SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

So what do we reckon the excuse will be today?

”We received new data this morning that was troubling, no we couldn’t have delayed school returns until we reviewed it and no you can’t see it”

”There’s an even newer strain which is even more contagious”

”Carrie only gave it the nod earlier today, she’s been busy with Christmas these last few weeks”
 
As ludicrous as it sounds, I can see them prioritising the continuation of Elite Sport, or at least the Premier League, ahead of face to face education. The former is much higher profile globally.
 
Ecstatic said:
Oh, come on! This would be really a ridiculous thing.

Your son - as an Australian citizen - should be allowed to be back at home, and pass a test at the airport, then wait for 2-3 hours as we can see in some European airports for travellers coming from a list of specific countries.
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PCR tests aren't 100% reliable enough and even when they do work correctly you can still test positive days later. Even with 14 days quarantine under police guard we have had a few outbreaks. The latest resulting in nearly 200 cases, mainly in NSW which has resulted in state borders being closed and mask wearing being made compulsory.

So there is no chance for international borders opening anywhere near normally until late 2021.

In my son's case he could come home if he was lucky enough to get a flight/place in quarantine and we wanted to afford the flight and quarantine costs - likely about $6000 - but then he might not get out again (at additional cost) and his scholarship depends on him being able to play his sport. We miss him but in the scheme of things it isn't that bad.
 
Tier 5 to be announced tonight according to Sky News sources
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Closing schools at such short notice is going to cause a massive headache for frontline medics. They have a habit of marrying other medics so if they can’t find childcare then one of them will have to stay at home. And medical staffing is already at breaking point. Wonder if they’ll be making some exceptions...
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Don’t worry, schools will remain open for children of key workers, as childcare rather than for education.
 
Sparky Rhiwabon said:
As ludicrous as it sounds, I can see them prioritising the continuation of Elite Sport, or at least the Premier League, ahead of face to face education. The former is much higher profile globally.
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To be fair profile sport involves 10s of thousands of people and has a much smaller effect/dependency on a wider population, it’s very neatly siloed. Schools involve millions of children and have a much higher burden on millions more. Sport is also private, makes a feck tonne for the economy and doesn’t have any dependency on the government to operate safely.
 
Sparky Rhiwabon said:
As ludicrous as it sounds, I can see them prioritising the continuation of Elite Sport, or at least the Premier League, ahead of face to face education. The former is much higher profile globally.
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Would imagine so. Professional sport is continuing in Scotland after the announcement of the new tougher lockdown.
 
Sparky Rhiwabon said:
As ludicrous as it sounds, I can see them prioritising the continuation of Elite Sport, or at least the Premier League, ahead of face to face education. The former is much higher profile globally.
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They've been fairly resolute about allowing people to go out to work if they can't work from home, so I expect that will continue, because you can't have construction projects being delayed.
 
Tier 5 :lol:

Reminds me of Homer as Guy Incognito. Anything to not admit yet another complete balls up resulting in another National Lockdown. I predict this might be their last chance before we start to see pockets of civil unrest.
 
Pexbo said:
So what do we reckon the excuse will be today?

”We received new data this morning that was troubling, no we couldn’t have delayed school returns until we reviewed it and no you can’t see it”

”There’s an even newer strain which is even more contagious”

”Carrie only gave it the nod earlier today, she’s been busy with Christmas these last few weeks”
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Hancock was talking about the South African strain this morning. Bet they use that excuse rather than just accepting they fecked up (again)
 
Pexbo said:
So what do we reckon the excuse will be today?

”We received new data this morning that was troubling, no we couldn’t have delayed school returns until we reviewed it and no you can’t see it”

”There’s an even newer strain which is even more contagious”

”Carrie only gave it the nod earlier today, she’s been busy with Christmas these last few weeks”
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"We've got the real stuff such as Brexit sorted so now my whole attention is on this"
 
CassiusClaymore said:
Tier 5 :lol:

Reminds me of Homer as Guy Incognito. Anything to not admit yet another complete balls up resulting in another National Lockdown. I predict this might be their last chance before we start to see pockets of civil unrest.
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Hopefully including dragging them out of westminster by their hair to Trafalgar square, and beating them in front of a worldwide tv audience.
 
CassiusClaymore said:
Tier 5 :lol:

Reminds me of Homer as Guy Incognito. Anything to not admit yet another complete balls up resulting in another National Lockdown. I predict this might be their last chance before we start to see pockets of civil unrest.
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Next week Tier 5 ++
 
Pexbo said:
To be fair profile sport involves 10s of thousands of people and has a much smaller effect/dependency on a wider population, it’s very neatly siloed. Schools involve millions of children and have a much higher burden on millions more. Sport is also private, makes a feck tonne for the economy and doesn’t have any dependency on the government to operate safely.
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Plus watching football is literally the only thing that will stop me completely losing my shit over the next few weeks.
 
Latest in NI:
More than 12,000 cases have been reported in the past seven days, more than double the week before.

The seven-day rate per 100,000 people is now 660 positive cases, compared to 200 per 100,000 two weeks ago.

Medical experts believe that is down to the two-week easing of restrictions over the Christmas period.
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"Medical experts believe". What a strange characterisation.

Using the date the tests were conducted (rather than the date reported), we've had over 1,200 cases every day since the 27th. That includes up to yesterday, where we already have 1,368 cases with presumably hundreds more still be reported. Even in our worst period in October we didn't go over 1,200 cases once. And on the 29th and 30th December we had over 2,300 cases, double what we've had in any single day before. And hospitals were already at 100% capacity at the beginning of December.

Even though it was inevitable, I find it bizarre people consciously chose to push the hospitals past the brink for a couple of days.
 
Tier system is a joke if they just keep adding a new tier every week.....pointless.
 
If it's tier 5 then it's not a lockdown. My understanding of the tier system is that they adjust it a bit more and call it a new tier so they can look pro-active. If they call tier 5 a lockdown, then they've topped out, nowhere to go from there.
 
I'm lost as to what's going on now. I work in a school and we were just in today for inset/preparing for tomorrow. It's the constant chopping and changing which is driving us around the bend. On top of it all, one of the members of my department has fractured their skull after a nasty fall over the Christmas break, so I'm organising work for their class. Things like that happen in life, but this incompetent Government just take the absolute piss.
 
Brwned said:
Latest in NI:


"Medical experts believe". What a strange characterisation.

Using the date the tests were conducted (rather than the date reported), we've had over 1,200 cases every day since the 27th. That includes up to yesterday, where we already have 1,368 cases with presumably hundreds more still be reported. Even in our worst period in October we didn't go over 1,200 cases once. And on the 29th and 30th December we had over 2,300 cases, double what we've had in any single day before. And hospitals were already at 100% capacity at the beginning of December.

Even though it was inevitable, I find it bizarre people consciously chose to push the hospitals past the brink for a couple of days.
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This medical “expert” believes you could see this coming a fecking mile off. They’ve never even come close to getting on top of the virus in the north. Going back months and months.

I’m genuinely curious as to why it’s been such an absolute shit show. You’d almost feel it couldn’t be any worse with deliberate sabotage.
 
DavelinaJolie said:
If it's tier 5 then it's not a lockdown. My understanding of the tier system is that they adjust it a bit more and call it a new tier so they can look pro-active. If they call tier 5 a lockdown, then they've toppled out, nowhere to go from there.
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This is about par for the course, there won't be another 'lockdown' that people are talking about from March/April again as they will keep businesses open for those that cannot work from home, we'll see further tiers imposed, each removing further restrictions.
 
DavelinaJolie said:
If it's tier 5 then it's not a lockdown. My understanding of the tier system is that they adjust it a bit more and call it a new tier so they can look pro-active. If they call tier 5 a lockdown, then they've topped out, nowhere to go from there.
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Sky are reporting Alert level 5 it’s separate from the Tier system mate. This will be a full national lockdown.
 
Judas said:
Bit of a wild generalisation that. Really wild actually. Just because plenty of people want borders closed for a bit doesn't mean they're little England loving no passport having morons, which is what it seems you're implying.
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Agree with this. As an immigrant myself, I have several friends who traveled back and forth since march and pretty much neglected the quarantine measures both in UK and abroad.
 
Superunknown said:
Why does he have to wait until 8 o'clock to announce this?
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I doubt he knows the details of what he’s announcing yet. On the phone to the corporate lobbyists as we speak negotiating what he’s allows to do.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
This medical “expert” believes you could see this coming a fecking mile off. They’ve never even come close to getting on top of the virus in the north. Going back months and months.

I’m genuinely curious as to why it’s been such an absolute shit show. You’d almost feel it couldn’t be any worse with deliberate sabotage.
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Yeah I’m not really sure myself. There is a correlation between economic deprivation and effectiveness of the restrictions, in part because desperate people are less likely to adhere and in part because the kinds of jobs and lifestyles that come with deprivation make them less successful. NI isn’t off to a good start there, relatively speaking. Then willingness to follow the government restrictions obviously directly follows on from a belief in the legitimacy and competence of the government, which again NI was in a poor position prior to the pandemic.

Back in the spring my family in Belfast were talking about it like it was a London thing, it’s those tiny flats, crowded tubes, mad crowds on the streets that are causing it, things are good here because we don’t face any of those problems. When that myth was busted in October I didn’t see much change. People don’t social distance here, masks are worn as little as possible, children’s parties are still a good idea and meeting your mates is fine as long as you don’t stop off to see anyone else en route. If you don’t have anyone to believe then why believe anything at all, do what you feel is right and things will probably work themselves out, and if it doesn’t work out, it wasn’t meant to be.
 
Pexbo said:
I doubt he knows the details of what he’s announcing yet. On the phone to the corporate lobbyists as we speak negotiating what he’s allows to do.
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This wouldn't be surprising.

MikeUpNorth said:
Presumably to be in prime-time slot to reach the most viewers possible.
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I can get part of that. But, this would be repeated on the news every hour anyway. Plus, if it is something dramatic like school closures, then it's just giving schools less time to react rather than doing it much earlier in the day (e.g. at around noon) or...even days earlier. The last minute nature of these changes is infuriating.
 
Brwned said:
Yeah I’m not really sure myself. There is a correlation between economic deprivation and effectiveness of the restrictions, in part because desperate people are less likely to adhere and in part because the kinds of jobs and lifestyles that come with deprivation make them less successful. NI isn’t off to a good start there, relatively speaking. Then willingness to follow the government restrictions obviously directly follows on from a belief in the legitimacy and competence of the government, which again NI was in a poor position prior to the pandemic.

Back in the spring my family in Belfast were talking about it like it was a London thing, it’s those tiny flats, crowded tubes, mad crowds on the streets that are causing it, things are good here because we don’t face any of those problems. When that myth was busted in October I didn’t see much change. People don’t social distance here, masks are worn as little as possible, children’s parties are still a good idea and meeting your mates is fine as long as you don’t stop off to see anyone else en route. If you don’t have anyone to believe then why believe anything at all, do what you feel is right and things will probably work themselves out, and if it doesn’t work out, it wasn’t meant to be.
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Huh. Interesting. Interesting and depressing. Mad the way all the border counties down south seem to be following suit. It’s a madness that doesn’t comply with borders, evidently.

You wonder if generations of dealing with what seems like arbitrary and unfair regulations on their movement make people more likely to assume that the current restrictions are arbitrary and unfair? (even subconsciously!)
 
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