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

IANAL, but I've seen news stories mention the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984; part 2A allows ministers to enact regulations to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and seems to have fairly broad wording - it specifically mentions restrictions on persons as being the kind of thing that can be done.

They relaxed the rules on how many hours a haulier can work last night, so assume so

cheers - it's a minefield

the trip is still on .

Bad idea. Don't go, if it's even possible by that time.

Driver or company is that?

For childcare? Or just visiting?

Could isolate then once both safe...?

I think relatively sweeping new powers have been granted temporarily this week. The Emergency Coronavirus Bill.

agreed but this is a process that takes time

https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/infocus/coronavirus-emergency-legislation/

Useful

Don't worry, they got this...
https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1240042142678089730

My sister, who recently started working at her local council, is now going to be trained to register deaths :-/

https://www.commercialmotor.com/news/compliance/drivers-hours-rules-temporarily-relaxed-delivery-essential-items

Last night the Department for Transport relaxed the drivers' hours rules for the transport of some essential items, in order to combat panic buying caused by Coronavirus. Here is the official ducument in its entirety:

In response to requests from Industry, the Department for Transport has, pursuant to Article 14(2) of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, agreed to a temporary and limited urgent relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours rules in England, Scotland and Wales for the drivers of vehicles involved in the delivery of food, non-food (personal care and household paper and cleaning) and over the counter pharmaceuticals when undertaking the following journeys:

1) Distribution centre to stores (or fulfilment centre)

2) From manufacturer or supplier to distribution centre (including backhaul collections)

3) From manufacturer or supplier to store (or fulfilment centre)

4) Between distribution centres and transport hub trunking

5) Transport hub deliveries to stores

This exemption does not apply to drivers undertaking deliveries directly to consumers.

For the drivers and work in question, the EU drivers’ hours rules can be temporarily relaxed as follows:

a) Replacement of the EU daily driving limit of 9 hours with one of 11 hours;
b) Reduction of the daily rest requirements from 11 to 9 hours;
c) Lifting the weekly (56 hours) and fortnightly driving limits (90 hours) to 60 and 96 hours respectively;
d) Postponement of the requirement to start a weekly rest period after six-24 hours periods, for after seven 24 hours period; although two regular weekly rest periods or a regular and a reduced weekly rest period will still be required within a fortnight;
e) The requirements for daily breaks of 45 minutes after 4.5 hours driving replaced with replaced with a break of 45 minutes after 5.5 hours of driving.

Thanks, guessing last bit will change soon.

Any legal bods know what the actual laws are regarding this

Section 45C of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, which allows ministers to make regulations 'imposing or enabling the imposition of restrictions or requirements on or in relation to persons, things or premises in the event of, or in response to, a threat to public health.' No need for a new Act, no need for the declaration of a state of emergency. They can just do it.

Given all the laws like that, all the Henry VIII clauses and laws like the Regulatory Reform Act 2001, not to mention the very concept of parliamentary sovereignty, the only reasons this country isn't a dictatorship are good manners and tradition.

PS and edit: What @Thrustvector said without the biting social commentary.

^ see danstuffs post

cheers this is useful

Gary Neville- Richard Branson : compare and contrast

https://twitter.com/hotelfootballuk/status/1240313520643887105?s=21

1 Attachment

It doesn't actually. I tried; it sort of tries to and then just flops on its side.

Good to see that my fellow citizens in my adopted home city and become posterboys and -girls for crass fuckwittery.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-tesco-shelves-stripped-bare-21714244

Did chuckle at this though

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/asda-shoppers-call-out-man-21699655?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=exchange

Lots of rumours circulating about a London 'lockdown' this weekend

Yeah, hearing something about a possible Friday London lockdown. Very much a rumour though, even though coming from people in government in this case.

To be honest, it doesn't really make a big difference, all I can do is wait for it to happen or not. If I can't go out for a run at least though my general mental health will decline rather rapidly.

Lets hope for some sensible exceptions.

Paris is on lockdown but you're still permitted to leave your house to walk your dog or to do exercise as long as you don't do it in a group.

Edit: By which I mean you are perfectly permitted to go out for a half hour run if you're on lockdown in Paris

What actually is a ‘lock down’? Most of the examples I’ve seen make exceptions for people going to work - which could be anyone. Is there likely to be a list of professions that you’d need to provide evidence that you work within? Will only those shops selling food be allowed to open?

I have a shop on church at N16, and atm we are still open. Business actually booming as lots of locals wfh. In a moral dilemma as whether we should close or still be following government guidelines and should be open. Myself and all independents on the rd are still open. It’s a shop where both myself and gf own so when we shut that’s the end of any household income. We can’t wfh. It’s a worry both for us and others health but also our income and business future

Here (Luxembourg) you can go out alone or with members of your household for "fitness" without breaching the emergency laws, unlike Spain for example who are just "nothing outside except work, medical or groceries"