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Do we need a coronavirus thread?

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  1. SRD
    Moderator

  2. chdot
    Admin

    Well this bit will be interesting to see in practice

    and I want to serve notice now that these decisions will be taken with the maximum possible transparency

    and I want to share all our working and our thinking, my thinking, with you the British people

    The rest is business as is - with extra Borisisms.

    (From link on previous page https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-in-downing-street-27-april-2020 )

    UPDATE

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/uk-to-name-scientific-advisers-on-emergency-coronavirus-group-sage

    Posted 5 years ago #
  3. chdot
    Admin

    “There is a single species responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic – us,” they said. “Recent pandemics are a direct consequence of human activity, particularly our global financial and economic systems that prize economic growth at any cost. We have a small window of opportunity, in overcoming the challenges of the current crisis, to avoid sowing the seeds of future ones.”

    ...

    “Business as usual will not work. Business as usual right now for pandemics is waiting for them to emerge and hoping for a vaccine. That’s not a good strategy. We need to deal with the underlying drivers.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/halt-destruction-nature-worse-pandemics-top-scientists

    Posted 5 years ago #
  4. SRD
    Moderator

    Gregor Smith interim CMO discusses issue of people presenting to A&E. notes more people out on bikes. asks all road users whether on a bike or in a car to be especially mindful of each other.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  5. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    asks cyclists and drivers to both be careful of other road users

    Well it's worked before.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  6. dessert rat
    Member

    so this is what "prevailing in phase one" looks like, dread to think what failing would look like.

    Maybe the Germans etc.. uber-prevailed

    Posted 5 years ago #
  7. crowriver
    Member

    '...people had even been “aggressively driving at cyclists”. '

    I'm shocked, SHOCKED. That has never happened before the lockdown.

    "asks cyclists and drivers to both be careful of other road users"

    Maybe we need something.....I dunno.....could call it the Nice Way Code?

    Could have some catchy (yet quirkily ironic) slogans like "See Cyclist. Think Horse."

    Posted 5 years ago #
  8. ARobComp
    Member

    Maybe. "See cyclist....Think human" - then at least people might attempt to give at least 2m of space as per current social disatancing efforts.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  9. chdot
    Admin

  10. sallyhinch
    Member

  11. Frenchy
    Member

    @IWRATS - Never a bad time to read a bit of Ursula K LeGuin.

    I've read The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas quite a few times before - it may well be my favourite piece of literature. Yet I had somehow quite forgotten this bit:

    "I think that there would be no cars or helicopters in and above the streets; this follows from the fact that the people of Omelas are happy people."

    Posted 5 years ago #
  12. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Many joyous bits.

    As they did without monarchy and slavery, so they also
    got on without the stock exchange, the advertisement, the secret police, and the bomb.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  13. chdot
    Admin

    This is presumably why she was just on R4 with a well argued critique of Gov ‘policy’ -

    http://theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/26/to-tackle-this-virus-local-public-health-teams-need-to-take-back-control

    Posted 5 years ago #
  14. ejstubbs
    Member

    Hmm. Four cars parked outside the house next door this evening, instead of the usual two. Does this actually contravene any specific part of the current regulations?

    (Noted also that one of the visitor's cars was parked on the drive way alongside the resident's Range Rover. Funny how said resident can never seem to park his other car in that space, leaving it instead on the road - but always with two wheels half on the footway.)

    Posted 5 years ago #
  15. Stickman
    Member

    https://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/rennie_calls_for_new_walking_and_cycling_measures_to_allow_safe_social_distancing

    Willie Rennie commented:

    "To save lives, social distancing and the two metre rule are likely to be in place for a long time to come. The risk is that if we don't reconfigure our streets then people will increasingly be at risk of stepping into traffic during the phases after full lockdown.

    "Public transport can only facilitate social distancing for a limited number of people - perhaps only a quarter of its capacity. That means people are going to need other ways to get to work, and that can't just involve everyone piling into their cars because that could lead to gridlock.

    "I want to see a combination of widened pavements, temporary cycle lanes and priority streets which are closed to vehicles with the exception of residents and critical services. There should be new government guidance to encourage and help councils agree systems that work for their area.

    "Authorities are doing this around the world, from New Zealand to Milan and Mexico City. This is about keeping the network moving and keeping people safe

    "It has been great to see people embrace their daily exercise as we all cherish our time outdoors. The transport system should be reset in a way that allows this activity to continue during the next phases. Without this we risk a resurgence of car travel, more accidents and more air pollution than before."

    Posted 5 years ago #
  16. Morningsider
    Member

    @ejstubbs - probably. You can only leave your place of residence for a number of specified reasons. Unless the visitors are providing care to a vulnerable person, or delivering vital supplies then it's tricky to see how visiting someone at home complies with the law*.

    * Section 5 of The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  17. chdot
    Admin

    Has the Government Failed the NHS?

    Tonight’s Panorama (10.45 Scottish BBC1 or 7:30 ‘live’ online/via apps)

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hr3y

    Posted 5 years ago #
  18. Morningsider
    Member

    Stickman - the key part of that is:

    There should be new government guidance to encourage and help councils agree systems that work for their area.

    Will Edinburgh's Lib Dem councillors support the roll-out of a comprehensive network of cycle lanes and wider pavements? Or, once again, argue that Edinburgh isn't like all those other places and simply can't cope with such alien innovations.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  19. crowriver
    Member

    @Morningsider, I hope the road to Damascus has sufficient space for the Lib Dems to socially distance from each other while following Willie Rennie's lead, without having to use their cars.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  20. chdot
    Admin

  21. chdot
    Admin

  22. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/28/uks-death-toll-will-soon-worst-europe-charts/

    The UK of GB&NI will soon have the worst record of any country bar the USA in controlling the pandemic. We can believe this when the Telegraph says so. Their man is at the helm after all.

    The obvious solution is to allow the more efficient private sector to manage healthcare in that country.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  23. Morningsider
    Member

    What is this <rule 2> about "fallen health workers". There people weren't mown down by enemy gunfire. Many likely died due to a shortage of adequate personal protective equipment - which should have been supplied by the UK and Scottish governments. Yes, we should mark their passing - but politicians posing for photos, heads bowed in contemplation! Makes me sick.

    EDIT - headline now changed, wonder why...

    Posted 5 years ago #
  24. chdot
    Admin

  25. LaidBack
    Member

    Didn't know anything about this minute of silence. All seems a bit WW1 to me. Was it everywhere - not with European equivalent like clap fest ?

    So much wrong and we need to stop treating it like badges of honour about exceptionalism. You wouldn't get on a building site without right protective gear.

    On the exceptional mortality rate on our islands here.

    I can't find mortality rate on each of the four nations at moment. If we expand out the four nations to take in self-governing Ireland in Dublin we can see that they have not done not too badly. (Irish customer had very little good to say about healthcare in south either - not sure if that is common view though)
    Comparing all parts of Ireland shows that the north fared a lot more badly - put down to being a week later with lockdown than the south.
    Sure that will be noticed by govs in Edinburgh and Cardiff but maybe less so in London?

    Posted 5 years ago #
  26. gembo
    Member

    @laidback - most Covid in Dublin . ROI rural outside Dublin. Norn Irn maybe more built up and densely populated

    In Scotland Glasgow the most densely populated and then Dundee both have it bad (also higher arrests for parties)

    Though going into lockdown early and firmly also is a big factor for ROI success also New X=Zealand.

    London will have second wave shortly as ignoring lockdown again on M25, not sure about tube

    Posted 5 years ago #
  27. Stickman
    Member

    I watched the BBC programme “Contagion” from 2018 again last night - it’s remarkably accurate about the spread of a pandemic in the UK (London, East Midlands hit worst; they even pointed out that Edinburgh gets hit after Glasgow). Lots of the scientists explaining the development of a novel virus are the same ones appearing now. Containment and mitigation measures spelled out: hand-washing, closing public places, staying at home. Footage of huge warehouses full of PPE as well.

    Can’t say we weren’t warned.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  28. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    France has published its next steps and they are what they have to be;

    * Continue hand washing and distancing
    * Massive surge in testing (700,000 per week)
    * All positive cases isolated
    * Masks in confined public spaces
    * Home confinement relaxed from the 11th May if cases continue current trajectory

    Posted 5 years ago #
  29. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    And the silence for the health workers - by all means let's do that once the death toll is known next year some time. Right now it's undignified and likely unhelpful.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  30. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    @Laidback

    NI mortality rate per 100k so far = 16.3 (309/1.9 million)

    RoI = 22.5 (1102/4.9 million)

    Scotland = 24.4 (1332/5.45 million)

    Wales = 26.2 (813/3.1 million) (though ONS says over 1,000 Welsh deaths)

    England = 34.5 (19301/56.0 million)

    Perhaps different definitions in play, but not sure the case RoI is 'doing better' than NI is made out

    Posted 5 years ago #

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