The UK response to Covid-19 [MOD WARNING 1ST POST]

Irish_peppa · 17-03-2020 7:07pm

Every time i look at the temple bar camera i get more anxious theres plenty of people in town

https://www.earthcam.com/world/ireland/dublin/?cam=templebar

17-03-2020 7:26pm

Aegir wrote: »

My family and friends in London say the complete opposite.

The people in London interviewed on TV said the opposite.... Looked pretty busy too.....
See how this goes......!

17-03-2020 7:27pm

bubblypop wrote: »

The people in London interviewed on TV said the opposite.... Looked pretty busy too.....
See how this goes......!

Dun Laoghaire was pretty busy today, at a glance you would almost think people are carrying on as normal.

Optics can be very different to people’s actions and that is what is important.

Donald Trump · 17-03-2020 8:12pm

Aegir wrote: »

Same as here then.

Please stop lying. This is a very serious issue. More people will die because of the delay in implementing controls in the UK compared to if they had implemented them faster.

Indoor gatherings of greater than 100 people were banned in Ireland last week. Outdoor gatherings of more than 500 were also banned.

17-03-2020 9:19pm

Aegir wrote: »

Dun Laoghaire was pretty busy today, at a glance you would almost think people are carrying on as normal.

Optics can be very different to people’s actions and that is what is important.

Can you explain this please?
Optics are different to people's actions?
So, if I see lots of groups of people in gangs together.........???

threeball · 17-03-2020 9:30pm

Aegir wrote: »

Same as here then.

I suppose thats why despite having a population 12 times higher than us, their death rate is 35 times higher. They had the same warning we had and did precisely nothing.

meeeeh · 18-03-2020 12:25am

I don't think we can compare death rates yet. What country acted well will be only indicated when people start dying (or don't die) due to issues with capacity. Lombardy has now no available critical beds. Nobody wants to be next Italy. And for our sake and due to open border we should hope Britain or Ireland don't end up there.

VinLieger · 18-03-2020 1:14am

Aegir wrote: »

Same as here then.

Nope, indoor gatherings over 100 have been banned here full stop, the UK have done nothing close to this still.

VinLieger · 18-03-2020 1:17am

Aegir wrote: »

My family and friends in London say the complete opposite.

And its impossible 2 different behaviours could be taking place several hundred miles apart....

The UK literally have admitted they got it wrong but you and Rob and the other usuals are so dug into your rule brittania routine that you will still try and spin things regardless of the actual very real facts. Pathetic considering the stakes at play.

Imreoir2 · 18-03-2020 1:28am

RobMc59 wrote: »

The problem you have here though is that as Ireland is part of the EU which has handled the crisis very poorly its unlikely anyone would take advice from any EU country in this subject.

EU countries responded too slowly, but have now taken huge steps to stop the spread of the virus. The UK failure to respond effectivly will cause many avoidable deaths. Every day lost to implementing measures to suppress the virus will result in more deaths.

The death toll in the UK is likely to be far worse than China or Italy becasue of the British governments failure to act in time.

threeball · 18-03-2020 10:14pm

50 times our death rate now. The arrogance was so great that the British health minister withdrew from daily european briefings of health ministers. Presumably because information from Italy and Spain was no use to him. Boris and co will pay a heavy price.

4068ac1elhodqr · 18-03-2020 10:28pm

Their population density issue could be a type of square root multiplier (so more than just x12, guess at x24, x36, even x48 for total figures).
But this really only realtes to Ldn, which will have it very bad. Also the lack of community spirit, and lack of sense of 'look out' for neighbours could be factors there.

splinter65 · 18-03-2020 10:38pm

My nephew is a teacher in Surrey. He’s been told he’ll be working from home from next Monday. He says there is zero concern about Covid19 in the leafy suburb that is Woking.

Eric Cartman · 18-03-2020 10:41pm

The UK's response has now effectively shown itself for the inadequate waste it was. Not one for conspiracy but if ever there was a concerted effort to kill off the old and the sick....

threeball · 18-03-2020 10:41pm

splinter65 wrote: »

My nephew is a teacher in Surrey. He’s been told he’ll be working from home from next Monday. He says there is zero concern about Covid19 in the leafy suburb that is Woking.

They were sitting in the pubs on sky news saying the government should be stricter. You couldn't make this sh1t up. The message is terrible. Massive Patricks day party in Liverpool and elsewhere yet not a single one in Ireland. They'll end up worse than Italy.

18-03-2020 10:45pm

I got a load of photos from St Patricks Day in the Irish centre in Leeds. Big party
They don't think it's a big deal because their government has been telling them it's not!

18-03-2020 10:45pm

VinLieger wrote: »

Nope, indoor gatherings over 100 have been banned here full stop.

no they haven't.

18-03-2020 10:47pm

threeball wrote: »

They were sitting in the pubs on sky news saying the government should be stricter. You couldn't make this sh1t up. The message is terrible. Massive Patricks day party in Liverpool and elsewhere yet not a single one in Ireland. They'll end up worse than Italy.

bubblypop wrote: »

I got a load of photos from St Patricks Day in the Irish centre in Leeds. Big party
They don't think it's a big deal because their government has been telling them it's not!

so it's the Irish in the UK causing the problems?

Darc19 · 18-03-2020 10:50pm

A UK supplier to where I work saw Vsradksrs speech last night - he said he wished they had a leader like him.

Boris simply mimics trump.

Massive community transmission the southeast / London area. Possibly will be worse than Italy

18-03-2020 11:00pm

Darc19 wrote: »

A UK supplier to where I work saw Vsradksrs speech last night - he said he wished they had a leader like him.

Boris simply mimics trump.

Massive community transmission the southeast / London area. Possibly will be worse than Italy

I thought Leo’s speech was good and inspiring, but it didn’t tell us much.

We need positive action on the current closures. We all know the schools aren’t going back until the 20th April at the very earliest, but in reality this is it for the school year, so where is the decision on exams?

There is also very little questioning of ministers. Plenty of tweets and questions to the dept for health, but have we actually seen Leo or the Simon’s put in front of journalists and questioned?

Yiu can say what you like about Boris, but he isn’t hiding.

meeeeh · 18-03-2020 11:04pm

You mean like Borise's bumbling to press. Even Telegraph were criticising some of his press conferences and the handling of the issues. And Telegraph never critical of him.

If you want European leader handling it well check the numbers of infected and numbers of dead in Germany.

Professor Moriarty · 18-03-2020 11:05pm

meeeeh wrote: »

You mean like Borise's bumbling to press. Even Telegraph were criticising some of his press conferences and the handling of the issues. And Telegraph never critical of him.

So glad we have Leo and not Johnson. At least Leo has some principles.

threeball · 18-03-2020 11:09pm

Aegir wrote: »

so it's the Irish in the UK causing the problems?

Your buddy Dominic is advertising for spin merchants. You should apply. It's easier than facing reality.

osarusan · 18-03-2020 11:10pm

Aegir wrote: »

so it's the Irish in the UK causing the problems?

Jaysus that's embarrassing, woeful strawman stuff.

Imreoir2 · 18-03-2020 11:12pm

Aegir wrote: »

I thought Leo’s speech was good and inspiring, but it didn’t tell us much.

It didn't have to, messaging over the past week and more has been clear and consistant. Speech just reinforced the existing message, which is the right way to do it.

You don't keep people in the dark waiting for a major broadcast to dramatically deliver vital health information.

18-03-2020 11:13pm

Damned Welsh and their St Patrick’s day parties

Why the **** were people holding big parties after it being made very clear that they shouldn’t?

Sinbad_NI · 18-03-2020 11:15pm

At least they seem to finally have worked out that they need to move faster and harder.

The lack of testing is baffling me though.

meeeeh · 18-03-2020 11:15pm

Aegir wrote: »

Damned Welsh and their St Patrick’s day parties

You are right, it's Irish plot to kill as many Brits as possible. And it's working due to ineptitude of British government.

It's all part of a big masterplan since half of world's ventilators are built in Ireland. They will be only sold to UK in exchange open border and soft Brexit.

(I'm just responding on your level.)

Imreoir2 · 18-03-2020 11:15pm

Aegir wrote: »

Damned Welsh and their St Patrick’s day parties

Sure, blame the Irish, who cancelled every St. Patricks day event in their own country, and not the woefull responce from the British Government which allowed major events to continue in Britain in the middle of a pandemic. The mind boggles at this level of blinkered thinking.

Why the **** were people holding big parties after it being made very clear that they shouldn’t?

Was it made very clear? I don't think it was.

The Irish government made it very clear that all major events should be cancelled, and all major events were cancelled as a result. What explains the different outcome in the UK? Do you think that the British people are vastly more irresponsible in the face of a clearly communicated public health crisis, or is it perhaps that the British government were just much more inept in getting the message accross?

18-03-2020 11:32pm

Anyone who didn’t get the message obviously missed all U.K. media on Monday and Tuesday.

If anyone went ahead and held St Patrick’s day parties they did it in defiance of the message, not because they were not aware of it.

All west end theatres closed Monday evening, Odeon cinemas, galleries, museums etc. The message was very clear, hence Sunek making his announcement on aid on Tuesday’s briefing.

18-03-2020 11:35pm

Aegir wrote: »

so it's the Irish in the UK causing the problems?

Are you actually serious?
Did I say they were Irish?
A lot of people go out on St Patrick's Day you know? All over the world.
They are still gathering in pubs & everywhere else because their government are jackasses

Eric Cartman · 18-03-2020 11:39pm

Darc19 wrote: »

A UK supplier to where I work saw Vsradksrs speech last night - he said he wished they had a leader like him.

Boris simply mimics trump.

Massive community transmission the southeast / London area. Possibly will be worse than Italy

jaysus things are that bad.

Imreoir2 · 18-03-2020 11:40pm

Aegir wrote: »

Anyone who didn’t get the message obviously missed all U.K. media on Monday and Tuesday.

If anyone went ahead and held St Patrick’s day parties they did it in defiance of the message, not because they were not aware of it.

All west end theatres closed Monday evening, Odeon cinemas, galleries, museums etc. The message was very clear, hence Sunek making his announcement on aid on Tuesday’s briefing.

Too little, too late. St Patrick's Day parades were being cancelled in Ireland two weeks ago. The message from the British Government eventually changed, but the delay will be fatal for many people.

18-03-2020 11:54pm

Imreoir2 wrote: »

Too little, too late. St Patrick's Day parades were being cancelled in Ireland two weeks ago. The message from the British Government eventually changed, but the delay will be fatal for many people.

Don’t forget people were out drinking all over Ireland up until Sunday night.

There seems to be some selective amnesia taking place here.

Imreoir2 · 19-03-2020 12:10am

Aegir wrote: »

Don’t forget people were out drinking all over Ireland up until Sunday night.

There seems to be some selective amnesia taking place here.

There are people out drinking all over the UK tonight. There seems to be some selective blindness here!

19-03-2020 12:30am

Imreoir2 wrote: »

There are people out drinking all over the UK tonight. There seems to be some selective blindness here!

There probably is and they are idiots. it will all end by the weekend though.

I said after Boris’s statement last Friday the U.K. was going to see a steady tightening of the screws over the week and so far I’ve been right. That seems to be the feeling from friends and relatives in London as well.

There has been new measures taken pretty much every day this week and this weekend is likely to see a near lockdown in London.

Imreoir2 · 19-03-2020 12:41am

Aegir wrote: »

There probably is and they are idiots. it will all end by the weekend though.

I said after Boris’s statement last Friday the U.K. was going to see a steady tightening of the screws over the week and so far I’ve been right. That seems to be the feeling from friends and relatives in London as well.

There has been new measures taken pretty much every day this week and this weekend is likely to see a near lockdown in London.

Well done on being right about what the UK is doing, does it not bother you that this approch will cause a great many unnecessary additional deaths?

The WHO has been crystal clear, act early and be agressive. The British approch has not followed this advice.

fr336 · 19-03-2020 12:51am

Darc19 wrote: »

Massive community transmission the southeast / London area. Possibly will be worse than Italy

How do you jump to this conclusion? How is the UK different to any other large country with large population centres? It's very easy to point to the Irish numbers when you have 5 million vs 70 million in UK. And it's a no brainer that the very largest to be hit by an outbreak in the UK would be its huge capital city which is one of the most connected on the planet.

4068ac1elhodqr · 19-03-2020 3:06am

Maybe this sums up the uk approach: EUR/GBP close:0.94906
Nearly 95 pennies for the eurodolla'.

But don't think about doing a shopping run, until June at least.

CelticRambler · 19-03-2020 8:02am

Aegir wrote: »

I said after Boris’s statement last Friday the U.K. was going to see a steady tightening of the screws over the week and so far I’ve been right. That seems to be the feeling from friends and relatives in London as well.

A "steady tightening of the screws" is the worst possible way to manage an outbreak like this - it does nothing to contain the asymptomatic spreaders and gives contagious people time to prepare their escape from zones of high infection to spread it to previously unaffected areas.

The British government appears to be looking at what Italy did, how that failed to contain the infection, and has decided to do exactly the same ... but with less enthusiasm. There is no excuse for Johnson still to be announcing that he'll introduce new/stricter measures "when the time is right".

Melanchthon · 19-03-2020 8:28am

CelticRambler wrote: »

A "steady tightening of the screws" is the worst possible way to manage an outbreak like this - it does nothing to contain the asymptomatic spreaders and gives contagious people time to prepare their escape from zones of high infection to spread it to previously unaffected areas.

The British government appears to be looking at what Italy did, how that failed to contain the infection, and has decided to do exactly the same ... but with less enthusiasm. There is no excuse for Johnson still to be announcing that he'll introduce new/stricter measures "when the time is right".

But the outbreak also won't be contained by the actions occuring in Ireland, slowed yes but not contained, for example public transport at certain times is still busy and there is no social distancing in effect on Dublin bus, still lots of OAP's out and about.

I think some of the UK's approach is based on fears of social unrest but I also don't think that the people advising the government are idiots and what we have seen the last two days is the timeline simply being accelerated.

An example of this is that things like english local council elections and London mayor elections were a postponed a week ago, actions like that don't worry the type of people that will smash up Foot Locker but are a sign that even a week ago they expected strict restrictions coming

eddie73 · 19-03-2020 8:38am

How come NI cases are proportionatly lower than here despite our more stringent measures?

Heroditas · 19-03-2020 8:40am

eddie73 wrote: »

How come NI cases are proportionatly lower than here despite our more stringent measures?

They're barely testing as far as I understand

19-03-2020 8:40am

eddie73 wrote: »

How come NI cases are proportionatly lower than here despite our more stringent measures?

Not as much international travel maybe?

Peregrinus · 19-03-2020 8:43am

Melanchthon wrote: »

I think some of the UK's approach is based on fears of social unrest but I also don't think that the people advising the government are idiots and what we have seen the last two days is the timeline simply being accelerated.

In fairness, we have seen more than that. It's clear that HMG's attitude had changed because the scientific advice they were relying on changed, and that this happened because the authors came to realise that some of the assumptions on which they had initially constructed their model were not safe or realistic.

All credit to the scientists for being willing to correct themselves and (obviously) expose themselves to some criticism. But it does suggest that those who were sceptical of HMG's initial position and wanted the scientific basis for it critically scrutinised were entirely prudent. Whereas those who displayed a touching childlike faith in Boris Johnson to take the right advice for the right reasons were, um, naive. The more cynical among us suspected that Johnson's instinct would be to take, not the advice that appeared to be most solidly grounded or to represent the widest scientific consensus, but the advice that appeared to support the course of action which, for ideological reasons or reasons of political opportunism, he already wanted to take. And this episode will have done nothing to assuage our cynicism.

Peregrinus · 19-03-2020 8:47am

eddie73 wrote: »

How come NI cases are proportionatly lower than here despite our more stringent measures?

Ireland has massively ramped up its testing programme over the past week. This is the right thing to do - intensive testing has been a tool in the armoury of all the countries that have enjoyed better-than-average success in tacking Covid-19 - but one of the inevitable consequences is that, with a time lag of a day or two as tests are processed, there will be a signficant spike in recorded cases. The more testing you do, the more cases you identify, the worse your trajectory looks.

Melanchthon · 19-03-2020 11:11am

Peregrinus wrote: »

Ireland has massively ramped up its testing programme over the past week. This is the right thing to do - intensive testing has been a tool in the armoury of all the countries that have enjoyed better-than-average success in tacking Covid-19 - but one of the inevitable consequences is that, with a time lag of a day or two as tests are processed, there will be a signficant spike in recorded cases. The more testing you do, the more cases you identify, the worse your trajectory looks.

Have heard the north is going to be much more capable in terms of carrying out tests either this week or next week. Ireland has responded a bit quicker but not much more than the UK at this, neither is anywhere close to the levels, don't forget all the mess ups that happened a few weeks ago when it was the time to test.

19-03-2020 11:16am

Melanchthon wrote: »

Have heard the north is going to be much more capable in terms of carrying out tests either this week or next week. Ireland has responded a bit quicker but not much more than the UK at this, neither is anywhere close to the levels, don't forget all the mess ups that happened a few weeks ago when it was the time to test.

It is all down to test kit availability. The U.K. is currently doing around 6000 per day, but ramping up to 15000.

I would guess every country is doing similar, so who is producing these kits? These are very very high volumes being produced.

CelticRambler · 19-03-2020 12:55pm

Melanchthon wrote: »

But the outbreak also won't be contained by the actions occuring in Ireland, slowed yes but not contained, for example public transport at certain times is still busy and there is no social distancing in effect on Dublin bus, still lots of OAP's out and about.

I think some of the UK's approach is based on fears of social unrest but I also don't think that the people advising the government are idiots and what we have seen the last two days is the timeline simply being accelerated.

Where is this fear of social unrest coming from? Can you point to any other country in the world where social unrest has followed the imposition of severe movement restrictions? Here, in France, the natives are very quick to become "unresty" when they feel aggrieved about some suggested minor change to their way of life, but when Macron told everyone to stay at home, they did just that without the least complaint.

Are the British so exceptional that they wouldn't follow such an instruction? Because that flies in the face of Aegir's assertion that the mere suggestion that they keep away from each other is enough for the average Brit - a kind of gentleman's agreement, and understanding that a chap will always do the right thing ... except the country is currently being led by a chap who has shown himself to be quite happy to the do the wrong thing and spit on any gentleman's agreement that causes him inconvenience.

All-in-all, I don't buy the fear of social unrest in Britain as a valid justification for not instigating proper disease control measures. I do think other European countries were unreasonably slow to react, and unreasonably lenient in their initial responses. Even if I respect Macron's decision to lock down the country, I think he was wrong to delay it by 24 hours (I knew about the lockdown 8 hours before he announced it). If the Dept. of Agriculture positively identifies a case of a notifiable animal disease - whether in Ireland, Britain, France or elsewhere in the EU - movement restrictions are put in place immediately, and the elimination teams are mobilised.

Anyone who remembers the Foot-and-Mouth outbreak in the UK back in the 90s, and the piles of carcasses being burnt in fields, should be asking themselves why the British government back then went to such extreme lengths to eliminate a disease that had no implications for human health, yet today's government continues to dither and delay as the dead humans pile up in the HNS ICUs.

ILoveYourVibes · 19-03-2020 12:57pm

The uk is closing schools and colleges now ..they will be closing pubs soon. There is no avoiding it.

The UK response to Covid-19 [MOD WARNING 1ST POST]

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