Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

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-Rob- said:
It's certainly not too late and I'm extremely confident it's not going to 'blow up' in the UK. Some very unfortunate people may die in the UK but not many, not enough to cause the amount of hysteria that's going around.
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Well I hope you're right, I really do.
 
People who discuss politics with me know I'm as statist. I think that the state should be involved more not less in people's lives. I believe it's the only way of tethering the excesses of the so called "free' market, which, untethered, can destroy people and their communities through naked self interest.

Here's my question: under these extraordinary circumstances, wouldn't you rather we had a strong state laying down some potentially unpopular decisions as a precaution to save lives than what we have right now: a government trying to stand back from making serious decisions?

One thing that should already be in place, for example, is a ban on large gatherings / assemblies. Yes, and that means football matches too. We need to see a 3 day week announced to cut down on contact at all larger units of production - with full pay. We need to see an end to people hoarding food and hygienic products and medicines (we all know that's going on).

To my mind, we have a government failing to take command. 'Wash your hands to the tune of 'God Save the Queen'" is no replacement for a sensible policy on public assembly, employment practices and commercial activity.

So, more intervention and control - thoughts?
 
davek said:
People who discuss politics with me know I'm as statist. I think that the state should be involved more not less in people's lives. I believe it's the only way of tethering the excesses of the so called "free' market, which, untethered, can destroy people and their communities through naked self interest.

Here's my question: under these extraordinary circumstances, wouldn't you rather we had a strong state laying down some potentially unpopular decisions as a precaution to save lives than what we have right now: a government trying to stand back from making serious decisions?

One thing that should already be in place, for example, is a ban on large gatherings / assemblies. Yes, and that means football matches too. We need to see a 3 day week announced to cut down on contact at all larger units of production - with full pay. We need to see an end to people hoarding food and hygienic products and medicines (we all know that's going on).

To my mind, we have a government failing to take command. 'Wash your hands to the tune of 'God Save the Queen'" is no replacement for a sensible policy on public assembly, employment practices and commercial activity.

So, more intervention and control - thoughts?
Click to expand...
I agree that the government needs to have a solid plan and to take control but there also needs to be a sense of realism to avoid unnecessary panic. At the moment we have just 50 odd confirmed cases in the UK. I don't know the stats on how many are serious cases but I'd imagine very few. The huge majority of fit & healthy people get over coronavirus in a few days. So to even suggest cancelling football matches and any other mass gatherings at this point is completely and utterly tinfoil hat wearing scaremongering.

The outbreak in the UK as we stand today is something that any decent size GP surgery could cope with nevermind our entire National Health Service. Yes it may get bigger, it may get a little more serious but Covid19 is not the widespread killer that's going to bring to end civilisation as we know it. The flu, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and suicide are still killing more people every single day than covid19 has killed on it's most deadly of days.
It needs dealing with, it needs a vaccine but what it doesn't need is an over reaction and mass hyteria.
 
davek said:
People who discuss politics with me know I'm as statist. I think that the state should be involved more not less in people's lives. I believe it's the only way of tethering the excesses of the so called "free' market, which, untethered, can destroy people and their communities through naked self interest.

Here's my question: under these extraordinary circumstances, wouldn't you rather we had a strong state laying down some potentially unpopular decisions as a precaution to save lives than what we have right now: a government trying to stand back from making serious decisions?

One thing that should already be in place, for example, is a ban on large gatherings / assemblies. Yes, and that means football matches too. We need to see a 3 day week announced to cut down on contact at all larger units of production - with full pay. We need to see an end to people hoarding food and hygienic products and medicines (we all know that's going on).

To my mind, we have a government failing to take command. 'Wash your hands to the tune of 'God Save the Queen'" is no replacement for a sensible policy on public assembly, employment practices and commercial activity.

So, more intervention and control - thoughts?
Click to expand...

it’s on there Dave, the PHE has a hell of a lot guidance documentation in relation to COVID-19. The information has also come from WHO. A lot of the local management of the situation falls down to the local authorities and their continuity plans in conjunction with local PHE officers who will be chairing and directing a lot of the response. I know this is true for Merseyside and given a lot of the other country resilience forums.

The problem is the general media and social media for reporting nonsense which is causing hysteria
 
-Rob- said:
I agree that the government needs to have a solid plan and to take control but there also needs to be a sense of realism to avoid unnecessary panic. At the moment we have just 50 odd confirmed cases in the UK. I don't know the stats on how many are serious cases but I'd imagine very few. The huge majority of fit & healthy people get over coronavirus in a few days. So to even suggest cancelling football matches and any other mass gatherings at this point is completely and utterly tinfoil hat wearing scaremongering.

The outbreak in the UK as we stand today is something that any decent size GP surgery could cope with nevermind our entire National Health Service. Yes it may get bigger, it may get a little more serious but Covid19 is not the widespread killer that's going to bring to end civilisation as we know it. The flu, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and suicide are still killing more people every single day than covid19 has killed on it's most deadly of days.
It needs dealing with, it needs a vaccine but what it doesn't need is an over reaction and mass hyteria.
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'At the moment' is the key term there. It WILL get worse.

The French must also be tin foil hat wearers then, because they've banned gatherings over 5,000.

We need to see leadership here. I'm not making a partisam political comment either. The issue is too important for that.

It's all about sensible precautionary measures and management of the situation, not blind panic.
 
davek said:
'At the moment' is the key term there. It WILL get worse.

The French must also be tin foil hat wearers then, because they've banned gatherings over 5,000.

We need to see leadership here. I'm not making a partisam political comment either. The issue is too important for that.

It's all about sensible precautionary measures and management of the situation, not blind panic.
Click to expand...

I think the French response is approaching blind panic. Belgium, The Netherlands Germany, Spain haven't implemented anything nearly as draconian as that. With that said, France does seem to have more cases than most of its neighbours.
 
Been reading this thread everyday as there’s some genuinely good advice and thoughts on this.

I ask them, as someone with asthma that has been really bad over the last two years, but under reasonable control, how worried should I be?

When I get a cold it will usually turn itself into a chest infection and I’m a write off for a few days. This will just be like that times ten won’t it?
 
nsno-chris said:
it’s on there Dave, the PHE has a hell of a lot guidance documentation in relation to COVID-19. The information has also come from WHO. A lot of the local management of the situation falls down to the local authorities and their continuity plans in conjunction with local PHE officers who will be chairing and directing a lot of the response. I know this is true for Merseyside and given a lot of the other country resilience forums.

The problem is the general media and social media for reporting nonsense which is causing hysteria
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But while the plans are taking place at that level to react to this once its a massive issue, the overall tone from HM Government nationally sets the agenda on containment. That is still very much coming across as laissez faire.
 
davek said:
But while the plans are taking place at that level to react to this once its a massive issue, the overall tone from HM Government nationally sets the agenda on containment. That is still very much coming across as laissez faire.
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This I agree with (from the distance of the North Sea, admittedly). I think Johnson is looking on it as his chance to play Churchill.
 
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