Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[andysays]

Yep, all Londoners are fucking thick. Every last one of us.

#NotAllLondoners

 

[Treacle Toes]

It's fairly clear the reference to London was in respect of how it's clearly spreading faster there, as expected, but if you want to admit to being thick, fair enough.

Yep, THICK AS SHIT. Especially true because you say so.

 

[Proper Tidy]

Is Snowdon a London Borough? It must be.

Eh?

 

[nogojones]

We might have to. I luckily have a bike, many don't and just as many live quite a distance away from work, even Londoners.

I was kidding a little

 

[Treacle Toes]

Eh?

It was a joke.

 

[two sheds]

We might have to. I luckily have a bike, many don't and just as many live quite a distance away from work, even Londoners.

My granddad used to walk 30 miles to work and back for 3d a day AND had to buy his own shoes.

#dontknowtheyrebornsomelondoners

 

[Treacle Toes]

I was kidding a little

I know.

 

[Treacle Toes]

My granddad used to walk 30 miles to work and back for 3d a day AND had to buy his own shoes.

#dontknowtheyrebornsomelondoners

I actually love walking and have already planned a couple of routes to work just in case. 1.5 to 2 hours walking depending which site I am at.

 

[belboid]

My granddad used to walk 30 miles to work and back for 3d a day AND had to buy his own shoes.

#dontknowtheyrebornsomelondoners

shoes? He was lucky

 

[Sasaferrato]

how may in total do you reckon? plus currently serving

I'll do a bit of research and come back to you. It will be in the order of ten thousand or more.

Closer to 50,000 over the last ten years, leavers and active reserves.

Quite hard to get exact figures without spending a fair bit of time on it.

ska invita

 

[Doodler]

Supermarkets could have acted to stop panic buying/profiteering but chose not to. Store managers already have the necessary authority but are wedded to their jobs and dream at night of sales targets. They'll only act if head office comes under legal pressure, as with Think 25 policies on sales of knives etc to youngsters. Lots of out of work doormen now who could be employed to back up the till staff and enforce purchase limits.

 

[editor]

It should cover anyone on PAYE and full details will be published later tonight

I'm going to be totally fucked. The only job I'm on any kind of payroll is the low paying mag writing job.

 

[editor]

I think this lockdown is going to mentally affect me very hard. It already feels like the first of an endless depressing stream of Bank Holidays mixed in with dreary Sundays with just about everything I like doing now out of bounds and all my work cancelled.

 

[emanymton]

For the moment, some people still do have to go to work and others will have to, almost no matter what, unless total apocalypse. We need some, limited, public transport.

No we need more public transport not less.
From next week they are cutting bus services. Me and lots of people still need to get to work by bus. Cutting services means more people waiting for longer at bus stops/stations and even more people packed into the already overcrowded buses for even longer.

The time I am most at risk of getting infected is on my daily commute and the way to reduce that risk is to run more services not less.

 

[elbows]

One of the reasons I fear for the UK situation in particular:

Coronavirus: NHS staff protection 'short of WHO guidelines'

Frontline staff need far more than the mask, gloves and apron they wear, a consultant warns.

www.bbc.co.uk

Frontline NHS staff risk "cross infecting everybody" because they are not getting the recommended protective equipment, a consultant has warned.

The face mask, short gloves and apron worn by NHS staff is far short of the World Health Organization recommendations, Dr Lisa Anderson of St George's Hospital, London, said.

Dr Anderson, a consultant cardiologist, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the current situation "can't continue".

She said that the government had changed the rules to deviate from WHO guidelines, which currently recommend health staff wear a full gown and visor.

Since Monday, staff in the NHS only have to wear a simple face mask, short gloves and a pinafore apron, Dr Anderson said.

I do recall the change to UK guidelines, I probably quoted them here at the time. The change itself was an ominous sign for PPE supplies, they wouldnt have done it if there was plenty of better PPE available.

 

[Sasaferrato]

One of the reasons I fear for the UK situation in particular:

Coronavirus: NHS staff protection 'short of WHO guidelines'

Frontline staff need far more than the mask, gloves and apron they wear, a consultant warns.

www.bbc.co.uk

I do recall the change to UK guidelines, I probably quoted them here at the time. The change itself was an ominous sign for PPE supplies, they wouldnt have done it if there was plenty of better PPE available.

I would imagine that there is a world wide shortage of kit at the moment.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

No we need more public transport not less.
From next week they are cutting bus services. Me and lots of people still need to get to work by bus. Cutting services means more people waiting for longer at bus stops/stations and even more people packed into the already overcrowded buses for even longer.

The time I am most at risk of getting infected is on my daily commute and the way to reduce that risk is to run more services not less.

This is a great point. For as long as people need to get to work, there needs to be a good, steady service to match the demand. I could see the case for cutting services back to reflect a far reduced demand, but that pared-down service would still need to be reliable and regular, and no reason why it can't be - the main reason trains are late, I've realised, is cos of all the passengers; get rid of most of them and you can run things without a hitch.

 

[weltweit]

I think this lockdown is going to mentally affect me very hard. It already feels like the first of an endless depressing stream of Bank Holidays mixed in with dreary Sundays with just about everything I like doing now out of bounds and all my work cancelled.

If it is any consolation you aren't the only one feeling that way. Although I can atm WFH that just seems to ram home the trapped feelings every day of the week.

 

[elbows]

They also cut transport services back because of staffing issues.

 

[elbows]

Latest version of the total deaths in a bunch of countries table, which I find quite horrible to compile. USA figure may yet increase before their day ends, I dont know, I just used what was available at this moment.

I stick this version on the UK thread at this time because one of my reasons for compiling it is to compare timing & scale of things in the UK to other countries. And there has been much discussion about the whole 2 weeks behind Italy thing (and me blowing a gasket and never shutting up about it when the government said 4 weeks instead of 2). As it has turned out, todays UK total so far is exactly the same number as Italy's was 2 weeks earlier, 233.

In future, if I am not making a specific point about comparing UK to other countries, I will likely stick further versions of this table in the global thread instead.

 

[Sasaferrato]

This is a great point. For as long as people need to get to work, there needs to be a good, steady service to match the demand. I could see the case for cutting services back to reflect a far reduced demand, but that pared-down service would still need to be reliable and regular, and no reason why it can't be - the main reason trains are late, I've realised, is cos of all the passengers; get rid of most of them and you can run things without a hitch.

Issue a 'Public Service' transport card. Only Public Service people travel

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Latest version of the total deaths in a bunch of countries table, which I find quite horrible to compile. USA figure may yet increase before their day ends, I dont know, I just used what was available at this moment.

I stick this version on the UK thread at this time because one of my reasons for compiling it is to compare timing & scale of things in the UK to other countries. And there has been much discussion about the whole 2 weeks behind Italy thing (and me blowing a gasket and never shutting up about it when the government said 4 weeks instead of 2). As it has turned out, todays UK total so far is exactly the same number as Italy's was 2 weeks earlier, 233.

In future, if I am not making a specific point about comparing UK to other countries, I will likely stick further versions of this table in the global thread instead.

View attachment 202673

Yes, amazingly similar numbers from this week here and three weeks ago in Italy.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Issue a 'Public Service' transport card. Only Public Service people travel

And how do you get one? What if the public service person is unavailable one day and someone else has to go? It's a rule that people would necessarily need to break.

I would hope that enough people would act with sense when it comes to it to make compulsion like that unnecessary, but I'm not so optimistic.

 

[clicker]

Yes, amazingly similar numbers from this week here and three weeks ago in Italy.

2 weeks ago?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

2 weeks ago?

Sorry yes. Basically the first and third weeks of the month.

 

[existentialist]

Sounds to me this is what we need here. No mucking about ..

A statement usually followed shortly by "who put that dictator in charge?"

 

[DaveCinzano]

2 weeks ago?

« This post was brought to you by Elbows' blood pressure consultant »

 

[Spandex]

todays UK total so far is exactly the same number as Italy's was 2 weeks earlier, 233.

I noticed that too. If the UK carrys on tracking Italy's death toll the shit is really gonna start hitting the fan in the next few days and will be up there with China in a week

 

[clicker]

« This post was brought to you by Elbows' blood pressure consultant »

I did panic a bit when I saw it .

 

[emanymton]

This is a great point. For as long as people need to get to work, there needs to be a good, steady service to match the demand. I could see the case for cutting services back to reflect a far reduced demand, but that pared-down service would still need to be reliable and regular, and no reason why it can't be - the main reason trains are late, I've realised, is cos of all the passengers; get rid of most of them and you can run things without a hitch.

When I used to get the train to work it was obvious to me that it was impossible for the train to run to time as the timetable didn't allow for the fact that trains have passengers and it takes time for them to get on and off. It would only run on time in the period between Christmas and new year when it was dead. Never understood why the people doing the timetables don't understand that.

They seem to be pitching cutting services as some kind of protective thing which is total crap, it's to cut costs because passenger numbers are down. At the very least they should not cut peak time services as they are still busy just not as full as they used to be. Basically the busses I get have gone from standing room only to 75% of the seats taken. Cutting services takes us back to standing room only.