Coronavirus Thread (Off Topic, Politics) (6 Viewers)

[fernandopartridge]

They’ve done a much better job than many of keeping covid under control though haven’t they? Many people, not yourself necessarily, been screaming for tighter controls on borders to prevent new variants coming in, but then criticise exactly that

They have, but they're in a difficult position now as they've not ordered sufficient vaccines so there only measure against the newly arrived delta is lockdown.

I'm not really sure border controls is a sustainable answer to it

 

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[Grendel]

It’s not exactly straightforward to get back into Britain at the moment either.

I thought you lived in Italy and not the U.K.?

 

[Grendel]

They’ve done a much better job than many of keeping covid under control though haven’t they? Many people, not yourself necessarily, been screaming for tighter controls on borders to prevent new variants coming in, but then criticise exactly that

Both they and New Zealand especially New Zealand require less import of goods and central hub airport transportation

Also the policy now is screwed as they’ve vaccinated hardly anyone so will lock people in and out forever as their only way out of this

 

[Sick Boy]

I thought you lived in Italy and not the U.K.?

Yeah I mean returning to visit is not exactly easy, despite being a British citizen.

 

[Grendel]

Yeah I mean returning to visit is not exactly easy, despite being a British citizen.

Not the same as an Australian trying to actually return home to be fair. If I had parents in Italy I’d be restricted as it’s not my domicile wouldn’t I? I certainly would in Germany

 

[Sick Boy]

Not the same as an Australian trying to actually return home to be fair. If I had parents in Italy I’d be restricted as it’s not my domicile wouldn’t I? I certainly would in Germany

I’ve not seen my family since December 2019, why should I not see them if I’ve been fully vaccinated?
The problem is that they only accept negative test results in English, French or Spanish.

 

[Grendel]

I’ve not seen my family since December 2019, why should I not see them if I’ve been fully vaccinated?
The problem is that they only accept negative test results in English, French or Spanish.

This is a different argument to Australia - one things for certain you would not be allowed there under any circumstances without a fortnight in a hotel room even if you lived there

 

[COV]

I’ve not seen my family since December 2019, why should I not see them if I’ve been fully vaccinated?
The problem is that they only accept negative test results in English, French or Spanish.

Seems stupid, what difference does the language make

 

[Sick Boy]

This is a different argument to Australia - one things for certain you would not be allowed there under any circumstances without a fortnight in a hotel room even if you lived there

That is ridiculous.

 

[Sick Boy]

Seems stupid, what difference does the language make

No idea - negative in Italian is negativo.

 

[COV]

No idea - negative in Italian is negativo.

Seems absurd, makes no sense. Hope you get to see your family soon.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I’ve not seen my family since December 2019, why should I not see them if I’ve been fully vaccinated?
The problem is that they only accept negative test results in English, French or Spanish.

There is a lot they will not let you do here despite being fully vaccinated or negatively PCR tested.

 

[skybluetony176]

No idea - negative in Italian is negativo.

Same in Spanish, unless it’s feminine then it’s negativa. Positive is positivo or positiva also in Spanish, presume the same for Italian. Seems ridiculous, we all speak Germanic based languages with commonality, there needs to be some common sense when it’s so obvious what it’s saying especially when the exact same word is used in an approved language.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

How a mature democracy deals with this issue

Australia: New South Wales confirms first Covid-related death in 10 months

A woman in her 90s died in Sydney, as state officials warn of a surge in new infections.

www.bbc.co.uk

To be fair, Australia is pretty remote for people to get to even for it's neighbours and even them quite low population for area size and density is much lower and so only have the major cities to really worry about.

I do think they've handled it much, much better - they've been quite authoritarian about it but I think this is a situation that requires it. Simple things like quarantining etc have made a massive difference.

 

[Skybluefaz]

The mask situation is going to be clear as mud isn't it?

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Thank god all vulnerable people are vaccinated - well actually let’s thank the government - and that we can return to normal next Monday and live like normal human beings

It’s brilliant isn’t it?

We can thank the government for the vaccine rollout (esp not giving the rollout to one of their mates at a huge extra cost) but can we also say we may have been returned to normal already if they hadn't made such an utter shitshow or pretty much everything else requiring us to keep on putting restrictions back in.

 

[David O'Day]

We can thank the government for the vaccine rollout (esp not giving the rollout to one of their mates at a huge extra cost) but can we also say we may have been returned to normal already if they hadn't made such an utter shitshow or pretty much everything else requiring us to keep on putting restrictions back in.

The government had very, very little to do with the vaccine rollout and now even that is trickling.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

For the record I think Johnson is a better PM than Starmer could ever in his wildest dreams hope to be. Or indeed anyone in Labour who are pathetic, impossible to like and unelectable. Not that I’m totally clueless about politics (but I am compared to most), I just don’t have a “side”

Starmer's problem is he's appearing weak and indecisive and I reckon a lot of that is down to advisors. Milliband was the same. Starmer wouldn't have been a QC if he acted in court the way he's acting in politics. He *should* make a good PM - attention to detail over numerous different areas and everything Johnson isn't. But at the moment he's appearing to be a poor politician.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

The mask situation is going to be clear as mud isn't it?

Abdication of responsibility by the man elected to make decisions.

 

[chiefdave]

The mask situation is going to be clear as mud isn't it?

Don't worry, our world beating test and trace system will be on top of things when cases surge.

Test and Trace ‘panics’ in rush to recruit thousands ahead of summer wave

Exclusive: Private companies hiring thousands of cheaper non-clinical staff to carry out contact tracing as Covid cases surge

www.independent.co.uk

The government’s test and trace service is “panicking” in a rush to fill thousands of vacant contact tracing positions – just months after making thousands of clinical staff redundant – amid fears a summer wave of coronavirus will see a 100,000 infections a day.

The Independent understands the private companies running the service, Serco and Sitel, have been asked to recruit up to 7,000 new call-centre staff to speak to patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.

Under the plans, the new recruits will have no clinical training and be paid at substantially cheaper rates than the nurses and other clinical staff who were made redundant en masse in May as test and trace bosses said demand on the service had reduced.

 

[MusicDating]

Hygiene theatre: how excessive cleaning gives us a false sense of security

Covid-19 is a mainly airborne disease. So does our endless disinfecting and hand sanitising serve any purpose – or could it be worse than useless?

www.theguardian.com

 

[chiefdave]

Sometimes find it slightly bizarre listening to overseas radio stations and hearing how different some of the responses are to what we experience here. Been listening to Ottawa radio this morning to get some hockey news and the news bulletins were reporting latest figures of zero deaths and one case.

Seemingly this means they are now prepared to move to the next step in their plan "Ottawa residents will soon be able to return to movie theatres, gyms, casinos, museums and other indoor businesses with the province announcing Friday that it would move to Step 3 of its pandemic reopening plan on July 16".

 

[Saddlebrains]

The vaccine numbers now are dog shit.

Reckon weve got to the ones who will take a first dose?


Looks like we will end up with about 88% of adults taking a vaccine. Not bad really

 

[shmmeee]

The vaccine numbers now are dog shit.

Reckon weve got to the ones who will take a first dose?


Looks like we will end up with about 88% of adults taking a vaccine. Not bad really

I think there’ll be quite a long tail of people who just haven’t got round to it rather than outright anti-vaxxers, but yeah anything over 85% is great.

London though, only 64%! And only 43% with a second dose. Asking for trouble that.

Keep em locked down for the lols.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

It's logistics too, it's stalled in places. When I went for my second, there were some young 'uns hanging around hoping to get a vaccine, while the Stoneleigh hall itself was pretty empty, but they only had the AZ on site that day, so could only give it to the likes of me who'd booked in, not da yoof.

 

[Saddlebrains]

What do we think we will get too in terms of percentage take up?

If we can nudge over 90% surely that's a cracking result?

 

[Grendel]

Javed confirming now in the commons all restrictions lifted next Monday

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Javed confirming now in the commons all restrictions lifted next Monday

Apart from indoors if there’s lot of people if you give a toss but no one will make you

 

[COV]

Apart from indoors if there’s lot of people if you give a toss but no one will make you

Does Sajid Javid have any kind of medical/ health background or experience prior to taking this role?

 

[Grendel]

Does Sajid Javid have any kind of medical/ health background or experience prior to taking this role?

Nope like every other health secretary I can think of

 

[COV]

Nope like every other health secretary I can think of

Kinda weird really

 

[Grendel]

Kinda weird really

Why is it? The role is not to cure people personally

 

[Deleted member 5849]

Why is it? The role is not to cure people personally

Yeah, without getting into arguments about the decision, the role of a minister is to take advice from experts, and also civil servants on implimentation and implications, and filter it through a political lens to decide what to do, and what not to do.

Well... no doubt dubed will be along to tell me that's not what happens but that's how I've always seen it!

 

[skybluetony176]

Both they and New Zealand especially New Zealand require less import of goods and central hub airport transportation

Also the policy now is screwed as they’ve vaccinated hardly anyone so will lock people in and out forever as their only way out of this

Doesn’t NZ plan to have everyone over 16 vaccinated by the end of the year?

 

[COV]

Yeah, without getting into arguments about the decision, the role of a minister is to take advice from experts, and also civil servants on implimentation and implications, and filter it through a political lens to decide what to do, and what not to do.

Well... no doubt dubed will be along to tell me that's not what happens but that's how I've always seen it!

Is he taking the advice from the experts?