Will you sit down for a meal with those who are not normally in your household?
“No,” say all three of our experts. “But I completely understand the circumstances where people would. Just make sure one person is in the kitchen and takes responsibility there, and try to avoid, in terms of your seating, having people from different households facing one another,” Bauld says.
“As long as the risk assessment is done, I think it could happen,” Jones says.
In America at Thanksgiving the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommended taking your own food, drink, plates, cups and utensils to dinner. Is this a good idea for Christmas lunch?
“Not a bad idea,” Altmann says.
“Really maintain high hand hygiene when you’re in somebody else’s home, but avoiding sharing cutlery and dishes is a good idea,” Bauld says.
“Not for me,” Jones says. “The relative level of virus transmission via inanimate surfaces, compared to aerosols, is low, and if we think that most of what we use will have come out of a dishwasher, I don’t think there are any additional risks. If the household has an infection, that is the risk, so again the yes/no decision to meet is the critical one. If you are alarmed and are going to feel threatened whenever you touch something, don’t go.”
2hats
Dust.
Should we maximise ventilation by opening windows?
“Very much so,” Altmann says.
Keep a window open, Bauld advises.
“If you are stuffy, yes. But it won’t have any impact on the virus,” Jones says. “The household will have an infection or not, and if it does you cannot shoo it out of the window.”
Any rules on sharing bathrooms in an expanded bubble?
“No change of normal hygiene practices is required,” Jones says. “If the household has an infection the risk is present whatever you do.”
However, Altmann says that it is worth keeping a window open and leaving a few minutes between each visitor to the bathroom.
“When flushing the toilet close the lid,” Bauld says.
Should we go a bit easier on the booze this year?
Bauld suggests that overindulging can leave you run-down and compromise immunity as well as clouding judgment in a way that reduces effective social distancing, especially as an evening gets later. “If you can go for your visit earlier in the day, that means alcohol is less a part of the equation.”
Jones says that he’d be surprised “if anyone felt like bingeing this year. But the obvious advice year-round on general health grounds is St Paul’s: take only ‘a little wine’.”
“Very much so,” Altmann says.
Keep a window open, Bauld advises.
“If you are stuffy, yes. But it won’t have any impact on the virus,” Jones says. “The household will have an infection or not, and if it does you cannot shoo it out of the window.”
Any rules on sharing bathrooms in an expanded bubble?
“No change of normal hygiene practices is required,” Jones says. “If the household has an infection the risk is present whatever you do.”
However, Altmann says that it is worth keeping a window open and leaving a few minutes between each visitor to the bathroom.
“When flushing the toilet close the lid,” Bauld says.
Should we go a bit easier on the booze this year?
Bauld suggests that overindulging can leave you run-down and compromise immunity as well as clouding judgment in a way that reduces effective social distancing, especially as an evening gets later. “If you can go for your visit earlier in the day, that means alcohol is less a part of the equation.”
Jones says that he’d be surprised “if anyone felt like bingeing this year. But the obvious advice year-round on general health grounds is St Paul’s: take only ‘a little wine’.”
danny la rouge
More like *fanny* la rouge!
I knew it was familiar.
Putting your finger on the end of a pipette to stop the liquid flowing back into the flask is what you do when you've used your mouth to suck the liquid up there in the first place.
That was out of date when I was last in a lab, which must be thirty years ago. Before yon pair in that photo were even born. So nope, they're not scientists. And nor is whoever told the models what to do in that photo.
Go on, you're surprised.
That was out of date when I was last in a lab, which must be thirty years ago. Before yon pair in that photo were even born. So nope, they're not scientists. And nor is whoever told the models what to do in that photo.
Go on, you're surprised.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
It is hard to escape the idea that, by dressing a couple of people up in white coats and safety glasses, and giving them laboratory glassware to play with, all above a headline about what the scientists think, they are suggesting that the image is meant to represent scientists.
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
I have a lab coat, but I am certainly not a scientist.
* Left over from when I was press-ganged into being on the hospital's carnival float, a couple of years ago.
tommers
Busta Rhymes is an unstoppable movement
They look like a lot of fun. I'd go round.
danny la rouge
More like *fanny* la rouge!
Lyrics from the Killers’ first draft.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
The headline also mentions visiting relatives, and the background to the photo is a christmas tree in some kind of ostentatious living room. They are clearly not in a laboratory, nor do they appear to be doing any kind of serious work, so I don't see why anyone would assume they are scientists. It seems much more likely that they are relatives who have recieved a chemistry set as a christmas gift.
It seems that some people really are focused on finding controversy where there is none.
andysays
Love and solidarity
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
Wales is going back into a semi-lockdown, with pubs etc. having to close by 6 pm, and a ban on them selling alcohol.
metro.co.uk
Pubs ordered to close by 6pm from Friday as Wales enters new lockdown
There is also a total ban on alcohol sales just three weeks after a 'firebreak' lockdown in the country ended.
metro.co.uk
BristolEcho
Well-Known Member
If they were my relatives then I think I'd avoid them for Christmas.
And this.
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
We're staying at home this year. The household is just two couples and the dog, anyway.
Neither couple will be visiting siblings this solstice. Possible parcels and zoom ...
Real life visits are definitely not happening until after everybody has had their jabs, plus the waiting period to allow immunity to build up.
So next year, around March, maybe ?
The staff in my little business are going to get a buffet in the workshop a few days before the seasonal break, but no booze and socially distanced.
Neither couple will be visiting siblings this solstice. Possible parcels and zoom ...
Real life visits are definitely not happening until after everybody has had their jabs, plus the waiting period to allow immunity to build up.
So next year, around March, maybe ?
The staff in my little business are going to get a buffet in the workshop a few days before the seasonal break, but no booze and socially distanced.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Really need a discussion on the 1881 Sunday Closing (Wales) ActWales is going back into a semi-lockdown, with pubs etc. having to close by 6 pm, and a ban on them selling alcohol.
Pubs ordered to close by 6pm from Friday as Wales enters new lockdown
There is also a total ban on alcohol sales just three weeks after a 'firebreak' lockdown in the country ended.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
No vegan option though
Covid-19: Drinkers in tier two 'could order Scotch egg' as substantial meal
They would count as a "substantial meal" under new rules for parts of England, a minister says.
www.bbc.com
Downing Street has not ruled out tier two drinkers being able to order a Scotch egg, but would not set out the difference between a snack and a mealNo vegan option though
Covid-19: Drinkers in tier two 'could order Scotch egg' as substantial meal
They would count as a "substantial meal" under new rules for parts of England, a minister says.www.bbc.com
FFS
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
no one in downing street has cheese and beans on a jacket potato, they all have either beans or cheese. they're that shite.Downing Street has not ruled out tier two drinkers being able to order a Scotch egg, but would not set out the difference between a snack and a meal
FFS
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
Raheem
Well-Known Member
Pickled egg would be pudding.
prunus
Tick tock.
The (clean room level 2 containment) lab I worked in always had an open fire going and a 10 foot tree in the corner.
We’d only decorate it at Christmas though - we weren’t maniacs.
ddraig
kicking against the pricks...
Wales pubs have to shut from 6pm from Friday! eek
Hope it works
Hope it works
Covid: Alcohol ban for Welsh pubs and restaurants from Friday
Pubs and restaurants will have to shut at 6pm and will not be able to serve alcoholic drinks.
www.bbc.co.uk
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
in the pub under Stockport Viaduct they've always done pickled eggs, pork pies and some really good pork scratchings . Obviously they are in tier 3 but when that's lifted that's a pretty good three course meal with a couple of pints.
sure, but places like the Port Street Beerhouse and The Castle and whatnot were doing artisan pickled eggs for a time - just wondering if that was sustained, or if they're back to being backstreet boozer barsnacks only again.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Hope may be just around the corner in Wales
www.walesonline.co.uk
Swansea trials to see if cold remedy from Boots can stop coronavirus
If successful it has the potential to add an extra prevention strategy to the fight against Covid-19
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