COVID19

[Sandydragon]

Meantime we have this - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56125462

"Matt Hancock acted unlawfully when his department did not reveal details of contracts it had signed during the Covid pandemic, a court has ruled.

A judge said the health secretary had "breached his legal obligation" by not publishing details within 30 days of contracts being signed.

The public had a right to know where the "vast" amounts spent had gone and how contracts were awarded, he added"

When the dust has settled on this crisis there will be a torrent of revelations about cronyism, waste, failed procurement protocols, inadequate oversight and plain corruption.

The arrangement with AZ may well come under greater scrutiny too.

On the one hand, government procurement is a shambles at the best of times so I’m not surprised they missed a deadline.

Of greater interest would be how individual contracts were awarded and to whom. And I agree that the AZ contract is going to demand further attention. Something isn’t right about this situation

[Digby]

All the schools open all the time for all of the children.

Apparently individual schools can put some initial constraints in place, but essentially that’s what’s happening.

At least they appear to be insisting on secondary school pupils wearing face masks now which is somewhat overdue.

Maybe there just wasn't time to have a staggered response with the Easter hols coming so soon, and with that firebreak they just want to simplify. But with the schools being required to test it's a huge ask to test that capacity going from kids' of key workers and some at risk to everyone in 1 day. Fingers crossed the weather stays decent

[Which Tyler]

Oh good.

Definitive proof (were it needed) that we steadfastly refuse to learn from previous mistakes.

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics ... arch_finds

Any thoughts that the dates given for easing are "best case scenarios and to be decided by the data closer to the time" look delusional already

[Son of Mathonwy]

Oh good.

Definitive proof (were it needed) that we steadfastly refuse to learn from previous mistakes.

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics ... arch_finds

Any thoughts that the dates given for easing are "best case scenarios and to be decided by the data closer to the time" look delusional already

Jesus. How do they not get it? We can't return to normality unless the virus is at negligible levels, or those allowed to act normally have all been vaccinated (or have acquired antibodies the hard way).

Having said that, once all the (totally unvaccinated) kids go back to school, it's just a matter of time before the lockdown exit plan goes to shit.

[Puja]

Oh good.

Definitive proof (were it needed) that we steadfastly refuse to learn from previous mistakes.

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics ... arch_finds

Any thoughts that the dates given for easing are "best case scenarios and to be decided by the data closer to the time" look delusional already

This reads like an Onion article. Absolutely risible behaviour by the government and completely ideology-driven - "Nooo, we can't give restaurant employees and owners something for nothing and pay them to stay home. That goes against everything we believe in! Instead, we must make them open up and up an incentive so that the free market will save them."

Puja

[morepork]

That is...spectacular. What a great positive control for a public health experiment. Forced socialising and the probability of infection. Did any of these mutants finish high school?

[paddy no 11]

10,500 flew into Dublin airport last week, what dickheads, disease would be almost nil here only for it

[Puja]

10,500 flew into Dublin airport last week, what dickheads, disease would be almost nil here only for it

And, because Ireland is a "safe" country as far as the Government's decision-making process goes, all 10,500 are miraculously washed clean upon landing in Dublin and can catch a connecting flight to anywhere in the UK without any need for quarantine or any COVID checks.

How are both of our countries fucking up what should be the main advantage of being islands? Shut the borders to everything but essential trade (note for idiot government, businessmen and financiers are not essential) and then you've only got to deal with your own COVID, not anyone else's.

Puja

[paddy no 11]

Blame the DUP, keeping 12 planes a day going from Belfast to England is what defines their culture

[Digby]

10,500 flew into Dublin airport last week, what dickheads, disease would be almost nil here only for it

And, because Ireland is a "safe" country as far as the Government's decision-making process goes, all 10,500 are miraculously washed clean upon landing in Dublin and can catch a connecting flight to anywhere in the UK without any need for quarantine or any COVID checks.

How are both of our countries fucking up what should be the main advantage of being islands? Shut the borders to everything but essential trade (note for idiot government, businessmen and financiers are not essential) and then you've only got to deal with your own COVID, not anyone else's.

Puja

If we had actually quarantine set up and running properly I'd be okay with allowing travel beyond essential. Not that I'd expect many to travel with serious quarantine rules in place

[Galfon]

Quarantine gratitude, Fiji style.
Nice gesture..
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/video ... taff-video

[paddy no 11]

That narcissist Djokovic should watch that

[Son of Mathonwy]

That narcissist Djokovic should watch that

What's that got to do with Djokovic?

[fivepointer]

Courtesy of Yvette Cooper - "99% of people arriving in country are not going into hotel quarantine. Evidence from Home Office to @CommonsHomeAffs this am. 15,000 people arriving a day. 150 go to hotels - only 1%. Majority can still go straight onto public transport home without being tested on arrival"

If the Govt were serious about quarantine, they would have put strict measures in place months ago. They've come late to the party and done something, just to be seen to be doing something. This will get relaxed in time for the summer holidays.

[paddy no 11]

That narcissist Djokovic should watch that

What's that got to do with Djokovic?

He was whingeing about hotel quarantine looking for special treatment etc, set up his own super spreader event in Croatia earlier this year aswell

[Son of Mathonwy]

That narcissist Djokovic should watch that

What's that got to do with Djokovic?

He was whingeing about hotel quarantine looking for special treatment etc, set up his own super spreader event in Croatia earlier this year aswell

I think he was trying to get better conditions for all the players.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... mic-tennis

[Digby]

The anti-vax moron can go whistle. Ideally we'd be in a position to deny him entry to the UK come Wimbledon

[paddy no 11]

Another variant, cases need to be driven to zero not talk of foreign holidays

[Galfon]

Not very subtle ruse to minimise foreign arrivals and the chance of transmission.Not sure about the science tbh, but small percentages could make all the difference..
https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/04/china-ma ... -14187610/

(I trust management of used swabs is more stringent than uk/w.mids was earlier last year; there is an old joke along those lines, but that is for another day/thread.. )

[Galfon]

Another variant, cases need to be driven to zero not talk of foreign holidays

Placing dates on a full re-opening plan before cases are under 5000, let alone 1000 seems a bit gung-ho, agreed.
The 'more people will die' line could give the idea that because the nhs has some capacity back, we'll have something to fall back on..

[morepork]

Way to make vaccine clinical trial results redundant. Good job.

[Donny osmond]

Not sure what to think of the Good Law Project, but they are trumpeting a court judgement that Boris mislead parliament over covid contracts.

Not that we didn't know, but it will be hilarious (bleakly so) to watch the Scottish Tories stay remarkably quiet when they've spent the last week squealing for Sturgeons resignation.

https://goodlawproject.org/update/johns ... arliament/

Sent from my CPH1951 using Tapatalk

[Stom]

On Monday, we enter a full lockdown again...

The thing is, this is based on the results from 10,000 tests in the most populace areas of the country and the numbers have gone up... to 3.2%.

So 3.2% of 10,000 have tested positive, yet we're locking down fully again, including all businesses, all nurseries, all schools...when in some areas of the country (like, well, here), there have been less than 10 cases in about 2 months.

The problem in a place like this is...the government is killing off small businesses and families who run small businesses. They provide no support to anyone at all. The EU provided I don't know how many millions of euros, of which the people have seen nothing. No measures to help out businesses or individuals effected...

And the man who's making all Orban's millions for him, Lorinc Meszaros, is buying up all the land and all the failed businesses that are having to sell up due to bankruptcy.

This is a money grab.

And you know what else?

Hungary has one of the best infection rates. Not too many people are testing positive. If they test positive and stay at home, their survival rate is better, but within standard deviation, of the norm...

But when they get to hospital, this country is the worst in Europe. Literally, as soon as you get to a hospital here, you die.

Most of the good doctors have either already left or been forced out for not subscribing to the idea that antibiotics are the solution to everything (oh, sorry, not antibiotics, only those made by companies friends of the PM have invested in). And those left are protesting against inhumane working, the lack of finance provided to them or to people who need it, and the inaction of the government to do anything worthwhile.

This country is an utter banana republic now. Shambles.

[Digby]

it is possible that stat's being skewed by the fact the hospitals are getting the really sick, though if they're using this as a chance to asset grab on the cheap that's also really sick

[Stom]

it is possible that stat's being skewed by the fact the hospitals are getting the really sick, though if they're using this as a chance to asset grab on the cheap that's also really sick

Well sure, but you’ve not been inside one of these hospitals... I mean, they’re truly appalling. And because all the doctors who could speak another language left... they’re staffed by 55 year old plus old women who just do whatever they’re told by the man in charge.