MarcusX

Stay at home, if you possibly can

thats really going to hammer the message home!

6 hours ago, wood_red said:

What is the point of that story, a few people are feeling ill after attending a festival (that they never had to attend). So just 3 people out of 250000 but it must have been caught there, surely there would be a lot higher percentage of people who got it if they got it there?

It's not as if they have been anywhere else is it? 

Perhaps not everyone posts on twitter when they’re ill? I know it was the last thing on my Mind when I had whatever it was at Xmas. I couldn’t even reach over to pick up my phone it would be surprising if no one caught or spread the virus at such a large gathering though.

6 hours ago, robin_unreliant said:

That was the kind of reaction I expected tbh. That isn't what I'm saying. Where is the shock and outrage for the 600,000 loved ones who die every year is the point. Why isn't there massive pressure to spend whatever it takes to save them when there isn't a pandemic. Why has everyone been happy to sit back and allow the govt to decide not to spend more on healthcare in the past when that is condemning people to die early? The reaction to this is at odds with how we normally decide spending on healthcate is all I'm saying. 

Many people voted for Brexit because of a bus slogan to spend more money on the NHS. The problem is since then no one has held the government to account for not actually giving the NHS any more money. There’s also the mismanagement that needs to be sorted before they throw money at it.

3 hours ago, daored said:

Stupid question , local pub is selling bottles - it’s a brewery. Is it safe to buy ? Keen to support them in this difficult time 

I saw places doing this, I appreciate they have to survive but people queuing up at the pub to have their bottles filled up with beer etc is as bad as them going to the pub in the first place - defeats the point

35 minutes ago, joe jordans teeth said:

Is otib not social media because I can assure you I’m not down the pub so that’s a sweeping statement 

Personally wouldn’t count it as social media, maybe it is... but also didn’t mean everyone obviously

The same people on social media moaning about panic buyers are now out for “1 last night out”

based on the news tonight are we confident the government are pulling through now or is it talked the talk, wait and see if they walk the walk?

It does sound a bit better effort from them, but a little too late in some situations.

5 minutes ago, bpexile said:

Agreed, Nans are very special, I've been married to one for 48yrs & I can't imagine what our 2 children, 5 grandchildren & myself would do without her. Our deepest condolences & thoughts go to Marcus & his family & he's correct in saying that football is of no importance when it comes to matters like this.

Thanks again, yourself and everyone else for the kind words. Hope everyone is staying safe.

2 minutes ago, Super said:

Football postponed to April 30th now.

Just saw that, at least it's not a cancellation announcement 

23 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Having said I don't care about football at the moment, I did have a little idea for next season that I thought I'd share.

If this season finishes late, how would people feel about a 23 game Championship next season where you only play every team once?  You'd have either 12 or 11 home games.  Plus playoffs, relegation and promotion in the usual manner.  Yes, it's not perfectly fair - but might it be an acceptable compromise if there simply isn't time to complete a full schedule of matches before the Euros?

We're usually in the top 6 at the half way stage, I'm game for it 

2 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

I can see the panic buying getting even worse if they roll out some form universal basic income.

Numbers of between £48p/w and £1000p/m have been banded about. 

Granted there would be those would spend £1000 on a new television, overlooking the fact that they might not have a wall to nail it to if they don't pay for their accommodation, but equally there will be those who decide to try and corner the tinned tomatoes market.

At the lower end of the figures quoted, I would expect retailers adding a few pence to each product so no one (apart from them) benefits, at the top end, hyper inflation and goods costing a king's ransom.

Do you think that would be something you have to apply for or just given out somehow? I have savings, I'm ok I'd rather someone else got my share that needed it.

Also as a side note thanks for all the kind messages. I dont blame myself as such, but maybe I should have been more careful even if it was just a seasonal flu.

It would be good to test if I have had it so that I can continue to help look after my father in law without risk of infection (if he/we havent had it already)

1 hour ago, Red-Robbo said:

They're finally stepping up testing capacity. Something that should've been done as priority one, but at least is happening now. Must've been reading my angry social media posts  

Good news.

Businesses need more clarity and more grants/less loans if they are to keep paying staff as orders dry up. The other option is a surge in benefit claimants that will be unprecedented in history and likely be as unmanagable as if everyone got sick at once.

I read about efforts to develop a test to see those who HAD Covid-19 but are now recovered. Be interesting to test all of us here who had Covid style symptoms before the virus "arrived" in the UK and see whether it was about before early Feb. Also, if we knew we'd caught it  and recovered, we'd likely have a high degree of immunity and could be very valuable to society, taking on tasks that are currently being undertaken by those who have not caught the virus.

This! I’d love to know if I had it because then hopefully I could worry less about infecting my vulnerable relatives but also provide more help to them and others with less risk.

i can also reassure my work that I’m fine to do the things I need to do to help keep the business running

7 minutes ago, walnutroof said:

I actually got hospitalised a few days after going to the QPR game, this was two weeks after the Christmas flu coughing finally stopped, initially i was diagnosed with a strangulated hernia but a ct scan revealed all the lymph nodes in my groin had become inflamed and the consultant told me that they obviously been working overtime to remove an infection. At the time of being hospitalised news about Covid 19 was only starting to appear so no connection was made but the more i think of it and remember the symptoms i had a Christmas such as wheezing that made me sound like a dog the more convinced i am it was around a lot earlier than people think 

To me that’s a positive thing because we could be hitting it’s peak a lot earlier than forecast and also a lot of people will have had it and now be immune which Is what the herd immunity thing is all about 

For real? I have a similar issue in my groin / hip region that's been lingering since January. The pain is quite deep in that region, not like a surface pain and thought it was possibly psoas or something. i've got a physio appointment Friday

That could be complete coincendance because I do a lot of weightlifting and running, so very possibly just a tight muscle...

2 hours ago, walnutroof said:

So kind! I did Charlton away Boxing Day and managed not to wipe out those in the away end, it was literally a case of felt alright one day and was sick the next 

Joking aside since posting that article on Facebook quite a few people have said similar that they had those symptoms from November/December onwards, this helps explain why it looks like there’s been a massive jump in cases when it’s actually been going on a lot longer than people thought, it also means a lot of those currently panicking at home with their toilet rolls are probably immune now to the virus 

I posted this in the politics thread. I had terrible flu just before xmas, completely bed/sofa ridden for 4-5 days. One day fine, next day even went to the gym in the morning then within an hour went from fine to couldn't move off the sofa, no energy at all. It started on a Sunday, finally felt better by about Thursday then Friday night it struck me down again for another 2 days.

Most people I had prolonged contact with were ill too,  partner came down ill a week or so later but not quite at the same level. Her dad who is an "at risk" person was hospitalised with suspected pneumonia / chest infection. My nan, in the same bracket and is house bound, also hospitalised with almost the exact same symptoms as him.

Could be coincedance but it definitely makes sense if this thing was around longer than people think - but at the same time, its winter and these are also typical flu symptoms.

7 minutes ago, oldstandrobin said:

Quite agree RR Over 20 years ago I was a Sales Manager at BT and we were pushing Video conferencing then. why has it not taken off ?

I think breifings and one-way updates work ok over VC, but always hated having meetings that require debate over VC, especially mutli-office or with some people in a room and some over the video link. There's always a delay and it's always hard to get a word in / get your point across. In my opinion anyway

12 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Be amazed away then.

My workplace cut 30% of staff last week, more on Monday- and last I heard, they still by Tuesday close of play had no instructions about working from home.

I know someone working in sales for a printers in Bath and still being sent out meeting clients, shaking hands etc. Some companies just dont give a stuff about "advice"

14 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

That's fine- people need essentials and if no panic buying, they will have to do that! Unless you want panic buying, we will for the time being need to keep supermarkets open! If people are responsible, social distance, wash hands- then supermarkets staying open is okay.

Beyond that, I have sympathy with your post in general- companies not encouraging home working is interesting but very irresponsible indeed. Preventing it further still.

I agree people need supplies, maybe shouldn't have mentioned supermarkets but was surprised how many people were there considering "social distancing" measures (none of that going on)

Seems Boris has took another change of direction and the NHS are now going to test 25000 people per day

46 minutes ago, North London Red said:

Entirely agree. A couple of things in recent days have made me think this is going to last for much longer than some people think.

Firstly, Chris Whitty was asked the other day how long these measures could be in place. His answer was 'weeks or months', and I got the sense he was being deliberately vague because he already knows the answer but doesn't dare reveal it to the public as the answer won't be a popular one.  

Secondly, if the government are offering assistance to businesses for the next 12 months, what does that tell you?

Thirdly, I come back to the point about 60% of the population becoming infected. If this is being considered as a likely outcome in the modelling, and if such a scenario were to occur within 12 months, it would mean an average of 100,000 new cases every single day. That's a rate of infection that's way, way beyond where we currently stand right now.

I wonder if part of the problem is relying on / trusting the general public to do the right thing? They cant be trusted to not stock pile toilet paper ffs how can they be trusted to stay home and bunker down?

Whilst people are still "allowed" to make their own choices, I cant see how the spreading will stop. There's still companies that at best arent encouraging home working (at worst, preventing it). There's still people going to pubs, bars, restaurants. Gyms are still open. The supermarkets are still full of people. We aren't testing anyone so we wont even know when the numbers die down. Any figures now need to be taken with a pinch of salt as they are likely higher than reported.

1 hour ago, Coppello said:

Glastonbury Festival has confirmed its cancellation. Tickets have been rolled forward to next year which is a bit annoying given I missed out! 

True, but its the only thing they could do. I've been trying for several years to get tickets so would have been annoyed if they didn't - though I realise there's more important things to be annoyed about

2 minutes ago, wayne allisons tongues said:

I think it depends on what services are needed at the ground. Games aren’t being played so that emergency services are free to deal with other things. 
 
Would the government be happy for all these people to be not available on the frontline to be at football games.

That's not why football was initially cancelled, though the government advice obviously changed since.

Why would emergency services be required for a game behind closed doors? Other than potentially medical staff

Genuine question. How does a government create a plan, and control a pandemic when it's stopped testing the general public?

If you don't know how many cases there are, how do you know when it truly slows?

Following yesterday's post about my mother, she was told not to contact 111 or Doctors, as per the general guidance, so she wont know if she has it, and nor will the people collecting the data.

Also, she could now quarantine for 14 days as per advice, then turn out she only had an agressive cold (she has lower immune system due to cancer in the past) and then still be likely to actually catch it?

Likewise, myself (back in work today ) could quarantine for 2 weeks thinking I've been around someone with symptoms when I haven't and then we're still at risk.

I think i'd rather have it ASAP, quarantine and get it done with than the unknown with vulnerable people around me.

I also realise the NHS/GPs probably dont have capacity to test the amount of people required. I just couldn't understand how you manage it without knowing the figures?

2 hours ago, RumRed said:

Well can someone tell my employers please?  

You know, those people that pay me.  
 

That’s the difference between ‘advice’ and ‘an order’

This.

my mum called me today, sent home from work for having a fever and cough. I’ve been with her this weekend and last, so work sent me home this afternoon (To work from home) after the call.

I then got an email saying one of the directors has suggested if I have no symptoms myself I should come back to work tomorrow!

My partners also got a temperature though no other symptoms of yet. All a little too close to home now - for someone who admittedly thought they’d have little chance of catching it

10 hours ago, And Its Smith said:

Has anyone blamed Boris for it? Can’t see it 

10 hours ago, Northern Red said:

Who's doing that then?

To be fair, lots of it going on over social media, particularly twitter.

8 hours ago, Dr Balls said:

The pandemic will cause more chaos in the world than any event since the Second World War and it will be more universal. The loss of life may well be of a similar order once the virus hits the third world, which is saying something considering how many died during that conflict. Out of 8 billion people, with 75% catching it, even with only a 1% mortality rate that equates to 60 million deaths worldwide. If that doesn’t call for somber contemplation nothing will!

Radical solutions will be needed. Forget Universal Credit for those laid off from their jobs or whose business collapse. Also there is no point just bailing out big businesses in the way that the banks were in the financial crash of 2008, where all the money went to the richest, and all the pain was borne by the rest of us for years to come, this time we need a universal income at least in the short term. The money needs to go to the people not the “fat cats”. In the meantime, we need funds, so taxing Facebook, Amazon and Google fair amounts across all countries has to come too.

This will truly be a shock to the neo-liberal Western financial system, one for which it is ill-prepared, as it hates market intervention. However only governments working for their populations and working together can sort this out.

As for food, considering as a country we import 50% of it from overseas (mostly from the EU that we left 6 weeks ago) we are in big trouble if the supply lines start drying up. Rationing may be a last resort but it’s no longer unthinkable if this situation continues until next year. 

We are in truly unprecedented times, and as I mentioned before, Boris should have been more careful about what he wished for. He might have hero worshipped Churchill but now he is being asked to deal with something which is potentially far more difficult and complex. And all because he wanted to be “World King” as a kid...

Depending what you define as the thirld world, it has hit them? Many parts of Africa have confirmed cases. 

8 minutes ago, pillred said:

It seems to me to be a case of damned if he does and damned if he doesn't, people and they know who they are on here appear to be looking for a convenient scapegoat.

I’d agree that he will be scrutinised either way. I’ve said a few times I’m not a fan but won’t criticise him for following some sort of expert advice (even if it’s different to other expert advice)

I think it’s easy to make assumptions about why he hasn’t forced closures, I’m really not sure how I feel about it as someone who’d rather have the choice of what I do and be trusted to act like a responsible human rather than be forced into actions. However there are people who will ignore this advice if they aren’t forced into action, so I think it will happen eventually.

7 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

As well as asking for public money to prop up his business, Branson is also telling his staff to go without pay for eight weeks.

Sell your tropical island, you bearded ****, and pay them half money at least

And pay some taxes while he's at it

1 hour ago, pillred said:

Just generally, the keep calm and carry on slogan I think has summed up the British character and is particularly apt at this moment in time. And as for being the sick man of Europe I think considering our population we are relatively low down the numbers per head of population many more deaths in other EU countries with a lot less people so we must be doing something right, of course I can't predict what will happen in the future. 

Well the sick man tag was relative to our financial position before joining the EU, though if the government get this wrong (who by the way I have said I am trusting on this one despite not being a fan) then we could well be seeing more sickness than our neighbours

1 hour ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Give it a rest ffs.

I didn't bring it up, simply replying to someone why it's nonsense to say "we were ok before the EU so we'll be ok after" completely different times.

10 hours ago, pillred said:

Funny how we managed for 100s of years before we joined the EU, don't worry I'm sure we will be fine we usually are.

Do we really have to get into that? Pre-EU Britain was very different. I wouldn't call 2 world wars and being nicknamed the "sick man" of Europe (could be appropriate in a couple of weeks) something to look back on fondly and strive towards

Or did you mean the British Empire?