Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Barnfred 55]

I’m still massively in two minds about the school thing.

As a parent do I want to risk my daughter being exposed to a virus we can’t combat yet? (No matter how low the odds are for her). Do I want to expose others? Expose children with vulnerable people at home? Expose teachers? Plus she’s of an age where she cant go to school and given the geography round here the drop off and pick up side of things will be problematic (and difficult to fix really).

However, on the other hand I’m really concerned about the effects this will have on her if it was long term. She needs to be around peers first and foremost. In a classroom setting. Taught by professionals. It’s a great little school and I don’t want her missing out on those experiences at all. Plus I’m looking at it from a privileged perspective. There are a lot of vulnerable children out there. It reminds me of my old primary school headteacher. She hated school holidays because she worried about the vulnerable kids. She said at least she knew that they were getting a proper meal each day when they were in school. It’s easy to think that everyone’s experience of lockdown is similar to our own.

I’m massively conflicted by it all. If I’m honest, I don’t really have any confidence in this government that their actions are well intentioned. I’m not trying to get into a political debate here, this is just my personal opinion. They’ve shown in the past their intentions and the lengths they are willing to go to and so I don’t feel particular comfortable with their decision making. At least that their motives are right.

This isn’t a political view by the way. It’s not about ideology. I know there are lots of valid economic, social and political philosophies and we all just pick the ones that suit us most closely.

It’s that those people, particularly the inner circle, are callous and self serving. They don’t care about the working classes. They are on record what they think about them. Also on record what they think about vulnerable people.

That’s the issue for me. I don’t have faith they’ll do the right thing which makes it harder.

To even consider it we need to get the daily new infections right down and also have a workable TTI system in place

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Ok, so it's a class thing then? So you'd be ok with "middle class" students having a summer holiday as they're more likely to have been keeping up with the curriculum? But working class kids would have to work through it?

As the article below illustrates, it's fairly well known that working class kids suffer as a result of remote learning, and suffer as a result of school holidays. Since March, that's all they've had, so if we say they're not going back to school until September, that's going to be pretty harmful to inequality.

Coronavirus school closures impact 1.3 billion children – and remote learning is increasing inequality

Promoting remote schooling as ‘digital by default’ does not serve all children equally well and may do some a great injustice.

theconversation.com

 

[Bungle]

Funnily enough I`ve just been reading an email from my lads school, that says the exact same thing.

The headteacher describes the date of June 1st for a return as being " plucked out of thin air " and he reiterates that under no circumstances will the school be opening on June 1st.

In Liverpool it seems that the schools are pretty resolute over this.

Ours stops short of saying they won't reopen but it's clear they don't feel it's the right thing to do and as a result they haven't committed to any specific plans.

The school have been great throughout, regular sensible updates and a weekly call from the headteacher as well. It's sometimes easy to forget they have their own lives outside of school and their own families to concern themselves with.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Only my opinion, but the best thing they could do is wipe the block of learning for the period whilst they`re at home, off any future exam papers.

There`s just too much disparity between schools across the country and yet again it`s the kids from poor areas / backgrounds that will suffer.

Without getting political, how can it be right that kids from one school get a couple of hours a day online ( if you`re lucky ) and kids from the school down the road are doing a solid five hours a day in front of a screen with a teacher ?

Over the years there have been many studies on the lifelong impact of starting your career in a recession. I strongly suspect in years to come that similar studies will highlight the impact these school closures will have on the lives of those least able to cope with the consequences.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

I don't blame the nurses, wards and their managers and such because for long periods the testing capability simply wasn't there and nor were they a priority.

They were told to clear beds so there was more capacity due to the expected on rush, but ultimately it's cost many lives.

Its an ongoing maybe from today will be a new week, last week was the same... However, by the sounds of my work inbox, they have bumped another person with this vurus into the community setting over the weekend...

 

[Bungle]

This has been a feature of almost everything the Government has done throughout this Pandemic response. I get the feeling they've been in such a hurry to issue guidance and advice that they haven't been going through the necessary checks.

Same with care home pathways, for example, it changes on a daily basis.

I don't want to jump on the bandwagon and put the boot in for the sake of it but watching and listening this morning to some of the lies told by Johnson and Hancock about how care homes were protected compared to what they actually did (which appears to be next to nothing) to prevent this being widespread through care homes is staggering.

It's a genuine concern that the country is run by people like them during something like this. Hancock behaves like a petulant little [Poor language removed] if you dare question him and his methods and has become more and more dislikeable throughout this.

 

[Joey66]

I don't want to jump on the bandwagon and put the boot in for the sake of it but watching and listening this morning to some of the lies told by Johnson and Hancock about how care homes were protected compared to what they actually did (which appears to be next to nothing) to prevent this being widespread through care homes is staggering.

It's a genuine concern that the country is run by people like them during something like this. Hancock behaves like a petulant little [Poor language removed] if you dare question him and his methods and has become more and more dislikeable throughout this.

A flight came into,the U.K. From China Wuhan at Heathrow on Friday unchecked .......on LBC official news flight number etc .....what's the point of annoying equipment to detect the virus at the end of the month?

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

I don't want to jump on the bandwagon and put the boot in for the sake of it but watching and listening this morning to some of the lies told by Johnson and Hancock about how care homes were protected compared to what they actually did (which appears to be next to nothing) to prevent this being widespread through care homes is staggering.

It's a genuine concern that the country is run by people like them during something like this. Hancock behaves like a petulant little [Poor language removed] if you dare question him and his methods and has become more and more dislikeable throughout this.

Its a Government with all its eggs in one basket, BREXIT. That's it's problem, would not surprise me they have the same people running both responses. Bodes well!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

A flight came into,the U.K. From China Wuhan at Heathrow on Friday unchecked .......on LBC official news flight number etc .....what's the point of annoying equipment to detect the virus at the end of the month?

Traffic to Heathrow is down around 95% Joe. I sense you're of the belief that things are much as normal.

 

[ToffeeTim]

With Italy starting to open up quite quickly, we need to pay close attention. If things go well for them, and I hope they do, then there's no reason we can't follow similarly in a few weeks.

 

[Joey66]

Traffic to Heathrow is down around 95% Joe. I sense you're of the belief that things are much as normal.

Did I post that- no also a journalist flew out to Sweden on a work assignment no test either end ......

 

[Bruce Wayne]

With Italy starting to open up quite quickly, we need to pay close attention. If things go well for them, and I hope they do, then there's no reason we can't follow similarly in a few weeks.

The scenarios I mentioned earlier caution against opening up too quickly, and advocate instead 'releasing' people from quarantine in dribs and drabs. They suggest that unlocking things too fast will lead to a second wave. Hopefully not for Italy's sake.

 

[davek]

With Italy starting to open up quite quickly, we need to pay close attention. If things go well for them, and I hope they do, then there's no reason we can't follow similarly in a few weeks.

We are miles behind even a basket case Covid19 country like Italy.

This Banana Republic has suffered more than any other, and the underlying problems ares still there and there's been no lessons learned.

The Italians, as in other nations like France and Spain, had had a bona fide lockdown, unlike the BS one we've had of largely do as you please; because of that they have flattened down their infection curve, we have not; they have disciplined social distancing in the population and they have a policy of face coverings in public spaces, this country doesn't.

We are nowhere near the timeframe of France, Italy and Spain, still less Denmark, Germany etc.

 

[arminisgod]

Furniture retailers have been told they can open today... as long as they only sell Beds and Sofas (Both are classed as essential items)

Fantastic... we are re opening!

 

[ToffeeTim]

We are miles behind even a basket case Covid19 country like Italy.

This Banana Republic has suffered more than any other, and the underlying problems ares still there and there's been no lessons learned.

The Italians, as in other nations like France and Spain, had had a bona fide lockdown, unlike the BS one we've had of largely do as you please; because of that they have flattened down their infection curve, we have not; they have disciplined social distancing in the population and they have a policy of face coverings in public spaces, this country doesn't.

We are nowhere near the timeframe of France, Italy and Spain, still less Denmark, Germany etc.

Italy, France and Spain are the best countries for us to watch and assess.

We need to get back to normal as soon as possible and learning from others the best way to do that.

I can only assume you've spent significant time in these countries over the last 10 weeks to know all this info?