Westminstenders: No pubs till Christmas?

[RedToothBrush]

Today the news has moved towards acknowledging covid-19 reality: Nicola Sturgeon has explicitly stated that some social distancing will carry on until the new year in all likelihood.

When Matt Hancock asked if this was true for England too, he refused to say yes but he said that Scotland was working from the same framework as England.

In case anyone does still need this spelling out, this means the outlook for the hospitality and leisure industries is bleak.

There are extremely unlikely to be many enjoying a holiday in the sun any time soon, whether it be in Devon or Spain.

We won't be celebrating birthdays in restaurants nor having a pint in the pub.

Conversations on the doorstep from a couple of metres away is as good as it gets.

That means if you can't adapt you may not survive.

To add into the mix changes to customs to those companies who are operating seems insanity. But that's a political not a scientific decision to be made.

Whether reality in this will kick in, in the next six weeks or so before EU budgetary decisions relating to an extension have to be made remains to be seen.

Until then, there is no news but covid-19.

Education in the UK is the complete opposite of centralised (whatever that is!) taswama since academisation. It's like the Wild West.

Apart from a few areas (eg Cmbridgeshire) where LEAs are still A Thing.

Listening (from previous thread) Yes, insecure work. It's funny but when Brexiteers talk about "deregulation to make us more competitive" they rarely admit they mean smashing employment rights.

The aviation industry in particular is one to watch as they can and will bend the ear of the ministers to resume some sort of flight timetable before the end of the year. My guess is social distancing within the airport and plane with fewer occupied seats. Which will be interesting to watch for RO rates everyone breathes the same recycled air. It will also do wonders for doubling travellers carbon footprints.

When Matt Hancock asked if this was true for England too, he refused to say yes but he said that Scotland was working from the same framework as England.

He obviously didn't get the memo in BJ's absence about how to prepare for briefings

PMK from our garden - DD is in the background, still in her dressing gown, eating breakfast

Very pretty, Elements!

"I imagine in Germany plans to reopen schools are more centrally controlled and organised. "

Au contraire
The UK is one of the most centrally controlled democracies in the world, which often brings rigidity and weaknesses

Germany is a federal republic, with 16 states, each with their own Parliament and leader,
each with considerable latitude to interpret federal policy locally
(Merkel consults with the 16 leaders before deciding a key national domestic policy like this)

e.g. the details of lockdown were varied to some extent between states
and the reopening of schools can be adjusted to fit the needs of the individual state

Thanks red

I hope the govt doesn't just give in to the aviation big money,
but instead decides about flights on the basis of scientific advice

Airlines may go the way of the dinosaur if they cannot work on a new business plan

e.g. O'Leary recently said Ryanair won't run flights if airlines have to keep the middle row free
and Billionaire Beardy begging for handouts, scrounger that he is

I think centrally is not a word I should have used . I guess I should have just said organised but I didn't want to sound like I was stereotyping Germans

What I meant was better controlled, thought through and organised within each area. Unless you are in education in the UK, you really couldn't appreciate how chaotic and insular it all is. That's why I know what we do here won't be like Denmark or Germany or the Netherlands.

Thanks Red.

I think a lot depends on what other countries do and how they fare.

Which isn't a bad idea, to be honest, from a practical point of view. Indeed, if they'd done that in the first place we almost certainly wouldn't be in this position now.

However, it playswill be tricky to explain to the British public that the reason they can't go to the pub when half of Europe can is because the British government were too slow to react. Perhaps we'll have some special super tough strain that managed to avoid the rest of Europe...

Playswill? That should be will.

On a global scale, the US remains an interesting case, as I am pretty certain there is no mechanism for individual states to setup their own borders internally. So if it should so happen that Republican states lift their measures and see the predicted spike in cases, Democratic states will want to exclude people entering them ... but can't.

DGR from the previous thread.

They have tried. NY reg cars were stopped in RI and other states. The governor of Kentucky directly stated that KY residents shouldn't go to neighbouring Tennessee to enjoy restaurants and bars which remained open (TN governor sucking up to Trump) because that would risk bringing the virus back home.

Right now, there are regional groupings of states developing to coordinate reopening. These regional groupings are in some cases bipartisan (the midwest includes Ohio with GOP governor Mike De Wine very much in the doghouse along with Mitt Romney at this point).

A coughing pmk here...

How are you faring, DrB?

PMK

Thanks MShip totally missed that about ICU used for other reasons. Makes total sense now you have pointed it out. I might have been focused on what the guy said at the expense of reading the graph properly.

Thanks for the new thread. Have followed and occasionally posted since 2016.

From a personal perspective, my Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer earlier this year. We have been through all the tests and then major surgery 3 weeks ago. Knew in advance we couldn't visit. No problem. She ended up in Critical Care due to complications. Home now, but has an infection. I'm borderline vulnerable due to bad asthma, but I've had to don my mask and go and look after her. We aren't entitled to any help as she missed the original list. My employer has been a total arse and really unhelpful. (Sainsbury's)

It's not good to make this political say so many on MN. Perhaps the ones who saw the sunny uplands with Brexit. Matt Handcock said today (very insincerely) that every death was not just a statistic, but had a story. He couldn't give a shit. And BJ got special treatment as none of us would be admitted to hospital 'as a precaution' My Mum's friend died of Covid. Tested twice. Once negative, once positive. Too late anyway. 2 hospitals arguing among themselves. Why?

Disgraceful. And yet they don't see it. Except for perhaps Chris Whitty. He has looked like he has a gun to his head from day one. I used to work for the Government. I know how it works. And it stinks. It's why I left. We know there will be an inquiry after all of this. But it will be too late.

My friend Bill has been waiting for a replacement replacement hip since last summer
(he has NO HIP JOINT at all)
that op should not be affected by covid
but I bet he's stuck on crutches and wheelchairs for many months
and it might kill him
a non covid covid death

I think we all know what "inquiry" means these days anyway
Would just like to amend the statement in the OP that "there is no news but covid-19" as this morning, first up on the news was the less than poignant lead story that last year stabbings were up to the highest rate ever! Aren't we all so much safer locked down?

Brexit/Tory "you gave consent when the country voted Boris as PM" lost his grandpa to COVID today. He's not angry at the government though, just the "fucking pointless lockdown". There's no teaching some.

Thanks for asking Clash I'm now on antibiotics in case it's a matter of 2ndary chest infection. Hoping that's the reason for continued resp symptoms. Had to stop reading speculation about new symptoms (strange blood clotting) and/or permanent tissue damage. It will be interesting when people finally get tested for supposed immunity.

Evening placemark. Thanks to Red & all the regulars doing the heavy lifting.

WTF is PMK ?

Of all the support that I can access right now, I'd say this is actually the best. Because you all articulate so much better than I can. I have found myself agreeing and nodding so much. And I'm talking years. I thank every one of you for that. It's been a lifesaver for me.

Been on MN for 10 years. This is singly the most supportive and mind like thread I've ever followed.

placemark = pmk