We have reached the limit of what we can open...back to work everybody!

[noblegiraffe]

At the end of July, Chris Whitty said that we had just about reached the limit of what could be opened and that in future if we wanted to keep some things open, we would need to close other things.

There was a lot of debate in the media about closing pubs to open schools.

Other countries, such as Ireland, are impressing on the population the importance of everybody continuing to restrict contacts outside of school so that the virus will not spread out of control despite children's contacts increasing massively. We have simply had the message that schools are safe.

Even more things are re-opening even though cases are rising. Johnson is going to force civil servants back to the office as some kind of example to the rest of us.

It was asserted that for schools to re-open, we would need our world-beating track and trace system to be in place by September. I'm not sure what world-beating technology is capable of, but I'm pretty sure it's capable of more than a poster with a QR code on it when you go bowling.

And the testing system has already fallen over. So many posts about people being directed ludicrous distances away for testing. How will that keep schools and workplaces open over winter if people can't easily test negative to get out of isolation?

What is the plan here? Is there one? What happened to the science? What happened to careful re-opening?

Ah Clav, you’re the woman in the know.

When Whitty said we’d reached the limit of what could open, and then we continued opening things anyway, is that because the picture improved or because the govt went ‘fuck-it’?

When Whitty said we’d reached the limit of what could open, and then we continued opening things anyway

Clearly the government postponed the opening up of some activities at the beginning of August;

"Prof Whitty's comments came as plans to ease lockdown restrictions across the UK were postponed by the government."

"Theatres, music venues and casinos will no longer reopen following concerns about transmission rates."

("Venues had been gearing up to welcome audiences back inside from August 1st.")

From the video clip;
"What we've all known is that what we've got to try and do is get to the absolute edge of opening up society and the economy without getting to the point where the virus starts to take off again." ...

"In terms of whether it was too fast, every society is having to test how fast we can open up"...

"I think what has clearly happened is ministers have decided to go in a very staged way and that has allowed stopping things if the system does not allow."

"That is what is happening today, that is what the Prime Minister has just announced is actually by going in stages you can stop at certain points and say 'actually this is a perfectly sensible thing to think about but looking at the data now this does not look like a sensible step to take at this point in time'."

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/chris-whitty-says-reached-limit-18694758

Almost another 3000 infections today. I definitely think they’ve thought oh f*it. It’s not getting better is it 🙄

"Reacting to the figures, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "The rise in the number of cases that we have seen today is concerning."

France 35 minutes ago;
"French health authorities reported 7,071 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, down from Saturday's 8,550 and also below Friday's peak of 8,975."

@Clavinova, the number of positive tests is only as good as the ability to do the tests.

The U.K. is already over its capacity with testing.....

Keeping the numbers down by directing those with symptoms cross-country to test is an interesting tactic.

Yep...

Or they can get a test to do at home. One that is very hard to do, for which you should some training first. And therefore is very likely to give a negative result just because it hasn’t been done properly

The U.K. is already over its capacity with testing.....

We appear to be carrying out more tests than many other countries;

www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/914583/Test_and_Trace_Week13_V3.pdf

And the Chief Dep Medical Officer has come out and said ‘oh, this isn’t good, looks like we’re screwed over the next few months’.

But of course it’s Young Joe Public to blame and not everything being reopened and being told to enjoy the summer.

Johnson seems to have left the building

London trains are more packed now

Those fast saliva tests would be good

What’s happening with schools in France and Spain?, if anyone is there

Nicol Sturgeon isn't perfect but she does the briefing almost every day and even though it's unpopular, we know where we stand here in Scotland as she keeps telling us.

My only hope is the English voters who voted Johnson in will realise they were wrong and vote accordingly next time.
Well that, or independence.

And I'm not saying Scotland is perfect before the pile on, I'm saying we are being led by our government, whereas Westminster is being led by Cummings, with Johnson AWOL.

@ssd I never thought I would ever have any respect or admiration for NS but I do now, really I do. Research has shown that female leaders around the world have handled the pandemic better. But it is not as simplistic as that. She has bowed less to pressure from party donors, which the conservative party has done. BJ and his cronies in the cabinet, who are now all beholden to him and DC after their numerous screw-ups, are tainted with corruption and incompetence.

Those fast saliva tests would be good Agreed! But you know they will give them to the aviation industry before the NHS or schools

[quote Hereinthesticks]@ssd I never thought I would ever have any respect or admiration for NS but I do now, really I do. Research has shown that female leaders around the world have handled the pandemic better. But it is not as simplistic as that. She has bowed less to pressure from party donors, which the conservative party has done. BJ and his cronies in the cabinet, who are now all beholden to him and DC after their numerous screw-ups, are tainted with corruption and incompetence.[/quote]
Couldn't agree more. I know NS gets a lot of criticism on MN by certain people but she's led this from the beginning. I really admire her too. And I don't think she'll fudge over the care home scandal at the beginning, it'll be investigated properly when this is over.

But of course it’s Young Joe Public to blame and not everything being reopened and being told to enjoy the summer.
Exactly - they don't want people to actually go in the pubs and have a big night out drinking, but they won't ever close the pubs and bars, even in local lockdown areas. They don't particularly want people coming back from Zante with mass Covid infections, but they don't stop them going or enforce quarantine.
Still reopened casinos and bowling alleys after Chris Whitty said no more, that is the limit. Still looking at bringing mass crowds into sporting and entertainment venues. But it is all the fault of the people who go to these reopened sectors of the economy. The government could control the spread of the virus more effectively, but it doesn't want to be seen as antibusiness or contributing to the inevitable job losses after the majority of the population had 5-6 months to realise they were more than consumer-robots programmed to spend spend spend.

I knew they'd blame young folk.
I'm sure I said that months ago here, I'm going to search myself to check.

The alert level has returned!

@Hereinthesticks

Those fast saliva tests would be good Agreed! But you know they will give them to the aviation industry before the NHS or schools

No they are going to make you pay instead.

So, you can pay, you can work/see family/go out.
You can’t pay. You stay stuck at home in enforced isolation for months.