Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[Weststander]

1. For those businesses that have purchased force majeure cover the payouts will be huge. Admittedly this will be very few high Street businesses, though on the other hand most major events will have this cover.
2. No I don't get the concentration on insurance company director Tory donor crossover. The bigger source of possible influence is the idle very wealthy Lloyd's names, where there is a massive crossover with the aristocracy and landed gentry/ Boris's schoolmates.
3. No I really don't have the time and resources to prove this, but Watergate, Iran contra and many others were conspiracy theories until later proven. The point is not that it's definitely true but that there is sufficient cause for concern that scepticism should remain and questions continue to be asked.
Finally while I agree with you that petty point scoring is best avoided you can't keep politics out of it. This is politics writ large, where political decisions impact on us in an immediate fashion with stakes that are life and death.

Businessmen (interviewed today), with force majeure cover have started contacting their insurers, to be told that it does not cover financial losses from COVID-19, as this particular natural hazard wasn’t known when they took out the policy/renewed.

 

[Palacefinder General]

My employer, a large bank, based in Deutschland, had implemented a split shift plan for the UK staff, with half working from home for 2 weeks, and the rest (my half) working their normal pattern, and then swap after the 2 weeks. This was stopped today after 1 day - we're all WFH for the foreseeable. I'm WFH today anyway, as my normal pattern includes WFH on Tuesday's.

Dresdner Kleinwort per chance?

 

[Gwylan]

Hearing Corbyn speak he shows he hasn't got a diddly about this and thank God he isn't near any major decisions.

I'd say it was the exact opposite: even the Spectator is calling for some form of Corbyn programme to be implemented

"As one Tory minister put it to me, these principles imply that Boris Johnson will almost certainly have to oversee a Government that for a good year or maybe longer will look quite socialist.'We'll find ourselves implementing most of Jeremy Corbyn's programme' is how he put it."

 

[Ernest]

It could be down to the quality of the opposition in reality. There has been cross party meetings and listening to the Mayor of London he agrees with much of what has been done and supportive of decisions.

Many of the Labour MP's still want to score political points when interviewed. The sensible ones are being just that, sensible. They are speaking in a united front. Watching some of the debates live (sad I know) there is a lot of support. Hearing Corbyn speak he shows he hasn't got a diddly about this and thank God he isn't near any major decisions.

Yes the Tories have a lot to answer for but just now there needs to be a cohesive plan, finger pointing isn't going to help.

Some of the political windbags need to grow up.

That's why the Government are copying a lot of Labour's policies and ideas , people like you need to grow up

 

[lawros left foot]

I’ve just heard in the radio that London is 2 weeks ahead of the rest of the country.


Apart from Burnley, which is still 40 years behind.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Just received this in an email from an old mate - a senior consultant:

"My colleague who has a pal who wrote the pandemic protocols for the WHO thinks the government is deliberatley acting slowly so we get a short sharp epidemic shock so the economy can recover! He thinks they should have been more aggressive earlier like China."

 

[Notters]

My 5 year old always has a cough this time of year. She also gets a temperature because of her tonsils. It's worrying I know.

To be honest I'm not massively worried, not yet anyway. It's more that I was supposed to come down to Sussex at the beginning of April to see various friends and relatives, many of whom are over 70, and if we knew we'd had it this might be possible.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The irony of us testing on animals with our mucking about with them possibly started all this in the first place

If you mean sharing living space with cages of chickens, making stir fry out of anything that wiggles, and generally being exquisitely unhygienic, I agree with you.

If you mean doing lab experiments on animals then I completely disagree with you.

 

[Robinjakarta]

I’m a bit worried about my mum as she is 95. She’s told me not to go back this year as she doesn’t want me to catch it. I’m more concerned about her catching it! I promised her when I moved over 3 years ago that I would go back every year to see her. Difficult decision ahead and I’m still hoping to go over September time but I’m sure not booking anything yet.

I'm in a similar situation from Jakarta. Looking increasingly likely to be getting back soon.

 

[Is it PotG?]

One thing is for certain in this murky phase of our lives; come the other end of this initial virus spread in this country, some will hail BJ's strategy a winner, others will moan about it.

How it is gauged will be subjective.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

I would hope most people on here would know this already but our spam filter gives this warning.

Protect yourself during COVID-19

Key points:

COVID-19 is being used as a phishing lure by cybercriminals & nation states
We expect to see an increase in exploits related to COVID-19 as publicity around the virus increases
Cybercriminals are using trusted brands, like World Health Organization (WHO) & U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), to build credibility & entice users into opening attachments
What can you do?

Don't click on any COVID-19 related links or attachments you receive via email or messaging apps. This includes messages to personal email providers like Gmail
Don't be fooled by legitimate-looking branding on messages you receive, there are good fakes doing the rounds. Cybercriminals will also often use language that conveys a sense of urgency, so be alert
If you want COVID-19 news, navigate directly to the WHO & CDC websites. Use best practices by typing URLs into your web browser & use Google Search to search for sites

 

[Seagull27]

Businessmen (interviewed today), with force majeure cover have started contacting their insurers, to be told that it does not cover financial losses from COVID-19, as this particular natural hazard wasn’t known when they took out the policy/renewed.

Makes you wonder whether paying insurance is ever worth it. You pay out all that money every month, safe in the knowledge that if something goes wrong at least you have some financial protection. Then when it does go wrong, they always find a way of weaseling out paying you.

Better off just putting it into a savings account.

 

[herecomesaregular]

Just received this in an email from an old mate - a senior consultant:

"My colleague who has a pal who wrote the pandemic protocols for the WHO thinks the government is deliberatley acting slowly so we get a short sharp epidemic shock so the economy can recover! He thinks they should have been more aggressive earlier like China."

And mabybe this isn't about Tory selfishness* but more that a destroyed economy will cost more lives in the bigger picture? Obviously I'm not ready to sacrifice my nearest and dearest for this greater good but maybe there is compassionate logic to this argument? Those who bang on about "they're only trying to save the economy not lives" don't seem to take this into account, it seems.

*I am not a Tory

 

[atomised]

Vallance talking about infection rate dropping back in 2 to 3 weeks and 20000 deaths or less being an achievement

 

[Mellotron]

Vallance talking about infection rate dropping back in 2 to 3 weeks and 20000 deaths or less being an achievement

In 2014/2015 there were over 28,000 flu deaths in the UK.

So I think a death toll of 20,000 or lower for a new flu-like virus with no vaccine would be an achievement, yes.

 

[Hungry Joe]

In 2014/2015 there were over 28,000 flu deaths in the UK.

So I think a death toll of 20,000 or lower for a new flu-like virus with no vaccine would be an achievement, yes.

Be interesting to model what the 2014/15 deaths would likely have been with the current measures and level of awareness in place.

 

[jackanada]

Businessmen (interviewed today), with force majeure cover have started contacting their insurers, to be told that it does not cover financial losses from COVID-19, as this particular natural hazard wasn’t known when they took out the policy/renewed.

That is the standard starting point of insurers. As many people with a legitimate motor insurance claim will know getting a payout can be an uphill struggle.

 

[Mellotron]

Be interesting to model what the 2014/15 deaths would likely have been with the current measures and level of awareness in place.

Indeed.

As brutal and cold as this may sound, this pandemic will serve as an INCREDIBLY useful "case study" (without wishing to use such a flippant term when thousands may die) for the future of diseases, virology etc.

 

[Hungry Joe]

Indeed.

As brutal and cold as this may sound, this pandemic will serve as an INCREDIBLY useful "case study" (without wishing to use such a flippant term when thousands may die) for the future of diseases, virology etc.

Yes, and we all have a responsibility to learn from this and to progress to a higher level of understanding, awareness and personal and collective action when it comes to private and public health.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

If you mean sharing living space with cages of chickens, making stir fry out of anything that wiggles, and generally being exquisitely unhygienic, I agree with you.

If you mean doing lab experiments on animals then I completely disagree with you.

I meant Pangolins and ancient religious practices, Rhino horn my ...........