Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[tsubaki]

So we ban smoking, alcohol, processed foods and lets throw in gambling as well?
We all know the dangers to your health that those things bring so do we tell people they cannot have them?

all those things *are* controlled and regulated by the government though already

 

[tsubaki]

Every time you drink a pint of lager you're hurting your health, putting pressure on the NHS. Everytime you eat a slice of bread, you're increasing the risk of diabetes, putting pressure on the NHS. And so on.

You don't force people to only drink water, or only eat vegetables. Because we don't live in that sort of society, and thank everything for that.

We live in a society where we have rule by consent. The understanding is that people are free to have personal responsibility to an extent. That 'extent' means while we don't allow people to kill eachother, we do allow them to choose to eat a Mars bar or wear clothing of their own choice.

What you are advocating is justified totalitarianism, where the government uses the argument of 'the greater good' to enforce rules. That slope is extremely slippy.

No, I am not.

Tubey we already have government interference in personal responsibility where health and safety is concerned - you have to wear a seatbelt when you drive a car, you can’t drink and drive, you’ve got to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle on a road, you’ve got to be disease free when preparing food, you can’t sell out of date produce, pubs have to close at a certain time and you can’t smoke in them etc etc.

This is justifiable because it recognises that often personal responsibility comes into conflict with other people’s rights, and that those rights (to health most importantly) should be protected within reason.

Asking people to wear a mask on a crowded tube train (for example), or stay home if they have the flu / COVID / other contagious disease is not a slippery slope to fascism, at all.

 

[degsy]

all those things *are* controlled and regulated by the government though already

By controlled and regulated do you mean they make money from them via tax

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Didn't say it wasn't, and I have. Doesn't really answer my point...

Your point being you don't like experts, not my problem.
Maybe ask them to address their fact and findings in nursery rhyme, worked with washing hands.

 

[Brennan]

In the event of a public health emergency, yes.

In every day life? No, the government has no right to mandate clothing on the populace. We live in a democracy, not a dictatorship.

They already do this though.

You have to wear clothes in public, in the name of 'public decency'.

Wearing a mask is far more justifiable from a health and wellbeing perspective.

 

[tsubaki]

By controlled and regulated do you mean they make money from them via tax

they do a lot more than just that

 

[degsy]

they do a lot more than just that

Yeah no Doubt, but mostly its about the tax

 

[Mrk]

Your point being you don't like experts, not my problem.
Maybe ask them to address their fact and findings in nursery rhyme, worked with washing hands.

I didn't say that though, did I? You've got a good habit of seeing things nobody said - maybe that explains the '10% seriously ill' fib...

 

[tsubaki]

Yeah no Doubt, but mostly its about the tax

well no - if it was, the way tobacco was on sale would be a lot different

 

[TaffyToffee85]

The main thing is I cannot see a lockdown happening again and neither does anyone else I know.

People who on about this as a “dystopian existence”, are nothing but conspiracy theorists who want this to happen.

The vaccinations are slowing down big time long term hospital stays. Most infections are the unvaccinated or those who do not have two jabs yet. The long term are over 50s in the same predicament.

All we need to do is speed up the roll-out to the younger ago groups and it looks like action was taken by opening to the 25+ group so quickly.

Cases mean nothing as long as they do not translate to mass hospitalisation or death and the deaths are halving from last week as we go along. On Monday, England saw 0 deaths, while the week before that saw Monday and Tuesday with 0 also. Young people getting this, are experiencing the symptoms of a typical seasonal cold, while loss of smell is no longer in the top 10 symptoms according to the ZOE app.

The BBC saying the vaccines are weakening the case-hospital link are wrong, they are breaking it and it’s just a matter of rolling them out faster, not locking down.

 

[Blueclouds]

You talk about Face masks staying long term but what about those who are hard of hearing and need to read lips. The sooner we get rid of masks, the better.

 

[Tramps_mate]

But just how good will it be?
Some people will continue to wear masks but I think 99% of people
will ditch them completely as soon as it is possible.

To be honest I may keep wearing it for a bit longer.. Sanitizer too. Its been great not having a cold or anything for the last 15 months!!

 

[Tramps_mate]

So we ban smoking, alcohol, processed foods and lets throw in gambling as well?
We all know the dangers to your health that those things bring so do we tell people they cannot have them?

It wont be long until they are told that!

Australia and new zealand not far from banning smoking completely.

If you think about smoking for example, if it was newly invented, it would never be allowed to be made legal now. It would be illegal like most other illicit drugs are!

 

[4737carlin]

You talk about Face masks staying long term but what about those who are hard of hearing and need to read lips. The sooner we get rid of masks, the better.

O behave, 14 odd months in and you come out with that? The main problem with masks is too many people still dont wear them

 

[grandjoeblue]

Why do we need to have laws about face masks? Surely a more straight forward solution would be for people to use common sense and they will then wear them if they're ill like people do in Asia.

Moving away from the old fashioned mindset of turning up to work even if you're dying from cold/flu would be a start. I've always hated it when someone turns up to the office when they are ill.