Covid-19 pandemic

[Balderdasha]

Singapore, Mexico, Panama, Iceland and India all have more than 800 cases.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Why does the UK keep talking about keeping deaths under 20,000 as if that's a good outcome? South Korea got its first case of the virus 11 days before we did (January 19th versus January 30th). We are similarly an island. We had the chance to learn from their successful strategy and we didn't. South Korea has had less than 200 deaths so far and they've almost stopped community transmission. 20,000 deaths in the UK is an absolute travesty.

I think it genuinely goes back to Cummings saying let old people die. There are some that see this as an opportunity to let thousands of vulnerable people die so as to save money on care. Additionally those said people and their cronies are making money from this.

A genuine question, how many new companies have been set up/ registered since this crisis starte? Is that more or less than usual and in what areas are they working?

[Balderdasha]

Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan) has 2,685 cases.

[Balderdasha]

Having to secure the budget for that should be relatively straightforward right now. I bet procurement is a tough place to work in this mess, though.

I don't think he's specifically had to fight hard for that budget but he has to make decisions about what other stuff can be cut to try and make up the shortfall (any equipment for elective surgery that now won't happen for example). He's annoyed that he's still physically having to go in to work when he thinks his job could be done from home.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Billy Joe Saunders apologises for video giving 'advice' on hitting women

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...droidApp_Gmail

I really am lost for words, what can be done here? This is incitement to violence surely, can he be prosecuted as domestic violence is dramatically on the increase due to quarantine regulations.

[Ginger Yellow]

Cuomo has gone nuts on Trump, suggesting that quarantining NY is akin to a declaration of civil war. Ignores the fact that it doesn't matter any more. It is three weeks too late and the damage is done. But maybe a nice political war will make a nice sideshow?

Am I the only one that thinks in a couple of weeks every state is going to be quarantined?

[Balderdasha]

Am I the only one that thinks in a couple of weeks every state is going to be quarantined?

See above. 21 states already have more cases than China did at the start of this thread. So quarantining them all would be a very good idea. Whether it will happen though, I don't know.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Being forced into work to do procurement stuff sounds straightforwardly wrong to me.

[Snake Plissken]

Why does the UK keep talking about keeping deaths under 20,000 as if that's a good outcome?

Expectation setting in order to avoid blame afterwards.

More than any other Government, this one is driven by headlines. I’d go as far as saying it’s the only thing it cares about and to be honest, the only thing it needs to care about. Even now it is successfully avoiding difficult questions on the NHS.

[Satchmo Distel]

A friend of mine in St Petersburg just facebooked an image of her phone with an emergency alert from Pinellas County saying "If boating, no more than 10 people on board." Florida is so fucked. Stay safe, Satchmo.

The scariest thing right now is that I don't see a ceiling on potential death rates here compared to places that have been less reckless and criminally negligent. We also have our areas of great poverty (Immokalee, Lehigh Acres) which are unincorporated, have no safety nets and are largely dependent on religious charities. Ultra-GOP Naples and Fort Myers would cut them adrift without a second thought to protect their own resources.

On quarantining, I think in a sane country, internal flights and interstate travel would have been locked down a month ago, but that's just not how this neoliberal hellhole works.

[Diable Rouge]

Leo gets a crisis bounce:

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1244146806503735296

[Balderdasha]

The US had more than 19,000 new cases and 525 new deaths yesterday and it's still not locked down. I'm sorry guys, but it's going to be really, really bad. All US posters, please stay at home and take care.

[Sporting]

Billy Joe Saunders apologises for video giving 'advice' on hitting women

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...droidApp_Gmail

I really am lost for words, what can be done here? This is incitement to violence surely, can he be prosecuted as domestic violence is dramatically on the increase due to quarantine regulations.

Only just seen this. Words fail me too.

[Sporting]

And while I don't want to lay into boxers as a whole, this is another example of rank stupidity:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...solation-rules

[Lang Spoon]

Being forced into work to do procurement stuff sounds straightforwardly wrong to me.

the same thing is happening in Ireland. Admin workers for the HSE are being told to present even though they have remote access. It is immoral and a dereliction of duty of care. No social distancing within the office either.

[ooh aah]

Could someone lockdown that Conor Macgregor's social media accounts, or at least persuade the BBC to stop reporting his pronouncements daily as if he were a world leader.

He's an egregious prick at the best of times but to be bombarded with his opinions about issues far more important than his non-sport is infuriating.

I agree with every word, apart from 'non-sport'

[hobbes]

So does anyone have experience of when the quietest time to go shopping is? Obviously the fewer people in the better, so I'd like to avoid going when there are huge queues to reduce pressure.

I've been getting by on the little supermarkets round here but we need to do a proper shop now. I can't keep going to one place for milk and bread and another for fresh food etc. Because they all have different stuff in stock at different times. I deliberately didn't "stock up" before we hit lockdown as I didn't want to be the guy buying 24 cans of beans to the detriment of everyone else, and the next visit the shops were empty.
I'm having to cater for an extra 20 or so meals a week with cub and P being here all the time, plus the extra usage of literally everything with us not being out all day.
There's no chance of a delivery or a click and collect and hasn't been for weeks.

[Levin]

Well I guess this is only to be expected with the drop off in AirBnB rentals. Rent somewhere for your self isolation.

[Me Old Flower]

Spoke to mum and dad this morning.

Seems my parents and their friends were lucky. Twelve people from the quiz night now diagnosed with Covid-19, one has sadly passed away.

[Greenlander]

So does anyone have experience of when the quietest time to go shopping is? Obviously the fewer people in the better, so I'd like to avoid going when there are huge queues to reduce pressure.

I've been getting by on the little supermarkets round here but we need to do a proper shop now. I can't keep going to one place for milk and bread and another for fresh food etc. Because they all have different stuff in stock at different times. I deliberately didn't "stock up" before we hit lockdown as I didn't want to be the guy buying 24 cans of beans to the detriment of everyone else, and the next visit the shops were empty.
I'm having to cater for an extra 20 or so meals a week with cub and P being here all the time, plus the extra usage of literally everything with us not being out all day.
There's no chance of a delivery or a click and collect and hasn't been for weeks.

Obviously with the caveat that I'm in Plymouth, but round here there are long queues out of the door* at the supermarkets I pass on the way to work (Sainsburys and Lidl) around 0900. I've found that by going at 1800 on my way home there are very few folks around and social distancing really easy to maintain. I've heard similar for the nearby Tesco and Morrisons. A colleague went by one at 1400 on Friday and they were still maintaining one in-one out, having to wait for ten minutes or so.

The only thing I've singularly been not able to purchase on any of my early evening trips is chicken breasts/ thighs to bung in the slow cooker. While some of the shelves are noticeably bare there always seems to be something available even if it wouldn't be my first choice.


* and by queues I mean maybe up to 50+ trolleyed up individuals snaking round the car park.

[Antepli Ejderha]

So does anyone have experience of when the quietest time to go shopping is? Obviously the fewer people in the better, so I'd like to avoid going when there are huge queues to reduce pressure.

I've been getting by on the little supermarkets round here but we need to do a proper shop now. I can't keep going to one place for milk and bread and another for fresh food etc. Because they all have different stuff in stock at different times. I deliberately didn't "stock up" before we hit lockdown as I didn't want to be the guy buying 24 cans of beans to the detriment of everyone else, and the next visit the shops were empty.
I'm having to cater for an extra 20 or so meals a week with cub and P being here all the time, plus the extra usage of literally everything with us not being out all day.
There's no chance of a delivery or a click and collect and hasn't been for weeks.

Sainsbury's are doing click and collect now, cannot get a slot. I know it's not what you asked but I've no idea of quiet times, it always seems steady rather than busy.

[That Night In Barcelona]

I've noticed 5pm onwards to be quieter, although that's with a lot less food on offer. Can still find a bit of bread, plenty of milk, cheese and sometimes some soups. There's a decent amount of frozen veg on offer.

My local garage has had plenty of toilet roll for a few days now, plus is fairly well stocked for canned goods and booze so you might want to look at that instead.

[Bruno]

Florida's governor is trying to make it about New York, not surprisingly, as is the right-wing media. I guess the blame game is your best option when you're totally incompetent and corrupt, but I don't see how Floridians and other Red staters are going to feel placated by it much when their hospital systems break down.

[Sean of the Shed]

I agree with every word, apart from 'non-sport'

Depends if you class playground scraps as 'sport' I suppose.

[Satchmo Distel]

Florida's governor is trying to make it about New York, not surprisingly, as is the right-wing media. I guess the blame game is your best option when you're totally incompetent and corrupt, but I don't see how Floridians and other Red staters are going to feel placated by it much when their hospital systems break down.

It's also possible to track that most transmissions of the virus are now coming from residents of the state, not outsiders, and there is a clear visual record of full beaches over Spring Break that cannot be explained away.