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What would you do if you were put in charge tomorrow

112 replies

Blankscreen · 23/09/2020 11:28

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.

OP posts:
Morninglatte · 24/09/2020 17:40

I think we need to look at this as a national effort.
Increase testing. More test centres, and a quicker turn around time.

Continue the furlough scheme but in an exchange for services. Eg, if on furlough you have to work to 'support the National effort', eg providing transport for tests, marshalling at testing sites. Exception for those shielding or vulnerable.

Mandatory testing in call care homes, supported living facilities and domcilliary care companies.

Part time education, 2 days per week, bubble 1 is mon & Tuesday, closed Wednesday for deep cleaning, bubble 2 Thursday & Friday, school to stay open full time for keyworker children.

Temporarily suspend the national curriculum for education, relieving pressure on teachers to meet targets.

All flights into the country must isolate for two weeks, we could use b&b's / hotels that have had to close, holiday makers will be charged a reduced rate for this, and will have to factor it into the cost of their holiday, government will make up the rest so that businesses don't suffer.

glueandstick · 25/09/2020 19:18

Fuck off on holiday.

Overwhelmed222 · 25/09/2020 19:31
  • take all track and trace out of commercial hands and give it to local health bodies. Sack Dido Harding.
  • make masks mandatory everywhere (apart from people who are exempt) except for people’s homes
  • allow schools to have rotas and also give them money to rent larger spaces to allow children to socially distance
  • make people quarantine in specially designated buildings when coming into the country (whether visiting from abroad or returning home)
  • diversify the economy away from city centres
  • give hospitals and care homes proper PPE.
  • clamp down on tax evasion by large corporations to help pay for this crisis

Will come back with more.

CountessFrog · 25/09/2020 19:44

Id stop international leisure travel for a start

1dayatatime · 25/09/2020 19:46

@Afibtomyboy

"If you are vulnerable, then shield and we will support you.

Otherwise... everyone else completely back to normal."

Totally agree.

I would also add making it compulsory except for children to have a track and trace app on your phone in order to access public services (public transport, doctors, etc) and encourage private sector (banks, shops etc) to do the same. If you don't have a smart phone then the government can supply you a smart dongle for a reasonable price. If you don't want to be tracked and traced then don't use these services.

If you are notified to self isolate at home the use same app / dongle to monitor whether the person (except children) complies. Hefty fines if you don't comply. Can remove self isolation requirement by producing evidence of a negative covid test taken after isolation notice.

Fast covid test for all travel in and out of the country- will be expensive so paid for by the traveller. Don't want to pay then don't travel.

Appreciate that such a mass tracking of personal movements monitored by the Government drives a bulldozer through personal privacy and is totally Big Brother. But hopefully will be only temporary, is no worse than the tracking google already does without your permission and you can always delete the app or bin the dongle whenever you want.

MedSchoolRat · 25/09/2020 19:46

Magically grow an amazingly persuasive personality & persuade everyone to follow the Swedish model instead.

Delusional, I know.

Never believed Eradication was remotely feasible.
I really don't want to be in charge of the world, though.

bumblingbovine49 · 25/09/2020 20:30

@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.

I really do have to challenge the flu killing more people than Covid fallacy. Any basic fact checker will tell you this is not the case. This is partly because flu deaths are estimated rather measured as it is not a notifiable disease

This explains it better than me (it is based on US data but the basic idea holds for all countries0
www.nbcsandiego.com/news/coronavirus/fact-check-flu-deaths-vs-covid-19-deaths/2412182/

Some quotes from it include:

"Since 2010, the average flu season kills between 12,000-61,000 Americans, according to the CDC.

“That didn’t add up to me,” said Faust, who regularly saw patients dying of other causes, like gunshot wounds and heroin overdoses, but rarely saw patients dying of the flu.

Turns out, the CDC says that 61,000 number is an estimate. If you count flu deaths the way we now count COVID-19 deaths, the actual number of reported flu deaths is only about 3,000-15,000 a year – making the other figure a drastic overcount – which is why Faust says the comparison between the flu and COVID-19 should never be made"

In San Diego County, the health department reported 108 flu deaths during the 2019-20 flu season. In comparison, as of earlier this week, more than seven times that number, 767 people, have died from COVID-19.

starfro · 25/09/2020 20:56

Isolate the vulnerable, focus testing on anyone interacting with the vulnerable and for the young and healthy let it rip.

It will happen anyway, just look how it's spreading through universities.

LangClegsInSpace · 25/09/2020 21:11

For starters -

  1. Sack dido and hand over test and trace to local authorities.

  2. Put in place proper financial and practical support for people who need to isolate. Nobody should be worse off for complying.

  3. Give people the option of isolating away from the rest of their household where practicable.

Off to read the thread ...

cassgate · 25/09/2020 21:22

@starfro

Isolate the vulnerable, focus testing on anyone interacting with the vulnerable and for the young and healthy let it rip.

It will happen anyway, just look how it's spreading through universities.

Couldn’t agree more. Only thing I would add to this is to give the vulnerable the choice to isolate not make it compulsory. Make them aware of the risk they face and gear up the nhs to cope for the increase numbers. My in-laws are in their 80’s and reasonably fit and healthy for their age, they have made their own decisions throughout the lockdown and since about how much risk they are prepared to take. Initially, they allowed family to shop for them and we dropped shopping at their front door and had a quick chat. After a few weeks Fil was totally fed up and started going out for his morning paper and then for a few bits here and there. By about week 4 of lockdown they were back doing the weekly shop themselves. They made the decision and knew the risks. On their instructions we are ignoring the rule of 6 as they want to see their children and grandchildren. We will continue to do as they ask. They know the risk and so do we.
Wakeupalready · 25/09/2020 23:12

From an o/s perspective in Australia.

Fire Dominic Cummings - he seems to be the root cause of everyone going ' fuck it'.

Stop all international travel . Most of Australia is dumbfounded that people in the UK are still jaunting off to parts of the EU. Stop incoming travel unless it is returning British citizens. Shut your international borders.

Close gyms in areas with high case numbers.

Close beauty therapy/ hairdressers in areas with high case numbers.

Limit travel within the UK. Lose this mad idea that you have a god given right to a holiday regardless of a pandemic.

Compulsory testing at all airports for returning British citizens and everyone else. Refusal equals quarantine.

Mandatory quarantine for all returning travellers for two weeks. Take a leaf out of Singapore's book and ankle tag people if it's likely they will not comply. Put them in hotels if they cannot be trusted to quarantine at home otherwise. ( don't use dodgy security guards like we did 🙄)

Compulsory quarantine for entire households while waiting for test results for even a single member or if a member of the household has Covid.

Large fines for parents who send kids to school if there is Covid in the home, or if they are waiting for results.

Support single people with the creations of small bubbles.

Disallow inter household mixing in areas with high case numbers.

Better test and trace systems with faster results.

Shut the pubs in areas with rising case numbers, or fine the bejesus out of them if they do not comply with social distancing.

We have requirements at schools in NSW that if any child or teacher displays even cold symptoms they cannot return without a negative Covid test. They are immediately sent home if parents deliver them to school with even a snotty nose. Get stricter.

Mandatory testing of all college students regularly.No parties allowed. Social distancing compulsory. Actually doubtful they should even be reopened at all given the rise in the UK numbers.

A UBI or Covid payment to support those who need to be locked down, or have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic.

Accept that every country in the world with be in debt. Remember the UK only just finished paying its WW2 debts off.

Hard lockdowns for areas above R1. No travel for individuals from these areas or to these areas.

If schools cannot adequately social distance shut them, or move to blended learning.

Compulsory mask wearing for areas with high case numbers. Fine people who refuse without a legitimate valid reason.

Better public messaging. Telling everyone it was only the old and vulnerable at risk at the beginning was a mistake. Long term effects for the young with even mild cases are becoming increasingly prevalent. Explain Long Covid, the neurological issues, heart issues and long term lung and nerve damage.

Accept that a global public health crisis outweighs the economy. If you put yourself in the position of open up, lockdown, open up , lockdown it will be far more devasting in the long run than a six week hard lockdown again. Most economies are fucked already, including ours in Australia.

Get coherent in the messaging - it's no wonder it's a mess when the PM can't figure out what the fuck he's saying.

Close parks and playgrounds in higher case number areas.

Increase funding for and supply more Telehealth style mental health services.

Realise that only a tiny percent of your population has been exposed to Covid. Your initial lockdown contributed to this success. Letting it rip will change this and not for the better.

Close cafes etc that have inadequate ventilation and cannot seat people outside. And loose that Dine out, government pays for half your meal idea.

More funding for individuals in DV situations and more help to get them out.

Compulsory mask wearing for all service providers be it at shops, supermarkets or anywhere.

Bring back manufacturing on shore. Globalisation supply chains have shown their weaknesses in this pandemic.

Educate the public that herd immunity without a vaccine is a fallacy

Get past the idea that Sweden is a paragon. They are now instigating lockdowns in high case number areas.

Accept that for now the world has changed. Normal was never that crash hot with to begin with.The pandemic has highlighted systemic inequalities.

And be prepared for the entire country to go back into a full lockdown, if half of the people I read on here with their crack on bullshit keep behaving according. It is not possible to do this and not spread the virus everywhere. Shielding the old and the vulnerable until there is a vaccine is both impossible, ableist and selfish.

Therollockingrogue · 25/09/2020 23:18

Universal basic income

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