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Any sign of Simon?
We have an interesting decision to make as a society. It’s expensive to run a health service aimed at the whole population which has the capacity to cope with something like this pandemic. But is that expense worth it given the economic grief we have seen and will see for several years because we have had to ‘protect the NHS’ and shut everything down. In other words do we build a health service which runs well below capacity (the target now is 85%, probably shift down to 70% or less) to cope with these high tides, a health service which will be stunningly expensive and inefficient?
I vote yes. And set controls so that governments don’t raid the NHS in cost cutting exercises.
Lions led by donkeys.
Not sure how many lions we have now, but we are surely still being led by donkeys.
One for the politics thread perhaps, and certainly for another time when the whisky isn't flowing, but I think there are smarter ways to build pandemic preparedness than having that much excess capacity in a health service. Meeting the 85% target would be a good starting point anyway
Best of luck to you, Col, and the others with difficult decisions on your hands. Not easy and you have my sympathies.
Well if it’s for the politics thread I will observe with interest.One for the politics thread perhaps, and certainly for another time when the whisky isn't flowing, but I think there are smarter ways to build pandemic preparedness than having that much excess capacity in a health service. Meeting the 85% target would be a good starting point anyway
Best of luck to you, Col, and the others with difficult decisions on your hands. Not easy and you have my sympathies.
Well if it’s for the politics thread I will observe with interest.
I’m also wondering whether the government has any behavioural psychologists or behavioural economists advising it on likely responses to its announcements. If it has they are either rubbish or not being listened to. The panic diaspora from London and the south east was pretty predictable, and Hancock saying the virus is ‘out of control’ all that our European neighbours needed to close the borders to us. Probably the usual thoughtlessness, the type that gives us the amateur hour of government communications. After nearly 10 months they still haven’t given Whitty a button to push to move his incomprehensible slides on. ‘Next slide please’ indeed.
Well if it’s for the politics thread I will observe with interest.
I’m also wondering whether the government has any behavioural psychologists or behavioural economists advising it on likely responses to its announcements. If it has they are either rubbish or not being listened to. The panic diaspora from London and the south east was pretty predictable, and Hancock saying the virus is ‘out of control’ all that our European neighbours needed to close the borders to us. Probably the usual thoughtlessness, the type that gives us the amateur hour of government communications. After nearly 10 months they still haven’t given Whitty a button to push to move his incomprehensible slides on. ‘Next slide please’ indeed.
I heard a poor woman on the wireless today, asking some 'expert' what she should do about her Christmas arrangements. She had arranged to stay a few days with her sister, who is suffering from terminal cancer (she presumably has home care). She actually asked whether she should go to her sister's on Christmas day, but look for a hotel to stay in that night as only one day mixing is now allowed. She was rightly advised that there are exceptions for cases such as her sister's, but I'm stunned as to how she could even think twice about her original plans. It seems to me that the vast majority of people are desperate to do the 'right' thing, but don't really know what it is.
Beth are you saying it’s a bit more aiirborne ( but not in the airborne terminology)?About the new strain ...it has been suggested that the new variant virus may be able to exist a bit longer in the outside world. And that obviously gives it an evolutionary advantage
Now that really would make a difference...and increase its infectability. It can travel further/ for a a longer time. It can also survive longer on hard surfaces too.

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Covid marshalls in a huddle before enforcing social distancing![]()
They have masks on, which is why they can be within 2 metres of each other...By ‘over there’ do you mean the UK Fingy?The situation is deteriorating by the day for all of us.
Distribution of fresh food is becoming a major issue. I would hate to be going food shopping over there this week. I would imagine the supermarkets will be bedlam as people panic buy. At least freight from Europe is being let in to deliver fresh food.
We have huge volumes of Irish people living in the U.K. who traditionally come home for Christmas. I am sure that some of them who are already here have brought the new strain with them. It looks like people who were booked to travel in the next few days won't be making it home. It is expected the initial 48 hour travel ban will be extended on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting.
Thoughts with everybody who has had their Christmas plans disrupted. Hopefully we might get some good news out of the Brexit talks in Brussels soon. Stay safe everybody and get your fresh food shop done as soon as you can.
By ‘over there’ do you mean the UK Fingy?
I did the big Christmas shop this morning (meats already bought, to be collected on Thursday), partly because I thought things were going to get a bit chaotic and I wanted to get it over and done with. Got beautifully fresh veg in an open air farm shop, they reported shortages of nothing, good business but nice and relaxed, two of us shopping when I was there. Then girded myself for the supermarket. In ordinary years at Christmas you have to queue to park it’s a huge crush in the shop and takes an age to check out. Not today, straight in to the car park, five minute queue with excellent mask and distancing discipline to get in, apart from the veg and fresh meat sections which were a bit crowded but not overwhelming and I didn’t need them anyway. The shop was literally overflowing with fresh and other produce, the centre of some aisles had been taken up with extra displays. I think shortages if they emerge will be for salad type stuff grown in poly tunnels in Spain, but there was loads of that too. No queue at check out. I should stress that I was only buying for the next week, no hoarding in expectation of the apocalypse.
Things might change, but it could be that we are used to this crap now and are not going to be panicked by it any more. What we shouldn’t be doing is scaremongering.