Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Jebus_lives]

The dog whistle messaging from the *government* about easing the lockdown (while officially insisting it's kept in place for the next 3 weeks) is having its impact.

Three local businesses around by us (including a small bakery with a shop) have fired up their machinery and are preparing for reopening.

Anyone else seeing activity like this around them?

Everyone has effectively decided things are 'back to normal'. I honestly heard a neighbor say 'we've beaten it now' as if it is some sort of War. People are itching to celebrate.

Not surprising really when the UK frames everything around WWII.

 

[davek]

But you haven't got the data from 2 months of no lockdown to compare against so you can't deem it a failure can you?

What's this data refering to then? The new cases data?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Volkswagen are a privately owned company (owned by Porsche). Wha does that have to do with the performance of the Federal state in terms of Covid19?

I believe someone was making a glib remark (not to be taking seriously I suspect) that Germany are doing with their CV stats what VW were doing with their emissions stats, hence why their CV stats are as miraculous as VW's emissions stats were.

 

[Billy Dean]

That's the main reason why they won't let you into France.

You mean France is not letting people in from Germany? Wasn't that the case anyway, and also vice versa? There are so many things going on it's hard to remember what's what.

 

[Nymzee]

What's this data refering to then? The new cases data?

I'm just saying you can't unequivocally say lockdown is a failure because new cases are rising when you don't have the numbers of 2 months no lockdown, which would obviously be a whole lot worse.

 

[PhilM]

There's no rhetoric involved in pointing to a calamitoius performance in governance. It's just a statement of FACT.

As for 'deep rooted social norms' that's just too woolly an explanation. Look at the Latin nations of Span and Italy, not exaclty known for their compliance with authorities, and they have just weathered 2 months of effective prison and are now getting on top of the virus.

It's not intentionally woolly, but to compare and explain all their relevant social norms with our own, and with the Latin nations, could be put in a dissertation.

From my experience, I'd summarise it as having a greater understanding personal and civic duty, a belief in formality (with etiquette) and a general sense of privacy.

 

[davek]

Everyone has effectively decided things are 'back to normal'. I honestly heard a neighbor say 'we've beaten it now' as if it is some sort of War. People are itching to celebrate.

Not surprising really when the UK frames everything around WWII.

I mean, rule of thumb: about 30%-40% of people are thick anyay, IMO.

But the rational rest are just thinking now "WTF do we do? We have no leadership' we have no fruits coming from their pathetic lockdown, should we go ot a bit more?".

 

[Harryflashman]

Everyone has effectively decided things are 'back to normal'. I honestly heard a neighbor say 'we've beaten it now' as if it is some sort of War. People are itching to celebrate.

Not surprising really when the UK frames everything around WWII.

I think people swing from wanting to hide to wanting to return to normality . There are a huge amount of factors weighing in on that as well people’s characters , psyche , mental state , financial well being and a lot more . There is a huge difference in the way different people respond to a crisis .

I have to say if you walk through the city centre it is a little 1984 ish . I’m not saying the NHS are doing incredible work , they clearly are , but every electronic sign and billboard blasts out praise . As you say we talk of war , frontline , battling It’s all feeding into this “we’ve got the virus on the run “ mentality .

 

[Billy Dean]

Perhaps we have, but again I think you are (wittingly or unwittingly) choosing to ignore the point and diverting a message to suit your own rhetoric.

Germany isn't some politically harmonious state where everything is fine and rosy and nor is it socially; however, their deep-rooted social norms will surely help.

If we had the same governments and asking the public to do the same things, you would not get the same result by any stretch and we know who'd prosper more.

They have so many rules (well they're not rules, but just social norms) that simply don't correlate with life here in the UK; they are far more rigid in what's expected.

This is quite true in my experience. It can be infuriating a lot of the time but during this pandemic it's been quite reassuring. But of course they're not perfect in this regard and there have been people breaking the rules. But I think Dave has a point. There is a lot more trust here in leaders than in the UK, at least from what I can tell, other Germans or German-based people reading this might have another opinion.

 

[PhilM]

Everyone has effectively decided things are 'back to normal'. I honestly heard a neighbor say 'we've beaten it now' as if it is some sort of War. People are itching to celebrate.

Not surprising really when the UK frames everything around WWII.

And here lies the problem: we have far from beaten it; we're not even at the end of the beginning yet.

 

[DanEFC92]

 

[Billy Dean]

Im pretty sure I read a while ago they were reporting deaths such as if someone dies of cancer but tests postive for the virus they still died of cancer - whereas we do the opposite and put COVID on the death certificate.

Not true, if you believe what the German CMO equivalent has said.

 

[davek]

Says it all.

 

[davek]

It's not intentionally woolly, but to compare and explain all their relevant social norms with our own, and with the Latin nations, could be put in a dissertation.

From my experience, I'd summarise it as having a greater understanding personal and civic duty, a belief in formality (with etiquette) and a general sense of privacy.

Yes, you cant leave anything out in trying to understand something like this and its transmission. But there's a hierarchy of importance: strategy adopted by governing classes (look at Ireland compared to Britain, never mind Germany compared to Britain); track and trace and testing capability; infrastructure of the health and care systems - how strong they are to deal with Covid19; resources secured and deployed to treat people with it.

 

[gonetomorrow]

Everyone has effectively decided things are 'back to normal'. I honestly heard a neighbor say 'we've beaten it now' as if it is some sort of War. People are itching to celebrate.

Not surprising really when the UK frames everything around WWII.

You're right. The mixed messages that politicians give out mean Joe Public chooses what it wants to hear i. e. Everything's getting back to normal.