Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[portslade seagull]

True. I am with [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] here in that I think it is inappropriate to take party lines in this situation. It is annoying to shift through the genuine posts highlighting problems with the govt strategy, and those that may contain valid points but which harbor resentment against Boris/the Tories. If this situation can't be compared to a time of war, then I don't know why. These measures and this virus leaves us in an unprecedented place, one that the modern first world has never faced before.

I am very disappointed in certain posters here, now is the time to pull together as much as possible, there should be no Labour, no Tory, no Brexiteer, no remainer. We are all in this together, Great Britain, Europe and the rest of the world, our common goal and our humanity should bind us together.

Sadly some cannot help themselves and have to score political points at the detriment of real lives being lost. To them it seems like a game

 

[kevo]

You can get the test done for £375 at a London clinic. Ouch.

Of course you may then walk out of the clinic, and catch the virus on the germ infected tube on the way home. Double ouch.

It's a DIY do it at home test. You pay online and they courier it round.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Macron gas been drumming it into the French people that they are at war. Does he have a Churchill fantasy?

My substantive point was, if you (or Boris or Macron) frame it as a war, then treat it like a war and don't be surprised if the war-like preparation - or lack of it - is scrutinised. So far Macron has, Boris hasn't
(some might have missed my opening point: 'I want him to succeed'!).

 

[sparkie]

It's a DIY do it at home test. You pay online and they courier it round.

Only one £375 ouch then !

I assume it's a 'do you currently have it' test, not a 'have you had it and are now immune' test.

 

[Wellesley]

True. I am with [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] here in that I think it is inappropriate to take party lines in this situation. It is annoying to shift through the genuine posts highlighting problems with the govt strategy, and those that may contain valid points but which harbor resentment against Boris/the Tories. If this situation can't be compared to a time of war, then I don't know why. These measures and this virus leaves us in an unprecedented place, one that the modern first world has never faced before.

I am very disappointed in certain posters here, now is the time to pull together as much as possible, there should be no Labour, no Tory, no Brexiteer, no remainer. We are all in this together, Great Britain, Europe and the rest of the world, our common goal and our humanity should bind us together.

Very well put.

 

[atomised]

True. I am with [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] here in that I think it is inappropriate to take party lines in this situation. It is annoying to shift through the genuine posts highlighting problems with the govt strategy, and those that may contain valid points but which harbor resentment against Boris/the Tories. If this situation can't be compared to a time of war, then I don't know why. These measures and this virus leaves us in an unprecedented place, one that the modern first world has never faced before.

I am very disappointed in certain posters here, now is the time to pull together as much as possible, there should be no Labour, no Tory, no Brexiteer, no remainer. We are all in this together, Great Britain, Europe and the rest of the world, our common goal and our humanity should bind us together.

It should and on the whole I think it is. I was.saying the other day for many of us this is the closest thing we have experienced to a war and treating it as such isnt a bad thing

 

[Wellesley]

My substantive point was, if you (or Boris or Macron) frame it as a war, then treat it like a war and don't be surprised if the war-like preparation - or lack of it - is scrutinised. So far Macron has, Boris hasn't
(some might have missed my opening point: 'I want him to succeed'!).

Yet the last report I saw was France has had 175 deaths, the UK 71. I don't really want to get involved in these comparisons and I don't like using the death rate like some kind of league table. Our Government is taking the advice and implementing it to fight this 'war' the best way they see fit. To even suggest that this is Boris acting out his fantasy is, in my view, a very cheap shot indeed. Try and imagine, on a human scale, how much pressure he is under.

 

[The Clamp]

It should and on the whole I think it is. I was.saying the other day for many of us this is the closest thing we have experienced to a war and treating it as such isnt a bad thing

It’s not a war. It’s a pandemic.

 

[atomised]

It’s not a war. It’s a pandemic.

I didn't say it was. I said it's the closest many of us have experienced to a war in our lifetimes.
I'm very well aware the correct term is pandemic thank you very much

 

[Rodney Thomas]

Yet the last report I saw was France has had 175 deaths, the UK 71. I don't really want to get involved in these comparisons and I don't like using the death rate like some kind of league table. Our Government is taking the advice and implementing it to fight this 'war' the best way they see fit. To even suggest that this is Boris acting out his fantasy is, in my view, a very cheap shot indeed. Try and imagine, on a human scale, how much pressure he is under.

Is that why he was cracking jokes to business leaders about ventilators and 'operation last gasp'?

Personally, I think it is perfectly appropriate to scrutinize the PM in such a time. Leaders MUST be challenged (and good ones stand up to this test), especially at times like these.

Edit - surely you can still question Johnson's (and the governments) approach to this even if you're a Tory voter without being labeled as a Labour supporter scoring cheap points?

 

[The Clamp]

I didn't say it was. I said it's the closest many of us have experienced to a war in our lifetimes.
I'm very well aware the correct term is pandemic thank you very much

It’s nothing like a war. Despite what world leaders would have you believe. There are some vague similarities with rationing and curfews. Until they call me up, shrink me down into a mini tank and inject me into an infected person, it’s a pandemic. Act accordingly .

 

[The Wizard]

I didn't say it was. I said it's the closest many of us have experienced to a war in our lifetimes.
I'm very well aware the correct term is pandemic thank you very much

Unfortunately a byproduct of much of this boredom will be the facetious grammar and spelling nazis having a resurgence.

 

[atomised]

Unfortunately a byproduct of much of this boredom will be the grammar and spelling nazis having a resurgence.

Indeed. At no point in my post did I suggest it was a war and should be treated as a war. Clearly though similar things are happening and decisions are having to be taken accordingly

 

[Baker lite]

This was the scene on 0800 hove to London Victoria this morning, usually rammed..

 

[Wellesley]

Is that why he was cracking jokes to business leaders about ventilators and 'operation last gasp'?

Personally, I think it is perfectly appropriate to scrutinize the PM in such a time. Leaders MUST be challenged (and good ones stand up to this test), especially at times like these.

Edit - surely you can still question Johnson's (and the governments) approach to this even if you're a Tory voter without being labeled as a Labour supporter scoring cheap points?

Of course you can question any leaders approach at any time. Not sure that has anything to do with what I posted however. The cheap shot I was referring to was saying that Boris is acting out his fantasy. So far we have kept the death rate down better than France and Macron to whom the other poster was comparing us to. I'm not knocking Macron in this either as I believe the position we are all in is extremely difficult and there is no perfect answer. Question the measures of course, not the time to be petty though.

 

[dazzer6666]

Unfortunately a byproduct of much of this boredom will be the facetious grammar and spelling nazis having a resurgence.

Not facetious - more 'fastidious' I would say

 

[Ron Manager]

Unfortunately a byproduct of much of this boredom will be the facetious grammar and spelling nazis having a resurgence.

The majority of dictionaries use the hyphenated by-product.

 

[schmunk]

Just like in Jaws after the first shark attack when Mayor Larry Vaughn wouldn’t close the Amity Island beach - we’ve kept our borders open as the ‘Herd Immunity’ tactic was pursued.

And yet over 44 years later we still don't have herd immunity to shark attacks. Madness.

 

[The Clamp]

This was the scene on 0800 hove to London Victoria this morning, usually rammed..

Popped over to Hayward’s Heath/Lindfield yesterday for a last pub crawl with mates before pubs close or people start isolating. Train and station was like a ghost town. Pubs were pretty busy though to be fair.

 

[The Wizard]

Obviously a minor issue at this point given the lives at risk and being lost but surely if this were to go on for say 3 months regardless of any government input they can’t save every business, the state of the high street in Brighton is already horrific let alone after this.

Went for a walk around Preston park earlier, it almost feels like Christmas outside it’s very bizzare