Coronavirus

I needed just one more day to complete clearing mum in law's house so that her buyers can move in. Her care home fees depend on this sale not falling through. Not got a clue if this qualifies as ' providing care' under lock down rules.
Are tips going to be open today in N Lincs? Are all house sales now off? None of this entails me meeting anyone today, just dumping stuff in a skip and rescuing some clothes, valuables, and photos for a 95 year old. Thanks a bunch all who crowded to parks and resorts last weekend.

I think the government know the virus cannot be stopped. Sure they could have locked down earlier and that may have lead to lower number of infections but as soon as they relaxed the lockdown, numbers would shoot up quickly again.

So, I believe their strategy is to 'feed' people to the virus in waves. We have just seen the first wave which is why tighter lockdowns are coming now, while the NHS deal with the current infections.

The aim is to keep the number below that of NHS capacity while we wait for a vaccine to be developed.

Once it looks like the NHS is coping and numbers are falling, I'd expect to see restrictions relaxed a little and the number will start to rise again. At which time the government will lock it down again and I can see this pattern repeating over the coming months. This way the government would keep control of the numbers needing NHS help.

It seems people that recover from the virus are immune. So there will be less people to be infected/spread the disease in the next wave.

If we fail to take note of government instruction, we will overwhelm the NHS and people will start to die who didn't need to.

I'm no fan of Boris Johnson at all and this strategy isn't without risk but I do understand what they are trying to do. I'm just hoping some of the ambiguity Boris has been showing with regards to instructions to people (don't go to pubs and cafe's but leaves them open) is all part of the strategy.

Stay safe all and please, follow the government instructions. The lives of loved ones around you depend on it.

I don’t think there’s much ambiguity in the advice Mal. The PM clearly said stay at home.

If the strategy is to expose the population in waves it won’t work. How do you rotate 66million people to ensure a nice even spread?  It’s the same people who’ll be exposing themselves and others over and over. The blasé, the undue risk takers, the dim witted, the selfish.

They said that was the strategy before and they’ve basically just rowed back on those comments and done what other countries did.

Quoted from MarinerMal

I think the government know the virus cannot be stopped. Sure they could have locked down earlier and that may have lead to lower number of infections but as soon as they relaxed the lockdown, numbers would shoot up quickly again.

So, I believe their strategy is to 'feed' people to the virus in waves. We have just seen the first wave which is why tighter lockdowns are coming now, while the NHS deal with the current infections.

The aim is to keep the number below that of NHS capacity while we wait for a vaccine to be developed.

Once it looks like the NHS is coping and numbers are falling, I'd expect to see restrictions relaxed a little and the number will start to rise again. At which time the government will lock it down again and I can see this pattern repeating over the coming months. This way the government would keep control of the numbers needing NHS help.

It seems people that recover from the virus are immune. So there will be less people to be infected/spread the disease in the next wave.

If we fail to take note of government instruction, we will overwhelm the NHS and people will start to die who didn't need to.

I'm no fan of Boris Johnson at all and this strategy isn't without risk but I do understand what they are trying to do. I'm just hoping some of the ambiguity Boris has been showing with regards to instructions to people (don't go to pubs and cafe's but leaves them open) is all part of the strategy.

Stay safe all and please, follow the government instructions. The lives of loved ones around you depend on it.

But surely if infections emerge in say batches of 10 000 or even 20,000 and only the most serious are hospitalised  this would take literally years of 'feeding'????

I have refrained from comment on this and am not saying anything about what the government should do or should have done about the virus per se.

There are people who cannot see past the end of their noses. We saw mild evidence at the weekend what happens when you try to deprive people of their liberty through "advice". It would be no different if it was an order. The weekend showed it is impossible to police without the consent of the people and that will be the case even if the army is used, even if checkpoints are set up and that is assuming if there were enough police and soldiers to do it throughout the country for a period of 3 or more months.

The government contains fools but it also contains brains and those brains know that the next step after that could be civil disorder, possibly on a large scale. The sacking of shelves in supermarkets would become wholesale looting and the authorities would not be able to contain that while providing support to the vulnerable at the same time.

It is not hard to envisage that next stage, particularly in London where looting of all premises would soon become fair game to the criminal elements and the chancers. Once it starts it is hard to stop as we saw with Brixton for instance, and it can start in an instant from just one flashpoint.

That is why the government has been so reluctant to move too fast in the direction of compulsion, IDs and bureaucratic nightmares of official rationing that will lead to black markets and survival of the fittest and richest. It has nothing to do with the actual virus and everything to do with avoiding a breakdown in public order. It is no good comparing the UK with Italy, Spain, China or Mars .... this is the UK and this is now.

I am not scaremongering about some doomsday scenario here, just saying - think about it and when we ask for more and more repressive measures, think that every action the government makes has a consequence. Some of them are not intentional.

It is a holding operation. As I said to my mate yesterday, Boris is desperately trying to avoid taking the "dem" out of "pandemic" because he is rightly sh1t scared of what it leaves behind.

Quoted from rancido

You think people who helped to potentially spread this terrible disease should be "congratulated"! Words fail me on such a crass statement. If the public had followed the recommendations about self distancing and mass gatherings then maybe these Draconian measures could have been avoided. Despite all the warnings the High Street footfall had only dropped by 30% and park attendance was up by 200%. Masses of people attending coastal resorts and beauty spots, spreading the infection further. If the message had got through to me over 2 weeks ago ago why didn't other people take heed? "The commonest thing on this planet isn't water but stupidity".

If people hadn't behaved like c**** then the government would have continued to do the same. It was only the numbers disregarding the pathetic wishy-washy 'if you don't mind please everyone' restrictions that made Boris finally take action which was needed two weeks ago [b][/b]

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

It is not hard to envisage that next stage, particularly in London where looting of all premises would soon become fair game to the criminal elements and the chancers. Once it starts it is hard to stop as we saw with Brixton for instance, and it can start in an instant from just one flashpoint.

It is no good comparing the UK with Italy, Spain, China or Mars .... this is the UK and this is now.

.

I don't know how law abiding Martians are but why are the Italians, Spanish and Chinese apparently following the rules. What the intercourse is wrong with this country?

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

I have refrained from comment on this and am not saying anything about what the government should do or should have done about the virus per se.

There are people who cannot see past the end of their noses. We saw mild evidence at the weekend what happens when you try to deprive people of their liberty through "advice". It would be no different if it was an order. The weekend showed it is impossible to police without the consent of the people and that will be the case even if the army is used, even if checkpoints are set up and that is assuming if there were enough police and soldiers to do it throughout the country for a period of 3 or more months.

The government contains fools but it also contains brains and those brains know that the next step after that could be civil disorder, possibly on a large scale. The sacking of shelves in supermarkets would become wholesale looting and the authorities would not be able to contain that while providing support to the vulnerable at the same time.

It is not hard to envisage that next stage, particularly in London where looting of all premises would soon become fair game to the criminal elements and the chancers. Once it starts it is hard to stop as we saw with Brixton for instance, and it can start in an instant from just one flashpoint.

That is why the government has been so reluctant to move too fast in the direction of compulsion, IDs and bureaucratic nightmares of official rationing that will lead to black markets and survival of the fittest and richest. It has nothing to do with the actual virus and everything to do with avoiding a breakdown in public order. It is no good comparing the UK with Italy, Spain, China or Mars .... this is the UK and this is now.

I am not scaremongering about some doomsday scenario here, just saying - think about it and when we ask for more and more repressive measures, think that every action the government makes has a consequence. Some of them are not intentional.

It is a holding operation. As I said to my mate yesterday, Boris is desperately trying to avoid taking the "dem" out of "pandemic" because he is rightly sh1t scared of what it leaves behind.

I have given Johnson or a Tory government little praise but one thing any Tory government since the mid 80s has been prepared for is civil unrest. So although I know you are not deliberately scaremongering, I very much doubt such a scenario would ever arise. Any disturbance would be quickly nipped in the bud.

Quoted from Ipswin

I don't know how law abiding Martians are but why are the Italians, Spanish and Chinese apparently following the rules. What the intercourse is wrong with this country?

It's because there have been years and years of relaxing of discipline and soft approach to anything that's difficult to implement. Social rules including things like courtesy and consideration are a secondary thing nowadays to many people who only want everything for nothing and who think stuff they don't have is fair game once things go mammaries up.

The tree-huggers and holier than thou tolerance brigade have a lot to answer for as we reap what we sow.

Quoted from smokey111

I have given Johnson or a Tory government little praise but one thing any Tory government since the mid 80s has been prepared for is civil unrest. So although I know you are not deliberately scaremongering, I very much doubt such a scenario would ever arise. Any disturbance would be quickly nipped in the bud.

Don't agree there. The last time the riots happened, it was bedlam. Yes, it was eventually put down, but saying it may not arise is rose-tinted and naive.