Operation Moonshot

[bathwithgeraniums]

As reported on Guardian, BBC etc. Leaked documents show government planning hard to achieve mass testing programme - prime minister apparently said it is the only thing that would prevent a national lockdown happening again.

I think things are worse than they’re currently letting on in public (or about to be soon)

I agree things are worse. They know things we don't and I hate that feeling.

I was also worried that clearly this is a Johnson (Cummings?) plan, the scientists sounded like they think it is a long long shot?

So it'll either work, or be billions down the tube.

Presumably they'll put Grayling in charge

Chance - LOL! but so sad at the same time (because it will probably be true...)

I can hardly believe it’s real.

Would a second lockdown, like the last one, cost £100bn?

@AnneLovesGilbert

Would a second lockdown, like the last one, cost £100bn?

yes, but bizarrely that's also what the govt's latest wheeze is going to cost

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/09/boris-johnson-pinning-hopes-on-covid-testing-moonshot-leaked-papers-show

The documents say the “Mass Population Testing Plan” could cost £100bn – the equivalent to the UK’s entire education budget.

Another of Dom's plans? Operation Cumshot?

That’s what I meant. Guardian and Metro both carrying the headline. It’s so much money I can’t begin to get my head around it but it’s been a year of incomprehensible numbers. Not sure what the bill for the last one was as a comparison.

Wish they’d thought of this in March...

it’s been a year of incomprehensible numbers

Yeah I had to google the difference between two massive numbers the other day, something like 47bn and 23mn.

Presumably it’s called moonshot because it’s about as likely as Britain landing on the moon next year.

@ChanceChanceChance

I agree things are worse. They know things we don't and I hate that feeling.

I was also worried that clearly this is a Johnson (Cummings?) plan, the scientists sounded like they think it is a long long shot?

So it'll either work, or be billions down the tube.

Presumably they'll put Grayling in charge

How are things worse than they appear when we get new figures daily?

What sort of things are they hiding from us?

I think things are worse than they’re currently letting on in public (or about to be soon)

Worse how? We know that we are at way less levels of virus than we were in March. We aren’t starting from the same point as we were before lockdown

This sounds like classic Dom bullshit. He is obsessed with the Manhattan project and what it delivered.

Sounds like they've been on the moonshine with this one.

I reckon since the covid updates are less frequent, whenever Boris does one, he has something upbeat to say to balance the bad news. Usually not that realistic.

How much of this supposed news is to bury other news like brexit this was happening last time we were coming up to the deadline

This article from 20 August

www.standard.co.uk/news/health/rapid-coronavirus-tests-available-weeks-a4529956.html

describes the concept. And the way I read it, 'moonshot' was a near synonym to 'pie in the sky'

How are other countries doing with tests?
Are they running out as well, or is it just us?

I also wonder, if things get worse again, how much no lockdown would cost?

£100 billion on testing? That's almost as much as the total annual NHS budget (£123 billion for 2020/21, of which £111 billion is for the day to day running of the NHS). Allocated pre-covid obviously.

How much will they be spaffing on stuff which isn't even yet proven to work, like this: mobile.twitter.com/lrclatworthy/status/1303808177218166787

I'm another one who has seen stuff about how the rapid tests aren't yet actually established as reliable

Does anyone know chapter and verse on that?