Prime Minister to make an announcement tonight at 5 p.m.

[Calmandmeasured1]

The Express reports:
"No indication has been given as to why the briefing has suddenly been called, however, it comes less than 24 hours after false reports in the German media caused alarm by claiming the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was ineffective among over-65s."

It could also be to make the announcement about hotel quarantining for those entering the country. I would imagine both subjects.

@GetOffYourHighHorse

'Honestly- we complied because we were scared'

Scared of been carted off. As myself and others have said we did see alarming footage of enforcement and removing people. Was this fake? Why has the CCP refused access for the WHO into the wuhan institute of virology? I mean that was strange having an virus institute researching coronavirus in the very same place the outbreak started 🤔. Not much 'collective responsibility' if you ask me..

I don’t know if the footage showing people being carted off was fake or genuine. I don’t think you have any idea what it was like in China at the end of January last year. On 23rd I was at my dd’s School assembly and we heard that the virus was spreading outside Wuhan. 3 days later you could not enter the supermarket without a mask, temp checks were mandatory, police were wearing hazmat suits at the airport.. You bet we were scared. I didn’t need anyone to threaten me if I did not wear a mask. At that stage we did not have a clear understanding of what the effects of the virus were. You can sneer all you like regarding collective responsibility, but people did comply and made individual sacrifices.

@samG76 - that's been proved to be untrue

@Stovetopespresso exactly not comparable at all anyone knows that , a

I think any enquiry will show we do have an aging population (like italy to compare a country with a high death rate), we have an obesity problem (more than italy), also that said aging pop is looked after by zero hours workers who are not supported to self isolate . among other things such as an underfunded nhs.

@Stovetopespresso I think enquiry will show up lots of things , things many of us have not even thought of

@peak2021

Do you have a theory as to why Belgium actually has the highest rate of death per 100000 population?

@donewithitalltodayandxmas

The UK has over the last few decades always had a Pandemic Preparedness plan (albeit they thought it was going to be flu) assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213717/dh_131040.pdf

In 2017 the government's itself put a pandemic at the top of risks to the UK. See p9 assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/644968/UK_National_Risk_Register_2017.pdf

Yet, as the govt implemented austerity the £2million needed to keep PPE and other preparations up to date for a pandemic were stopped. Questions were asked in Parliament but Theresa May said that they were a waste of money.

DON'T say the government couldn't have known there was going to be a pandemic. It had been predicted for decades and was actually overdue.

There was a UK pandemic in 1957, another one in 1968. They thought in 2009 Swine flu was it, it wasn't. A pandemic happens every 30-40 years normally. We've just been lucky not to have had one since the 1960s.

@itsgettingweird

Although a quick google doesn't call any results for any media on him saying this. Just about him calling for closures at beginning of jan.

Almost as if it's fake news

@ShanghaiDiva pleased to see you on the board, we spoke loads in the beginning (sorry I'm a prolific name changer can't remember who I was) your input and views were much appreciated.

@Stovetopespresso

I think any enquiry will show we do have an aging population (like italy to compare a country with a high death rate), we have an obesity problem (more than italy), also that said aging pop is looked after by zero hours workers who are not supported to self isolate . among other things such as an underfunded nhs.

When Therese Coffrey mentioned that on GMB yesterday and Piers Morgan said "So we're fat and old", I agreed with her.

We have an ageing population and we do have an obese population. Those are factors.

There are other factors as well.

Things which are not normal: international travel restrictions, coming down hard on any outbreak, discouraging travel over spring festival next month

Interesting, then, that they chose to lock down at the very point when so many had already travelled for Chinese New Year ...

@Stovetopespresso

I think one thing I am quite shocked about ( probably my naivety) has been the attitude of some employers. Making staff come in with symptoms and not supporting staff in certain situations .

As an employer we luckily have had financial support from the government but also have drawn up covid risk assessments and considered carefully who we furloughed etc.

It seems obvious some other employers have not followed government guidance at all .

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@ShanghaiDiva and there you go here you could not put pink tape over someones door as would breach data protection amongst other things
Track and trace also better in countries you mentioned as again people are happy for goverment to have more info about them, here people don't tend to like it.
[/quote]
I have only returned to the UK after 25 years overseas so am out of touch with data breaches.
I can only comment that when dh returned from China he had to self isolate for 14 days, which we did. However, nobody checked that he stayed at home and when completing documentation to leave China, border control said it was fine to use public transfer from Heathrow to home which seems to directly contradict the purpose of isolation.
Perhaps we would find the pink strips unpalatable, but at the very least we could ensure people are isolating.

@itsgettingweird

Although a quick google doesn't call any results for any media on him saying this. Just about him calling for closures at beginning of jan.

I just assume it's bullshit from those who want to keep us thinking the only choices are Open Schools/Close Schools.

[quote Crockof]@ShanghaiDiva pleased to see you on the board, we spoke loads in the beginning (sorry I'm a prolific name changer can't remember who I was) your input and views were much appreciated.[/quote]
Thank you.
Am leaving the discussion now as I feel we are only a few posts away from people calling me a CCP plant. Brainwashing has already been mentioned!

[quote madroid]@donewithitalltodayandxmas

The UK has over the last few decades always had a Pandemic Preparedness plan (albeit they thought it was going to be flu) assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213717/dh_131040.pdf

In 2017 the government's itself put a pandemic at the top of risks to the UK. See p9 assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/644968/UK_National_Risk_Register_2017.pdf

Yet, as the govt implemented austerity the £2million needed to keep PPE and other preparations up to date for a pandemic were stopped. Questions were asked in Parliament but Theresa May said that they were a waste of money.

DON'T say the government couldn't have known there was going to be a pandemic. It had been predicted for decades and was actually overdue.

There was a UK pandemic in 1957, another one in 1968. They thought in 2009 Swine flu was it, it wasn't. A pandemic happens every 30-40 years normally. We've just been lucky not to have had one since the 1960s.[/quote]
This, also further proof of our governments thoughts that 'things like this don't happen to Britian'

@chomalungma

You are correct and I imagine when worldwide figures do finally come together this will be a factor in some countries .

Plus multigenerational households .And even general hygiene attitudes of certain countries . There probably are multitudes of contributing factors .

People did predict this kind of pandemic, especially as it’s worse but not unrelated to SARS. The scientists always said there was likely to be another worse strain.
And the pandemic committee prepare for pandemics. If this had been a terrible flu, like the Spanish flu, the NHS would have been overwhelmed just as much. Millions died in the Spanish flu.
I don’t know about Wales and Scotland. I’m not as au fait with the devolved governments as I should be, but people keep saying nobody could have done better than Johnson, which seems an astonishingly inaccurate claim to me.

@Unsure33 Belgium has had a high number of deaths in care homes as I understand it, especially in the first wave (worse than the second one in terms of the peak number of deaths). Also there is high density housing in many of the cities- it's not all pretty like Bruges and Ghent.

The political structure is also very strange and divided, and I wonder if that hindered the response.

@ShanghaiDiva

No don’t leave . Most of us appreciate your contributions.

I recognise @ShanghaiDiva's username from months back - always with insightful and balanced views on life in China.

There may be valid insights into the differences between the countries that influenced the possible responses to the pandemic but to try to tell someone who lived in a country for years than they don't know that country as well as someone who's seen it on the telly, is just daft.

@peak2021

I heard as well that for business it is a hub and therefore a lot of foreign visitors for exhibitions etc. Also interestingly the areas in Italy that were hardest hit had connections through the fashion industry in China , which I guess makes sense .

@shanghaidiva personally I would have no issues with pink strips as in pandemic , deaths and keeping people safe trumps things to me.
But I am also not one to worry about a goverment app tracing me etc as I am sure my boring life is no interest to anyone.
But very different countries with very different responses

@Calmandmeasured1

You blame the people who voted to leave the EU for the EU's crappy behaviour

They will blame Brexit voters for absolutely anything.