COVID-19

Discussions about serious topics, for serious people
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greyspoke
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Re: COVID-19

Post by greyspoke » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:34 am

Gfamily wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:17 am
bagpuss wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:59 am
discovolante wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:49 am

Oh I see Dobbies is staying open. Well I'm sure that won't pose any problems for Señor von Laté's 83 year old mother, and potentially vulnerable brother, who live with someone who works there.
I thought it was only shops selling essential supplies that are allowed to stay open? Or does the fact that they sell veg seeds/plants make them exempt? Mind you, our local one has a food shop within it so that bit could stay open, but it's a separate building from most of the rest. The fruit and veg stall that's permanently outside, despite being allowed to open, has closed to protect their employees. Kudos to them.
They claim that 70% of their turnover falls into the "food shops, home and hardware shops, and pet shops " essential goods categories, and they'll close off their 'non essential' areas e.g. clothing.

I've emailed a complaint via their website that they are not essential and I will not be a customer in the future if they don't take this seriously.
If they stayed open but sold only the essential items, that would be great, there would be so much space for people to distance themselves in.

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Martin Y
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Martin Y » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:39 am

shpalman wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:07 am
greyspoke wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:00 am
To be fair, they don't have mountains in Lincolnshire.
They have a steep hill, which is called, "Steep Hill"
Perhaps it means "steep" as in submerge in water.

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EACLucifer
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Re: COVID-19

Post by EACLucifer » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:45 am

To be fair, the name is accurate

Image

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discovolante
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Re: COVID-19

Post by discovolante » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:46 am

Gfamily wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:17 am
bagpuss wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:59 am
discovolante wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:49 am

Oh I see Dobbies is staying open. Well I'm sure that won't pose any problems for Señor von Laté's 83 year old mother, and potentially vulnerable brother, who live with someone who works there.
I thought it was only shops selling essential supplies that are allowed to stay open? Or does the fact that they sell veg seeds/plants make them exempt? Mind you, our local one has a food shop within it so that bit could stay open, but it's a separate building from most of the rest. The fruit and veg stall that's permanently outside, despite being allowed to open, has closed to protect their employees. Kudos to them.
They claim that 70% of their turnover falls into the "food shops, home and hardware shops, and pet shops " essential goods categories, and they'll close off their 'non essential' areas e.g. clothing.

I've emailed a complaint via their website that they are not essential and I will not be a customer in the future if they don't take this seriously.
There is something to be said for food shopping to be spread out among different retailers to avoid everyone cramming into the ones that are left but I'm not convinced Dobbies falls into that category.
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Grumble
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Grumble » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:01 am

greyspoke wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:00 am
shpalman wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:09 am
greyspoke wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 7:27 pm

It might look like that from Italy shpallers, more like "lets go out for the first time we've had decent weather at the weekend in bl..dy ages". I am fairly sure Snowdon, Pen-y-Fan etc. would have been just as crowded this weekend without the virus.
all the major tourist destinations
To be fair, they don't have mountains in Lincolnshire.
Clearly you’ve never been to Cadwell Park.
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Grumble
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Grumble » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:03 am

FlammableFlower wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:15 am
Depending on what Trump does, it could go off in very different directions in the US. He's now chafing to relax restrictions to save the economy at the expense of lives. It's all "taking tough decisions" now from him now. Will the US healthcare system cope?
A “healthcare system” isn’t really something the US has.
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now I sin till ten past three

FlammableFlower
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Re: COVID-19

Post by FlammableFlower » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:16 am

Turdly wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:54 am
lpm wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:08 am
This is absurd. People are just carrying on going to work. Nobody understands the rules.
A lot of employers are at fault here as well.

My partner works for a pharmaceutical contract research organisation. The companies that outsource to them are closing or WFH but expecting their research to continue at the CRO. The computational chemists etc. are allowed to work from home as they only need their computer and an internet connection. The biologists are allowed to work from home ~2 days a week on data analysis but are expected to be in to carry on the lab-based work the rest of the time. The synthetic chemists have been put on shifts to reduce the numbers present as they are almost entirely lab-based.

I think this is mad. My partner thinks this is mad (former virologist!). But when the option is follow this or lose your job what else do you do? I'm expecting hoping this might change today after BoJo's announcement last night but I expect they'll use the lay off clause when that happens.
Yeah - I'm our department's placements tutor - funnily enough there's a lot of very panicked students out there who don't know what to do. Some companies are just saying work from home. Some students want to end their placement. Most companies are being quite sensible. Some it seems aren't. One has decided that it's production workers are essential and has decided that the student in that department also needs to come in every day on now very crowded rail services... looks like I've got some phone calls to make...

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El Pollo Diablo
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Re: COVID-19

Post by El Pollo Diablo » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:36 am

Hey but at least Donald Trump is getting more popular :roll:

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/tr ... id=rrpromo
If truth is many-sided, mendacity is many-tongued

bagpuss
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Re: COVID-19

Post by bagpuss » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:49 am

discovolante wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:46 am
Gfamily wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:17 am
bagpuss wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:59 am


I thought it was only shops selling essential supplies that are allowed to stay open? Or does the fact that they sell veg seeds/plants make them exempt? Mind you, our local one has a food shop within it so that bit could stay open, but it's a separate building from most of the rest. The fruit and veg stall that's permanently outside, despite being allowed to open, has closed to protect their employees. Kudos to them.
They claim that 70% of their turnover falls into the "food shops, home and hardware shops, and pet shops " essential goods categories, and they'll close off their 'non essential' areas e.g. clothing.

I've emailed a complaint via their website that they are not essential and I will not be a customer in the future if they don't take this seriously.
There is something to be said for food shopping to be spread out among different retailers to avoid everyone cramming into the ones that are left but I'm not convinced Dobbies falls into that category.
In fairness, ours does have a butcher, one of only two anywhere near us, and a deli counter, and a lot of dry goods and frozen fruit & veg. So it definitely does count as a food shop. No fresh fruit/veg but you could certainly buy all you needed for several meals from there otherwise. But that's partly a hangover from its past life as a Wyevale so not sure how widespread that is.

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headshot
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Re: COVID-19

Post by headshot » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:19 pm

I think garden centres will probably be able to claim to fall under two of the categories of shops that can open:

Food Shops
Home and Hardware Stores

TBH, I think as long as sensible social distancing is observed, there's a good argument for allowing these places to stay open for essentials such as food and food crops/seeds.

If 85 year old Mavis goes there to buy a concrete duck-shaped planter and a six pack of Mesembryanthemum, probably not.

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JQH
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Re: COVID-19

Post by JQH » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:37 pm

I'm still seeing posts on the technicians' FaceBook page by people who are still being told they have to go in!
And remember that if you botch the exit, the carnival of reaction may be coming to a town near you.

Fintan O'Toole

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JQH
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Re: COVID-19

Post by JQH » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:55 pm

dyqik wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:54 am
JQH wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:59 pm
South Africa is locking down for three weeks from Thursday. Spotted a FB thread on it which included stupid comments about foreigners exporting their diseases. Just in case you thought racist morons are a peculiarly white phenomena.
South Africa, of course, doesn't have white racists ;)

I know you didn't mean it like that, but it did stand out...
The racist moron had an African name.
And remember that if you botch the exit, the carnival of reaction may be coming to a town near you.

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jimbob
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Re: COVID-19

Post by jimbob » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:59 pm

Interesting article in Science about the impact of school closures
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/0 ... oronavirus
Short answer, it's best to close the schools before there is a case.
Have you considered stupidity as an explanation

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lpm
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Re: COVID-19

Post by lpm » Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:33 pm

Interesting there's been a couple of mini riots. Kids chucking stuff at police, setting fire to vans.
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Squeak
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Squeak » Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:35 pm

Australia's been extra specially clever. Two weeks ago, the Ruby Princess* came into port with a few sick people. A few hours later, they headed out with a fresh set of 2700 passengers. They docked five days ago, a few I'll people were tested and everybody elsedisembarked without any health checks or warnings and scattered to all corners of the country. So far, at least 133 of them have covid and local authorises are frantically chasing their contacts.

* If the name sounds familiar, it's run by the same company that owns the Diamond Princess that had such fun in Japan a while back.

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veravista
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Re: COVID-19

Post by veravista » Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:36 pm

We're having some building work done and one of the guys turned up this morning, which we weren't expecting. He's just fitted the toilet and hooked the other one up to the main sewer instead of the hastily rehashed cesspit, so in a way I suppose it was sort of essential, to us certainly. He's gone now which I'm quite pleased about.

Others nearby don't seem too concerned though, my neighbour (a critical care nurse) said she drove past a queue at 6.30 this morning outside the local bakers, mostly old people, with no distancing at all. All the more ridiculous as I've just been over and strolled in and picked up some rolls for said neighbour...

PS - Mrs V was just stopped by the police going into Nottingham and asked what she was doing - going to visit her mother for possibly the last time in the care home seemed to cut it. Just in time as she died about 10 minutes ago.

Squeak
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Squeak » Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:39 pm

Veravista, I'm sorry for your loss. I hope that it was peaceful.

bagpuss
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Re: COVID-19

Post by bagpuss » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:55 pm

veravista wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:36 pm

PS - Mrs V was just stopped by the police going into Nottingham and asked what she was doing - going to visit her mother for possibly the last time in the care home seemed to cut it. Just in time as she died about 10 minutes ago.
Sorry for your loss. I hope Mrs V and you are both able to get any support you need. Look after yourselves and each other.

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EACLucifer
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Re: COVID-19

Post by EACLucifer » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:24 pm

You have my thoughts and condolences, Veravista

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El Pollo Diablo
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Re: COVID-19

Post by El Pollo Diablo » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:55 pm

87 new deaths today. 422 now.

My condolences, veravista.
If truth is many-sided, mendacity is many-tongued

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veravista
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Re: COVID-19

Post by veravista » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:02 pm

Thanks for the thoughts, Mrs V is a bit cut up about it, especially with her sisters who couldn't 'manage' to get over there - long and boring story. Nothing to do with Covid though, just old age - 92 and dementia. Lasted pretty well up until last Friday and went downhill really fast. Just leaves the problem of the funeral whenever that may be - certainly won't have anyone there apart from the 4 of us as the rest are in Scotland. Just means that hopefully we can have a good piss up there after this is over.

bmforre
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Re: COVID-19

Post by bmforre » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:26 pm

Rand Paul active and positive
WaPo reports
Aware of his extensive travel and compromised health, Sen. Rand Paul quietly got himself tested for the novel coronavirus on March 16.

But for the six days that his results were pending, the Kentucky Republican took no steps to self-quarantine — continuing to cast votes on the Senate floor, delivering a speech lambasting a coronavirus aid bill, and meeting with other GOP senators in strategy sessions that defied federal advisories warning against gatherings of more than 10 people.
He says he did nothing wrong:
On Monday, Paul was defiant that he did nothing wrong, despite bipartisan criticism for his behavior and even sharper private furor among senators and aides because he had potentially exposed them to a virus whose debilitating effect on the nation’s health and economy lawmakers were working so ferociously to combat.
Others must now in quarantine:
Paul’s diagnosis has landed at least two other senators in self-quarantine and prompted others to seek medical guidance from the congressional physician. It has only deepened the sense of urgency and fear at an already panicked Capitol, where lawmakers were scrambling to finalize a roughly $2 trillion package to rescue an economy that is at risk of cratering as the coronavirus continues to spread.
More at WaPo.

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Little waster
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Little waster » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:41 pm

bmforre wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:26 pm
Rand Paul active and positive
WaPo reports
Aware of his extensive travel and compromised health, Sen. Rand Paul quietly got himself tested for the novel coronavirus on March 16.

But for the six days that his results were pending, the Kentucky Republican took no steps to self-quarantine — continuing to cast votes on the Senate floor, delivering a speech lambasting a coronavirus aid bill, and meeting with other GOP senators in strategy sessions that defied federal advisories warning against gatherings of more than 10 people.
He says he did nothing wrong:
On Monday, Paul was defiant that he did nothing wrong, despite bipartisan criticism for his behavior and even sharper private furor among senators and aides because he had potentially exposed them to a virus whose debilitating effect on the nation’s health and economy lawmakers were working so ferociously to combat.
Others must now in quarantine:
Paul’s diagnosis has landed at least two other senators in self-quarantine and prompted others to seek medical guidance from the congressional physician. It has only deepened the sense of urgency and fear at an already panicked Capitol, where lawmakers were scrambling to finalize a roughly $2 trillion package to rescue an economy that is at risk of cratering as the coronavirus continues to spread.
More at WaPo.
Well I for one am shocked to find out that somebody who is a libertarian turned out to be a selfish f.ckwit who will unapologetically endanger the welfare of all those around himself rather than put himself through even the most minor of inconveniences. Shocked I say.

As the old libertarian rubric goes "my right to swing a pickaxe around my head ends 6 inches inside your skull".
This place is not a place of honor, no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here, nothing valued is here.
What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us.
This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.

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Little waster
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Little waster » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:44 pm

On a related note, one from my in-box.
Hello,


I wanted to offer you free tickets to the National Engineering Expo which is a conference and expo being held on May 6th in the Arena MK , Milton Keynes.

The event will bring together a wide variety of sectors with an interest in engineering such as construction, facility management,data centres etc

If you or your colleagues would like to attend, you can register for complimentary passes on the site and a badge will be waiting for you on day. Feel free to pass on the invitation.

The event is Co-Located with several other events including the UK Construction Expo. Over 2,000 delegates will attend on the day.
I hope I don't get crushed in the rush ... :roll:
This place is not a place of honor, no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here, nothing valued is here.
What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us.
This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.

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Stranger Mouse
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Re: COVID-19

Post by Stranger Mouse » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:46 pm

Sorry for your loss Veravista
I’ve decided I should be on the pardon list if that’s still in the works

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