COVID-19

Still getting furlough cash I assume?

People stopping going is pretty much exactly the point though, if that's happening then it's working. No matter what time they close the bars they're turning people onto the streets at the same time, that's why it's been happening for a month.

As I keep saying test and trace is the easy "no personal responsibility" answer but it can't ever work 100% and shouldn't be expected to so it needs to be supplemented with other things.

 

Government thinking of placing anyone over 45 in lockdown.

Unlucky ...If anyone wants to me get anything for them let me know. Merc is ready!.

Seriously, though what a mess. No one knows what to do in number 10 Downing St.

 

Hope they go 44 instead.

 

No mate our place stopped that two months ago as it was unaffordable with so little coming in and them having to contribute more. Most independent or small chain hospitality businesses are now reaching the limits of how much of a kicking they can take financially and our lot is no exception to that.

Nobody's expecting 100% but to buckle under a spike of kids going back in september and to try say it was unexpected is shambolic. fit for purpose will do just fine, the measures we already had in place with better targeted support would be the things that a good test and trace system would work alongside.

 

Maybe not your place in particular but the industry as a whole.

And unfortunately theres no way around it. Lots of places that rely on social interactions are going to be in a mess. This was always on the cards though.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-53621613

If T&T isn't 100% then it can't be the only thing we do, that is my whole position on it but it genuinely just seems to be the easy answer but nobody comes up with any ideas to make it better apart from enforcing people to comply......which is something I 100% don't want.

The government were absolute idiots to hype it up in the first place, it led to an expectations that people could basically lead normal lives with it but that makes no real sense. It only really works if you see a small amount of people per week and there is very little prevalence of the virus around.

 

Thats why help for those industries needs to be more effective. At the moment a lot of places are being thrown to the wolves way more than they should be.

That's my point, it shouldn't be the only measure but it's key to informing what other action you need to take and where. Without adequate testing you're just flying blind and can't stamp out any outbreaks quickly before they spiral out of control. Doing that alongside good solid public health stuff like the distancing and hand washing is what will allow businesses to return to as much normality as can be hoped for right now.

nobody wanted world beating, just a system that worked would be fine.

 

On your first point I'm guessing the sad reality is that not every industry survive every occurrence and certainly not every single part of an industry. If this is a long term thing then governments can't prop up places that have become obsolete, the industries themselves need to change and adapt.

As to the second bit. I think we're coming at it from different angles because I view the testing as being adequate within the boundaries of what is possible. My concern is that people aren't listening to the trace element.....if any of those people in the video posted earlier got a notification to say they'd been in contact do you think they're staying at home for 14 days? If they're asked to give the details of everyone they've been in contact with for the last 5 days do you reckon they can do it? Not a chance. The testing element is only as good as the peoples response to it.

 

The pub inside parliament is exempt from closing at 10pm.

Couldn't make it up could you. One rule for them.

 

Meanwhile the towns where wave 2 has already turned down creeps slowly further north and west each day.

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases?areaType=ltla&areaName=Mansfield
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases?areaType=ltla&areaName=Chesterfield
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases?areaType=ltla&areaName=Doncaster

 

Remember when Bradford had these measure pushed upon them for 50 per 100k rates, and Keighley with a constituency rate of 35 per 100k was deemed unfit to come out of lockdown. Well yesterdays figures are,

Burnley 283.5 per 100k
Knowsley 283.5 per 100k
Liverpool 269.4 per 100k
Newcastle 247.2 per 100k
Bolton 246.7 per 100k

Seeing the scene's in Liverpool that figure will keep rising. It was only a few weeks ago that 100 was seen as a disaster, 300 will be breached within days.

 

Cases continue to rocket. Not one of these local lockdown measures seem to be working yet we plod on with them regardless. Why?

 

Because they're politically petrified of the thing that is the only actual effective answer......actual lockdown measures.

 

There are some MPs trying to push for more debate on these laws being introduced. They point to the rule of six and the 10pm curfew as being rules implemented without any scrutiny that fall to pieces.

It was clear kicking everyone out a pub at 10pm would send half of London onto the tube at the same time and areas like Liverpool, Manchester, etc packed to the rafters as everyone wants a taxi at the same time.

The rule of six meaning in some cases two households could be banned from meeting each other but six households can meet each other also makes no sense.

I would hope this gets put up for a vote to discuss restrictions rather than having beer mat ideas from Cummings imposed on us at 10pm at night with no detail as was seen in Bradford.

 

It’s 1984 before our eyes.

It’s now a criminal act to socialise. You can be told to isolate on the basis of having ‘come into contact with someone who’s tested positive’ - and its a criminal offence not to comply.

It really is scandalous. And completely disproportionate.

 

Whether people believe in the idea of a conspiracy theory, of an all powerful 'illuminati' co-ordinating world affairs, or not, just look at what IS playing out before our eyes.

Social Freedoms are being suppressed in a way that wouldn't have been imaginable 12 months ago, to the point of being criminalized. And not only criminalized, many are actually grateful for such actions being taken. Households are actively encouraged to 'dob in' their neighbours for non-compliance. We have 'marshalls' making sure that compliance is being enforced publicly.

The economy is being decimated, to the point whereby many, many SME businesses have zero chance of survival. Dependency on the state is now being more and more firmly entrenched.

Cash is not being accepted in more and more locations.

Scanning in to log your whereabouts is now a condition of entry to more and more locations.

Freedom of speech is being curtailed. Thousands are attending protests to speak out, to challenge the MSM narrative. Even scientists and medical professionals who want to have constructive debate, who challenge the MSM narrative are being shut down - even arrested!

The main expert advising the public and government about the need for more restrictions until a 'vaccine can save us', sits on the board and has a fortune tied up in shares of the company leading the vaccine effort.

Its clear that the number of COVID deaths are being inflated, the lethality of the disease is ambiguous but the data would appear to show that if you're under 65 and in good health, you've very, very little to fear.

Its an utter disgrace. We should all be afraid - but not of any virus.

This is an excellent read:

https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/october-2020/democracy-muzzled/

 

I agree, it's exactly what I didn't want but it's weirdly a bottom up view rather than it being top down. People literally saying that they're not going to comply with advice unless the government forces them to. What is that actually about??

New stories coming out that only 18% of people WHO DEVELOP SYMPTOMS actually isolate and only 11% of people who come into contact with someone testing positive for Covid-19 stay at home for two weeks.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-self-isolation-uk-rules-symptoms-police-fines-b594240.html

I mean.....I don't actually know what people expect the government to do when they're literally begging to be fined for going outside. Common sense eh?

 

I think public perspective has shifted considerably. At the outset, when it appeared that this thing could be a risk to life for all and sundry, people were accepting of hunkering down. But that isn't really how its played out. I don't know (as in, know personally) of anyone who's died from this. And I don't know of anyone who knows anyone personally who's died. Does anyone on here? And if so - was that person under the age of 70 and in otherwise good health? I know of people who've lost jobs, and I know of someone who's lost a business that it took 30 years to build. I know of someone who's sibling has commit suicide - apparently because of mental health impacts arising from covid. I know of people who've had to endure other medical discomfort as a result of not being able to get treatment. I know of people who've had holidays and weddings cancelled, missed funerals, been unable to see loved ones etc. People will summon up the spirit to take that on, for a bit - until it becomes clearer that most people have nothing to fear.