Covid-19 pandemic

[Sean of the Shed]

Very decent of the virus to agree not to infect anyone over the festive holiday, mind.

[Balderdasha]

608 deaths in the UK today. First time it's been over 600 since early May.

[Glass Half Empty]

All around the table for Christmas, all around her grave in the New Year.

It's a chilling scenario but just because the regulations might allow a greater degree of mixing it doesn't mean you are forced into doing it. There is no way we'll be mixing to the max, surely there are issues of personal responsibility at play here?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

226 cases and six deaths. It needs to come down a bit more over the next week before we reopen, but fingers crossed things seem to be going well

[Capybara]

It's a chilling scenario but just because the regulations might allow a greater degree of mixing it doesn't mean you are forced into doing it. There is no way we'll be mixing to the max, surely there are issues of personal responsibility at play here?

Absolutely. Interesting to see one of the virologists and Joan Bakewell making exactly this point on Channel 4 News tonight especially given the closeness of a vaccine. In any case, given the window, it practically rules it out for anyone who has a largeish distance to travel and can only do it by public transport, for instance.

[Ray de Galles]

It's insanity and seemingly not even that popular given that polls show a preference for Xmas under standard restrictions rather than the January/February lockdown that will inevitably follow this relaxation of the rules.

Our family will be meeting both sets of grandparents outdoors for, ahem, "bracing" socially distanced walks over Xmas (which we normally do with one set anyway,- as well as the usual visits)

It seems a far better option than to expose them indoors to teenagers who will be fresh from university/secondary school and whatever socialising they'll be allowed.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Yes, we'll be visiting my wife's parents on an outdoors only basis I think. Safety first.

[Gangster Octopus]

Won't be seeing my mother-in-law or any of my siblings this Christmas. And worst of all, there'll be no Boxing Day match.

[Guy Profumo]

Sinead Quinn - did she die in vain?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...oting-23061404

[Patrick Thistle]

Saw someone on Twitter absolutely fuming that after having a legit reason not to see his mother in law all year now he couldn't avoid seeing her at Christmas.

[Sean of the Shed]

Saw someone on Twitter absolutely fuming that after having a legit reason not to see his mother in law all year now he couldn't avoid seeing her at Christmas.

I thought Les Dawson was dead.

[caja-dglh]

It's insanity and seemingly not even that popular given that polls show a preference for Xmas under standard restrictions rather than the January/February lockdown that will inevitably follow this relaxation of the rules.

Our family will be meeting both sets of grandparents outdoors for, ahem, "bracing" socially distanced walks over Xmas (which we normally do with one set anyway,- as well as the usual visits)

It seems a far better option than to expose them indoors to teenagers who will be fresh from university/secondary school and whatever socialising they'll be allowed.

Not catching up with your brother, potentially near a jetty that appears longer than it is?

</lazy sibling fighting insightment>

[Amor de Cosmos]

914 new cases in BC yesterday, the worst day yet by some distance. I doesn't seem too long ago that this stat was in single figures.

[Balderdasha]

11,719 deaths worldwide yesterday, the highest tally so far.

[Balderdasha]

We've reached 60 million cases worldwide. The last ten million cases took 17 days. The ten million cases before that took 20 days. The ten million cases before that took 32 days.

So worldwide, the pandemic is still accelerating.

[Patrick Thistle]

The emergency ICU facility at one of the big hospitals in Wales is now being used for the first time. It was built during the first wave and fortunately wasn't required then. But it is now.

[Balderdasha]

Current UK official death toll of 55,838 is now higher than the populations of Altrincham, Weymouth or Brentwood.

[Balderdasha]

Global death toll of 1.41 million+ is now higher than the population of Milan, Italy.

[Balderdasha]

The USA reported 2,194 deaths yesterday, the highest daily tally since May 6th.

[Balderdasha]

Russia's second wave is getting worse. It reported 507 deaths today, the first time it has reported more than 500 deaths in one day.

[Balderdasha]

Czechia is the 22nd country to report more than 500,000 cases and has recorded nearly 7,500 deaths.

[Balderdasha]

Czechia is also the 19th country to reach 700 deaths per million population.

[Balderdasha]

Venezuela has reached 100,000 cases but still fewer than 900 deaths.

[Balderdasha]

France is the 7th country to exceed 50,000 deaths.

[Balderdasha]

Italy reported 853 deaths yesterday. It has only reported a higher death toll on two previous days, both in mid-March.