Westminstenders: All bets are off

[RedToothBrush]

We are seeking an extension. Apparently. No prizes for guessing why.

There is no news but COVID news. And that's all there will be for a long time.

Enjoy your stockpile and your sunny uplands it brought.

Keep safe.

It is not just London. I’ve had two contacts in the north pontificating on how well Boris is handling it and it is only flu, over reaction to be closing the economy down. One conversation included someone in Singapore who must have thought he was stark raving bonkers

It is all about viral load, moving around a gym after someone has been spreading it and you will pick up ten times the viral load you would from a shopping trolley. That is why our NHS workers will suffer the most as a result of the failure to provide them with proper protection. You have seen the footage from Wuhan, and earlier on here, where people were in full suits with visors and high spec goggles. Now it is a plastic apron gloves and a standard mask. I would say we are behaving like a third world country except Sierra Leone managed to equip its frontline health workers better (with international help). It is about time Boris climbed off HMS Britannia and started getting us the international help we clearly need instead of condemning us to this libertarian bonfire of Covid infection.

Seems Brittany Ferries have stopped all passenger sailings.

Oh and one of those conversations included an 87 year old who was told “You have more chance of being killed by a bus” 😡

“You have more chance of being killed by a bus”

To which my response would be "I didn't know that road traffic accidents were virulently contagious"

I see that two US (Republican) senators have come under fire for insider trading based in covid- fears.

Clearly life in the US goes on as normal then. Nothing to worry about.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51976484

Two US Republican Senators are facing calls to resign over allegations they used insider knowledge to sell shares before prices fell due to coronavirus fears.

Richard Burr reportedly dumped up to $1.7m (£1.45m) of stocks last month.

Kelly Loeffler is reported to have sold holdings worth up to $3m in a series of transactions beginning the same day as a Senate briefing on the virus.

(contd)

Elements I was already too concerned with explaining why though the death rate was lower SARs was not more dangerous than this, the difference between a percentage and an exponential difference in numbers actually dying not having occurred to them , and that you don’t get Cancer from door handles.......

Anyway Marina putting it all so much better though through Brexit she kept me sane but now I fear she may just be adding to the feelings of desperation. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/boris-johnson-covid-19-prime-minister-brexit?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

A good friend of mine (75+) shared a post on FB about how well Boris is handling it all (and how well he has handled Brexit).

I may not have been quite diplomatic in my response. I'm NHS - not frontline, but I am working in COVID command at the moment. From home, before anyone asks ! I see at first hand what we are expecting.

Complacency (from all age groups but yes, older people...) will kill a lot of people.

Hospital’s critical care unit overwhelmed by coronavirus patients

https://www.hsj.co.uk/news/hospitals-critical-care-unit-overwhelmed-by-coronavirus-patients/7027189.article

.... message to staff, Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow...:
“I am writing to let you know that we have this evening declared a ‘critical incident’ in relation to our critical care capacity at Northwick Park Hospital.

This is due to an increasing number of patients with Covid-19.

“This means that we currently do not have enough space for patients requiring critical care.

A senior director at another London acute trust told HSJ:
“Given we’re in the low foothills of this virus, this is f+++ing petrifying.

“The thing people aren’t really talking about yet is that we are going to have to quickly agree some clinical thresholds for admissions to intensive care.

This is what the Italians have had to do, and whether it’s set at 60 or whatever, we are going to have to do something similar.

There’s no way we’re going to be able to scale up to the level we need otherwise.

“The trusts in outer London seem to be hit much worse at the moment, probably about two weeks ahead of the rest of the country.
Barnet, Lewisham and Greenwich, Epsom and St Helier, North Middlesex and Hillingdon are all struggling.

“I was in denial about the seriousness of this virus a couple of weeks ago, but not anymore.

“I’m now on calls with commissioners about getting more people out of hospital and into the community,
and they’re saying ’yes that’ll be done in the next week’,
and I’m on the verge of screaming at them.
Things are going completely nuts.

“And there’s a real problem with private care homes refusing to take patients back unless they’ve been tested for covid-19.
But that’s not the national guidance currently and there just aren’t enough testing kits to do it.”

Northwick Park - that's where my DM passed away 18/3/2017

It seems the Tory faithful are lining up behind BJ like lemmings,
but he'll jump aside at the cliff edge and let them all go under

Sorry, DG sad memories for you there 💐

And there’s a real problem with private care homes refusing to take patients back unless they’ve been tested for covid-19

I had this quick vision of a series of ambulances all driving around the M25 and being refueled in transit ...

This is a usually-busy intersection in the 5th arrondissement in Paris, photo taken at 5pm tonight by my daughter. Streets deserted and nearly silent.

Let no one tell you that London can't be locked down.

It seems the Tory faithful are lining up behind BJ like lemmings, but he'll jump aside at the cliff edge and let them all go under

This is an amazing thread, that shows how China hopes to prevent a second wave caused by imported virus:

twitter.com/lukashenselecon/status/1240494951177302016?s=21

Kevin Schofield @PolhomeEditor
BREAKING: Boris Johnson announces that all pubs, clubs, cinemas, restaurants, gyms and theatres in the UK are to close tonight. #coronavirus

Since people weren't taking it seriously and were still going to them.

BREAKING: Boris Johnson announces that all pubs, clubs, cinemas, restaurants, gyms and theatres in the UK are to close tonight. #coronavirus

Since people weren't taking it seriously and were still going to them.

That's the headline. What's the detail ?

Boris Johnson announces that all pubs, clubs, cinemas, restaurants, gyms and theatres in the UK are to close tonight.

But not betting shops, so you can still put your money (not that you have any now) on still-in-the-shit 12 weeks from now and a Brexit extension double. That'll pay for your toilet rolls.

Pretty certain I have it. It's come on v quickly. Had some very minor symptoms during week but the completely resolved. No mistaking this though.

Support for employees, but not the self employed
of whom there are many millions

the VAT holiday is a nice treat for higher earners

waiting to see what will be in the legislation on Monday about compulsory public meetings
but my assumption is that this disease will be washing around the country for at least a year
so there will be limits to the options

Support for employees, but not the self employed of whom there are many millions

The UK has always been top dog at playing lip service to self employment, whilst actually doing everything in it's power to crack down on it.

Grinchly Speedy recovery 💐

Get well soon grinchly

Well, that was a load of old tripe wasn't it??

DGR
My Yoga teachers are looking at no income for the forseeable future.
They could go work in an Amazon warehouse or a Lidl distribution centre
but as they are in their 50's will be passed over for younger people.

Its also unclear how small Limited Companies - of which there are a couple of million - will be able to access any help at all.

The holes in the UKs safety net are looming large

Nothing for charity sector yet....