Covid-19 pandemic

[Greenlander]

I went to France last week along with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and respective families. Apart from a mad scrum in a service station around Nantes, social distancing and mask wearing was extremely well observed. The only time real occasion I felt really wary was on the ferry coming back to beat the quarantine deadline which was utter chaos.

It's interesting to note that a fair few people are still sailing off to France though there is a strong possibility services will be reduced come September. Brittany Ferries must be teetering on the edge now, so hopefully the French government pledge that no companies will go under holds firm. They saved them at least twice previously but it's becoming a worry. If the rumour of redundancies weren't circulating I'd have stayed for the last couple of days of the holiday and taken the sick pay. BIL and SIL did, though one is a teacher, the others can all work from home. I don't have the luxury.

[The Red Max]

43 new cases in Scotland in the last 24 hours - with 14 in the NHS Grampian area, 9 in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 3 in Lanarkshire and 5 in Lothian.

0 deaths again, and since the 15th July no deaths have been registered where the patient tested positive within the previous 28 days.

[Diable Rouge]

An Irish sub-editor at TIME?

https://twitter.com/TIME/status/1294801549789671425

[Balderdasha]

The global death toll of 772,000+ is now higher than the population of Bhutan.

[Balderdasha]

The revised UK death toll of 41,366 is now roughly the same as the population of Leigh, Greater Manchester.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/1278349068817833984

[Uncle Ethan]

The whole issue of quarantine in the UK seems a complete mess. If the risk is deemed high enough to bring quarantine in at all then shouldn't it be immediate? Or is the virus on some sort of roster and taking a couple of weeks off until quarantine applies?

[Satchmo Distel]

https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/1278349068817833984

This will prompt Trump to try to reduce testing there.

[S. aureus]

https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/1278349068817833984

That's from July 1st?

I don't mean that I'm questioning when it's from, just why it's appearing in the thread now.

[ursus arctos]

Because I didn't notice the date

Current figures are lower, though it is true that testing fell in both July and August

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The whole issue of quarantine in the UK seems a complete mess. If the risk is deemed high enough to bring quarantine in at all then shouldn't it be immediate? Or is the virus on some sort of roster and taking a couple of weeks off until quarantine applies?

The UK has added Monaco to its list of countries. A country that has no border controls at all, and from which you can easily drive or take a ferry to Italy. A country from which we are not quarantining people when they fly home from, say, Genoa.

[Balderdasha]

Bolivia has reached 100,000+ cases and 4,000+ deaths.

[Sporting]

The UK has added Monaco to its list of countries. A country that has no border controls at all, and from which you can easily drive or take a ferry to Italy. A country from which we are not quarantining people when they fly home from, say, Genoa.

There are few border controls between many European nations.

[anton pulisov]

Yeah. Netherlands is on the UK red list but Germany isn't. You can drive across the German-Dutch border unimpeded at 100 km/hr.

Of course, the UK measures aren't designed to be watertight, but to give a significant reduction in incoming infections.

[Antepli Ejderha]

So today is the last day for all school staff and pupils to be back in the UK from their summer holidays abroad so that they can still quarantine if necessary.

Yep, can see that happening.

[Balderdasha]

Sweden has now reported more cases than China and 5,787 deaths.

[Diable Rouge]

56 cases in Ireland, but Monday generally displays a weekend lag.

[Balderdasha]

Turkey has reached 250,000+ cases and nearly 6,000 deaths.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

We're in France now, having crossed last Wednesday night and made it to Germany (diligently without stopping in Belgium) before the quarantine list was updated. We weren't going to cut the holiday short and were left with no option to avoid the quarantine, so we've made the most of the trip, enjoyed our time in Germany and now back in France before heading back across Thursday morning.

I'm not bleating about the quarantine (other than I think I should be allowed out for an hour's exercise daily, if I promise to go at sunrise while it's quiet), I knew there was a possibility of the shutters coming down at the wrong time but on balance the trip was worth it. In fact I've got a lot of decorating to do when I get back, it will pass soon enough.

Generally the precautionary measures have been well observed throughout the trip - Germany very strong on taking track and trace details in bars etc, and my hands feel like they are down to the bone with all the disinfectant I've used.

[Nefertiti2]

The Germans oddly think public health is a matter for experts rather than Tory accountants

https://twitter.com/philipoltermann/status/1295442318372331526?s=20

[Greenlander]

It's sounds like the quarantine rules are being interpreted differently depending on where about you arrive. The head of Border Force locally, who are responsible for checking the passenger locator forms, insists that key worker exceptions only apply if the reason for your visit was for work. He used the pilot analogy of if they are in the cockpit wearing their pips they are exempt, but back in the cabin in their flip flops then it's 14-days at home.

However my sister-in-law returned from France through Bristol airport late last night and was told that as an NHS senior health care worker she can carry on as normal.

[Balderdasha]

22 million cases worldwide. The last million took 4 days again.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/dailytarheel/status/1295452926362746885

[Fussbudget]

Not a dig at anyone, but I am genuinely astonished by the number of people who continue to go on holiday abroad in the middle of a global pandemic.

[S. aureus]

Ugh.
Less seriously - is de-densify an actual word?