If you were in charge what would you have done to manage the virus?

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

Everyone is saying what a shit job the government are doing which I sort of agree with but to be honest I wouldn't like to be making the decisions.

I would have locked down 2 weeks earlier than it happened.
I would have stopped flights from Wuhan, then from China more generally as the virus spread there.
When cases were low over the summer there was the definite opportunity to have created a proper and functioning test and trace system. I think this was their major blunder.
I would have also forced Cummings resignation as I think public trust in the government and following the rules was seriously compromised at that point.
I would have also gone with the 2 week circuit break over half term.
Underlying all this though is a decade of underfunding the NHS.

I would have local teams doing the track and trace. The local public health teams that are employed for exactly that (plus other stuff). They might have needed to boost their staff, but the additional staff would be local too. The evidence shows that they reach 90%+ of contacts. That shows that the 60% reached by Serco NHS track and trace isn't the best we can do.

Lockdown earlier in March, none of this 2 weeks warning shit.

Substantial fines for people breaking the rules. To the extent of the military banging on doors asking for ID etc.

No to pubs opening.

Close the borders, benefits of being an island. Get control of it, then restrictions can be relaxed, but no borders open till vaccine.

Underlying all this though is a decade of underfunding the NHS.
^

This. And what a way to demonstrate such a broken system

I wouldn't have opened up in September. By the end of August you could see that it was beginning the second wave. I'd have done 2 weeks full lock down again at the start of September, and planned on doing the same around about now, and been up front about it, so people could plan for it.

I would then plan for another 2 weeks beginning of February to coincide with half term.

Schools would have been told this and asked to plan for 1 week of home learning, either by online stuff or sending stuff home.

Hopefully that would have kept us low enough to get through the winter.

I'd also have used the summer May through to August to sort out track and trace and get schools preparing to working on line and given schools funding to be able to put more safety measures in place.

The same as advised by Professor Devi Sridhar, one of the scientific experts advising the Scottish government. Like her, I've been saying it from the start.

Back in late Feb, a Chinese colleague said that with early action & an elimination strategy (stop transmission within borders), we could be past the worst by June. The UK response was ‘costs are too high.’ We are now into November & 2nd lockdown - cost with this approach?

I would've closed the borders excepting essential travel - with proper quarantine where necessary.

Provided a financial support package to the travel industry (cheaper than the billions already spent on furlough, EOTHO, etc).

Short but strict lockdown, then reopened - but with international borders still restricted.

Set up a working test, track, and trace system.

Basically what New Zealand and Taiwan did.

Prof Sridhar again:
Two approaches: either keeping borders largely open like the UK, but adopting harsh domestic restrictions to try to combat community transmission; or having very tight border controls, like Taiwan and New Zealand, but few restrictions on everyday life.

Closed the U.K. border in February.

@frankie246

Close the borders, benefits of being an island. Get control of it, then restrictions can be relaxed, but no borders open till vaccine.

Yes this.

As Prof Sridhar says:
Oh - to be an island in 2020

What pisspants said

I would have informed people about it long before it became public and would have implemented lockdown earlier.

I would also have found a way of explaining the situation in a way ordinary people could relate to, and would not have frightened old people into panic buying.

Listening to the press conference tonight where they show charts and talk about 'R'. Ordinary folks don't have a clue. Talk to them in a way they can understand.

If they had said to people this is a flu we have no control over as we have no vaccination for it and you can die from it, so cover up when you go out, a lot of those people who simply ignored everything might have listened and complied.

We should have been wearing masks much much earlier. We should have been better informed, and nobody should have rushed to the shops for bloody toilet paper.

And then they removed old people back into homes from hospital because they wanted to free up beds, taking the virus into care homes, and then they did not provide PPI to those people working there.

The whole fiasco has been mismanaged and we were not properly informed from the get go

I was not even a particular Covid worrier but even I asked myself back in Feb:

People coming back from Italy with symptoms and not having to quarantine. Wtf?

6 nations matches going ahead

People coming from china having to quarantine but not Italy?!

My aunt went to Italy in Feb and returned with Covid symptoms. She sought advice on whether to isolate and was told no?! She lives in an area which has had a massive number of cases for months!

Close the boarders and keep them closed jan-sept at least
First hint of numbers increasing, close them again

2 wk circuit breaker end of sept incl schools

Public exams 2021 cancelled months ago- these poor kids living in limbo has been HORRENDOUS and anyone quoting mental health without recognising this fact needs to give their head a wobble

Sack off Cummings and the rest of them. Gov to form a cross party emergency gov

Track and trace to return tax payers money and be prosecuted for fraud

@Dickorydockwhatthe

Everyone is saying what a shit job the government are doing which I sort of agree with but to be honest I wouldn't like to be making the decisions.

I'd have kept up the pandemic preparedness over the last decade. After SARS, swine flu and bird flu we knew this was coming.

I'd have filled all the NHS vacancies and not refused 30,000 EU medics the right to remain.

I would not have diverted all the crisis planning resources to Brexit.

I would have implemented the world class pandemic plan.

I'd employ the SARS model rather than the flu model and aim for eradication/elimination like South Korea. Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia have done rather than just mitigation.

Their economies are growing, their citizens are living pretty normal lives, far fewer of them are dead, and most of those countries didn't even have to have Lockdowns,

Their governments just did what needed to be done without getting distracted by the urge that somebody should be making a profit out of this.

We'd have decent test and trace on my watch.

And people would be supported financially.

The billions this government have wasted on useless apps, imaginary immunity passports, pregnancy style tests. Moonshots, PPE that doesn't work, hand sanitizer that doesn't exist. £7k a day consultants etc would have been put to better use supporting the people of thiis country.

And a lot more of us would survive the winter.

I would have sacked Cummins for doing what he did. End of. I would have.

Yes I completely agree with @Tier2Minus I thought it was absolutely crazy that we haven't maintained our pandemic preparedness resources and that we didn't close our borders - we are a fucking island ffs - we should have used that to our advantage. And the test and trace fiasco. Well that was obviously completely mismanaged.

And that strategy has been proved to likely be the right one looking at how well the countries who followed it are doing.

I should obviously be prime minister along with Tier2....lol

I'd have stopped all flights in and out of uk airports in February.

Ban all holiday travel abroad - it was crazy how many people went to Spain/France/Italy/Greece this summer.

I'd have done a terrible job. But I recognise this and that's why I would never put myself forward to lead a country!

Ordered more ppe in January when you could see it coming.

Quarantined all coming back from Italy after half term.

Not sent old people to care homes without two negative tests.

Used the convelescent hospitals as quarantine hospitals.

Stopped flights from China earlier. Closed borders earlier, with all returners having to quarantine.

Test and trace more local

Used all available labs for testing. (Eg university?)

Cancelled Cheltenham and other sporting events.

Made masks mandatory earlier. ( From March, recommended three layer masks, but not taken ppe masks)

@MiniMum97

Yes I completely agree with *@Tier2Minus* I thought it was absolutely crazy that we haven't maintained our pandemic preparedness resources and that we didn't close our borders - we are a fucking island ffs - we should have used that to our advantage. And the test and trace fiasco. Well that was obviously completely mismanaged.

And that strategy has been proved to likely be the right one looking at how well the countries who followed it are doing.

I should obviously be prime minister along with Tier2....lol

Fewer British people would be dead, or about to die, if we were in charge MiniMum and that is the sad fact.

It could be worse though, we could have a complete bloody covid-denier in charge.

At least this lot do do some useful stuff in between all the rampant profiteering.

Actually talked to the public, instead of communicating through lies, spin, and leaks to the press.

Been honest about what we don't know:
"We don't know if masks are effective or not," instead of "masks are useless", then "masks are compulsory".

"We don't know how long this will last," instead of "we can turn this virus around in twelve weeks".

Not actively pitting the public against each other. The government might deny they're doing this, but they're certainly not discouraging the public from doing it.

Much as I’m no fan of Johnson’s government, I’m not sure they’ve performed notably worse than other Western European countries with similar populations/resources/ priorities.

My biggest criticism is in the long term preparedness planning. This should have been in place. Most particularly, how to scale up health resources as quickly as possible. I sincerely hope this is prioritised for the next time we’re in the position.

In terms of the immediate response, the thing that stands out is the discharging to the nursing homes. The nursing home sector was sacrificed on the altar of saving the NHS. It was a particularly ruthless move (I can’t believe they didn’t understand the consequences).

But a lot of the other stuff, like closing the borders and so on, is unrealistic. I also don’t think an earlier lockdown would have helped, look at Czech Republic. Arguably, the north locked down too soon.

Do what NZ do re borders, 14 days forced quarantine paid for by the traveller. So many people travelled just because they could and it would have stopped the majority if they had to pay for a fourteen day quarantine stay.

Kept schools closed until we have a rapid test daily for all.

Proper enforcement of mask wearing for all and for following the rules re SD, meeting etc with large fines and removal of driving licences etc.

In early Feb when the first news of the state of hospital admissions in Italy were being broadcast, l would have;

Given everyone 7 days to return home before totally closing borders.

No Passenger flights in or out, no Eurostar, no passenger ferries. Emergency flights only with a designated airport hotel to quarantine in under army guard.
Navy patrolling waters and escorting any boats away.No exceptions.

Army to immediately set up huge quarantine sites at all points of goods entry to bring goods in, ie goods lorries arrive, drivers switched to uk army drivers, goods delivered in uk, lorries returned, original drivers to return to home country.
Same for flight cargo. Pilots to go to secured airport hotel and return without going anywhere else. Staff in said hotels to stay on site for two week rota, then test before returning home, to avoid transmission.
I would use all our Army, Navy and TA forces to enforce rigidly these measures and probably many more would be required. No exceptions or excuses.

Government funds to support the travel industry, and import/ export businesses who would be impacted, and fund all new exit/entry centres, as scale would be vast.
I would bring in proven logistics teams to execute it, with payment tied to stringent results targets.

Track and trace system introduced and run by computer experts, no government interference, payment by results.There should be few outbreaks if all the above was done.

No need for lockdowns or closures.NHS not overwhelmed. Education not affected, economy more stable. With the exception of a few industries, life as normal.

The problem with this is there would be many shouting about their lack of freedom to go on holiday etc....

Compare to where we are now.......