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The corona virus thread

I have to say I agree with that last statement Chris. I think a lot of it is that offspring, however old, seem to think parents above all , know little, and make everything into a drama. Im sure I was like that with my parents . My adult son and daughter would have politely been told to do one, maybe , and I say maybe, they woul put more thought into the subject.
BTW, I am expecting the usual bank holiday deluge, down here on the beach, packed like sardines.
Like I've said before, Youth is wastied on the young & they all think we were born this size.
 
Well I'm furious. :angry-screaming::angry-screaming::angry-screaming::angry-screaming::angry-screaming:

Who should rock up this afternoon? My son and his girlfriend. The live in Manchester and as it was nice, decided to go for a walk in the Peak district then drop in to see us. He's been working until very recently and she is still in full time employment. Maybe they've missed the news?

Now I am pretty sure they've not been spreading the plague hither and thither, but I am frankly astounded that two young degree educated adults would behave like this. I have scolded them extensively and I honestly don't think I have reached them. I rather fear that this may in fact be indicative of this generation. Not in a flagrant disregard and a desire to flout the law' but more a 'Ehh? What? Uhm? Who me?' kind of way.

I don't really know what to say. Other than to say not all of the people ignoring the 'rules' are scumbags and criminals, just a bit dopey.

no surprise really

"If people are primed to look at things in a certain way, it will shape how they receive the information"
The media used to report events & we would base our opinions on he information supplied but now we are given a series of opinions & most folks can't tell fact from rhetoric.The back to normal , open the economy narrative is now dominating , the news cycle has moved on & media platforms need ad revenue - it's over move on ,back on your heads.
 
Like the good old boy I am, apart from taking the dogs for their walk I have abided by the the very sound advice from the experts (I don't see it as restricting my liberty) I was low on cash so I needed to go to the banks cash dispenser, unfortunately my local branch is temporarily closed (haven't got a clue why) so I had to drive to the next town over.

There were many joggers about, but what attracted my attention the most were the many, many cyclists that have forgotten, don't know or couldn't careless about the Highway Code.

I was primed to look for things of all shapes and ready to receive, but it was good to drive the LC after all that time. :laughing-rolling:
 
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Just to get back to the main topic. To date, Covid-19 has still not affected me in any way :handgestures-finge:, apart form the obvious, of course. and yes my hand is on my wooden head :laughing-rolling:

:greetings-wavingye: :icon-biggrin:
 
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Interesting stats on the Marr show today from a proper science bloke. He did some simple modelling from the numbers of deaths, the numbers of admissions (so in, minus out, leaves dead plus undecided either way so far) etc etc and extrapolated the number of those who've likely had it in the general population and it was around 3 million. So out of a population of around 65 million, there are basically not many that have had it at all.

Marr then asked a minister about recent headlines - Freedom, Magic Monday etc etc and said, these news papers would not have had headlines like these if government sources hadn't indicated to them that this was what Boris was going to say.

Seriously? Does anyone believe that the media only report in a factual way? Bit of a cheek coming from the BBC I'd say.
 
I do, I do, I'm the one.

I believe the media reports only in a fictional way. A 'bit of a cheek' is an understatement considering I have to pay to watch the BBC.

I to do like a bit of Marr.
 
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If the BBC has an opportunity to slag the UK off it will yet even they offer this
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Best i can work out 14 days is typical start to finish asymptomatic or dead of the virus and here we are 7 weeks later . Pandemic goes hand in hand with densely populated large cities and its spread from there to less populated areas where people are less likely to panic buy etc . (recalls Iwan's shock to learn in his local shop it had reached his rural area ) .

A few pages back i said there is no way out of lockdown unless a cure is found , but the economy can't wait that long , and so publicly the lockdown should remain in place while privately gov instructs police to relax vigilance .

From the mixed up muddled up you can but you can't speech coming from the PM yesterday i think that's the plan , to avoid responsibility they are timidly encouraging people to return to their pre-virus routine .

If he ended lockdown he would be called a murderer .
If he enforced a total lockdown he would be called a dictator .
If he does either he will be called the man who bankrupt the nation .

He has no choice other than to put his trust in the people , the new slogan should start with "your country needs you" to respect the virus to respect each other ..........

I expect to be torn apart for this post but please include your own fairy tale ending to this saga while you do it . And please note i'm not supporting Doris here , to my mind it wouldn't matter a damn if Churchill , Obama , Juncker or Mary Poppins was in charge right now they would all face the same career ending conundrum .
 
IMO there were clear bits in the PM’s speech and some not so clear bits. Rightly or wrongly he’s assumed people will have and use common sense so make your own mind up on that one. The “go back to work if you can”, bit is simple, do so if you can maintain the 2m distancing, on both the journey to work and when you get there. Obviously this will depend on the job you do and additional steps may have to be taken by individual employers, common sense.
The unlimited exercise advice, not limited to once a day is pretty self explanatory.
Being allowed to drive somewhere to exercise begs the question ‘how far’? Remember the mountain beauty spot in Snowdonia the first week of lockdown? If next weekend brings nice weather I can see that happening all over again. Also with Wales and Scotland maintaining their lockdown rules, problems at the borders could arise.
With The border issue and far more people likely to be on the move from Wednesday it’ll be a bit of a policing nightmare. JMO
 
If he does either he will be called the man who bankrupt the nation .
If the worlds 5th largest economy defaults on its debt thats pretty much the beginning of the end for capitalism.It's a question of priorities.There is no fairytale ending to this , just the possibility of lessening the amount of deaths.
 
A general point. (OK OK it's also a bit of a rant; cut me some slack.) Hopefully it might give you a laugh too.

Those who know me and my background, will know the profession I used to work in. My role was to read, understand, test, explore and interpret UK legislation for employers. A sometimes tricky path. Over the years we have changed from a rule driven to risk led system. The problem is that it's just not black and white.

The problem with absolute rules. (look at speed limits)
Whilst they're clear, compliance is often discretionary. 70mph on the motorway anyone? I'm a safer driver than everyone else; that rule isn't aimed at me
Deterrents only work if they have soon, certain and negative consequences (ahh the cameras on here are dummies)
Enforcement requires an actual breach (or getting caught)
They rarely fit every single situation leading to exceptions being made (racing to hospital to save a life)
They lead to loopholes that get exploited 70mph + 3mph + 10 %

So if we have Covid 19 RULES you get similar problems but rules is rules and should be clear. Stay at least 2 m apart. Great. An Absolute.

If we don't have rules, then we can have guidance. This allows more flexibility and interpretation. However, your interpretation and mine could be different.
Only leave the house if you think it's essential to do so ...
Me: I'm out of vodka
You: I need vital medicine

Ultimately, someone else will be the arbiter of that judgement - possibly the police. Or maybe the public or the media. But we can't really govern how people will see words like reasonable, essential, vital, necessary etc etc. You could call it common sense, but that's another argument for another day.

What we currently have as I see it is a mixture of rules and guidance but the guidance doesn't necessarily expand or explain or even support the rules.

Some of the rules are clear.
Stay at least 2 m apart. That's an easy one.
Guidance on that says, if you cannot stay 2 m apart ALL of the time then consider screens for example and lastly things like masks. Obvious if you're a carer.

This makes good sense, one complimenting the other.

Where the wheels come off is where we hear you can go out to exercise - once per day. OK that's clear as a rule, but what the heck does it mean? I can leave at 06.00 and come back at 18.00? But now it's understood that we can have as much exercise as we like. Whoo hoo, freedom. Hang on how is that any different to before. Well it's not really other than we can pop home for lunch and then go out again. The question is, just what does that do (in either case) for infection control? Answer; absolutely nothing. Not unless you apply the rule keep at least 2 m apart.

One of the examples from the debate now is that golf courses are going to be able to re open. But only for single players or a two-ball from the same family. Just a second, where did the rule go? Why not play someone else, anyone else as long as you stay 2m apart? You can play tennis, but only with a family member. Who plays tennis at less than 2 m? On a set of open tennis courts, you're closer to the next player than you are to your opponent!

You can kick a ball about too now. But only with a family member. "Hey sorry mate, kick our ball back please" "Sorry fella, can't do that, I'm not a family member" They're all just examples of crap rules. So what should they look like? Rule - you may leave your house in order to exercise as long as you maintain the 2m rule from anyone not in your household. Then you have guidance about what a reasonable distance, times, activities etc are allowed.
You see, I can ride my pedal bike all over the place, but until now I couldn't sit by the canal fishing. Because it's not exercise. It's ludicrous.

Someone asked Raab this morning, can I go and see my mum in the park in the morning and then my dad in the park in the afternoon (separated I guess) Yes he said, very quickly. Hooray I thought. At last an clear honest answer. But then added that you couldn't go round to their house to meet them and sit in the garden. WHAT? Seriously? Is the park air somehow antibacterial? Keep 2 m apart and of course you can. You can't have an overarching rule and then undermine it with contradictory guidance. They had Michael Ball chatting with Captain Tom this week - in his garden. Someone call the cops!

Now. We're all sensible enough to work this stuff out - or we'd be driving Landrovers wouldn't we. But the problem here as I see it is not that there are rules and guidance but rules and guidance that have been drawn up by someone on the way to work after a heavy night on the Special Brew.

It's just a total nonsense. Whatever you're doing keep 2m away from folk and wash your hands before you eat, drink or smoke. If you can't then don't bloody do it. Right?

See it's dead easy really. Sometimes less really IS more.
 
Concern was raised this morning by Dr Sara Jervis on TV about angling on canals due to the narrow paths contravening the 2m rule. Anyhow, come Wednesday, I‘m thinking of going out for a run on the bike, alone, with no stops other than for fuel maybe, far safer than mixing it in a crowded park IMO, accident potential aside.
 
And she's a qualified actual medical doctor? Jeez. Run on the bike sounds like a great idea.
 
Strewth, It's all over here, glad Boris didn't make that speech last week, traffic's back to 90% of what it was pre CV19, as is footfall, also shops, builders merchants are opening up, lifes almos back to normal, think I'll go for a ride, but I'll have to remember to keep 2m away when I stop at lights, roundabouts , etc, as I don't use a face sheild on my helmet, as I have a big screen on my Harley.

The Motorway is still eerily quiet though :pray:

Hooroo :wave:
 
Pictures of the A13 into the city this morning. Looked solid.
 
Strange how different folk have read different meanings into the speech, or perhaps that's what it was meant to do. Conspiracies abound.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. :dance:

Just hope the prophecies don't come true. :handgestures-finge:

In a while Croc. :wave:
 
I think that answer to that J J is if you aren't clear then you invite interpretation don't you. I was on a forum last night were one said, it's good that you can now go out from one destination to another. Being safe of course. Another came back and said, ahh no, that's only to go to another destination for the purpose of exercise.

Hmm. So I played his message again. What he said was (roughly) you all can and, in fact we'd encourage you to all go out for more exercise; sit in the sunshine in the park; drive to other destinations. Well sitting in the park isn't exercise so driving somewhere can't be allied purely to exercising can it. Now that's what he said, we know what we WANT it to mean, but is it what he actually meant?

But, as long as you keep away from people it really doesn't matter what you do does it? We had Stay At Home (unless A, B or C. Now we have Stay Alert. For what? Space Aliens? If I go to the park and have a snooze am I alert in my sleep?

What we have here essentially is a branding and marketing exercise. Nothing more. And it's rubbish. Wales or maybe Scotland came out with Play Safe, Stay Safe. I'd vote for that. I've seen better campaigns on the Apprentice and that's saying something. I'm not having a go at Boris or the current Government at all. It's the whole establishment who need a good wake up call. If I'd been BoBo last night, I'd have started with 'Look I've had this and I nearly bloody died so don't talk to me about taking it lightly. Thanks to everyone for mostly toeing the line but if you think we 're about to relax so you can swan off to Spain for your package holiday you'd better think again Sunny Jim. So listen up!"
 
I think that answer to that J J is if you aren't clear then you invite interpretation don't you. I was on a forum last night were one said, it's good that you can now go out from one destination to another. Being safe of course. Another came back and said, ahh no, that's only to go to another destination for the purpose of exercise.

Hmm. So I played his message again. What he said was (roughly) you all can and, in fact we'd encourage you to all go out for more exercise; sit in the sunshine in the park; drive to other destinations. Well sitting in the park isn't exercise so driving somewhere can't be allied purely to exercising can it. Now that's what he said, we know what we WANT it to mean, but is it what he actually meant?

But, as long as you keep away from people it really doesn't matter what you do does it? We had Stay At Home (unless A, B or C. Now we have Stay Alert. For what? Space Aliens? If I go to the park and have a snooze am I alert in my sleep?

What we have here essentially is a branding and marketing exercise. Nothing more. And it's rubbish. Wales or maybe Scotland came out with Play Safe, Stay Safe. I'd vote for that. I've seen better campaigns on the Apprentice and that's saying something. I'm not having a go at Boris or the current Government at all. It's the whole establishment who need a good wake up call. If I'd been BoBo last night, I'd have started with 'Look I've had this and I nearly bloody died so don't talk to me about taking it lightly. Thanks to everyone for mostly toeing the line but if you think we 're about to relax so you can swan off to Spain for your package holiday you'd better think again Sunny Jim. So listen up!"
:text-goodpost:I understood that one, I think. :thumbup:
 
Having just watched the BBC's interpretation, I think I'm going to dig a hole, get in and just cover myself over. Bye everyone. Would someone just prop the headstone up for me please.

It's that one over there that is carved "Who the f*** are these people?"
 
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