Gobsmacked by UK response

[Aspoonfullofjam]

Stay at home for one week if you’ve a cold (even though all evidence is that incubation is two weeks)

People over 70 don’t go on cruises.

WHAT!!!

134 new cases in a day and no action. 13 EU countries have closed all schools, another 11 partial closures but apparently no action needed in Uk.

Jesus.

@Cam77

I agree apart from D once you break it down we arent that different to the rest of Europe (not including Italy)

and the guardian thread at the moment is basically saying how pleased the NHS school closures arent taking place.

But we should be stopping events - so lets just stop going to events

I don't think we're at the stage of closing school and tbh I'm not sure why Ireland did

Ireland also closed public facilities, and the hope is that transmission rates will slow, thus allowing the medical infrastucture the space and time needed to cope with ongoing cases.

I think the timescale for a vaccine is quite critical. Assuming it's 18 months away and that you don't trust that other countries will contain their outbreaks in the meantime, and you don't plan on shutting your borders entirely for the duration and you don't think you can remain in lockdown mode for that length of time...that makes a combination of flattening the curve plus herd immunity seem less crazy as a strategy? If the vaccine came quickly then it seems much less rational however. But I do wonder - how do countries avoid reimporting cases over the next several months and going through multiple waves of outbreak?

@Cam77 I agree with your facts

''flattening the peak'' sounds like a great goal but that literally means there aren't enough unaffected people left to catch it for it to continue rising at the same rate. Which is hardly a strategy, it's the inevitable, and they're waiting for the inevitable.

I thought you needed to get a note from 111 to get sick pay?

I spoke to HMRC today to clarify how employers claim back the SSP they may have to pay out if employees are off due to coronavirus & was told that no evidence is required - a call from the employee to advise they will be self isolating is enough for the employer to pay the full 2 weeks & claim it back from HMRC although the contact centre staff at HMRC haven't been advised as to exactly what the claim procedures will be.

We process payroll for over 600 clients so we're expecting a lot of calls regarding this.

When China put 60 million people into quarantine and every school/shopping mall in the country closed and 98% of the country stopped working for 4-6 weeks (until now) NOBODY in the media questioned whether it was the right thing to do. Nobody.

What happens in Ireland when they re-open schools etc? Do they the hit the peak

It feels like they are more concerned about lonely elderly people than everyone in general

Where do you get that from, Cornflakebreath? Allowing the virus to spread freely, as they are doing, will kill more old people than anyone else.

If the government was at all concerned about old people or anyone else, it would have been been taking all those actions other countries are taking to slow and limit the spread.

@TheYearOfTheDog
You got it wrong. The UK should have liased with Ireland. Just because the British government is being grossly irresponsible doesn’t mean the Irish government should follow suit.

@MarshaBradyo
What make you think they will reopen schools in the midst of a pandemic? Ireland is taking this seriously.

I heard doctors AND even Jeremy Hunt on the radio questioning specific points in the decisions made today..

Complete utter incompetence, from not cancelling large sporting fixtures because its better then watching it on telly in the pub (obviously never been to a pub or wine bar during Cheltenham races! packed, you cant even get in the door!..)
To not cancelling care home visits, because the residents will get lonely (but its fine to kill them!)

PLUS the statement about 'expect to lose family members before their time' was so matter of fact.. yes sure, its fine Mr Johnson, never
mind. WTAF???

Meanwhile 3,000 Atletico Madrid fans were allowed to travel to Liverpool for the match from Spain.. 3,000!!!

@mathanxiety

This is a long article but it needs to be read.

It really doesn't! The author has no credentials whatsoever and seems to write articles about anything that will pay him.

So the re open date for schools will keep moving Cam? Not the one they gave.

@MarshaBradyo, good question, I'm wondering that too.

I don't think lockdown will eradicate the spread or kill the virus. Once we come out of lockdown it will start spreading again, the virus just needs a living host to survive and spread.

@Jellykat
I agree with you totally. The stupidity of it boggles the mind. Brexit is a wonderfully thought out plan compared to this.

I'm not saying our country's response is wrong but why is it so different to other countries?

So to all the 'experts' on here slagging off the Tories, how do you think any of the other parties would have coped IF they had been elected? Would Jeremy Corbyn have dealt with the situation in a totally different way and put the whole country's minds at rest with his words of wisdom? Would Jo Swinson have given a press conference giving us an overnight vaccine to put our minds at rest? Do you think that the Tories (or any other party that had got in) would have expected to have to deal with a world-wide pandemic within their first 3 months of office? Boris Johnson is not an expert on pandemics hence he has his top medical advisers on hand to guide him. They spoke a lot of sense about a situation that is changing by the hour. We need to stop slagging off the powers that be, the country needs to come together to fight this pandemic, we need to do what is necessary to help in any way to stop this horrific outbreak continuing any longer.

I eagerly awaited the government pronouncements and they said........nothing.

But I do wonder - how do countries avoid reimporting cases over the next several months and going through multiple waves of outbreak?

Agree with Xtinak, the UK are taking a long term approach. Other countries may find it keeps coming back in waves and they have to do it all again, meanwhile hopefully the UK will only have the one peak, although it may be longer drawn out at the time. But it should reduce the possibility of the NHS being completely overwhelmed.

The strategy is logical, but only time will tell if it's going to work.

how are they going to delay the peak?

@peeledplumtomatoes
So say we can’t kill the virus. Do we
A) sit tight, go out once or twice a week max, close schools, workplaces, contain and keep cases right down until one company/country can speed through a cure within, hopefully, 12 months.
B) Let it spread through schools, stadiums, workplaces so that the entire country has it in a matter of 4 or 5 months and NHS hospital resemble third world refugee camps as up to 500,000 die?

A or B?

Cam so do you expect they will keep everything closed after Easter too?

They have destroyed the nhs and they know it can’t cope so this is about protecting their reputation.

Allout

But if they’re not dying does it matter?

Genuinely does it? Does it matter if we have 1 million mild cases or 10,000 ? All we need to know is how many are in hospital needing intensive care. Scientists and dosctirs have already said it can’t really be stopped

Immunity has to build up

Hiding everyone away won’t make the virus go away - we’ll have to go out eventually!

That’s were the priority should be - the very ill

Let’s not waste resources on the worried we’ll