Okay… I praised Johnson and Starmer for their speeches today… and then along comes Sturgeon to blow them out of the water again… everything clear, reasoned and communicated in a way “our” leaders still fall well short of… and they’ve had six months to learn how to do this.

FFS – Trump – FFS

“the nation that unleashed this plague”

To the UN.

FFS

Had to go and do a shop earlier – panic buying in full spree again, bog roll, flour, piss, the works. People are mental.

I went to my local Morrisons eariler and some items such as tins and pasta etc., were running low. It really pisses me off that some people can be so utterly thick. I also blame the likes of the Daily Mail for posting picture of empty shelves and being alarmist. It’s totally irresponsible because it creates the panic.

Well, my 11yo has been ejected from Secondary as he has a cough and general malaise – no other symptoms.   Done his homework and is in bed.  I’ve succumbed to thinking he should have a test, but guess what, nothing available.

Hope he’s okay.

Because the historical perception of laptops is that they are a bit shit and historical perception persists.

Shit to type on, hard to get keyboard and screen in the right place unless you use a dock in which case whats the point

Kelvin – she is very good at this stuff. I am sure its partly a political decision but its also that she is able to connect to people having some real life experience unlike Johnson.

She is confident and secure in herself so does not have to bluster and obfuscate to make it look like the decisions are to complex for mere mortals

Our world class test track and trace system kicked in today. Mrs anagallis filled in the form online (eventually), I got a text and email telling me to stay put all good. Anagallis junior got a call asking to speak to parent, me. Answered the questions then he told me that as he was only a contact other people in the house didnt need to stay in. Sorry what, could you say that again, yes others in the house dont need to isolate.

So my wife who has tested positive doesnt need to isolate as her and myself are just contacts of a contact…I’m off to the pub, what time does it close?

I’ve succumbed to thinking he should have a test, but guess what, nothing available.

The trick seems to be to start trying at 8pm

Because the historical perception of laptops is that they are a bit shit and historical perception persists.

Sent my son to Uni with an old high spec Lenovo laptop and a work docking station. None of his housemates had ever seen a docking station before. Three months later they all had the same. This comes to you via laptop in a draw on a docking station, a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard and a 22″ monitor. Laptops are great (I don’t do gaming but I do do simulations). I want the same setup at home and work. Just drop the laptop onto the station and off I go. No carrying peripherals or a half-kilo charger.

The trick seems to be to start trying at 8pm

Ta, I’ll try that while Boris is trying to convince us the scientists that say his new rules won’t reduce the transmission are wrong.  Scots CMO fwiw.

The trick seems to be to start trying at 8pm

Didn’t work for me when I spent 5 days trying from 7am to midnight daily with 15 minute refreshes before finally getting a test.
You could try gaming the system by using postcodes in distant parts of the UK – Inverness, Aberdeen, Carlisle have all been used in attempts to book tests but the postcode must be valid.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/15/uk-families-having-to-hack-system-to-get-coronavirus-test

Shall we admit that we’ve completely ****ed up the test, track and trace system, and try something that makes more sense, ie: taking it off Serco and giving it to regional health authorities instead?

No… let’s completely shut down the economy again instead

Shall we admit that we’ve completely ****ed up the test, track and trace system, and try something that makes more sense, ie: taking it off Serco and giving it to regional health authorities instead?

No… let’s completely shut down the economy again instead

How’s the App doing?

Confirmed case in my daughter’s year today. Despite the whole year being a ‘bubble’ which mixes freely and closely at lunchtimes/form periods (sitting next to whoever at lunch etc), only the people sitting immediately next to her in lessons have been sent home to isolate. Other pupils, even those in her lessons, haven’t even been told they have shared a room with a potentially-infectious person. Does anyone know what the recommended policy from Public Health England is these circumstances?

How’s the App doing?

Just about to be rolled out – again; ha.

Does anyone know what the recommended policy from Public Health England is these circumstances?

I’m going to go with no.
Dont worry schools are protected by a ring of steal! Kids dont get itvand teachers are immune!

How’s the App doing?

Hasn’t it been progressively downgraded to now what’s basically a glorified QR Code scanner?

A ‘World-Beating’ QR Code Scanner, obbviously

More an observation on the outside world than the thread

If people put as much time and effort into minimising transmission / infection risks in their lives they do into the earnest excusing themselves from any restrictions we’d be in a lot better place right now.

No… let’s completely shut down the economy again instead

Errrr…

What?

“…the people want a government to protect them – I mean YOU!…”

What a slip up…

Remember everyone if we all pull together and follow the rules infections will fall again and we’ll all be fine!

So when infections reach 50k a day in a few weeks it’s not the Gov fault, it’s ours.

Worry more about hospital admissions: about 200/day at the moment in England and Wales. 400 in 10 days, 800 in 20 days, 1600 in 30 days and 3200 in 40 days – or thereabouts… Another week of data will help nail down the doubling time but 7-14 days is not unreasonable. Peak admissions was 3099 on April 1. If perhaps 2-6% of patients seek hospital attention, then that would be 53-160,000 cases per day. That won’t happen, because contact restriction works more effectively than wearing a mask.

Damn booked a campsite in Wales for the weekend. All self contained in our van and decided to book a site to not add to the wild camping issue for locals. And then Mark Drakeford has just restricted all non essential travel… Doh! I know* legally as an English resident I could still go but doesn’t quite seem right when Welsh folk can’t move about. Oh well, we’ve played by the rules so far so will carry on doing so.

*Edit: Twitter (non reliably) suggests this is true. Lack of official guidance I can find so far. Also I don’t think in non lockdown areas of Wales it is legally binding. I’m very confused.

I know legally as an English resident I could still go but doesn’t quite seem right when Welsh folk can’t move about.

That can’t be right. Surely you have to abide by the law of the country you are visiting?

That can’t be right. Surely you have to abide by the law of the country you are visiting?

This seems to be the suggestion from Welsh MPs on Twitter (due to a lack of an official advice on their website yet), but it does seem very odd I agree.

And Wales also just set the precedent for restricted travel again.

Good job all those army of ‘Covid Marshall’s’ are in place to enforce the new restrictions.

What? It was just a meaningless sound bite, spaffed into the ether on the hoof?

Surely not?

Well, Operation Moonunit will mean these restrictions won’t be needed for long

10 million tests a day by next week, right?

Doubling time for admissions in England since Sept 1 is 9.4 days (95% CI 8.3, 11.0). Based on today’s data. Sorry.

Testing is noise to detract from the predicament. Testing for protection of the vulnerable is where the debate should be.

I am angry watching that tit who just came on telly and blamed us for his mess. I remember a commons question a few months back when he replied his govt took responsibility for the outcome of their strategy. Now is the time to fess up, not blame the transgressions of a minority which should always have been factored in. Tories gotta Tory.

could someone remind me which incompetent fools is in charge of the track and trace system.. Let them come out and explain how this gold standard world beating app is doing. Oh wait didn’t this incompetent fool just get a promotion?less gold standard more dusty bin

I’m struggling with the ‘essential travel’ regs in Wales.

What scale is he talking? I mean pubs can stay open until 10, but is walking a mile to get there ever essential?

We do at least in Wales get some clarification on these things a few hours later. But at the moment I’ve got a table booked for the pub Saturday evening just me and the wife, it’s a 10 min drive (my turn). Is that travel, or just ‘popping out’. If it’s non-essential travel, then why are we expecting the pub to stay open and fend for itself without financial support when no one is really allowed to go there?

On another tack, I can go out tomorrow, 11 days after first symptoms. The testing system worked fine for me, glad to say. I’m going for a very long bike ride.

P-Jay – I’d take it to staying in your local area ie your county as that’s the rules for Caerphilly etc. If they didn’t want you going to the pub to spend your money they’d shut them all.

I’m growing increasingly seceptical about the usefulness of testing in slowing the spread.

A lot of people are getting little if any symptoms and the escape the system completely, but they are still infected and if asymptomatic people swab positive surely they’re infectious.

People who realise they have the virus have been infectious for a few days. So testing might get them back to work if the result is negaitive but if it’s positive they’ve already been spreading for a few days.

The tests are unreliable, there are well documented cases of people with bad symptoms testing negative a couple of times before finally getting positive test – maybe.

The window for testing positive is quite narrow, you might be a contact who is told to test but go a bit early or late and come up negative.

Pepople’s attitude is a bit like junior’s geneneration’s attitude to AIDS tests. They get tested now and then but do little to protect themselves. Casual unprotected sex and test now and then, Barmy. Regular testing is seen as a substitute for taking measures not to get the disease. With Covid it’s down the pub, into work send the kids to school and get a test if anyone gets a snivel – by which time the virus is into a load more households.

I don’t have an answer, people don’t seem to be worried enough about gettng the virus to adapt their behaviour. As I posted a fesw pages back, the fear has gone, and testing can’t replace it.

I don’t have an answer, people don’t seem to be worried enough about gettng the virus to adapt their behaviour.

Not true of a single person I have had dealings with in recent weeks. Appreciate it may be quite different where you are. And the ‘worry’ is about spreading it, not about getting it, in most cases.

Testing is for the identification of those who spread most and the protection of those most at risk. It has little effect above and beyond basic symptomatology for those who can self-isolate. It is not a get out of isolation faster ticket. There I’ve said it. When NHSTT prioritise this path, which was what they projected their testing need would be, then it will have the desired impact.

It is not a get out of isolation faster ticket.

How does that fit in with keeping schools open full time for all pupils?

You test the teachers regularly and the pupils by pooled testing. You then isolate a class on a single positive. You don’t isolate Individuals on symptoms.

Children are the spreaders and teachers the at risk. Same for healthcare workers and patients/residents.

Children are the spreaders, and the whole community they are part of are the at risk. Stopping spreading via schools is not to protect teachers, it is to protect everyone.

Agree with what you say about testing as regards schools… without it you will have all staff isolating for many weeks this term, and schools will struggle to have the adults needed for kids being at school to make any sense. Testing is the only way to avoid all those teachers isolating for long and/or multiple periods. It is needed as a “get out of isolation faster” tool here, just as it is for health staff.