Coronavirus Thread (Off Topic, Politics) (8 Viewers)

[Brighton Sky Blue]

At the risk of repeating myself, autumn/winter is the big test. Come through that, and it's vaguely optimistic. What we mustn't do is repeat what we did last time and dither if things are looking bad here and, for that matter, elsewhere. I actually agree with the opening up with extreme caution, as we're still keeping the weakest away from the disease in that way, while seeing what happens and being able to gather more information to decide the next step.

Well... I agree with that if I thought we were actually following science. As it stands, we appear to be following random populism, and that's dangerous in both respects - either keeping us shut needlessly, or even opening us up because people decide it's alright.

We aren’t showing extreme caution, we’re imposing a contradictory half way house in schools that inconveniences everyone for dubious benefit. The government is also very clear that parents can’t keep children out of school if they’re scared of COVID. The actions are not proportional to the severity of the disease for the general population.

 

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[Deleted member 5849]

We aren’t showing extreme caution, we’re imposing a contradictory half way house in schools that inconveniences everyone for dubious benefit. The government is also very clear that parents can’t keep children out of school if they’re scared of COVID. The actions are not proportional to the severity of the disease for the general population.

I'm not bothered about being inconvenienced tbh. That's a small thing to have to deal with.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Experts will say it will creep into more vulnerable members and then hospitals will get full and then deaths will go up

That is a fear but for once I'm trying to be optimistic.

Biggest question is if that happens will there be the balls to go back into lockdown to contain it? I don't think there will be. We're already seeing things being opened up without other things closing which was supposedly the plan. So if it does it could well be rampant over winter (leaked reports suggested 85k deaths over winter worst case scenario). But I don't want to consider how bad that may be so I'm sticking my fingers in my ears and repeating "deaths are low".

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I'm not bothered about being inconvenienced tbh. That's a small thing to have to deal with.

It isn’t small for me, it’s torn up how I can teach my subject and more broadly just do my job. I can tolerate having to wear masks in places and sanitise my hands outside of that.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

It isn’t small for me, it’s torn up how I can teach my subject and more broadly just do my job. I can tolerate having to wear masks in places and sanitise my hands outside of that.

Well, we all have hassles as a result of this. But an inconvenience is a small thing really. Adapting is just the way it is.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Well, we all have hassles as a result of this. But an inconvenience is a small thing really. Adapting is just the way it is.

I don’t think you quite get what I mean. I am teaching a practical subject without the ability to do practical work. But people in bubbles of over 100 can do what they want with each other. It isn’t a minor nuisance, it’s a complete flip of our way of working.

Be honest, do you think the measures are proportionate to the risk? Does a half way house on a site with up to 2000 people on it actually make sense?

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

I don’t want future society to permanently involve people being scared of passing diseases on to each other. For this winter there likely is a risk of ‘superinfection’ from catching COVID and the cold/flu. The problem of course is that the latter diseases invariably cause symptoms and so you would have schools that could be half in half out and unworkable. My view is that parents of higher risk children or those in higher risk households should be allowed to keep them out. The rest should either also be kept out or allowed in under normal conditions.

The cold will likely do more harm to a child than COVID.

I expect a cold will be more noticeable to a child than Covid, although again the effect of having both together seems unclear at this moment, it's more that they could spread both more generally into wider society and thus into more vulnerable people resulting in the scenario of increasing hospitalisations and everything that goes with that.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

I don’t think you quite get what I mean. I am teaching a practical subject without the ability to do practical work. But people in bubbles of over 100 can do what they want with each other. It isn’t a minor nuisance, it’s a complete flip of our way of working.

Be honest, do you think the measures are proportionate to the risk? Does a half way house on a site with up to 2000 people on it actually make sense?

I do get what you mean, you're having to adapt your job, you're inconvenienced, as you said.

You're not the only one who's being inconvenienced atm. Now sure, you may consider the risk to be overblown and that's a valid argument, but an inconvenience is nothing really, an adaption for a small amount of time is nothing really.

And it ain't just you haveing to adapt, or be inconvenienced. I'd argue an inconvenience to gather data is a perfectly valid approach, rather than an as you were and then dealing with the potential fallout.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I do get what you mean, you're having to adapt your job, you're inconvenienced, as you said.

You're not the only one who's being inconvenienced atm. Now sure, you may consider the risk to be overblown and that's a valid argument, but an inconvenience is nothing really, an adaption for a small amount of time is nothing really.

And it ain't just you haveing to adapt, or be inconvenienced. I'd argue an inconvenience to gather data is a perfectly valid approach, rather than an as you were and then dealing with the potential fallout.

I never said it was just me, but there aren’t many professions that have had to tear up and rebuild their way of working overnight. And there are no assurances that it will just be for a short time. We have gathered 9 months of data from around the world and it shows that huge numbers of people are asymptomatic with a low hospitalisation rate and very low mortality rate.

Yet it’s being treated as worse than anything that’s come before. So either keep me out of school or let me do my job.

 

[Ian1779]

I never said it was just me, but there aren’t many professions that have had to tear up and rebuild their way of working overnight. And there are no assurances that it will just be for a short time. We have gathered 9 months of data from around the world and it shows that huge numbers of people are asymptomatic with a low hospitalisation rate and very low mortality rate.

Yet it’s being treated as worse than anything that’s come before. So either keep me out of school or let me do my job.

I don’t think these measures are going anywhere anytime soon. I honestly believe that they will be in place until Easter 2021.
I know what you are saying about collecting data for 9 months but we don’t appear to still know a great deal... why are so many people asymptomatic? how big is the risk to children with suppressed immune systems (this is especially important to me on a personal level)?
I understand your frustrations - but tell me why I should want to go back to normal when I don’t know if it puts my child at risk?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I don’t think these measures are going anywhere anytime soon. I honestly believe that they will be in place until Easter 2021.
I know what you are saying about collecting data for 9 months but we don’t appear to still know a great deal... why are so many people asymptomatic? how big is the risk to children with suppressed immune systems (this is especially important to me on a personal level)?
I understand your frustrations - but tell me why I should want to go back to normal when I don’t know if it puts my child at risk?

I did put in the caveat for at risk households in my post.

 

[Ian1779]

I did put in the caveat for at risk households in my post.

I know you did, and I’m not aiming this comment at you personally.
It’s not just the fact that my daughter would have to stay home, so would her brother, and both her parents that are teachers if we didn’t have these measures in place. And even then there is still some risk attached to it all.
So what do we do? Adapt to a temporary way of working to mitigate for that - it may ultimately end up being a waste when we finally find out some definite facts about this virus.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I know you did, and I’m not aiming this comment at you personally.
It’s not just the fact that my daughter would have to stay home, so would her brother, and both her parents that are teachers if we didn’t have these measures in place. And even then there is still some risk attached to it all.
So what do we do? Adapt to a temporary way of working to mitigate for that ultimately end up being a waste when we finally find out some definite facts about this virus.

What I’m basically saying is that this ‘temporary’ fix leaves me unable to do my job and if that is the case then I may as well do it remotely.

 

[clint van damme]

What I’m basically saying is that this ‘temporary’ fix leaves me unable to do my job and if that is the case then I may as well do it remotely.

I've often been told I can't remotely do my job

 

[Ian1779]

What I’m basically saying is that this ‘temporary’ fix leaves me unable to do my job and if that is the case then I may as well do it remotely.

And you’ve been failed by the DFE (and maybe your school/trust to a lesser extent) because adjustments should have been put in place to make sure that isn’t the case in terms of curriculum adjustment IMO

 

[Skybluefaz]

All of a sudden people around me seem to be getting the virus. Next door neighbour, friend of a friend. I'm in Cov. Anybody else feel like it's more prevalent now than it ever has been? Can't lie I'm feeling pretty anxious about it all again.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

I know it's to be expected of Conservatives who're naturally resistant to change and have many members/donors involved in the property sector, but I'm just so disappointed at this 'get back to the office' mantra.

We've got such a chance to completely alter the way we work that would be so beneficial to individuals, families, environment etc but it's just being ignored because they can't see the opportunities, only the threats.

If you set out a plan for a gradual transition from the idea of a CBD into a more multi-use (but predominantly residential) area you can offset the unquestionable downsides that would occur economically.

We've got high streets with empty shops, loads of unused office space which the last few months have shown isn't completely necessary but a huge shortfall in housing. Surely the sensible market-led thing to do is replace those unused facilities into housing which has high demand?

The demolition of old buildings and construction of the housing (or conversion where possible) will result in jobs in the construction industry and the workers would be using things like cafes/sandwich shops etc during this time. Then when residents move in they will also use them and provide a market for other services.

The main reason I can think of is that with an excess demand for housing the landlords can charge a premium for even poorly kept houses.. More houses built will equalise supply and demand and thus reduce prices and force them to keep their properties in better condition. So they're resisting this and have significant clout within the corridors of power to slow it down. Similar to how the energy industry is slowing the transition to green energy.

For me this is like the mirror of the mining industry situation. Only this time it's the office people down south whose way of life is under threat and that isn't acceptable so it gets protected rather than dismantled with the rhetoric of 're-train' and 'get on your e-scooter and find work'

 

[Evo1883]

Cases rising in certain areas, isn't testing up? Hence higher number of cases... Hospital admittance not rising

 

[Evo1883]

All of a sudden people around me seem to be getting the virus. Next door neighbour, friend of a friend. I'm in Cov. Anybody else feel like it's more prevalent now than it ever has been? Can't lie I'm feeling pretty anxious about it all again.

I'd dont know anybody that has it in my local area or friends... Throughout this whole "pandemic" I've known of 1 definite and 1 suspected case.
That ofcourse doesn't mean people don't or haven't had it, I'm just going off your response to people you know.

Bear in mind from the off, people in my local area were flouting rules at every given opportunity, kids carried on playing out together and parents carried on having friends round for drinks and had parties throughout lockdown (we kept to the rules)

More testing, more confirmed cases... Hospital admittance not rising = I dont get the worry

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Infections just shy of 3000

 

[Alan Dugdales Moustache]

What I’m basically saying is that this ‘temporary’ fix leaves me unable to do my job and if that is the case then I may as well do it remotely.

Brighton, are you not allowed to mark books or touch students work ?
Most of my teaching mates ( primary , granted) aren't allowed to mark books.
Absolutely bloody brilliant !

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Brighton, are you not allowed to mark books or touch students work ?
Most of my teaching mates ( primary , granted) aren't allowed to mark books.
Absolutely bloody brilliant !

It's strongly discouraged, I'm setting it all on Teams instead. The main difficulty is not being able to get near them in the classroom to help or see how they're getting on.

 

[Skybluefaz]

Infections just shy of 3000

Pretty rapid increase plus schools have just gone back.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Cases rising in certain areas, isn't testing up? Hence higher number of cases... Hospital admittance not rising

No, the testing rates have been flat for weeks now. Cases are most definitely rising, let's see if it translates to more in hospital / seriously ill.

 

[Alan Dugdales Moustache]

Pretty rapid increase plus schools have just gone back.

And yet we are reassured that the rates of infection are fairly level.
Almost 9,000 new cases in France yesterday. I'm guessing we're about 3 weeks behind them as was the case when this all kicked off.
Anyone dare to think we won't reach the same figures the French are suffering? Given our population is similar to theirs, but in an area half the size with a capital city population many millions more than any other European city I'd say it's a foregone conclusion.

 

[Evo1883]

Just read that the larger Infection numbers could be from a smaller dose of the infection being passed around due to social distancing hence low hospital admissions..

 

[Ian1779]

Just read that the larger Infection numbers could be from a smaller dose of the infection being passed around due to social distancing hence low hospital admissions..

I read that too. Fingers crossed it’s accurate. We had one kid showing symptoms at school on Friday but not heard if a confirmed case.

 

[shmmeee]

They were talking about viral load mattering before were they? Would make sense that as people are more careful the viral load is reduced I guess?

 

[SkyBlueDom26]

Got to live with it now, protect the vulnerable until we get the vaccine hopefully by the end of the year if trump gets his way, but we can’t have another full lockdown as the country is already on its knees

 

[David O'Day]

Got to live with it now, protect the vulnerable until we get the vaccine hopefully by the end of the year if trump gets his way, but we can’t have another full lockdown as the country is already on its knees

fuck off you gimp

 

[clint van damme]

Got to live with it now, protect the vulnerable until we get the vaccine hopefully by the end of the year if trump gets his way, but we can’t have another full lockdown as the country is already on its knees

If Trump gets his way?
The fucking idiot was on about injecting bleach at one point.

 

[Ian1779]

Got to live with it now, protect the vulnerable until we get the vaccine hopefully by the end of the year if trump gets his way, but we can’t have another full lockdown as the country is already on its knees

The country is on its knees because Mr ‘Oven Ready deal’ and his cabinet of fucktards have somehow conspired to be world beating in how fucking shit their response was. But it’s OK to let work more people die to keep millionaires like that knob from Pimlico plumbers in hair dye and fake tan.

Any vaccine we get will be in spite of Trump, not because of him.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Got to live with it now, protect the vulnerable until we get the vaccine hopefully by the end of the year if trump gets his way, but we can’t have another full lockdown as the country is already on its knees

He isn't going to get his way, just because he might get it licenced for his fucked up country doesn't mean this country will do the same. There won't be a widespread vaccine until this time next year at best, regardless, even if there was one this year I wouldn't trust Hancock and the other buffoons to coordinate a mass vaccination.

 

[hill83]

My lad came back from his first day at school on Friday with a temperature and a cough and cold. Went for the test Saturday. We’ve just received a text that he came back negative.

Proper stressing me out but I guess this is life with a child now. Schools are not socially distancing at his age. He was playing with his best mate in a different class at lunch.

 

[skybluetony176]

Got to live with it now, protect the vulnerable until we get the vaccine hopefully by the end of the year if trump gets his way, but we can’t have another full lockdown as the country is already on its knees

So my wife is one of the vulnerable, does that mean I shouldn’t be sending the kids to school?