General Coronavirus (COVID-19) chat

[prunus]

The only way to know that it has peaked is to go past the peak. I don't believe that the plan is to lift the lockdown during it.

Well yes I would hope so, my beef is with the way it’s being described, which could be fairly interpreted as that being the plan.

We can’t do A because we don’t know if B has happened. Reasonable assumption (if not actually a logical consequence) is that we can do A when we do know B has happened. I worry there are going to be a lot of pissed off people in about a week (maybe) saying “we know B has happened now, why can’t we do A now?” The dishonesty and treating people like idiots piss me off.

 

[Mation]

I don't know why* but this really tickled me:

How's the virus affecting British armed forces?
Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent
The BBC has learned that around 13,000 military personnel - 9% of the regular British armed forces - are now working from home, or self-isolating as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.


The idea that all the world's military might end up working from home

* Apart from being generally skewy, right now.

 

[Marty1]

Delivery drivers snap hilarious pictures of people with their parcels

Coronavirus: the symptoms Read our LIVE updates on the coronavirus here

www.standard.co.uk

Nice story

 

[fishfinger]

...The idea that all the world's military might end up working from home

...

A prototype version:

 

[Supine]

Random unimportant in the grand scheme of things rant, but it’s really pissing me off that he’s saying “we can’t end the lockdown because we can’t be sure that the epidemic has peaked”. This contains the implication that if we did know it had peaked we could end the lockdown, which is bullshit - the peak of the epidemic is precisely the worst time to end the lockdown, as it’s by definition the point at which there are the most infectious people about. We can’t end the lockdown until the peak is long passed and the number of cases in the community are massively down on the peak, perhaps down as low as 10% or 20%. Presumably he knows this? He’s not that thick is he? Rant over.

The gov also announced a set of tests that would need to be passed regarding easing the lockdown.

 

[Teaboy]

Is it me or have the government boxed themselves into a corner here? Of the bullet points above they have shown themselves totally incapable of achieving points 3 and 4 up to this point. There doesn't appear to be any prospect of them being any less useless in the near future. So we're either going to enter some never ending lockdown world or they're going to have to break those conditions.

Thinking about it, they'll just lie and pretend those conditions have been met.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Of the bullet points above they have shown themselves totally incapable of achieving points 3 and 4 up to this point.

Well, point 4 is achievable depending on how they define "future demand". If the data shows infection rates have plummeted and hardly anyone is getting sick any more, then they can claim they now have enough PPE.

 

[Petcha]

Merkel manages to explain all this in the space of a couple of minutes better than 4 weeks of useless tory ministers and hopeless UK medical experts. She seems to have a grasp of it and hey, surprise, they're far ahead of where we're at in dealing with it. We're rudderless.

 

[Supine]

Merkel manages to explain all this in the space of a couple of minutes better than 4 weeks of useless tory ministers and hopeless UK medical experts. She seems to have a grasp of it and hey, surprise, they're far ahead of where we're at in dealing with it. We're rudderless.

Refreshing to see a politician talking to her people like they are adults. Shame we can't have the same here.

 

[campanula]

So my city council is demanding access to my house fore an annual gas inspection. Have already said I will not be allowing a random worker in the house yet they are now demanding to know what underlying health conditions I have. Not inclined to tell a shirty council worker (who, I note) are working in offices which are closed to the public. Is this a bit outrageous, when I cannot even have family members visiting?

 

[Teaboy]

So my city council is demanding access to my house fore an annual gas inspection. Have already said I will not be allowing a random worker in the house yet they are now demanding to know what underlying health conditions I have. Not inclined to tell a shirty council worker (who, I note) are working in offices which are closed to the public. Is this a bit outrageous, when I cannot even have family members visiting?

Your medical history is absolutely private business and they have no right to know that. A persistent 'no' followed by threat to elevate the matter to your local ward councilor and maybe MP as to inquire why the council is hassling those in 12 week isolation.

 

[two sheds]

So my city council is demanding access to my house fore an annual gas inspection. Have already said I will not be allowing a random worker in the house yet they are now demanding to know what underlying health conditions I have. Not inclined to tell a shirty council worker (who, I note) are working in offices which are closed to the public. Is this a bit outrageous, when I cannot even have family members visiting?

And what underlying health conditions does he have? I think you should be told. Will they deep clean your house after he's left just in case he's asymptotic or just coming down with it?

 

[Mogden]

The amount of men doing large shops seems to have gone up. The majority of those I saw today also didn't have much concept of how much room to leave and were swaying about all over the shop, literally. Women slightly better but one parked her trolley up behind me, carefully observing the 2m floor markings, then came round her trolley to have a nose at the shelf beside me

Plain flour available in Aldi! No self raising or strong flour though. Everything else seemed to be well stocked. That's me good for another 2 weeks I hope.

 

[Teaboy]

The amount of men doing large shops seems to have gone up.

Well, they're not at work at the moment. Plus it gets you out of the house and away from the kids. I'm not a father myself but I understand that is a very important part of being a father.

 

[campanula]

The council have told me that I can isolate fir 2 weeks only - it is a legal requirement that gas inspectors enter because although I do have underlying health issues, I am not in the 12 week shielded group, I have no say whatsoever. They also claim their gas workers will be changing their PPE BETWEEN EACH HOUSE (mystified where they are getting these numerous changes of PPE. when care workers have to manage with 1 pershift. The council has implied they can get bailiffs to enter the property if I do not let random twats into the house...when I cannot even allow my grand-daughter and offspring to visit. They have also tried to bully me into stating my health conditions (I won't) but am really unhappy at allowing some stranger into my house after they have already been in numerous others.

 

[Teaboy]

Bang off an email to local ward Councillor and MP. Bullying scumbags.

 

[spitfire]

Bang off an email to local ward Councillor and MP. Bullying scumbags.

I get stuff looked at pretty quick on twitter if you use that campanula , tag in the councillors, MP and the council.

 

[killer b]

Mrs B just sent me this image of Matt Hancock giving evidence to the health select committee, marvelling at the kitsch piece of shit portrait of the queen - presumably purchased from Range - that he has on his wall.



Hang on a minute, I thought - that looks like one of those shit Damien Hirst splatter paintings.

sure enough...

Damien Hirst’s Secret Portrait of the Queen - artnet News

Damien Hirst, the former "enfant terrible" of British Art, painted a secret portrait of the Queen in 2014 and gifted it to the UK government last year.

news.artnet.com

 

[Orang Utan]

Mrs B just sent me this image of Matt Hancock giving evidence to the health select committee, marvelling at the kitsch piece of shit portrait of the queen - presumably purchased from Range - that he has on his wall.

View attachment 207249

Hang on a minute, I thought - that looks like one of those shit Damien Hirst splatter paintings.

sure enough...

Damien Hirst’s Secret Portrait of the Queen - artnet News

Damien Hirst, the former "enfant terrible" of British Art, painted a secret portrait of the Queen in 2014 and gifted it to the UK government last year.

news.artnet.com

is he at work or does he have that at home?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

is he at work or does he have that at home?

Looks like a proper office, so maybe it is from the government art collection.

 

[elbows]

is he at work or does he have that at home?

He was grilled about whether he was really practicing proper social distancing at work recently, and since then I think he has made a point of doing numerous interviews from his house. But I might be completely wrong about the location, I havent looked into it properly at all.

 

[killer b]

is he at work or does he have that at home?

I can't imagine a cabinet minister would have that shitty veneered office furniture in his house, I'm assuming he's in the office.

 

[Orang Utan]

if he has that at his house, he's a very naughty boy

 

[elbows]

OK I have started studying his surroundings in interviews a little.

 

[LDC]

So my city council is demanding access to my house fore an annual gas inspection. Have already said I will not be allowing a random worker in the house yet they are now demanding to know what underlying health conditions I have. Not inclined to tell a shirty council worker (who, I note) are working in offices which are closed to the public. Is this a bit outrageous, when I cannot even have family members visiting?

I think that's reasonable they have access tbh, it's a legal responsibility for them to ensure safety of their property for tenants. If they didn't do it they'd be in a right sticky legal situation if someone died in a fire caused by a gas fault. We had to have a worker in to our to fix something recently. Just make them wash hands, wear a mask, and minimize any close contact. It's not ideal, and they definitely shouldn't be asking about health conditions, but it would be essential safety work they're doing.

 

[killer b]

OK I have started studying his surroundings in interviews a little.

View attachment 207253

what's that in the top right corner? A newcastle shirt?

 

[ska invita]

Looks like a proper office, so maybe it is from the government art collection.

From what I cant tell of the personality of Hancock that could be his bedroom

 

[wayward bob]

i'm only watching these 5 o'clock things to be there when the cat does it. that time can't be that far off now?

 

[campanula]

I think that's reasonable they have access tbh, it's a legal responsibility for them to ensure safety of their property for tenants. If they didn't do it they'd be in a right sticky legal situation if someone died in a fire caused by a gas fault. We had to have a worker in to our to fix something recently. Just make them wash hands, wear a mask, and minimize any close contact. It's not ideal, and they definitely shouldn't be asking about health conditions, but it would be essential safety work they're doing.

I have looked at various guidelines and while it is a legal requirement to provide inspections, councils and inspection companies are legally covered if they can be seen to have attempted to comply with the law. This is a service for tenant's safety but nowhere does the guidance insist councils can force entrance. I guess there might be different issues in HMOs, but afaiac, checking my boiler can easily wait until lock-down is officially lifted.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

I’ve got an awful feeling that this thing has barely begun.