Coronavirus Thread (Off Topic, Politics) (5 Viewers)

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Well you see the science says it’s not transmitted outdoors, or from the mouths of Boris Johnson’s political allies.

How hard is it to say "if you're in an indoor setting outside of your own house a mask must be worn at all times. Owners of any premises have the right to refuse entry or demand a person leaves that does not follow these instructions. Refusal to comply with these demands will result in prosecution". Simple, clear and concise. No ambiguity or interpretation. Just a clear instruction.

This is where I get a bit tin hat as to why they've left it so open.

Firstly, making it so confusing makes the entire thing practically unenforceable and so people will be able to get away with whatever they please. This allows potential spread of the disease and thus the 'herd immunity' strategy whilst appearing to attempt to contain the virus.

Secondly, it allows them another opportunity to blame the public/business owners for failure to follow the rules if it goes wrong.

Thirdly, because much of their election strategy is based around assuming the average Brit is quite stupid, by telling people what to do they're worried it will make that mindset far too obvious so instead keep up the public face of "trust common sense" to hide that fact. Rather protect their electability than people.

 

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[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

As for the Gove thing - it seems weird to say they're excluding offices etc because of his failure to wear a mask. It's not come into force yet anyway. Of course it'd be good to see the govt set an example but to exempt places because what ministers have done before anything is actually in force is just mad.

As an office is (on the whole) going to be the same people in the same space they might be arguing it's not as bad as a shop with a lot of different people crossing paths, and would be easier to trace but those people will also be going out to other places like shops and risk spreading so stop that potential at source. If one person in the office has it in an indoor environment which people share for hours on end the chances of infecting others is very high and then they can all spread it when they go outside.

So in terms of being proactive, preventing spread of infection and just making a clear message get the office workers to wear one anyway.

 

[chiefdave]

Doesn't sound like the government have said anything to them but they seem fearful of having to cancel an event at short notice due to a local lockdown and thus still have to pay the acts but refund the customers/

Got some more info from a couple of people who were working on tours. They've both been told the same thing, that the government won't allow artists and production to move around the country. Seems an odd call when, as far as I'm aware, there's no restrictions on other people going about their work. A lot of work, not to mention expense, had gone into making sure this was all safe and within all restrictions and guidelines.

One of the artists involved has posted a statement online.

So sad and a little angry too as our Government in their divine wisdom have cancelled all drive in shows across the board across the country even though stringent care had been taken for safety and you would have been in your own space and bubble. Thousands of people musicians, crews, promoters, agents, tour managers, so many people working on these shows as well as business to local hotels and hospitality have now lost vital work. And of course yourselves looking for chances to have a good time and let your hair down and forget this never ending nightmare for a few hours. Mental health of people in this country is suffering. I’ve spoken to people from my team nearly in tears today. Did this have to be so draconian or has it not been given enough thought to the mental as well as the economic repercussions, this as so many other things are not thought out fully. Once more we the entertainers and musicians seem to count for nothing yet we are the people that keep spirits going. A shot in the arm for the entertainment , music and arts industry once again becomes a blow. So sorry everyone.

ADDED NOTE. I’ve just been told that the Government aren’t worried about the audiences but about the artists themselves spreading the virus from town to town even though we are travelling in our own bubbles and following the safety rules. You get in the car or van, you get out at the gig, you get changed in your separate dressing room .you do the show socially distanced on stage to an audience parked in their own spaces and a distance away from the stage and get back in the car again and go to your newly reopened hotel in need of guests , eat in the restaurant in need of customers at a socially distanced table where you follow the safety rules. Just goes to show this Government have no idea how the music business works.

 

[David O'Day]

Got some more info from a couple of people who were working on tours. They've both been told the same thing, that the government won't allow artists and production to move around the country. Seems an odd call when, as far as I'm aware, there's no restrictions on other people going about their work. A lot of work, not to mention expense, had gone into making sure this was all safe and within all restrictions and guidelines.

One of the artists involved has posted a statement online.

The government haven't cancelled any shows and there is no ban on travelling around the country.

The bands themselves seem to think it's financial.

 

[David O'Day]

I guess it's the live nation events

If the government had banned people from moving around the country (which they haven't) live nation would have said so instead of blaming "local lockdows" that don't exist.

The biggewr bands on the shows like Ash have stated they have not been told anything by live nation only found out at 5pm when they got the same email as the punters.

 

[David O'Day]

Also at the same time the London Drive In Comedy Club has cancelled all gigs as they state there is no way to make the drive gigs work financially so as much as I love to kick teh tories when they are down it looks to me like it is live Nation being worried about the financials not workig out and pulling the tour.

 

[clint van damme]

Got some more info from a couple of people who were working on tours. They've both been told the same thing, that the government won't allow artists and production to move around the country. Seems an odd call when, as far as I'm aware, there's no restrictions on other people going about their work. A lot of work, not to mention expense, had gone into making sure this was all safe and within all restrictions and guidelines.

One of the artists involved has posted a statement online.

really bad news whatever the reason. Music industry is going to take a battering but at least this gave a glimmer of hope.

Got my son Fountaines DC tickets for next May but I warned him that it's quite feasible that it won't go ahead.

 

[wingy]

It's going to have to be virtual and or online for the foreseeable future.
I'd imagine much of the reasoning to be economic.
Can they monetize online content?
Trouble is the artists may be able to facilitate the appearance of unity or physically achieve it with measures.
Not achievable for the punters though.
Agreed it would be and is a boost to the national Vibe.

 

[David O'Day]

It's going to have to be virtual and or online for the foreseeable future.
I'd imagine much of the reasoning to be economic.
Can they monetize online content?
Trouble is the artists may be able to facilitate the appearance of unity or physically achieve it with measures.
Not achievable for the punters though.
Agreed it would be and is a boost to the national Vibe.

With the LiveNation shows the capacity was 300 cars which I guess made it very hard to make it work on a financial level.

 

[clint van damme]

Promising

Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine could provide 'double protection' - report

The vaccine being developed at Oxford is one of the leading contenders in the global race to protect against coronavirus.

news.sky.com

 

[ajsccfc]

If there's something we actually can legitimately be world-leading in, let it be this

 

[chiefdave]

Promising

Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine could provide 'double protection' - report

The vaccine being developed at Oxford is one of the leading contenders in the global race to protect against coronavirus.

news.sky.com

Thats a couple of vaccines now that are showing promise. Lets hope they come though and its not the press hyping things up.

Even if we can come up with something that reduces the severity we can start looking at getting life back to normal. Remember bird flu where you got told to stay at home for a couple of weeks and given some pills? If we get it down to something like that we should be fine to open pretty much everything up.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Would be great if there is something that does work, or at least massively reduces the likelihood of fatality.

At the moment I'm still quite concerned about the colder months not just because the conditons might favour the virus but also the usual flu/colds etc that spread at that time and the effect they might have on those that have been hit with the virus and survived. If it has damaged their lungs in some way their ability to get through another respiratory illness could be hampered so we might see an even higher toll from flu than a normal year.

Wonder if the govt might try and give everyone a flu jab if they can?

 

[David O'Day]

Car crash interview 123131313

 

[chiefdave]

Car crash interview 123131313

I don't understand why they do this to themselves. Is it just a form of dead catting?

Would be much easier to just say Gove made a mistake and use it as an example of why people need to think about what they're doing and pay attention to the rules.

 

[David O'Day]

I don't understand why they do this to themselves. Is it just a form of dead catting?

Would be much easier to just say Gove made a mistake and use it as an example of why people need to think about what they're doing and pay attention to the rules.

Our just say it was a requirement at the time to wear a mask in a shop

 

[clint van damme]

Car crash interview 123131313

that naughty lady is out of order asking questions and pulling them up on contradictions in what they're saying. They should boycott.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

Our just say it was a requirement at the time to wear a mask in a shop

This is it, he did nothing wrong, whatever the interpretation, so there's no need to defend him!

 

[fernandopartridge]

Car crash interview 123131313

Morons voted for by the same

 

[clint van damme]

Hancock claiming lock down stated on 16th March.
The cunts just continually lie now without a single fuck given.

 

[chiefdave]

Hancock claiming lock down stated on 16th March.
The cunts just continually lie now without a single fuck given.

I dispair. Really don't know how we get back to a working model for politics in this country. Same thing with the Russia report, trying to push it onto Corbyn and the press comply and head off to doorstep him. No questions about Johnson or Cummings links to Russia and Russian funding, that's just glossed over.

 

[clint van damme]

I dispair. Really don't know how we get back to a working model for politics in this country. Same thing with the Russia report, trying to push it onto Corbyn and the press comply and head off to doorstep him. No questions about Johnson or Cummings links to Russia and Russian funding, that's just glossed over.

The thing is him saying this makes the government look even more incompetent as they then let the Cheltenham festival go ahead on.the same day they claim to have locked down but I doubt they'll get asked about it from that angle.

 

[clint van damme]

another dodgy government awarded contract goes tits up:

Public urged not to use Randox home testing kits due to safety issues

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a 'pause' in the use of testing kits by one of the government's main suppliers as they may not meet safety standards.

metro.co.uk

they pay an MP as a consultant, guess which party he's from?

 

[Deleted member 5849]

I see the message from the Chief Scientific Adviser is very different to the message from the Prime Minister!

 

[fernandopartridge]

I see the message from the Chief Medical Adviser is very different to the message from the Prime Minister!

Pretty clear what the government strategy is, confuse and blame the public for the inevitable disaster

 

[Deleted member 5849]

Pretty clear what the government strategy is, confuse and blame the public for the inevitable disaster

Hopefully Vallance's statements yesterday are when he starts to give his opinion a little more. This all seems bonkers tbh. No social distancing come the winter months? Anybody can use public transport? I was sympathetic at the beginning of this, but it's zero lessons learned!

Fool me once...

 

[Wyken Sky Blue]

Does anyone want to rush back to the office just so we can keep Starbucks and Pret a Manger happy?

I don't persoanlly use these places, I've always brought my own lunch!

 

[Wyken Sky Blue]

At least fans will be allowed back to stadiums from October following the pilot trials.

 

[wingy]

No Idea on the validity .
However it's an app that people update If they seem to have it.

New daily COVID cases are no longer dropping in the UK

According to the latest COVID Symptom Study data, new daily cases of COVID-19 have stopped dropping across the UK. Learn more about the latest incidence figures.

covid.joinzoe.com

 

[skybluetony176]

 

[Skybluefaz]

Pretty clear what the government strategy is, confuse and blame the public for the inevitable disaster

This latest announcement seems to be nothing but this, probably because it is one of if not the riskiest instructions yet.

 

[skybluetony176]

Boris Johnson is living on a different planet.

 

[chiefdave]

This might come as a shock but it seems the promised £30bn spending might not be quite what it seems.

The UK Government is spending big on supporting public services and the economy through the COVID-19 recovery and beyond. There are, for example, ‘up to £30 billion pounds’ of measures counted in the ‘Plan for Jobs’ announced in the Summer Economic Update last week, although the OBR thinks they will ultimately cost around £20 billion.

However, alongside this – but with much less fanfare – are reductions in spending on other things as some previously planned projects and investments are now deemed less of a priority or infeasible given the COVID-19 crisis. The Treasury’s decisions on funding for the devolved governments suggest they expect these underspends to amount to almost £8 billion; the OBR expects more like £10 billion.

Up to £10 billion of the Chancellor's 'Plan for Jobs' will be funded by underspends on previously planned projects | Institute for Fiscal Studies

A lack of transparency over where spending is expected to be lower is contributing to confusion about the overall scale of fiscal support being provid

www.ifs.org.uk

 

[Nick]

 

[David O'Day]

As the actual stories about this point out this a small number of cases and the metric they are talking about has always been a poor indicator anyway.