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Off Topic Coronavirus - 606 tales from the Inquiry

Discussion in 'Charlton' started by lardiman, Feb 25, 2020.

  1. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Sorry to hear your travel plans were scuppered Elfs.

    Sweden really ought to be thinking about social distancing right now, and a general lockdown.
    They can see what has happened everywhere else.
    They won't be able to avoid this just by closing their borders.
    Same species + same social behaviour = same proportion of infections and fatalities.

    The Swedish people are sensible folk aren't they? Surely they would accept restrictions in advance of an epidemic there that would cripple their healthcare system, not because of one.
     
    #721
  2. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Grave news - Boris Johnson has been admitted to Intensive Care.
    The reports are that he is not yet on a ventilator, but I fear now that he may not survive.

    He probably should have rested much earlier during his illness.
    But when you're the Prime Minister it must be almost impossible to step back from the need to do your duty.
     
    #722
  3. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Dorks of the Day ... 7th April

    Holland & Barrett - trendy nibbles and herbal medicine stores.
    Hardly "essential" unless you're a post-modern hippy.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52206835

    Nice of them to put profits ahead of the lives of shop workers and their families.
     
    #723
  4. Ponders Revisited

    Ponders Revisited Well-Known Member

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    Grim figures today, as they are every day. Coronavirus is here to stay for a very long time.

    R.I.P everyone who passed away.
     
    #724
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  5. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Anybody who is pinning their hopes on this lockdown being lifted within a week or two; you need to change your outlook.
    Counting down the days to life going "back to normal" is not a helpful coping strategy.
    All you are doing is bottling up frustration, and distilling resentment to the point where you'll lose control of it.

    Don't kid yourselves into thinking that the lockdown will be lifted as swiftly as it was imposed.

    The lockdown rules will only be relaxed very gradually, in very small steps, one at a time, over the next year or so I should think.
    Mass testing (millions of tests) for everybody will make it easier for rules to be modified to make life a bit less stressful.
    But the only real game changer - the only thing that will allow mass events like football matches to resume - is a vaccine.

    The last big event that thousands of people gathered for - the Cheltenham Festival - is now thought to be a factor in the nation wide spread of the virus. People came from all over the country to watch the racing, and many of them probably took the virus home with them.

    That last day of football matches probably helped the virus to spread as well. If you add up all the people who packed themselves in at stadiums and pubs that day it is probably well over a million.

    I guess that within another 6 to 10 weeks the Government will be forced to relax rules regarding small shops and restaurants, because they cannot allow the economy to collapse. Business and trade has to resume in some form. Some people will have to go back to work.
    People are going to have to be allowed to go out to parks to sunbathe or go on day trip holidays, that kind of thing.
    A few community leisure & sports facilities may be opened again; golf courses, tennis courts etc.

    But the 2m distancing rules will have to stay. Crowds will have to remain completely forbidden.
    We will have to get used to queuing for everything, and always keeping our distance.

    The Government CANNOT allow anything which puts the NHS in danger of collapsing.

    Remember, our doctors, nurses and support staff are working themselves into the ground. Many of them are probably nearing mental and physical exhaustion.
    Individuals MUST be allowed breaks and time away from the front line.
    Staff must be rotated, because they cannot cope with 60 hour weeks over and over again.
    These people have families too.


    For this reason the social distancing rules must remain ... until we have a mass vaccination programme.
    And we probably won't see that until summer / autumn NEXT year.

    Don't lose hope.
    Things will get better.
    But they are going to get better very slowly, over many months.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    By the way;

    If a large enough number of weak-willed people ignore the lockdown rules over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend,
    the Government and/or Local Councils will probably impose
    more lockdown restrictions.

    Parks could be closed - not just for a day or two, but perhaps every weekend.
    That one outing for exercise each day might be stopped.

    A minority of careless slackers might make life even more frustrating for everyone.
     
    #725
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020
  6. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Royal Ascot

    This event MUST not be staged, even behind closed doors.

    How many ambulances and paramedics will be needed there? - never mind all the other support staff and Police, who will have to be looking out for morons who try to go to the racecourse and hang around the area.
    We cannot spare vital medics and medical facilities to look after leisure events.
    It's as simple as that.

    I can't believe they are even considering holding this event.
     
    #726
  7. Ken Shabby

    Ken Shabby Well-Known Member

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    I'll offer as Dork of the Day, any journalist who goes to the number 10 briefing ans asks (again) when will the country come out of lock down? Christ on a bike, back in 1941 were the press asking 'hey Winston, when will the war end? There's a whole slew of factors involved, and assuming through the ignorance of a few, the government don't have to impose more stringent measures, the chances are this wll go on for a while and the easing of lock down wll travel over a period of weeks. As an example of the dificulties to overcome with a simple graph analysis, Spain recorded a drop in deaths from Covid-19 for around five days at the end of last week. On monday the number rose back to 760 and it went up further today. Given every country has a different way of measuring death and infection rates, this is only a guide. But the dip towards a plateau has temporarily gone, so the graphs are currently only an illustration. The Word is Spain wil possibly be edging out of total lock down in mid to late may, but no one here would expect a definate date - Wuhan is just coming back out now, and I imagine a lot of restrictions are still in place. This is going to run for a while so going into kiddie mode and asking 'are we there yet dad?' really isn't doing any Good at all.
     
    #727
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  8. The Elfsborg Sparrow

    The Elfsborg Sparrow Well-Known Member

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    Hospital theatres are being converted into wards.

    St Thomas'? last night said they now have 2 theatres instead of the normal 10.
     
    #728
  9. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    That's right.
    The other 8 theatres have been converted into ICU wards, 2 beds per ward.
    So St Thomas' now has 16 more ICU beds for Coromavirus patients.
     
    #729
  10. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Spot on Ken.

    Only fools in denial are still clinging to the forlorn hope that things are going to go 'back to normal' in a couple of weeks' time.
    Journalists who keep asking such childish simplistic questions are just pandering to weakness, presumably for cheap popularity.

    People must shed the silly wishful-thinking notion that everything is just going to go back to normal soon.
    We must adapt instead to a new way of life.
    A way of life where gradual improvements will come, but they are going to come very slowly, and we should be thankful for what we still have.
    A way of life where
    • Helping the NHS
    • Looking after elderly and vulnerable folk
    • Keeping the electricity / gas / water / fuel networks working properly
    • Maintaining the food chain from farm to shop shelf - and making sure everybody has access to it
    • Keeping the internet / mobile network / TV / radio / postal services running
    • Keeping public transport running
    • Helping the Police keep order
    • Educating our children
    become important things we can all give some time to, rather than things we expect to just be there as a given.

    The price of a quick return to all the old things we took for granted (pubs, parties, restauants, football, crowded streets, pop concerts etc.) would be a declaration that anybody who falls seriously ill with Coronavirus will be refused hospital admission or treatment.
    If you get COVID19 you either recover from it at home, or you die at home.


    I expect there is a small minority of really selfish, arrogant and amoral people who would actually prefer that option to the current lockdown.
    They would not mind a million deaths if it meant they could go out for a pint and go to the football.
    The disappearance of some of their own friends and relatives might change their minds in time.
    Or when it's their turn to suffocate in agony in bed at home they might repent. But it would be too late by then.

    However in the real world this will never happen of course.
    This isn't North Korea.
    Doctors, nurses and care workers would never turn their backs on sick people even if the authorities declared that virus victims would be banned from hospitals. They would defy such a heartless order. Police would never enforce it, and the vast majority of people would never accept it.

    The weak-willed folk of this country who might be asking themselves if a long lockdown will actually be worse for Britain than just letting Coronavirus kill anyone it wants to (the cold-blooded philosophy of so-called 'herd immunity'), should take a very hard look at themselves.
    In my opinion even to ask such a question to yourself in private - never mind in public - betrays a serious lack of moral fibre.

    We are not mindless animals.
    And our morality is not the law of the jungle.
    We do not abandon our weak, vulnerable or elderly for any reason, let alone because protecting them has put a crimp on our leisure lifestyle.

    The lockdown stays for as long as it is needed ... (another 6 to 12 weeks would be my guess)
    The social distancing stays until we have a vaccine ... (a year to 18 months from now maybe)

    The Economy will survive in the long run, and so will sport and tourism etc.
    They may just have to submit to radical changes.
     
    #730
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020

  11. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    The rate of deaths is still rising, but the rate of confirmed new infections is leveling off...

    New cases Graph 200408.png

    If this trend continues it should mean that the number of people dying from COVID19 should also level off and perhaps begin to drop in about 10 to 14 days time. There seems to be on average a 14 day gap between people showing symptoms, and passing away if they don't recover.
     
    #731
  12. Smudger603

    Smudger603 Well-Known Member

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    Let’s hope it’s slowing down lardy :emoticon-0148-yes:
     
    #732
  13. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Dork of the Day ... 8th April

    :emoticon-0171-star: President Trump :emoticon-0171-star:

    Is thinking of withdrawing the USA from the World Health Organisation (WHO) because he thinks it is too friendly with China.
    This is the worst possible time for the US President to flourish his Isolationist and White Supremacist colours for the 'nth time.

    Is The Donald capable of saying anything that isn't inflammatory or just plain stupid?
     
    #733
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020
  14. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Deputy Dorks of the Day ... 8th April

    1) Journos who keep asking for a timetable to lift the lockdown :emoticon-0158-time: (as recommended by Ken Shabby) <ok>

    2) The plank who just asked on TV whether the UK would be better off not leaving the EU after all in light of the current crisis <doh> Give me strength...
     
    #734
  15. deleted.....

    deleted..... Well-Known Member

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  16. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    PARENTAL ADVISORY - STRONG LANGUAGE!

    <applause> Superb AHLL :emoticon-0165-muscl

    I was going to type "Gordon Bennet, I hope he hasn't got a gun..." then he pulls one out!
    Mayor of London - He would get my vote <ok>
     
    #736
  17. Clb74

    Clb74 Well-Known Member

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    The economy will take a few years to get over this.
     
    #737
  18. Ponders Revisited

    Ponders Revisited Well-Known Member

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    I'd normally go camping with the family during the Easter holiday, but obviously that isn't going to happen this year. Therefore, we've decided to pitch the tent in the garden this weekend. The only room of the house we will use is the bathroom, meaning no TV, no computers, and no kitchen facilities. All meals and drinks will be prepared on the portable stove, and it's too bad if mobile phones and tablets run out of charge. It'll be books, card games, bat and ball, and pen and paper for entertainment.

    Should be interesting...
     
    #738
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  19. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Have a good weekend Ponders.
    Wish I could do something similar. Alas, no garden <wah>

    Not jealous though (well, not much). The weather is turning a bit chilly on Sunday I hear...
     
    #739
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  20. lardiman

    lardiman The truth is out there
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    Here is a section of an article by Laura Kuensberg, from the BBC news website.

    It suggests that possibilities for gradually beginning to get the economy working again are being discussed;

    BBC 200409 A.png

    It is not pleasant to have to acknowledge that eventually a "balance" must be struck between protecting people's lives and supporting the economy, but this must be done in some form.

    A full lockdown lasting months will have very serious long term effects.
    The Government has to find ways to get some businesses up and running again before the economy is completely ruined.

    One of the easier things to do might be allowing large shops to open again.

    Stores which have lots of room inside them (supermarket sized) could have shoppers inside them in relatively safe conditions IF social distancing is strictly enforced, and maybe if extra instructions are issued - like telling shoppers not to touch items until they are sure they'll be buying them, and stating that goods physically removed from the shop cannot later be returned.

    Of course, if you're going to open big shops, you will need to partly relax the lockdown rules to allow shoppers to go to them.
    This presents potential hazards for public transport, so it may be necessary to impose some restrictions on travel for non-essential shopping, such as walking or using private cars only to get to the shops.

    That would be pretty unfair on people who rely on buses or tube trains when they go leisure shopping. But it would be better for the economy as a whole than just keeping all shops except supermarkets closed indefinitely.
    Staff of those shops would also need to get to work, so they would have to be allowed to use public transport. And that means more buses & tubes, and greater efforts (seen by everyone) to keep them clean and safe.

    What I've typed above is purely speculation.
    I would like to see something like this beginning to happen though, within 3 to 6 weeks if possible - assuming the infection / death rates from COVID19 continue to level out and even begin to fall within that time.
    It's worth remembering though that many key workers and some others (builders etc.) have never stopped working.
    So the physical traveling and working has reduced to maybe 10% of what it used to be, but never actually stopped.

    A gradual increase in people actually going out to work and to leisure shop must be organised at some point.
    If it can be done, and be seen to be working, then perhaps day-trip tourism can follow - but again very tightly restricted in order to keep people safe.

    It should be possible for folks to enjoy a day out somewhere without crowds gathering in popular places as a result, but getting that right will be a real test of our Government and Local Authorities' ability to organise.
    There would be complex travel issues, and some very small 'tourist orientated' shops and cafe's would want to re-open, but if they did, would have to operate safely with social distancing.
     
    #740
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2020

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