Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

Nothing on schools. Very vague guidance on everything else.

Schools need to be closed.

Johnson-for all his Etonian education and debating society preparation-is an incredibly poor orator, it's no surprise government policy is seen as incoherent; Waffling, bumbling and barely competent, with disjointed diction and emphasis falling upon random parts of any statement so that it sounds like a hypothetical or an afterthought.

Comes across as braying ass instead of a composed and informed statesman.

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No, but it just becomes progressively more apparent-and serious-when dealing with a genuine crisis. He had the option of putting someone else in to do daily briefs but presumably couldn't stand thinking about someone else getting the glory for being the person that steered the nation through a time of upheaval and worry. A platinum plated cunt if ever there was one.

well .. I thought he was very good. but i am comparing him to the president of the country i live in (US).... I guess anything would be better than trump

Partner's work has responded to her self isolation with "I hope you get better soon", "there's lots of colds going around at the moment" and "We don't want you to catch it twice".

It all screams of the fact that they don't quite get it. We're both at home because we have symptoms and the advice is to WFH and use social distancing/self isolation. It feels like they straight up don't believe her.

My brother who works at a school was just on the phone with talk of how loads of kids have been sent in to school despite the fact their siblings have confirmed cases, and plenty colleagues with symptoms have come in because they're well enough to be in work. I can't facepalm hard enough.

For clarity, my deleted reply to @übé®_grübé® was along the lines of "and this is news?"

Whilst I certainly agree with this representation of him, is that genuinely how he's viewed though? Didn't the public respond well to his messaging and presentation in the last election?

I wonder whether there is interesting data to be gathered by environmental scientists during this time.

Had the kids in school today but we've decided to call time on it and keep them home from tomorrow. I'm currently finding being self-employed an absolute riot, with no work due to all this, no prospects of work any time soon, and no idea if there will be any relief of any sort whatsoever.
Hard not to get incredibly frustrated by our governments nebulous, mercurial attitude during all of this.

I had the fun task today of opening and scanning all the owning partners expression of wish forms in case any of them die. Feeling pretty sad now.

Also fuck Boris, none of my mates that own small bars and pubs can claim on their insurance unless they are forced to close. Oh don't go to them but we'll keep them open for the lolz.

I worry the government have no idea how people really respond to their recommendations. People who don't self-isolate because they are selfish and can't be arsed, people who don't self-isolate because they are stupid, people who don't self-isolate because they can't afford to, people who don't self-isolate because they pay no attention to the news I reckon the voluntary self-isolators amongst those infected are in the minority, hence why we are so screwed and why nothing will "flatten the curve" short of an rigorously enforced lockdown.

If you're advising people not to go out but not attempting to enforce it, aren't you killing the hospitality industry anyhow, whilst denying them any recourse to e.g. insurance?

I reckon you're bang on there.

jesus, really?

Even starey-eyes Hunt managed to give a more composed and measured account of himself in his day. i suppose the issue for the Tories is who the fuck would you choose that comes over as approachable or trustworthy?

Gove-insipid pob-like bleating, looks like a startled sex doll.

Patel-looks like she'd like to burn children alive in sacrifice to prevent herself getting it

Hancock-looks like he's been cultured from Jimmy Savile's favourite wanking sock, already perceived as a gibbering idiot

Then you've got a whole room of anonymous suits like Jenrick and Eustice who look like they'd struggle to sell water to someone dying of thirst. If only poor Zac Goldsmith hadn't proven to be as weak-willed as a boomer at a cruise buffet, he might have been the friendly face of Neoliberal-style Darwinism.

Well I guess the FFVII remake is out soon.

I think at the last election a scarecrow with a copy of Mein Kampf under its arm could have stood for the Tories and still beaten Corbyn... Boris has had the benefit of not being held to account by the media for anything at all during his time but surely that's got to run out at some point?

Can't help but feel that we'd have been better off if Covid-19 had gone completely undetected. The level of mass panic and hysteria is almost certainly increasing the strain on the health services unnecessarily as loads of time and resources are being wasted on people who haven't got it. That's not to mention the catastrophic impact the containment measures will have on so many small businesses, casual workers, freelancers etc. The economic and wider long term impact on society will far outweigh the negligible reduction in mortality numbers.

hehe yes, that's how fucking BAD Trump is. He can't even string a sentance together when he talks about COVID.

Even fucking threw Google under the bus over some website they knew nothing about (but now are creating)

The economic and wider long term impact on society will far outweigh the negligible reduction in mortality numbers.

eh, says who? And how is a pandemic with a mortality rate of up to 5% depending hugely on resources and response going to ever go undetected?

yeah, if one good thing comes from this it might be that people are a bit more circumspect about who they elect next time around...

Yeah I realise it was never going to be undetected, but reckon long term we'd have been better off. Mortality rate is likely to be considerably under 1% given the vast numbers of people who will get it and not present symptoms

Closing the schools is a difficult call.

Its estimated it would cause a 10-20% reduction in health worker availability as they would need to stay at home to look after their kids.

Also many kids are looked after by grandparents and that exposes the most vulnerable when we want them to isolate.

Wonder if a more nuanced approach needed, starting with those that can, taking their kids out of school to reduce opportunity to pass on the virus. Schools stay open just for essential workers?

I expect nothing less from this, or any other, government.

I'm sure the main thing that Johnson's really worried about is that he'll have to delay 'Brexit'.

They'll need to take back the legislation prohibiting asking for an extension to the transition period, and then ask for an extension.

but reckon long term we'd have been better off.

If you're fortunate enough not to be dead you mean?

Mortality rate is likely to be considerably under 1%

Not according to data from Italy which shows this is only if optimal numbers of beds/ventilators available. If our already strained system is overwhelmed we're looking at closer to 5%.

Stopping our system getting overwhelmed depended on testing and lockdowns, neither of which was prioritised over protecting the economy, will only make things worse for the UK.

If only 60% of the UK gets it (which is optimistic from where we are now) then 5% of that's 1950000 people dead instead of the best-case of 1% 390000. In that context, the government's response has been alarmingly complacent from my perspective...