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Covid

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Anyone else wincing at Boris’ manoeuvres to pass the blame

203 replies

Paurie · 23/03/2020 06:33

Exhibit A

So a week ago we were told schools were likely to stay open. Two days ago schools were closed, we were told to avoid pubs and gyms - but encouraged to keep exercising and stay positive. And now it’s ‘Irresponsible Brits flocking to outdoor spaces may force PM into implementing a full lockdown’

Bollocks. It’s utter bollocks.

Lockdown may be forced by the PMs hesitant and wooly-headed leadership. There might have been too many people on Snowdonia - but they were in good faith doing their best to do what they’ve been told. It’s sly and malicious to point the finger at them.

Exhibit B!

The old and vulnerable are being sent letters telling them to stay isolated for four months. For many this will be physically and psychologically near on impossible - whether because the learning curve for them is too high to change their habits, or because they directly rely on others for their care needs, or because 4 months alone is enough to send you round the twist.

This is the price for avoiding a (shorter) full UK lockdown. And in a few months time it will be a sad and regrettable consequence of people failing to follow (impossible) rules that we will see substantial numbers of old people getting sick and being denied a ventilator.

Yes - the situation is bad - but pushing the responsibility (and by implication blame) on terrified and confused octogenarians is just wrong.

Exhibit C

The doctors are not being given personal protective equipment. We are going to have a lot of doctors who get sick as a direct consequence.

What is the betting that the narrative will be that “if only they had washed their hands “or “but we had plenty of face masks if they had only thought to ask” or “COVID-19 patients should have been identified on admission isolated in a separate ward on admission”.

We can’t allow Boris to push the blame onto the people who are most affected by this to cover up the governments lack of clear forward thinking.

OP posts:
LolaSmiles · 24/03/2020 16:48

No, it’s “avoid non essential travel unless it means driving somewhere to exercise where you’ll meet fewer people”.
Which is all open to people justifying whatever they like whether it's reasonable or not, or saying they're going to go to X because there's the occasional family cycling or dog walking in their estate and then get there to find that dozens of other people have all decided the same thing.

As the guy on BBC news has just said, driving somewhere quieter to exercise makes sense, but it makes less sense if everyone starts doing it because then those places get busy and that defeats the point.

Even at the weekend when people were told to avoid busy places local walking routes were so busy that cars were overflowing the car parks and parking on the side of country roads. They'd have seen fewer people if they'd stayed in the streets around their homes.

CendrillonSings · 24/03/2020 17:07

The rule isn’t “Avoid essential travel unless you’re a special snowflake who thinks the rules don’t apply to you”.

For instance, here’s a handy tweet from South Wales Police:

South Wales Police Roads Policing Unit
@SWP_Roads
We will continue to patrol the streets of South Wales.

We will stop vehicles and confirm reasons for travel.

If non essential, you will be sent home and could be fined.

Get the message - #StayHomeSaveLives

Funny - it doesn’t seem to mention driving miles to walk the dog as an example of essential travel for some reason...

Bubblebu · 24/03/2020 17:14

half the uk already infected according to this

www.ft.com/content/5ff6469a-6dd8-11ea-89df-41bea055720b

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