In Stockport the data is showing that it's the 18 - 24 age group spreading this virus. I've just spoken to a customer who has a 24 yr old son. She cannot do anything to stop him or his friends, (from going out and about, having gatherings etc) as they've 'had enough now' and think they can't catch this virus. Ironically she works at our local hospital. She wishes he could witness what is really happening. Mmmm the ignorance and stubbornness of youth!
Also the neighbours are still flouting the rules (we're in Greater Man) and having her friends and relatives round.
But given a refund was not on the table that’s an irrelevant analogy.
It's not, but it's irrelevant in any case. The only relevant thing is whether government policy changed people's behaviour, and in this case and many others it demonstrably incentivised us to do the activity which you think we shouldn't have done.
Anyway TP, you seem to have a big problem with me going on holiday. I would advise you spend less time worrying and judging others and more on yourself because quite frankly I don't care what you think. I weighed up all the pros and cons and am completely comfortable with the risk to both myself and others of going on holiday, especially given the official advice at the time we departed, which if you remember was 'enjoy the summer'.
As I understand it sunscreen means no or little vitamin D production, vitamin D comes from UVB and sunscreen blocks that.
Good point! The sunscreen bit was more a throwaway disclaimer as I did recommend spending ‘more time outdoors’. Earlobes, etc.. 👍🏼
Thanks for that
Expect lots of nuisance phone calls after the Govt’s appointed T&T company sell your info for $0.25
Dont worry, like everyone in my age group, I dont answer unknown or withheld numbers anyway. How an actual track and tracer will get hold of me is not clear...
For those thinking I've been taking excessive risks things get a whole lot worse on Thursday. 22-year-old junior rocks up on the train fresh from Berlin and Paris with the stated intention of seeing all his old mates.
But even that pales into insignificance compared with the risks we were exposed to back in late February/March with Madame teaching in a school with Covid infected kids returning from Italian ski holidays, junior working with infected colleagues and myself skiing in a Covid hotspot. Madame is convinced we've both had it, she had some characteristic symptoms and my seasonal alergies/asthma were several steps up from usual. I've no idea, I'm sticking to what the government wherever I am tells me I can and can't do and applying what I learned in a bacti lab.
How did the holiday go Dazh? It's been great most places I've been. The last time I was in Berlin I gave up visiting many places because of the queues, this time there were more staff than tourists in the Bundestag and the precautions resembled visiting Porton Down.
We did Pau Lourdes and back on the voie verte today, never seen as many people on bikes, was great.
Was Lourdes as busy as usual? Nothing quite tests your faith like a pandemic...
No, all the major pilgrimages have been cancelled. Campsite half empty, no busier than a Winter weekend. Lots of people on bikes though. 🙂
Edit: looks like it'll get busy next week though, the 15/08 events are stil on:
https://www.lourdes-france.org/pelerinage-national-fete-assomption-2020/
How did the holiday go Dazh?
Holiday was very quiet and stress free. Airports were empty with no queues, and the flights half full. The port where we were staying was very quiet with most places still closed or empty. We avoided the bars and restaurants in any case just to be extra safe. The Spanish seem very vigilant with almost all of everyone wearing masks both outdoors and In. Honestly any worries I had before were unfounded and I had much less contact with others than I did here in Todmorden before we went.
Not stepped inside someone else’s home since February.
I was going to say I was astonished by this, then I realised that other than my parents house - trying to stay socially distanced - throughout lockdown when I've delivered their shopping, and since it was allowed socially, neither have I. The kids have been in to their garden when dropping stuff off. MrsMC visited her parents in Sussex at the weekend for the first time since Christmas, though as a social worker she's been in quite a few houses throughout lockdown.
Anyway TP, you seem to have a big problem with me going on holiday. I would advise you spend less time worrying and judging others and more on yourself because quite frankly I don’t care what you think. I weighed up all the pros and cons and am completely comfortable with the risk to both myself and others of going on holiday, especially given the official advice at the time we departed, which if you remember was ‘enjoy the summer’.
Well you clearly weren't completely comfortable with the risk otherwise you wouldn't have stated numerous times that you'd have preferred not to go.
No problem with folks going on holiday however. My issue is folks going on holiday, then whining about having to quarentine on their return when it was always a possibility that might happen.
All good then Dazh, I'd like to be able to say the same about France but it's quite variable. On the whole it's good but places popular with young adult party goers are a little too festive.
@Edukator - do you think that the rural/mountainous areas like the Vosges/Jura/Auvergne will be quieter than normal?
We're still thinking about going in early Sept if France is not on the Quarantine list and we're allowed to leave the UK.
Some parts of Auvergne have had their busiest season ever as people have opted for staycations in Covid free areas, that still doesn't mean they are busy by any objective measure. We spent a night in Cernay, Vosges which was really quiet as was driving through the Jura. By September the kids are back to school so it'll only be French oldies holidaying along with a few Dutch, Germans and Brits. The number of foreign plates is nowhere near normal for this time of year and there will be less in September.
It'll be quiet almost everywhere unless you go to places that are always busy late season such St Jean de Luz, Arcachon... .
Merci
I am just back from a week in the Durance valley and a week in the Maurienne. Definitely quieter than usual, but not abandoned by any means. We stayed in apartments (usually we camp) and set up click and collect for Supermarket shopping. Covid precautions always clear and very well observed. Masks and hand sanitiser everywhere. Appropriate social distancing at all times. As tourists, we were very well received by all those with whom we came into contact. Biking was quiet, via ferratas always had someone else visible on the route as we arrived or left, but not busy. One climbing crag got busier at one point, and that was as we were leaving. Quite a few Dutch and Belgians and Italians, some Germans and Swiss, very very few Brits. I didn't hear English being spoken anywhere. Saw one Norwegian car all trip. Took the Eurotunnel to avoid interactions. Never done it before, and I was quite impressed.
The most alarming part of the whole trip seeing the behaviour in England on our drive back to Scotland. I get the rationale of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, but when we went through the McDonald's Drive Through at Leeming Bar the interior was mobbed with "diners" in close proximity seemingly grinning from ear to ear over the cash they'd saved. Is it worth it to save £2 per person?
The Mash nails it again:
If by "interesting" you mean white washing based on dubious suppositions, yes, it is.
The "rising but no where near as high as the previous peak" is just the new "rising but no where near as high as Italy" from earlier in the year. Ignore the rise, and don't act to stop it, and things can only go one way. Sorry.
As for the defence of the track/trace/isolate... it reads like PR from Serco (Dido in interviews constantly repeating the NHS branding they have been given to use is really grating with me right now)... for example... "NHS Test and Trace employs more than 20,000 call handlers and contact tracers" ...yes, they have employed those staff, but they are mostly still twiddling their thumbs waiting to be used properly. Paying people tax payers money to do little to nothing is an odd metric to try and prove "success" with.
Anyway... when do we get that contact tracing app that was promised for May... June.. ?
From the same article :
But most people agree it is unrealistic to expect a service that was put together in a matter of weeks to be perfect from day one
FFS - this is the kind of completely stupid spin that makes me resent paying my BBC licence fee - the reason the service was put together in a matter of weeks is that the pathetic scarecrow in No 10 sat on his fat lazy arse for months instead of getting moving on what was obviously going to be needed.
Scotland, I think. Oh, you said when, not where, my mistake.
It's not saying ignore the recent rise in cases at all.
It would be useful if they could more regularly publish positive tests as a proportion of tests carried out, or even hospital admissions with suspected Covid for local areas. Both would be a more reliable guide.
As it is, we don't know how much is grumbling along in the background until it gets into the elderly population and we start to see admissions rising. By which time, infections will have doubled twice at least.
And now they will be asking local authorities to make decisions on pub/shop reclosures (classic shifting of unpopular decisions), but are they getting decent data on which to make those decisions?
FFS – this is the kind of completely stupid spin that makes me resent paying my BBC licence fee – the reason the service was put together in a matter of weeks is that the pathetic scarecrow in No 10 sat on his fat lazy arse for months instead of getting moving on what was obviously going to be needed.
Couldn't agree more. They've known since March that the only way to get out of lockdown successfully was aggressive test and trace, and it seems they've done virtually **** all about it. I posted a while back about how the government would squander the few months of relaxed lockdown, and it seems that's the case.
If by “interesting” you mean white washing based on dubious suppositions, yes, it is.
Did seem a strange article, given how the Beebs Reality Check and other articles have been pulling government action apart quite well
Scotland, I think. Oh, you said when, not where, my mistake.
Do Scotland have the app rolled out now? I didn't realise. I knew Northern Ireland had (and every other country in the world that I know someone living in).
As I understand it sunscreen means no or little vitamin D production, vitamin D comes from UVB and sunscreen blocks that.
Correct. I take a daily supplement. around 3p per day. Probably not necessary in the summer months but won't do any harm. Almost certainly helpful during dark SCottish winters.
I didn't think it was available in Scotland yet... the switch to the Irish developers was only announced the other week.
I posted a while back about how the government would squander the few months of relaxed lockdown, and it seems that’s the case.
That was their response to the EU negotiation extension period too, this is no different. Why do something that could be wrong, when you can do nothing.
Well I booked an air BnB for the south coast at half term, same place we were supposed to go in April. I now fully expect to see a second wave build as the school's go back and lockdown restrictions return.
I'd go away now but it's not really the best time with a 6 week old baby. Although how much different it would be with a 16 week old.... Other than he should be sleeping through by then.... Who knows if we will get to enjoy a little holiday this year? I don't.
Other than he should be sleeping through by then….
You're more optimistic than Boris about Covid! 😉
Our world beating track & trace system is a complete **** up, did we really expect anything different though?
https://twitter.com/lbc/status/1290961849106804736?s=21
Anyway… when do we get that contact tracing app that was promised for May… June.. ?
IMHO I don’t think your getting one but tbh every time you grab your lunch at pret your gonna get a close pass and have to isolate 🙂
Haha educator! Nah, this is little'un #3 so we know what we are doing much better. He was a bit small when he arrived but he's gaining weight fast so will soon be at the magic 10lb ish mark where they are big enough to sleep through. #2 started it after 8 weeks, really good that.
So unlike Boris, I think I know what I'm talking about and am planning accordingly! 😂
I read that BBC article and my first thoughts were who paid him off.
Testing, testing …
https://twitter.com/fullfact/status/1291018624539471879?s=21
And I see that the Scottish government is acting in Aberdeen in a manner that doesn’t assume that there is some kind of magic in place in pubs, cafes and restaurants that prevents transmission.
Fifty million face masks bought by the government in April will not be used in the NHS because of safety concerns.
The government says the masks, which use ear-loop fastenings rather than head loops, may not fit tightly enough.
They were bought for healthcare workers from supplier Ayanda Capital as part of a £252m contract.
Ayanda says the masks meet the specifications the government had set out. The government says its safety standards process is "robust".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53672841
Just a normal day for the government. There is a bright side though:
It also emerged that the person who originally approached the government about the deal was a government trade adviser who also advises the board of Ayanda.
But he told the BBC his position played no part in the awarding of the contract.
So that's all OK and above board then.
And apparently not the only iffy PPE contract (blame Russ if its not accurate)...
http://twitter.com/RussInCheshire/status/1288475850434912256?s=19
£186m to Uniserve. PPE not delivered
£116m to P14 Medical Supplies, with assets of just £145. PPE not delivered
£108m to PestFix, with just 16 employees. PPE not delivered
£107m to Clandeboye Agencies, a sweet wholesaler. Yes, a sweet wholesaler. PPE not delivered.
£40m to Medicine Box Ltd, with assets of just £6000. PPE not delivered.
£48m to Initia Ventures Ltd, which registered itself as “dormant” in March. PPE not delivered.
£28m to Monarch Acoustics, which makes shop furniture. PPE not delivered
£25m to Luxe Lifestyle, which has no employees, no assets, and no turnover. PPE not delivered
£18m to Aventis Solutions, which has total assets of £332. Not a typo, £332. PPE not delivered
£10m to Medco Solutions, incorporated just 3 days after lockdown, with share capital of (not a typo) £2. PPE not delivered.
So, we’re not getting a contact tracing app at all in England now? Downgraded to an info only one… without a delivery date? [ No links yet, this is a word of mouth rumour ]
It also emerged that the person who originally approached the government about the deal was a government trade adviser who also advises the board of Ayanda.
But he told the BBC his position played no part in the awarding of the contract.So that’s all OK and above board then
it does seem that a lot of the usual suspects have been certainly making hay while the usual rules regarding competitive tendering have been put on hold.
Snouts well and truly in the trough
The Times has the story about the contact tracing app not contact tracing… apparently (BBC radio4 reporting of what The Times has) it‘s going ask you lots of lifestyle questions, and tell you the local risks. Great. Couldn’t a webpage do that? Data gathering with none of the actual (and once described by the government as vital) contact tracing?
I can’t find the story on The Times site… their cartoon is appropriate though…
And this cost how much ?
£15 per month?
Suspect this is probably one of the more accurate track and trace stories... 😂
