" I must level with you, I must level with the British public, many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time."

[YoursTunbridgeWells]

Quote Boris Johnson.

Lots of people will die.

Indeed. Cancelling large events and discouraging unnecessary travel local or otherwise is the least that should happen.

If we close schools, many parents of teenagers would go to work and leave them alone at home and teenagers being teenagers they will do as they please. That won't be sitting 9-3.30 doing school work, it'll be going out to meet their mates or having them round to watch Netflix, go on social media, playing computer games, on the tube/metro/bus going shopping, wandering the streets in groups. We can't expect them to sit isolated alone for 4 months - which is about what it would be. It would be awful.

Those with smaller children would get fed up of being at home with them every day for 4 months and would soon be taking them to soft play, meeting friends with children, going to the park and mixing with other children.

They might as well be in school if schools can maintain handwashing and cleanliness.

Boris Johnson sounds like Pontius Pilate BBC news quote

Asked if he is concerned about getting the virus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson just says: "I am washing my hands".

People will die. It’s the reality of a flu pandemic. Medicine has come so far that we haven’t had to deal with one in living memory. It’s very frightening to realise that we can’t stop that happening. The spread can be controlled, putting less pressure on (desperately underfunded) health services but it can’t be stopped.

Funguy

I thought Boris looked a bit rough(er than usual) tbh.

Has anyone watched Years and Years?

I'm reminded of the Erstwhile flu camps where homeless people and immigrants were left to die.

It's the difference between 400,000 dead and 1.6 million dead.

The government's strategy is 1.2 million EXTRA PEOPLE DIE than if you flatten the curve.

You can't eliminate deaths. You can save 1.2 million lives by acting early (at least, my maths was conservatively estimating only 60% of the population get it).

What economic impact is 1.2 million deaths?

They say they're following science - well it's obviously some different science than the rest of the world and WHO are using. And, funnily, it's not available online quite freely - unlike the science the WHO and rest of world are using. Why the lack of transparency if it's really science driven? It's not, it's policy driven.

It may be they're playing with a ballpark of 1.2 million extra deaths to try out nudge theory. That's not science.

If we have had 5,000-10,000 cases and 10 deaths, it is evidence of how the vast majority of those affected will recover. Many will not even realise they had it. A 103 year old lady in China recovered. We need to keep that in mind.

They might as well be in school if schools can maintain handwashing and cleanliness

Have you ever watched primary children wash their hands? It's a shit show.

Experienced teacher here. Schools are cauldrons of germ soup, no matter how hard we try to get them to wash properly. Some schools don't even have soap in the toilets.

@fluffysocks

We have less than half the intensive care beds per person that Italy has.

Lots of people are going to go without and therefore die. Really sad how we voted for low taxes and cuts year on year on year.

As a doctor what is coming is truly terrifying. I've struggled to get ITU beds for children with for years as already full. Now we are going to have to help out adult patients too with the imaginary spare beds.

The spread can be controlled, putting less pressure on (desperately underfunded) health services but it can’t be stopped.

True - controlling the spread saves approx 1.2 million lives (conservative estimate based on data from existing countries). The death rate without control is 4x (at least, might be more) the death rate with control due to the overwhelmed health services. We have the data an overwhelmed Hubei vs the well run health services in other places in China. The difference in the death rate is stark.

I really don't think just saying 'oh well' to 1.2 million EXTRA deaths is good enough, do you? Please someone ask this question in parliament.

Our school had to ask parents to send extra soap in because the government don't give them enough money.

If we have had 5,000-10,000 cases and 10 deaths, it is evidence of how the vast majority of those affected will recover.

People don't die straight away, it's only taken off the last few weeks - it takes 2-6 weeks for them to die. The death rates in China and Italy are well publicised and large numbers and it's the same virus - why on earth would we have a different death rate with fewer ICU beds? Death rate with control 1% or less, death rate with overwhelmed health service 4% or higher. From very, very large numbers in other countries. You can't draw conclusions from our data at this point (even if those estimates of how many have it are accurate).

It’s pretty Tory

Because there's nothing to be done differently highgoast?

Boris looked a very frightened man, constantly referring left & right, to the “experts”, then he can blame the scientists. Personally, I think Boris hasn’t acted fast enough.

Will private hospitals open to the great unwashed?

Lang but the number of cases in China will be way more than those actually diagnosed. Many people have very mild symptoms and will have passed it off as a cold.

I am just saying we have to remember that not everyone gets it very seriously, and deaths, even amongst more vulnerable groups, are the minority so try not to over-worry about our vulnerable family and friends and just do our best to help keep them safe. Yes, we are scared but we shouldn't be terrified. We need to be sensible, careful, and follow advice.

I'm no Tory but i agree with the govt approach. It is logical and sensible and based on data and evidence.

I can also understand why many people think we should be adopting a more draconian approach.

Either way, the next few months are likely to be something that few of us have ever experienced. Possibly only those still alive that lived through the war will have experienced something similar.

@highghost I'm immunocompromised and there's no guidance 🤷🏽‍♀️
Basically keep taking my meds and keep going to work

I wonder if people are starting to regret voting the tories in again yet. I am sure that Corbyn, despite all his faults, would have prioritised the health of the nation over the economy.

This is what we get when we vote in a party that wants to be advised by 'wierdos and misfits'.