What would you do if you were put in charge tomorrow

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Just that really. There seems to be so many conflicting views on everything. I don't think the government are doing a great job but whenever they do anything somebody somewhere is up in arms. Yesterday it was he night time economy lobby, earlier in the year it was the travel companies.

So what would you actually do to try and sort this utter mess out.

Sort out track and trace

Everyone (except those who are exempt) wear a decent face covering in indoor public places and public transport, including secondary schools. Teachers exempt in school and sit behind plexi glass screens.

Part time school for those who have a carer at home. Frees up space in school for better social distancing.

Encourage everyone to take vit d and k2.

Everything else carry on as it is.

@fewming

I apologise for my tone. I’ve been exasperated at people giving the throw away comments and then never really explaining how they would do it. Thank you for your response.

Flu continues to kill more people even with an active vaccination program, but nobody is proposing disruptive measures for it.

I’m presuming this is key to your position. Flu is not more deadly than Covid, vaccine or no vaccine (the 1918 Spanish flu excepted) - nowhere close. Influenza cases and deaths only really take place in significant numbers over winter in temperate parts of the northern hemisphere. The ONS comparisons with “flu and pneumonia” deaths with Covid deaths over the summer were comparing apples and pears. Most of these were pneumonia deaths that weren’t related to infectious transmissible disease (eg those who are already very frail who become susceptible to bacteria that live harmlessly in most people) and would occur in the population even if we lived as hermits and never mixed with another soul!

For comparison, the 2017-18 influenza season was one of the worst on recent memory - it killed an estimated 61,000 in the USA with no social distancing or other mitigation measures in places.

Covid has killed around 205,000 people in the USA, and is still killing about 750 each day, and that’s with significant mitigation in place. If the pandemic had gone completely unchecked like it did in NYC in March, and NYC’s death rate occurred across the country, deaths would be at 900,000.

We need to reduce our contact with others
Remind people what 2 metres looks like. If you are breathing down my neck, you are too close.
Educate people about how CV spreads and doesn’t spread. Sanitiser is great but still pointless if you’re going to cough all over everything.
Increase working from home. Take action against employers who “don’t like it”
Rapidly increase click and collect shopping and reduce the number of people entering shops & other premises.
Review whole year bubbles in secondary. No more than 2 classes per bubble and if necessary, lessons in school taught online by subject specialists whilst keeping pupils in a dedicated class room.

We need to get a grip of test and trace which needs to be test TREAT and trace
Localised hubs & regional labs
Adequate tests to meet demand with sub 24 hr turnaround on results.
Tiered treatment as per level of illness, pharmacy home delivery in conjunction with 111 for lower tiers.
Online clinical assessment for Moderate symptoms within four hours.
Face to face clinical assessment of severe symptoms within four hours
No change to access to 999 for emergencies
Tracking via an app we can trust
Financial support for those unable to work due to self isolation on Covid related childcare issues.

Make wearing a mask mandatory in any public space, including being outside.

I also agree with a lot of the other suggestions, especially following New Zealand.

It’s pointless being half arsed about this.

If the top civil servants in the land can't get a grip of track and trace, what do people on this thread think they can bring to the table to make it work?

Hi @Derbygerbil, no problem and thanks for the apology. My tensions are high too hence my snippy reply!

I don't profess to know which is more deadly overall but what I DO know is that as of today, flu is killing in greater numbers. So I can't agree that special measures are necessary for COVID when seemingly they are not for flu/pneumonia. Especially as we KNOW the social and economic damage caused by every restriction we continue to enforce.

The US stats are scary but then again, the Swedish death profile has been similar to ours, with far fewer disruptive measures in place. The trends here and in Sweden align with the patterns for flu epidemics as shown in the research of epidemiologist Robert Edgar Hope Simpson. These studies effectively show that the coronavirus would have petered out during the summer with or without a lockdown.

I do acknowledge the need to protect the NHS provision but as I said I'm not convinced we would breach capacity. What I DO know is that the NHS has not been running properly for other services for over 6 months - surely this is no better than overwhelming it during another peak (if that even happens!)

I suppose my final thoughts are that it's a virus and it will do its thing, whatever steps we take to try and pause that. The age of the average COVID fatality is 82 - taking that as a fact on its own I do not see how the current response is justified or necessary. It's a tough situation and I sure am glad I'm NOT in charge, but those are my thoughts.

Run for the hills!

• The scientists have one view. The economists have another view.

They don't all have the same view though? It's just that the MSM only publicises the views of the scientists supporting the government decisions.

Major cash injection for education.

Recruitment of additional staff, tutors, retired teachers etc for Saturday schools and half term schools.

Blended learning with a world class remote learning system of pre recorded lessons and live lessons. Half class sizes in. Science experiments resuming etc as in small private schools.

Testing on site at school

Reduce self isolation to 5 days
Not send whole years home
Investment in IT infrastructure with free, fast WiFI for all and equipment for those in need.

Oh and a ban on sesnsationalist headlines. Time the media started acting responsibly.

Everything shut for three weeks.
Eveyone tested.
Schools then open part time. Pupils and teachers tested every week. Masks for everyone.

Testing regime actually working quickly and in every town.

I agree with minitheminx on a lot.
Except for the nationalise the curriculum - I think there needs to be an online national curriculum that has videos, forums, support, exercises (with answers once submitted).

I personally don’t have a problem with people teaching other things, but at least there would be access, funding and support for the national one.

I think it should be accompanied by roll-out of laptops for disadvantaged kids and teachers. Schools to help with key workers children and kids who need more support (eg SEN)

Free prescription of vitamin D3 for all citizens of around 3000 iu/day. Strong evidence emerging that blood levels above 75 nmol/l are significantly protective against covid (and levels 100 - 150 are ideal).

Ideally I'd do regular testing for D3 every c. 12 weeks to ensure people have high enough blood levels and to tailor the dose to ensure people reach the optimum target. These can be done postally, or in community labs, with a simple fingerprick test.

Masks for everybody, unless medically exempted.

Continued ban on large events like concerts, nightclubs, sporting events etc. Low key social venues like cafes and restaurants can continue, but with social distancing guidelines and reduced capacity. Schools to encourage low mixing of children between classes.

Decent test, track and trace scheme.

Buildings to be ventilated by opening windows where possible.

@Strawberrypancakes I suggest the public readjust their expectations of what the government is and isn't able to do.

Personally I lean more to the take precautions but learn to live with the virus route. I don't see how track and trace can get us out of this, because people spread the virus before they're symptomatic and because people who feel healthy won't want to stay indoors for two weeks.

We can only work with a realistic expectation of compliance. I have no answers myself that lots of more qualified people than me have presumably tried or at least mooted.

All effort should be focussed on test ad trace IMO. Forget curfews (which have the potential to be counterproductive) and stuff, est and trace is key.

Would also bloody cancel brexit for now. We are needing to pull endless money from our arses for furlough and stuff, paying 100b for brexit at the same time just seems bloody barmy, as does leaving in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.

I tink aswell, hospitals should maybe be split, some designated covid, some not, in order to keep some services going this time/start up services again. I get why stuff been cancelled, but its still a shitty situation for someone who was getting treatment, yet canot now and is terminal when they could have been saved.

I don't know all the answers. I don't think I have to in order to say what we are doing now is clearly not working. If I did have all the answers, I certainly wouldn't be living in Durham in a council house with a ridiculously low income for sure!

Oh, also I 'like; the idea of intermittent lockdowns IF it could be guaranteed it would be short. A week or two, every month or two maybe. To keep levels steady/low. The issue with that is though, that the last one was meant to be short and look what happened, curve was flattened but then people started kicking off about ANY death rate at all, saying not to open until it was 'gone'! So not too sure any lockdown type idea would work anyway. I think without the few weeks turning into 4 months thing, people might be more willing to entertain this idea. But at present, not many will because they know certain sections of the public will pressure for lockdown to stay longer 'because lives again', and that the government is chance to bow to the pressure..turning a short lockdown into a long one again.

Close down international holidays for the foreseeable. Charge top earners extra tax to fund the arts which is on its ear. Even if the tax was temporary. Ban socialising in homes unless visiting vulnerable etc. Rota for secondary schools but primary to remain fulltime with help from any unused buildings.

@fewming

Hi *@Derbygerbil*, no problem and thanks for the apology. My tensions are high too hence my snippy reply!

I don't profess to know which is more deadly overall but what I DO know is that as of today, flu is killing in greater numbers. So I can't agree that special measures are necessary for COVID when seemingly they are not for flu/pneumonia. Especially as we KNOW the social and economic damage caused by every restriction we continue to enforce.

The US stats are scary but then again, the Swedish death profile has been similar to ours, with far fewer disruptive measures in place. The trends here and in Sweden align with the patterns for flu epidemics as shown in the research of epidemiologist Robert Edgar Hope Simpson. These studies effectively show that the coronavirus would have petered out during the summer with or without a lockdown.

I do acknowledge the need to protect the NHS provision but as I said I'm not convinced we would breach capacity. What I DO know is that the NHS has not been running properly for other services for over 6 months - surely this is no better than overwhelming it during another peak (if that even happens!)

I suppose my final thoughts are that it's a virus and it will do its thing, whatever steps we take to try and pause that. The age of the average COVID fatality is 82 - taking that as a fact on its own I do not see how the current response is justified or necessary. It's a tough situation and I sure am glad I'm NOT in charge, but those are my thoughts.

Agreed.

@SheepandCow i don't think as a country keeping our borders shut for potenially a year is viable for our economy

Put all the sex offenders on a remote deserted Island-

Make everyone have to do safeguarding and parenting classes before having children.

Fill the government with women( who can identify what sex is)

Have a teacher as education minister, dr for health etc etc.

Make it a criminal offence with a fixed sentence for assaulting a member of the emergency services/nhs.

Properly fund all the charities propping g up the nhs- hospices etc

Make it illegal for anyone with a sexual offence record to be seen on tv I.e footballers no longer allowed to play in televised games

Ops didn't see the topic!

[quote Notfeelinggreattoday]@SheepandCow i don't think as a country keeping our borders shut for potenially a year is viable for our economy [/quote]
The current dragged out, in out, in out, lockdown here, lockdown there, situation isn't viable for our economy including the travel industry.

I'm in New England and I'm happy with what my state government has done, despite the federal government having been so shit.

The goal has been to keep infection rates low, not necessarily to eliminate Covid completely.

The lower the rates are, the more people can go back to working, socialising carefully, etc, knowing that as soon as rates go back up again, then we start reducing opportunities for people to mix.

We locked down around March 13th including closing schools and everyone working from home as much as possible.

Schools are now back half time. Each day half the students are at home learning online and the other half are at school. That makes social distancing possible, plus everyone is wearing masks in school, so we've had no huge spike in viruses such as colds, and so no huge spike in tests.

If the rates in a particular county go up then the schools in that area switch to fully online until rates go down again.

Things like sports, recreation programs etc are being run cautiously, but again are put on hold when rates in certain counties go up.

We've been requiring people to wear masks in indoor public spaces for months now - that's helped keep the rates of infection low.

After international travel or travel outside a small group of safe states you must quarantine until you have a negative Covid test.

Limiting indoor interaction with other people.

Restaurants - you can eat with others from your household, and your table is 6' away from the next table. You wear masks while walking about restaurants. Servers wear masks. All helped keep infection rates low.

Bars are not open. You can get alcohol with meals, table service only. That restricts how much alcohol people tend to drink in one restaurant visit, meaning you don't end up with drunk people losing inhibitions and spreading infection.

People give a name and phone number when they arrive in restaurants, hairdressers, etc. We have effective contact tracing.

Universities generally have reopened only to one or two years, not all years at once. Almost all teaching is online. Testing at least once a week for all students. Space for them to quarantine. Very limited opportunities for students to socialize other than online.

We rapidly opened up as many labs as possible for testing, and developed tests that we could do in-state. Idexx labs (a company that usually focuses on animal health) has been a huge part of this.

Overall the goal has been to keep infections low enough that we don't have to go back into full lockdown.

People tend to comply because they've seen that the economy can only successfully reopen when infection rates are low, so it's in their interests to wear masks, avoid socialising, stay 6' apart, etc.

The other thing is that we only stopped non-Covid medical care for a while, and moved as much as possible to telehealth during that time, so that it was able to resume fairly quickly.

Dentists reopened several months ago now, and my friends who work in things like cancer treatment reduced their service by 50% briefly then resumed full levels of care.

They're also working proactively to get as many flu shots done as possible, as safely as possible, to reduce the load on hospitals if/when Covid rates go back up.

Looking at the UK from the outside, it just seems weird that you went from full lockdown to almost fully back to normal so quickly. Schools with no social distancing or masks seems bizarre - what is the magic that stops schools from spreading infection? University students all going back at once - seems incredibly risky. Pubs open - sorry, utterly mad. People coming back from international holidays and not having to quarantine until they get a negative test - seems strange.

It seems like in the UK everyone is busy trying to blame others for the increase in cases, but everything will be contributing. And it seems like people think it's a binary choice - fully open, or fully locked down - when in fact there are many in-between options.