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Original poster

Remember all those posters who said we should 'look east' for how to deal with Covid?

103 replies

TypicaIMe · 15/04/2022 14:42

I wonder if they still think that?

Some of the news coming out of that part of the world is so distressing.

I do think our government made a balls up of it too, and in many respects still are (particularly with regard to CEV people). But hopefully what we're seeing when we 'look east' now will give anyone still desperate for lockdowns and restrictions (and there are still a fair few, sadly) pause for thought.

OP posts:
SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 15/04/2022 14:56

It was always going to turn out that way

Some places will have done bette, some worse, regardless of government input.

But 2 years ago anyone saying so would have been flayed alive here. Ask me how I know!

x2boys · 15/04/2022 15:40

Some posters were determined, that the UK was doing it all wrong and everywhere else was doing it better ,in reality some things the UK got right and some things they didn't much like the rest of the world

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2022 16:16

The most prolific 'look east' poster hasn't been seen for a while, funny enough

MermaidEyes · 15/04/2022 16:26

@TheKeatingFive

The most prolific 'look east' poster hasn't been seen for a while, funny enough

Probably just waiting for the next variant to be reported so they can come out from under their rock and spout more told-you-so's

To be fair, some countries, like Korea, seem to have fared better. Restrictions have been strict but they never had any actual lockdowns and their number of deaths is very low.

namechangeranonymouse · 15/04/2022 16:31

Haven't they spent the last 2 years multiple vaccinating everyone??

carefullycourageous · 15/04/2022 16:38

I dunno, I'm not saying they be got it right but also I'm not sure 2000 deaths in a week plus a collapsing health service is my definition of success either.

I'm scared by the lack of a plan for what is next tbh, right across the globe.

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2022 16:39

To be fair, some countries, like Korea, seem to have fared better.

A couple of weeks ago they had the highest rates in the world. So not really no.

LouB76 · 15/04/2022 16:42

I'm scared by the lack of a plan for what is next tbh, right across the globe.

What do you think is next?

gardenhelpneeded · 15/04/2022 16:46

Weird post.

I think it’s terrible and that footage of the screaming is so upsetting.

Laying it out like “ I told you so” is petty and inappropriate, move on now.

BewareTheLibrarians · 15/04/2022 16:54

I think one of the problems of saying “the East” is seeing it as a monolithic lump, when it’s a group of very different countries with very different governments and very different strategies.

China banked on zero covid with strict lockdowns but had a unreliable vaccine which leaves them in a complete state now.

Japan did well with suppression and avoiding lockdowns (no idea how) and still look to be under 30k deaths.

Hong Kong had strict lockdowns but then a huge recent spike as the elderly population wasn’t well vaccinated.

I think like a pp said, the UK did some things really well and some things badly and that’s probably true for most countries. Will we all learn from each other? Of course not.

ITSupport · 15/04/2022 16:55

To be care, if right when Covid first appeared, if the East had locked down the way they do now then Covid could have been eradicated. They are/were prepared to lock down harshly enough to achieve it.

Once Covid escaped west looking east was pointless as there was no way it every could have been eradicated so harsh lockdown likes that is pointless

At some point they will have to accept omicron cannot be controlled unless you isolate your state permanent

Original poster
TypicaIMe · 15/04/2022 17:38

@gardenhelpneeded

Weird post.

I think it’s terrible and that footage of the screaming is so upsetting.

Laying it out like “ I told you so” is petty and inappropriate, move on now.

Yeah that's not what I did.

I genuinely wondered if people still think Draconian restrictions such as those currently imposed in Shanghai are the correct response. I also said that I don't believe our government did enough particularity with regards to CEV people. And they didn't do enough in the beginning, either, or do it quickly enough.

What's 'I told you so' or petty about that?

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 15/04/2022 17:41

Yeah that's not what I did.

That's exactly what you did. It's really distasteful to use people's suffering to make a point.

gardenhelpneeded · 15/04/2022 17:45

@TypicaIMe

“ Remember all those posters who said we should 'look east' for how to deal with Covid?….. I wonder if they still think that?”

Gloating. Sounds like something a teenager would say.

Original poster
TypicaIMe · 15/04/2022 17:53

[quote gardenhelpneeded]@TypicaIMe

“ Remember all those posters who said we should 'look east' for how to deal with Covid?….. I wonder if they still think that?”

Gloating. Sounds like something a teenager would say.[/quote]
Oh don't be silly.

It's clear I'm saying that I wonder if they still think so, given the distressing news reports we're seeing.

Why would I be gloating? What's there to gloat about?

OP posts:
Original poster
TypicaIMe · 15/04/2022 17:54

@MrsTerryPratchett

Yeah that's not what I did.

That's exactly what you did. It's really distasteful to use people's suffering to make a point.

I'm sorry if that's how it came across. It's not what I meant at all.

As I've just said to another poster, I wonder if they would still advocate the harsh restrictions they once did if they could see the damage they're currently doing.

OP posts:
ShanghaiDiva · 15/04/2022 17:58

Your schadenfreude is distasteful.
Look East I presume also included Taiwan and Singapore: take a look at their number of deaths compared to the uk’s.
Imo there are many things that countries in the east did well and which we adopted later eg test and trace and quarantine.

HardyBuckette · 15/04/2022 18:00

I've said it before, but I don't think the people who praised China saw this coming. They just weren't willing or able to accept that this is what happens when you try to curb Omicron, your sensible mitigations fail and you choose to keep on trying rather than accept you're pissing in the wind.

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2022 18:02

I think it's a legitimate question. There were strong proponents of zero covid on here. Now that we know what that means when taken to it's ultimate conclusion, what are their thoughts.

manysummersago · 15/04/2022 18:02

Anyone who thinks that news link is justifiable is fucking insane!

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2022 18:07

Imo there are many things that countries in the east did well and which we adopted later eg test and trace and quarantine

No western country made a success of track and trace. And a major reason for that was that our gdpr laws got seriously in the way.

South Korea aced track and trace, but that's a society where government can commandeer phone data, banking data and cctv footage to support it.

ShanghaiDiva · 15/04/2022 18:11

@HardyBuckette

I've said it before, but I don't think the people who praised China saw this coming. They just weren't willing or able to accept that this is what happens when you try to curb Omicron, your sensible mitigations fail and you choose to keep on trying rather than accept you're pissing in the wind.
I think China did many things well eg when I was waiting in a queue outside the supermarket in April 2020, my husband was going to work, eating in restaurants and meeting friends. The company where he worked only had people working from home for 2/3 weeks. While there was no vaccine, lockdowns and separating people was the only solution. Once a vaccine programme has been implemented this course can change. The issue in China is concerns regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine and low uptake in the older population, therefore the zero covid policy continues, but it can never be effective.
EatSleepReplete · 15/04/2022 18:14

I saw this on YouTube, from an American broadcaster. Chilling.

LouB76 · 15/04/2022 18:16

@TheKeatingFive

I think it's a legitimate question. There were strong proponents of zero covid on here. Now that we know what that means when taken to it's ultimate conclusion, what are their thoughts.
Don't know. Those posters have been very quiet recently 🤷‍♀️
ShanghaiDiva · 15/04/2022 18:18

@TheKeatingFive

I think it's a legitimate question. There were strong proponents of zero covid on here. Now that we know what that means when taken to it's ultimate conclusion, what are their thoughts.
I am not the look east poster and not a supporter of zero covid, but many of the restrictions which were introduced in the east were sensible. Eg China did not allow travel between provinces and cities. Compare the tier system in the uk where we allowed movement between tiers..what a pointless exercise.