Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[BlueToff]

There are certain loophole businesses who stay open and try to go under the radar. Employees go along with it out of fear of losing their jobs if they don't. It happened in March, it'll happen at a much bigger scale this time.

Statutory Sick Pay is a joke and that's what many would face by not going in.

Okay mate, but can you name some? Obviously not the business names, but examples of the types of trades?

There's construction firms. I know that - but construction (rightly or wrongly) classes as essential.

I work on an office park those two days a week and of the 15 other buildings, I think there's two or three that look occupied (that was yesterday) and driving home, which involves a quick jot across a motorway too, yesterday at 4:30, it was very quiet.

I know one of the offices that was open yesterday is a cleaning services - they're a company that deep cleans places, it's a former neighbour who owns it (would they clash as essential?). They had some cars outside.

There's loads of car garages around too - I imagine, like in November, that they're all now shut for sales. Only services open.

My housemate works for a property management company in Sheffield. For December he was doing 2 days a week at home and then 3 in the office on a rota basis, in a 'bubble' with the same people. They're now stopping that and it's all wfh again full time.

I can only go off personal experience obviously. I'll still be working in an office, will be back in tomorrow, put there'll be nobody else in and I'm going in because I don't have the ability to wfh for this job (partly because we don't have a third PC knocking about in the house and my Macbook doesn't have windows). Fortunately my other job, I can work from home easily.

 

[Moomin]

I agree there in relation to @adi dassler and @daza_1973's concerns.

But that doesn't really answer the point I raised does it?

If someone works on a salary, they get sick pay.

A lot of jobs that aren't salaried are in industries such as: hospitality (closed), leisure (closed), construction (open, but head offices should be shut/wfh), events (closed, lucky if we ever get them back), retail (closed), services (hairdressers and the like - closed)

I'm reeling off a few off the top of my head but all of those industries are either shut or all but shut. Support is there for most people (not all, and that's a travesty) and construction is the one keeping going.

If you're a contractor who needs to go to site, then yes, the worry is there that if you don't work, you don't get paid. Hopefully in that instance those people qualify for SEISS, and as I said with the site regulations that I know of, people are having to have tests before they go to site and to be able to prove they're negative. There definitely needs to be support in place though for that instance.

If you work in an office in any trade, then by and large you will be - or may never have stopped - working from home. In that instance, my point was you shouldn't have people phoning in sick because they have a cold or bug and are worried about spreading it. You're at home, so it's no concern. Obviously, if you're too ill to work that's a different matter.

But the industries which actually are really poor for people being off sick because if they are they don't get paid - and I'm sure you'd know this if you work in one, aren't you self-employed? - are by and large all now closed down, so it really shouldn't be an issue that people are worried that if they don't go into a place of work, that they won't get paid.

A lot of the sub contractors will be self employed and that was the issue at the start of the year, if they felt poorly they would still go into work as they need to work to pay bills.

The sites have covid procedures in place but its just a box ticking exercise to most of them. I know a few M&E contractors who have downed tools and walked off sites but they were big companies who could afford to do it, some companies will quietly moan but just crack on as they have bills to pay.

 

[Tubey]

Okay mate, but can you name some? Obviously not the business names, but examples of the types of trades?

There's construction firms. I know that - but construction (rightly or wrongly) classes as essential.

I work on an office park those two days a week and of the 15 other buildings, I think there's two or three that look occupied (that was yesterday) and driving home, which involves a quick jot across a motorway too, yesterday at 4:30, it was very quiet.

I know one of the offices that was open yesterday is a cleaning services - they're a company that deep cleans places, it's a former neighbour who owns it (would they clash as essential?). They had some cars outside.

There's loads of car garages around too - I imagine, like in November, that they're all now shut for sales. Only services open.

My housemate works for a property management company in Sheffield. For December he was doing 2 days a week at home and then 3 in the office on a rota basis, in a 'bubble' with the same people. They're now stopping that and it's all wfh again full time.

I can only go off personal experience obviously. I'll still be working in an office, will be back in tomorrow, put there'll be nobody else in and I'm going in because I don't have the ability to wfh (partly because we don't have a third PC knocking about in the house and my Macbook doesn't have windows).

Yep I personally know an engineering firm, PC repair shop and a flooring contractor who worked surreptitiously last lockdown. There'll be lots under the radar, including businesses who feel they have nothing to lose by running the risk as they'd go out of business anyway if they didn't.

 

[summerisle]

Let's hope he's had a haircut, the scruffy get.

 

[degsy]

All gets ignored mate.

Apart from when they do things better - then it's "why aren't we doing things like this country".

It's all crap. Australia and New Zealand have definitely dealt with this better than anywhere but there's no way they won't see a little rise in cases - and see how happy the people over there will be if they have to go back into lockdown. Fortunately, they've given themselves a great head start, but there's loads of factors for that.

The Asian countries clearly have test and trace in place but let's face it, they have totally different attitudes too. However, places like Thailand etc have done very well, even though according to a colleague who lives there atm, it isn't a great place to be with the measures.

The end game for everyone is the vaccine.

We've had the Australian 2nd wave but a 2.5 wave...not quite a 3rd wave - yet...is trying to get its self started in Sydney and NSW.
How sensible people have been over Christmas and New Year will soon be shown...or hopefully not.
But betting against peoples stupidity doesn't often pay well.

 

[Tubey]

Let's hope he's had a haircut, the scruffy get.

Assume business support measures.

 

[peteblue]

Shame really because the government's mad policies in December have probably extended the length of this lockdown massively.

You mean allowing families to meet on Xmas day...that mad policy.....

 

[BlueDraka]

Let's hope he's had a haircut, the scruffy get.

Another one? What for?. Cant stand watching this dope!,

 

[peteblue]

I've pretty much written off any plans until May/June tbh

Tbh with your haircut it would be wise to stay in for a while.....

 

[grandjoeblue]

You mean allowing families to meet on Xmas day...that mad policy.....

Keeping the schools open up until a few days before christmas, allowing London to stay in tier 2 which was criminal, allowing pubs and restaurants in various cities to stay open for quite some time.

There was probably a scenario were 1 day for Christmas could have been much safer but by allowing a free for all for the majority of December this wasn't possible.

 

[brieverton]

We've had the Australian 2nd wave but a 2.5 wave...not quite a 3rd wave - yet...is trying to get its self started in Sydney and NSW.
How sensible people have been over Christmas and New Year will soon be shown...or hopefully not.
But betting against peoples stupidity doesn't often pay well.

Don't know who said it, but heard it said on the radio this morning that there is no vaccine for stupidity.....

 

[peteblue]

Keeping the schools open up until a few days before christmas, allowing London to stay in tier 2 which was criminal, allowing pubs and restaurants in various cities to stay open for quite some time.

There was probably a scenario were 1 day for Christmas could have been much safer but by allowing a free for all for the majority of December this wasn't possible.

Fair comment....

 

[summerisle]

 

[BlueToff]

A lot of the sub contractors will be self employed and that was the issue at the start of the year, if they felt poorly they would still go into work as they need to work to pay bills.

The sites have covid procedures in place but its just a box ticking exercise to most of them. I know a few M&E contractors who have downed tools and walked off sites but they were big companies who could afford to do it, some companies will quietly moan but just crack on as they have bills to pay.

Again it boils down to SEISS being better organised. If people qualify, they’re quids in. If they don’t, then it’s an issue - and a lot of people don’t qualify just based on a whim of when HMRC started counting back from. I understood, to an extent, in April. But now that has to be changed

 

[roydo]

Again it boils down to SEISS being better organised. If people qualify, they’re quids in. If they don’t, then it’s an issue - and a lot of people don’t qualify just based on a whim of when HMRC started counting back from. I understood, to an extent, in April. But now that has to be changed

I am not sure how HMRC could calculate someones amount if they have never had a tax return sent in.