COVID-19

Think the police forces will relax the chasing across the countryside and roadblocks side of things from now on in. And rightly so.

 

The government have followed top scientific advice all along and compared with other countries have done pretty well. As for looking after it’s citizens better than most

 

now the full regulations have been released I don’t think they have a choice as going out twice for exercise isn’t illegal

 

Your defence of this poor government is starting to become embarrassing. Wake up mate, they were lazy and have let every member of the British public down.

Sky news just had an interview with a doctor Philip Lee (politician also) who took part in the 2016 government exercise to prepare for a Pandemic Flu. Lee basically said he has no idea why none of the recommendations arising out of this exercise were implemented. For example he said one recommendation related to storing 20k ventilators in a warehouse.

Notwithstanding that, it appears government has been effectively ‘sleeping on the job’ since January. Instead of analysing the situation in China (and then Italy) and proactively tackling the incoming spread to the UK, everything now is reactive after the horse has bolted. Incompetence doesn’t cover it.

How can anyone argue with that?

 

I notice that people are starting to get back in the car and travel to exercise. The weekend before the lockdown here was busier than a bank holiday then it went dead now I notice the car parks are getting busier day by day. Roadblocks are still necessary

 

They can only stop people not following the regulations and it doesn’t stop people driving to do their exercise, or going out numerous times.

 

I notice that people are starting to get back in the car and travel to exercise. The weekend before the lockdown here was busier than a bank holiday then it went dead now I notice the car parks are getting busier day by day. Roadblocks are still necessary

 

I'm pretty comfortable with the embarrassment levels each of should probably feel on this topic Fordy. As ever, you lack any sort of self awareness. I haven't 'defended this government'. I've openly said that mistakes have been made. Mistakes will still be made. But I'm tolerant to a point and mindful of the massive challenge we face. The Chief of the UN is now on record as saying that this is the 'biggest global crisis since world war 2'. You apply none of that context to your moaning. You just throw stones at every possible thing you can - all of it is reactive to try and prove a point you think you're making, but none of it is proactive, none of your points offer specific solutions, you flip flop depending on the latest easy target you can go after, you offer no credit to the amazing work we're doing to combat this problem in various areas - or the help the government IS trying to offer and you laud other countries without any real sense of wider context or understanding of their issues and challenges. Whilst the rest of the world laughs at Trump for talking non-stop shite throughout this whole thing, with his own State Governors pleading for help, you're holding him up as a beacon of positivity that we should be aspiring to!!

You call out a criticism of why 20K ventilators weren't put into storage after earlier reviews. But you're the sort of person who, if that had been done, before February you'd have slaughtered the government for a horrendous waste of cash. And without any sense of irony at all, you say we should've learned from China? Maybe if they hadn't try to cover this up, murdered whistleblowing doctors and destroyed test samples - we could have done!

I don't think you realise the extent to which you've become a parody of yourself Fordy.

 

Its nigh on impossible to plan for an unprecedented event. I think we all agree there are things that could and should be done differently but overall i think they've done a good job of trying to take a monumental task at short notice. Funny, my mum has just come out of hospital after a few weeks in BRI, she was in ICU for a while and other wards. None of them were at capacity. Empty beds in all of them. Great frontline service but behind that line is an organsiation in dire need of reform.

 

I fully agree with you and others over testing. Where I don’t get the criticism is the lack of ventilators. Every other country is having the same problem, they are far too expensive to have 20,000 lying around for a million to 1 shot like we’re having. The last global pandemic like this was in 1918, and it could be another 100 years plus before we have another. Within 15/20 years the current ventilation technology will be obsolete and we’ll have more advanced ones, we can’t keep huge reserves of expensive technology with a shelf life on just in case a 1 in a 100 year event happens again, and neither will any other country which is why we’re all having to make them now and most will never be used again after this is over. A bit like all the billions of pounds worth of WW2 ammunition we had to Chuck in the sea after the war finished.

 

there is difference between advice and regulations. The police and other authorities can only enforce regulations and not advice

 

The police already have the power to stop antisocial behaviour which this is

 

no it isn’t. There is no way in gods green earth that a charge of antisocial behaviour would stand up in court for stoping someone driving to go for a walk. The police are aware of that which is why they haven’t done that.

If that was the case they wouldn’t have had to rush through new laws and issue the regulations.

 

Again mate it's about failing to prepare.

The NHS for years has been crying out for improvement and many complaining they will getting full even before this.

Many for years were saying that the world isn't protecting itself for a virus outbreak and we're reactive no proactive.

The problem now is like what @Dennis said is that we are not even using the facilities we have. In terms of ventilators The University of Oxford said this isn't the time for worrying about standards and wanting the best. It's a time for using what works and quickly. The uni has developed ventilators that are quick and easy to use but the government doesn't want them are they're not all singing and dancing.

The delay in getting things done is costing people their life. The failure to not think ahead has proved costly in many ways unfortunately.

 

I fully agree about lack of funding around the NHS, my point was more specific to getting 20,000 ventilators which would only ever be used in a million to 1 shot and may be out of date way before they ever got used.

If this pandemic didn’t come about and we’d have spent X amount on excess ventilators, we’d have some doctors and experts saying that money could have been better used on MRI’s, beds or something else. They’ll always be different opinions on matters like this, it’s literally a 1 in a 100 year event none of the experts have seen anything on this scale before.

 

Under the present circumstances of course it would its strong government advice. To travel miles in your car for no good reason at the moment is anti social behaviour

 

A great comment on different opinions, unfortunately a lot think their opinion is fact. Depends on your agenda and what media you read I guess.

 

New 4324 cases

Unfortunately 563 deaths. The highest yet.