Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Michael W]

33 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

Gove confirms now English pubs and restaurants close at 10 from Thursday, People who can WFH should do so, everyone who can get out the office and WFH should (U) and all plans for any return of spectators to sport including trials are ceased with no indication when that may return now.

 

That seems very half arsed, surely that isn't going to make a blind bit of difference especially given the numbers who had basically ignored the previous return to the office rallying cries. Must be more in the Boris announcement.

 

Agreed. I am not really sure what impact the Government expects this to have, other than they must be seen to be doing something. 

To see schools being ignored entirely is unsurprising, but depressing. The message very much loses its seriousness when something that just about everyone can see is continuously ignored, and you question the commitment of the government when they willingly fail to address this. 

[Mr Tourette]

It's not that long since they had to close in the afternoon as well. It was hell.

It was also another reason for bigger crowds at the football back in the day. There was nowhere else to go between 14:30 and 17:00.

Amazing to think back now that you could get a carry out and take it to the game

[D.A.F.C]

Yep. I think every league, League One down will need to go into abeyance.
They could maybe (hopefully) put a mini season together starting in March.
The Highland League made the right call in saying they'd only start with fans. I'd expect other leagues to follow suit

Most clubs have sold season tickets though, would be chaos.

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

9 minutes ago, 8MileBU said:

As predictable as who’ll all get on their high horse about an obviously tongue-in-cheek remark.

No high horses in this neck of the woods friend, they're too big and I've no polos for them! 

Well done you though, posting your most "out there" opinions and then going for the "actually, I was being sarcastic" response is a clever ruse de guerre. 

[8MileBU]

1 minute ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

No high horses in this neck of the woods friend, they're too big and I've no polos for them! 

Well done you though, posting your most "out there" opinions and then going for the "actually, I was being sarcastic" response is a clever ruse de guerre. 

Aye. Snd m8. 

[Hard Graft]

I have stuck by the rules for the previous 6 months during which time I have rarely seen friends, relatives and grand kids. I have been furloughed during this time and expect to lose my job next month.  I do not drink in pubs and have 5 couples who are close friends who we see at each others homes but only as 2 couples. We have only just started meeting up in the past month.

As far as I am concerned we pose less risk that going to the pub for a drink. I can see the problem with big house gatherings but surely 2 couples together does not pose a problem.

Really interested in what comes out today. Can see problems with people adhering to the rules if they are too drastic and widespread though.  Had they been more stricter with those breaching the rules earlier we may not have been in the current situation.

[renton]

19 minutes ago, Michael W said:

Agreed. I am not really sure what impact the Government expects this to have, other than they must be seen to be doing something. 

To see schools being ignored entirely is unsurprising, but depressing. The message very much loses its seriousness when something that just about everyone can see is continuously ignored, and you question the commitment of the government when they willingly fail to address this. 

Well, it's not necessarily what the Government think is required to stem an increase in viral prevelance and more what Sunak will let them do without any further economic stimulus.

With that in mind, the idea that Sturgeon can shut hospitality again would be contingent on being able to refurlough staff, which I'm not sure you can do and to have it definitely finished by Octboer 23rd when the Furlough scheme ends officially.

[Michael W]

5 minutes ago, renton said:

Well, it's not necessarily what the Government think is required to stem an increase in viral prevelance and more what Sunak will let them do without any further economic stimulus.

With that in mind, the idea that Sturgeon can shut hospitality again would be contingent on being able to refurlough staff, which I'm not sure you can do and to have it definitely finished by Octboer 23rd when the Furlough scheme ends officially.

They're doing their best to kill the hospitality industry whilst keeping it open, tbh. 

[renton]

Just now, Michael W said:

They're doing their best to kill the hospitality industry whilst keeping it open, tbh. 

The joys of Cabinet compromise.

[SweeperDee]

We all excited for Lockdown 2: Electric Boogaloo? Going to be some amount of unemployment and suicides in the U.K. over the next year.

[SweeperDee]

On the plus side, raves are going to be back in “fashion”.

[Marshmallo]

54 minutes ago, Szamo's_Ammo said:

It seems more and more that people are picking up on this (non parents and non-selfish, non- "get back to the skale" at any cost parents).

It's becoming quite insulting to see the government continually ignore the unwelcome truth that cases of Covid have surged since the schools reopened.

Peddling the idea that children must be crammed into classrooms in the middle of a pandemic is going to cause a lot more damage to this country's health and economy than it should have, and could have easily been avoided.

We all know blended learning (or complete home learning) is inevitable in the next 6 weeks so why cause more damage in delaying this for any longer? The classroom learning is sacrosanct brigade will have forgotten about it by the next election anyway.

Aye you just have your pint mate while my weans' futures go up in smoke

[Szamo's_Ammo]

7 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

Aye you just have your pint mate while my weans' futures go up in smoke

I'm sorry but you wanting wee Latapy bussed off to school so you can watch Judge Rinder in peace should not be government priority right now.

fact. end off x

[renton]

9 hours ago, Ludo*1 said:

It's quite embarrassing the way the government and Scottish government are trying to say schools aren't spreading the disease. I get that they may be a necessary evil and one of the few vital places that need to stay open - but let's not just blame others and try and say, 'Aw but kids don't transmit it much, so it's fine and obviously it's because you're all having house parties'.

Well, I'm not convinced it's that simple. All the demographic evidence suggests that school age children are not showing the kind of increase in prevelance that other groups: Particularly the 25-44 age group are.

If you look at the UK tracker it appears like they were rising on the shallow part of the exponential curve before September when their schools went back.

The uneven effect in changed prevelance in the West vs The rest of the country needs to be examined as well. I get that those Western authorities started with a higher prevelance, but then Schools, like care homes should be ideal environments for the virus. Even with small background prevelance you would expect that once it got into a school it would be riddled, and you would see that effect across all authorities.

I dunno, maybe all kids are asymptomatic, just passing it between themselves and firing it back out to their parents. Then again, the tracing teams would surely see that trend, it'd be obvious.

I gebuinely don't think there is an organised conspiracy to downplay the direct contribution of schools here. It'd be obvious in other nations if the effect was major, the trends in infections here would surely be so obvious someone would have remarked on it by now.

I do think the schools are contributing, but in a more non direct way.

1. They are probably responsible for the broken testing system as every child's cough gets tested. Its insane that the UK Government didn't see that coming.

2. White collar workers with kids were probably not furloughed and already working from home. So the return of child care and schools may have lightened their burden but not increased their exposure at work. What about kids who's parents worked in manufacturing, hospitality, retail or other people facing tasks? Did the return of schools allow them to return to work from furlough? Was there a step change in workplace attendance associated with the schools going back that increased the risk of vectors in a given environment?

Beyond that, is it simply that People became more lax with precautions as time went on. That we hit a critical point of mixing with a non zero prevelance that kicked the whole thing off again?

Edited September 22, 2020 by renton

[Robin.Hood]

Halloween sweets. Make sure to buy them. 

[NotThePars]

What a predictably stupid thing to say

[Bairnardo]

That's the announcement about fans return being delayed been made in England

[trainspotter]

Can only be a matter of days before the 'Sober for Locktober' ads start appearing on the radio.

[Ingo ohne Flamingo]

Getting fed up of seeing the schools take the blame here. Looking at this map, are people suggesting that Highland, Falkirk, Stirling, Perthshire, Clackmannanshire, Aberdeenshire etc don't have the schools open? This map covers positive tests in the last 7 days. It is obvious it is places like Glasgow and the Lanarkshires that are the problem in Scotland, areas that host scotlands more deprived areas and areas where law abiding is lower. Also worth adding that Glasgow and the Lanarkshires are more densely populated.

 

Worth looking at the whole 4 nations, again the last 7 days. Look at the Southern half of England, are the schools still shut there?

 

There's no doubt there has been transmission within schools, but the schools are regulated and behaviours more controlled therefore it's not that high - Track and Trace is proving this. Considering most livingrooms in Scotland can only fit 2 sofas and a TV Cabinet, having 8 people in there from 3 households there was no danger people could socially distance. I had family and friends over in the last few months and it was impossible to stay distant. Those visits didn't involve alcohol so you can only imagine what a house party with even 8 would be like, then you'll have the usual kitchen party and people using the same toilets, towels etc etc.

 

 

 

[ICTChris]

Research has been published showing that since gyms and leisure centres reopened in England there have been 78 cases among patrons and 34 among staff.  To put that in context there have been approximately 22 million visits since the facilites reopened, giving a risk of 0.34 per 100,000 for visits to the gym.

https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/new-research-coronavirus-prevalence/?fbclid=IwAR1JDU2VgYZkLM34-EEGDwRr65ym-EhPO4uxbXn8oTMhd0nsxILPgssQI-s

Worth bearing in mind when we see whats going to be shut down.