Fishnut wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:31 pm
Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:23 pm
The UK approach still seems to be based around letting individuals decide for themselves what they should do, and without even offering them clear advice. I'm normally in favour of personal liberty, but when it comes to stopping a pandemic a firm hand is probably a good idea.
It's the clear guidance that's really lacking. I honestly have no idea where we stand with regards the lockdown now. Is it still on? If so why are non-essential shops opening? If it's not, why hasn't parliament had a debate about it? It's all very well to let people do what they think is best but they can only go on the information they're offered and right now that information is full of contradictions, caveats and conditionals. It is unnecessarily complicated and I fear that's the point because then they can blame people for not following the rules rather than government incompetence.
If masks are required, why isn't the government supplying them, at cost or even free? They gave out gas masks during WW2 so why not face masks during COVID-19?
Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:23 pm
It's going to drag on for ages over there, isn't it?
Yes
Helll yes, so very much this - the lack of clear guidance that is. We've gone from the nice, simple, straightforward "Stay home unless you are exercising alone/in household group or really really need to go out (and we mean
need)" to something I'm not even going to begin to attempt to summarise because, frankly, I've completely lost any sense of understanding of what the rules even are today and they'll probably have changed by tomorrow anyway. I just don't have the mental energy right now to keep up. If it comes to a point where I need to go out, I'll read up on what I'm allowed to do then but for now, we're sticking with the simple staying home except some exercise approach.
The constant drip drip of changes to the rules, not helped by the fact that some are announced as "from tomorrow" and some as "from date X" and others "Not before date Y and we'll confirm nearer the time if and when it can happen", is absolutely bonkers and gives a clear impression of a government who has not got any kind of hold on the situation and is making decisions on the spur of the moment or on the basis of what the last major Tory donor asked for on a Zoom call this morning. Why can't they just have a weekly update announcement - say every Saturday or Sunday - with any new rules to come in from Monday morning and an overall summary of what will then be allowed. No changes so far have been so urgent that they couldn't wait a few days and anything that is urgent - eg "f.ck, we got it wrong, we need to go back to full lockdown, like, now" would obviously be an exception. Then sometime midweek they could release guidance on the current plan for the next few weeks, so that people have some forewarning of what's coming so they can prepare, but don't get it confused with the rules as of now announcement at the weekend.
The lack of any internal logic in what is opening up and when doesn't help either - it's even harder to keep track if rules if they don't make sense. Theme parks are going to be allowed to open but not zoos? Face masks will be required on public transport but not in a supermarket?
Anyway, face masks. It seems to be reasonably clear now that they're a good idea at least for short periods of time under certain circumstances. Don't use proper PPE unless you need it, chuck a scarf over your face if you can't get a face mask. "Buffs" are still widely available, can easily be pulled over nose and mouth for a short time if needed and can double up as a handy hairband to keep the lockdown mane in check. Although you might not want to do that after it's been covering your face for half an hour or so.