Covid Update.............

[10ClarionSt]

................just in case you weren't aware. Nothing has worked so far has it? Infection rates rising.

Lockdown? Not even the WHO don't recommend that. When lockdown is introduced, the infection rates go up.

Track & Trace? What happened to that world-leading technology? Overseen by a woman whose last company had the personal data of 4 million customers compromised by hackers. (Talk-Talk)

Facemasks? Useless unless you are a shareholder of the company that manufactures them. Another thing that WHO says is ineffective.

But wait! Over the horizon comes the Pfizer vaccine to save the day. We don't know the long term effects yet, but we've been promised that things will be back to normal by Easter. Trouble is, they didn't say which easter, did they?

Nothing will ever be normal again in this country and anyone who thinks it will must believe everything the govt says. Peoples lives ruined;
re-possessions; businesses closed down; mass unemployment; education vastly disrupted; hospital appointments and health care disrupted; travel industry virtually non-existent.

What we have now will become the new "normal", as much as people don't like it because eventually people will get used to anything if they have to. And all this can be yours! Bojo the Clown has had the Corporal Jones manner along with King Canute-style policies. He has an appoointment atop the cliffs of Dover next week where he will raise his arms and thrust the nasty virus back towards the continent.
What else is there for him? Sounds good to me and I commend it to the house!

[drmorgans]

Fair enough. One of the problems is that we asking / telling a group of people who are largely unaffected by the disease to suspend their (socials) lives for a year so another, smaller group, can stay (relatively) free of it. I haven't seen stats for the spread of the disease by young people but one of the major places is hospitals.

[Sqad]

drmorgans....exactly.
Who would want to be a Politician at this moment?
Forget stats for once hospitals are just as dangerous and or safe as any place where people congregate.

[Sqad]

////^look at these measures and perhaps tighten them up, we really will. It's a horrible thing to have to say but we are in quite a difficult position."

Comment from a Scientific member of SAGE.
Now do you get it?

Watch out for a U turn in the form of Tier 4....which will equal total countrywide LOCKDOWN.

[mushroom25]

looks like there's to be a BorisBrief at 4pm - but as of now it's not due to be broadcast on any networked channel, so only important to those who can receive Rockall Weekend CableVision?

[eve1974]

Sadly I think no lockdown will work. No matter how strict. This virus is here to stay. I don't believe the vaccine will work in the amount of time that is needed either. I don't pretend to have any answers - and I feel sorry for world leaders all over. What is apparent though is that lockdown (in whatever forms used thus far) has not worked. I think the only thing we (as a world) should do is bring in laws that the most vulnerable HAVE to isolate and in a very strict way. That any funding (in countries that can afford it) should be spent on helping the vulnerable to be able to stay at home (so for eg financial incentives for vulnerable folk that would otherwise have to go out to work - like my husband for eg who has had to work throughout as we need the £s). Perhaps the financial incentive could extend a little to those vulnerable ones to have at least one family member to be compensated if they need to remain isolated with them. For everyone else we need to get back on with "normal" life. This lockdown is not working ....the virus is still spreading. We are almost a year into this!
Im aware that what I suggest may be too simplistic of course.

[eve1974]

mushroom....///looks like there's to be a BorisBrief at 4pm - but as of now it's not due to be broadcast on any networked channel, ///. surely its on bbc?

[anneasquith]

It is on bbc1 eve .

[mushroom25]

// surely its on bbc? //

and so it proved. at the time I posted, at 2-30 and 30mn after the announcement, it was not showing in any listing. when that happened during the past week, the BBC chose not to break their scheduled repeats of Antiques Road Trip, or Pointless.