Why the hell, didn’t we just close the boarders before this virus got here !!

[Lardlizard]

Ffs we knew it was coming, why not, stop travel and only allow people back that live here and are returning home and put them in quarantine for two weeks
Before letting them go back home

I know that would cost a lot of money and cause a crazy amount of hassle
But surely this is far far worse ?!

You'd have the likes of Shamin Shakrabati and most of the Labour Party saying their human rights are being infringed.

turns out it was the right thing to do shockingly

Umm how so? Have you seen the latest figures for infection in NYC?

Trump didn’t close border to stop the “Chinese Virus” he did it because he’s an isolationist who is locked into a power play with China.

You run the risk of the Millennium Bug problem. You draw a huge amount of attention to the problem and then when a huge amount of work is done implementing solutions and the problem isn't seen to happen, then everyone starts pointing the scare-mongering finger.

The general public is (as a whole) generally quite stupid. Do you seriously think that you or anyone else would have supported hugely disruptive measures if the problem was only seen to be happening somewhere else? - think about how little you and everyone else cared when it was just a bit of a 'flu problem in China that barely rated a mention on the news.

Trump didn’t close border to stop the “Chinese Virus” he did it because he’s an isolationist who is locked into a power play with China

Sometimes you can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. And it did buy some sorely needed time, as we’ll see in NYC.

Let’s not pretend that we know all the answers as how best to fight this thing. As I keep saying, Japan does not test, does not do lockdown, Tokyo mass transit is packed, and they have an extremely old population like Italy and they still haven’t had a problem like the rest of us.

It defies all expectation

Sometimes you can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. And it did buy some sorely needed time, as we’ll see in NYC.

I don’t understand what you mean? The NYC figures are astronomical. WHO are extremely concerned. Trump downplaying and pretending it was a foreign thing meant people were walking around with no idea they were infected.

Exactly but no as usual this country allows freedom of movement higher than anything else including our lifes

@BigChocFrenzy yes. The trade war between China and the US is a huge factor in Trump's responses. If we go back some decades, trade wars go way back. China began to own the means of production to serve global requirements. The US deals in imports and China in exports. One can fully understand where conspiracy theories emerge given the trade war.

That said, the OP, has asked a very relevant question.

At the risk of sounding a conspiracy theorist, the UK haven't just happened on this, they've known about this for months.

The UK dont have to look to other countries for models of suppression or mitigation. Boris has been described as a 'wannabe' Churchill. Churchill was a fantastic wartime leader, as a peacetime leader, not as good. Boris has come into his own.

UK only need to look back at the foot and mouth epidemic, the fuel strike. Tell the Brirish not to panic buy, they'll panic buy. Foot and mouth crisis was a war between farmers and dog walkers. (Huh, ringing any bells?)

Instead of wondering why the borders weren't closed, perhaps a look into how democracy works. It begins to lose what it stands for. Communism and Capitalism always run hand in hand. Both eat themselves from within.

I agree OP - actually my son (who wants to study biomed) showed me that he's tweeted BoJo on 22 Jan saying we should close the borders. So if someone who is less than 20 yo was saying that I think those in Government who have far more research resource and scientists should have thought a lot more carefully than they did.

Because it would have been disruptive to the economy and to our relationship with China.

It worked out great, didn't it?

We still have flights from China and Italy arrive.

The virus arrived here in December, I believe many of us had it. Hopefully there will be a test soon. BORDERs with countries BOARDERs as in boarding school

You'd have the likes of Shamin Shakrabati and most of the Labour Party saying their human rights are being infringed

More likely the likes of Kirsty Plaguehound Allsopp, as a lot of it was due to people coming back from half term skiing holidays.

Because if we closed the borders every time there was a possible issue we would be doing it regularly. As mentioned above usually these things blow themselves out - Bird flu, swine flu, Sars, Mars - these have all happened within the past few years.

Well I’m glad hotels are closed - tourists were still arriving up to a few days ago.

What's even more shocking is a few days ago we were still getting flights in from around the world including countries with a much higher infection rate than we had at the time eg. Istanbul and Northern Italy. I was told this by my friend who works at the airport. I would hope that most of the passengers were being repatriated to the UK, but surely with the high risk of infection these people should have been temperature checked and routinely quarantined using repurposed airport hotels.

It wasn’t already here was it? Before we knew about it ?

Yes, it was here in UK in mid January 20

There were still groups of Italian teens on (I assume) school trips around us and tourists arriving from Europe and Asia. Brilliant (and who goes on holiday during a pandemic??)

Even as close as last the 15th My husbands F and SM came back from a cruise where they befriended lots of italians. They were allowed back into the country without testing and went and visited lots of family. We are NC with them thank god but in my eyes people like this should have been escorted off ships and given an isolation schedule.

Yes, it was here in UK in mid January 20

It was here way before that.

The first cases were in November in China but their government covered it up. They only admitted to it in January, by which time it was already spreading.

I agree OP - actually my son (who wants to study biomed) showed me that he's tweeted BoJo on 22 Jan saying we should close the borders. So if someone who is less than 20 yo was saying that I think those in Government who have far more research resource and scientists should have thought a lot more carefully than they did

But closing the borders was not the correct decision, whatever your son tweeted

Bojo is being guided by people who have actually studied a lot more than fucking “biomed”. Epidemiologists, virologists, medics, all with actual years or research and experience in their field.

There was a reason we didn’t close borders early on. There’s a reason we didn’t close schools sooner. It was all done carefully paced with an eye on numbers, the aim is control not to stop the spread. We needed a certain rate of infection within the population to build immunity without exposing too many of the vulnerable who would place intolerable demand on the NHS.

But yes, the prime minister should definitely have listened to your 20 year old who wants to study biomed rather than all those other experts...

Because then we’d have to permanently close borders

What utter nonsense. Many countries have shut their borders, suspended flights and entry visas. As a direct response to this pandemic. No suggestion at all that all will resume because this is a temporary, not permanent measure. Functioning countries understand that protecting their borders is fundamental. During a global pandemic, it is idiotic not to restrict entry.

What utter nonsense. Many countries have shut their borders, suspended flights and entry visas. As a direct response to this pandemic. No suggestion at all that all will resume because this is a temporary, not permanent measure. Functioning countries understand that protecting their borders is fundamental. During a global pandemic, it is idiotic not to restrict entry

I read the o/p as closing the borders before cv entered the UK. Which would have been stupid and futile, and only delayed the ineveitable or, as i said, have the borders closed permanently until a vaccine is found.

Other countries have shut their borders to slow the spread, not prevent it entering their country.

You and I have read the o/p differently.

I agree OP - actually my son (who wants to study biomed) showed me that he's tweeted BoJo on 22 Jan saying we should close the borders. So if someone who is less than 20 yo was saying that I think those in Government who have far more research resource and scientists should have thought a lot more carefully than they did

^ this is the most hilariously funny things have ever read on here.

Hhhhhmmm maybe the advisors who are a bit older than 20 and have years of research, qualifications d experience between them thought, for want of a better word, 'Another Karen' (or jumped up little twat)

Yes but if the boarders were closed how would Cheltenham races go ahead with the Irish coming over, jyst think of the list revenue in tax on gambling...

First case in Wuhan in November.
One flight per day from Wuhan arrived in the U.K. every day until recently.

It was already here. Before we even knew about it via the Chinese doctor who blew the whistle. Any deaths pre February were probably put down to seasonal flu, pneumonia, particularly as this virus predominantly affects older people who are more prone to dying from flu anyway.