Is he right?

[ilovesunshine, east yorks]

My grand daughter is 2, we were just getting to know her, and were locked away. We'll have to start all over again
My son and family moved today, and we would normally have gone down for the weekend to help, and have the kids, but we've had to stay away. I know it can't be helped, but I just feel so useless .................................................. ........Carol

Its awful. My daughter has 5 boys and a business to run. 4 and 5 and 12o home school year olds to home school 16 year old managing on zoom. I feel awful not being able to help.

[Topdeck, London]

A friend of mine, has followed all the rules, keeping away from people, wearing a mask, washing her hands, sanitising, and has just tested positive. She is baffled and really annoyed that she has caught it, and really can't understand how .................................................. .....Carol

Presumably lives alone and has had no one in the house.

[annie, Glasgow]

A friend of mine, has followed all the rules, keeping away from people, wearing a mask, washing her hands, sanitising, and has just tested positive. She is baffled and really annoyed that she has caught it, and really can't understand how .................................................. .....Carol

Has she not met or interacted with anyone?? not even in a shop??

Annie

[jc, liverpool]

Hi all
Why all these posts putting the blame on a very few people for spreading the virus,,,,yes they can cause others to become infected,,but in the numbers we are seeing,,I don’t think so,,throw the net wider.

Why was people urged to go back to work?,with the weak rider to work from home if you can.

Why are companies who insist people come into work when they can work from home,,why aren’t these companies not shamed?

Attach to that the fact that low wage people have no option but to go to work,either that or they starve or get the sack.
Yes they can get a grant but only if you are on benefits,many low paid are not on benefits especially single people.

The government gave out £40m total to cover those who have to self isolate and are not able to attend work,that’s to cover every town in the country,,,,,as an example Thurrock council helped only 61 out of 250 applicants because they ran out of money.

If you are self employed try and get a grant if you have to self isolate.

Now they want to take the extra £20 a week emergency payment from UC,,that’s £1600 a week from someone already living on the edge,,,then people who are well off and brag about saving thousands of pounds during the lockdown flood social media sites with their insults etc.

I read an article today re x2 care homes in one town not far from each other,,both with 30+ residents....in one every resident had been vaccinated,no deaths,,,the other one nobody had been vaccinated and in 4 weeks half had died,,,,,,How can that happen?

Whats that saying about walking in someone else’s shoes.

Yes some people are irresponsible,very much so.
But look at the big picture folks.

JC

[annie, Glasgow]

It is estimated that only 17% of people who should self isolate actually comply ..... probably because of financial reasons.

However it is also estimated that approx £10 billion has been allegedly defrauded by companies using the company support scheme/loans. Let us not speak about track and trace failures.

What does perplex me currently, is that the Kent strain of the virus is more contagious and possibly more dangerous and yet more businesses are open now than they were last March. The logic escapes me.

That all said, that does not excuse the wilful and repeated covid rule breakers.

We are all meant to be in it together but during this pandemic the rich have got richer and the poor, poorer but no-one appears to care - JMO.

Annie

[Garfield, Waterlooville]

Hi jc

Well never get a handle on this virus with numpties like this...

Millenials....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...er_dailymailUK

[carol, welwyn garden city]

Like this
Covid: 400-person wedding party in Stamford Hill broken up by police - BBC News

Annie

They've now said it was 150 people, I know that's still way to many, but its a lot less than 400!! .........................................Carol

[philhar, wallasey]

There are numpties of all age groups,remember the coach trip to the races full of retired people?
I agree that a hard core of deniers and couldn't care less about society exist,but they are in the minority.
There's another war time analogy/phrase that is apt in this situation. Careless talk costs lives.Plenty of that from people who should know better.
Yesterday our PM visiting the floods said the new variant was more contagious but not more deadly.
Today he said it is more deadly by 10% .
I mean,really.
JC is right to mention economic hardship plays a part here.A phrase organisations use is COVID secure. At the same places there have been numerous large outbreaks.
A relative of mine was sent home with a letter yesterday informing him of a Covid breakout.Go home,get a test, text us the result and come straight back in or we will dock your pay.This to someone who has stood next door to someone on a production line with Covid.
Individuals should act responsibly but so should governments and companies .

[andyn, Bucks]

Heard the same question now probably a dozen times and never answered

The virus is more infectious (and now more deadly) yet lockdown is weaker.....why?

[Topdeck, London]

The latest surveillance data is showing good drops in the areas where the new wave started but from VERY HIGH levels
This is an indicator lockdown is starting to work, drops across all age groups.
The north may have been saved from the worst of this wave lockdown before it took hold.

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Highest rates are in the economically active groups 20-60



Education outbreaks are back up since they went back, mainly nursery and primary
As a common location for multiple cases education is higher than shopping

Outbreaks in care homes are highest they have been nearly 3000 in the last month.
There has been a serious breakdown of the duty of care.

I see Scotland they are finally investigating, will there be a coverup?


Workplaces have been going up and there is a significant under reporting by them.


As for 10% more deadly is that because of the virus or because the the NHS is overloaded.

[sandraggg, Newcastle]

Heard the same question now probably a dozen times and never answered

The virus is more infectious (and now more deadly) yet lockdown is weaker.....why?

I am looking forward to lockdown being over, so that the town I live in can return to being the dead backwater it normally is in winter.

There are at least two shops near me, selling takeaway refreshments, that normally shut up shop completely in the winter. During the 'lockdown' they are doing a roaring trade that they previously could only dream of. There is something badly wrong when that is the case.

Meanwhile, the local council has announced that they are planning to close all the public car parks near the seaside (they are full), to discourage visitors and send out a stay at home message. That happened in the first lockdown, so goodness knows why they are only getting round to it now.

[sandraggg, Newcastle]

There are numpties of all age groups,remember the coach trip to the races full of retired people?
I agree that a hard core of deniers and couldn't care less about society exist,but they are in the minority.
There's another war time analogy/phrase that is apt in this situation. Careless talk costs lives.Plenty of that from people who should know better.
Yesterday our PM visiting the floods said the new variant was more contagious but not more deadly.
Today he said it is more deadly by 10% .
I mean,really.
JC is right to mention economic hardship plays a part here.A phrase organisations use is COVID secure. At the same places there have been numerous large outbreaks.
A relative of mine was sent home with a letter yesterday informing him of a Covid breakout.Go home,get a test, text us the result and come straight back in or we will dock your pay.This to someone who has stood next door to someone on a production line with Covid.
Individuals should act responsibly but so should governments and companies .

I have always thought that workplaces were the elephant in the room.

I have a family member whose manager came into work for several days with a cough. Colleagues tried to encourage him to get tested but he dismissed the suggestion. Eventually, after several days of coughing and feeling worse, he had a Covid test which was positive. He ended up in hospital, although he recovered quickly and was discharged.

Was the workplace closed down as a precaution? No it wasn't.

It was even decided not to tell other colleagues outside the immediate team, as the office was very busy and the employer did not want people to be off work.

However, someone did come round with a tape measure and moved people round to ensure the furniture was a bit further apart. (Covid secure?!)

No one reported this, because they were too fearful of repercussions.

Unemployment figures are horrendous and people are too worried about losing their livelihoods at a time when there are few jobs to be had.

[PeterM, Southwell]

I think there's a lot to be said about workplace infections. In our small town we probably have a much higher percentage of white collar workers than elsewhere, and once lock down was applied and schools were closed the infection rate fell dramatically so that we have a very low rate of infection now. Elsewhere in the county, and particularly in the less affluent areas rates remain stubbornly high, and in some places numbers are rising albeit slowly. It is also noticeable that in student areas infection rates fell dramatically once our universities were closed. Much as I accept the importance of education, I hope we are not in too much of a hurry to reopen schools, universities etc. I remember last year that there was an outbreak at a cake factory in Newark. Despite the large numbers the factory remained open. Part of the problem was car sharing which was probably essential since otherwise many employees would not have been able to get to work.

[JohnR, Chippenham]

I think there's a lot to be said about workplace infections. In our small town we probably have a much higher percentage of white collar workers than elsewhere, and once lock down was applied and schools were closed the infection rate fell dramatically so that we have a very low rate of infection now. Elsewhere in the county, and particularly in the less affluent areas rates remain stubbornly high, and in some places numbers are rising albeit slowly. It is also noticeable that in student areas infection rates fell dramatically once our universities were closed. Much as I accept the importance of education, I hope we are not in too much of a hurry to reopen schools, universities etc. I remember last year that there was an outbreak at a cake factory in Newark. Despite the large numbers the factory remained open. Part of the problem was car sharing which was probably essential since otherwise many employees would not have been able to get to work.

Sadly Peter there are no quick fixes for this once in a generations pandemic. One thing is perfectly clear, obey the social distancing rules. If you are not near someone who has caught it you will not catch it. Your comment on the universities tends to bare this out. We have yet to have night time curfews as numerous European countries have.

It is a fast moving constantly changing situation with a thousand experts paid for their advice and ten times more "experts" on the side-lines offering conflicting "advice" at every step with absolutely no responsibility for their "advice". The problem is juggling all of the demands from vested interests to protect people, jobs, businesses, education and so on.

Those words by monk John Lydgate of Bury (c. 1370 – c. 1451) "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time" are as valid today as they were 600 years ago.

[Topdeck, London]

I have always thought that workplaces were the elephant in the room.

I have a family member whose manager came into work for several days with a cough. Colleagues tried to encourage him to get tested but he dismissed the suggestion. Eventually, after several days of coughing and feeling worse, he had a Covid test which was positive. He ended up in hospital, although he recovered quickly and was discharged.

Was the workplace closed down as a precaution? No it wasn't.

It was even decided not to tell other colleagues outside the immediate team, as the office was very busy and the employer did not want people to be off work.

However, someone did come round with a tape measure and moved people round to ensure the furniture was a bit further apart. (Covid secure?!)

No one reported this, because they were too fearful of repercussions.

Unemployment figures are horrendous and people are too worried about losing their livelihoods at a time when there are few jobs to be had.

It should have gone to test and trace and everyone should have been identified as a close contact.
also identified as a workplace issue so the local health protection teams (HPTs) could be alerted.

if they were contacted probably lied..



this weeks test and trace are claiming 96.2 contacts traced.

once you remove same household which is an easy win because they should already be isolating it is under 60%