Covid - coming out of Lockdown 3 - no politics, less opinion and more facts and information.

[woodenhead]

11 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

There are a lot of green spaces in London, but its the whole living experience which has gone down hill.

I think it was on a downward spiral even before Covid, that was just the icing on the cake.

 

It's not just a London thing either, certainly across the UK, it probably started with the austerity measures (and I don't want this to be political), then there was the Scottish independence referendum followed by the EU referendum - each was another dagger into the heart of Britain because everyone was expected to pick sides, sides that I still don't think are fixed.  I was very hopeful after the Good Friday agreement that perhaps as nation we could focus on improving our lives with the threat of terrorism lifted, but we just got 9/11 instead which led to whole new scale of international terrorism.

[hayfield]

I have been in a lucky position in that Covid has not impacted me to any great extent, other than not being able to see some of our family and not being able to go out or on holiday.

 

Its up to each of us to make the best of things that are in our control. I understand many have been put into very difficult circumstances, but I firmly believe the outlook both health wise and financially is very bright, even the IMF believe it. The less said about the political situation in the areas you mentioned the better. Focus on what we as individuals can control, what we cannot control don't let it affect you  

[woodenhead]

1 minute ago, hayfield said:

I have been in a lucky position in that Covid has not impacted me to any great extent, other than not being able to see some of our family and not being able to go out or on holiday.

 

Its up to each of us to make the best of things that are in our control. I understand many have been put into very difficult circumstances, but I firmly believe the outlook both health wise and financially is very bright, even the IMF believe it. The less said about the political situation in the areas you mentioned the better. Focus on what we as individuals can control, what we cannot control don't let it affect you  

Same here, I was already a homeworker so not a lot changed for me, except now people used Microsoft Teams rather than voice conferences so I actually see more of people.

 

I keep away from the news to reduce my dismay at the state of the world and live in my own bubble, the wife has taught me that little trick - but sometimes I have to face it and it brings me down again.  I do wish I could control it more, but politics doesn't look like something that can actually change things for the better anymore, I've seen too many bright sparks ruined once they enter the full political arena - Shami Chakrabarti, really respectful individual who got caught up in the politics of anti-semitism in the Labour party.

[hayfield]

2 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Same here, I was already a homeworker so not a lot changed for me, except now people used Microsoft Teams rather than voice conferences so I actually see more of people.

 

I keep away from the news to reduce my dismay at the state of the world and live in my own bubble, the wife has taught me that little trick - but sometimes I have to face it and it brings me down again.  I do wish I could control it more, but politics doesn't look like something that can actually change things for the better anymore, I've seen too many bright sparks ruined once they enter the full political arena - Shami Chakrabarti, really respectful individual who got caught up in the politics of anti-semitism in the Labour party.

 

Well politics has certainly helped us out in this pandemic, many have been paid by the government to stay at home preserving jobs. Then its the vaccine we are all getting quicker than most others, down to the government stepping in and bankrolling the roll out of the vaccines we are using. Look for the positives, they are there. 

[caradoc]

20 hours ago, Rods_of_Revolution said:

I haven't seen one estimate for how many lives will be saved or cases of hospitalisation reduced by the 'vaccine passports'.

 

Surely the reason for vaccine passports (should they be introduced, which has not actually been decreed yet) is to allow mass gatherings of people to resume safely ? Saving lives and avoiding hospitalisation is the purpose of the vaccines themselves !

 

I am not particularly keen to have to carry a vaccine passport, but if that is the price of allowing events such as the Steve Hackett concert I have a ticket for, or Warley ditto, to go ahead, so be it. 

 

I have sympathy for those unable to be vaccinated, but for those who refuse, none; That is their choice and they will reap the consequences. 

 

[APOLLO]

Coming out of winter (which hasn't been too harsh where I live) and lockdown easing is a bonus, as is having had first jab too.

 

My daily walks, started last March have continued. Lots of nice walks around Wigan, some old railway lines now footpaths, Leeds Liverpool canal, Haigh Hall country park etc. I've discovered quite a bit. Lots of interesting industrial archaeology around here also

 

Went here a couple of weeks ago (second part of video Aspull pumping pit) - a long walk on a nice day !! (and Haigh Sough is pronounced Hay Suff !!!!). Just had a quick look. Never been before and this video spurred me on.

 

 

 

Brit15

[woodenhead]

@APOLLO Look up GLovesTrains (G loves trains) on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Tyvzz_tgHa8YtM3UomsWQ

 

She's from 'The Wigan' and a lack of trains has her walking to all the nearby places of interest currently.

[admiles]

23 hours ago, woodenhead said:

Probably because there is a ticking mental health timebomb and the Government drip feeding ideas into media causing speculation is no help.

 

We've yet to feel the full effect of Covid, so far it has been restricted to the virus itself, the other economic impacts have been somewhat numbed by the Treasury but in a week when the shops that still exist re-open then furlough will begin to end and those who's livelihoods have been utterly destroyed will find themselves on the outside:

• John Lewis stores that won't be reopening
• Holiday shops that won't be reopening
• Airports with surplus staff
• Hotels with surplus staff

Some companies were already on the way out like Arcadia but there is going to be a lot more unemployment soon and a long road ahead to recovery.

 

Sadly though an awful lot of people are incredibly selfish these days. They don't care that people will lose jobs, homes, etc because it doesn't affect them personally. Brexit is the prefect example of that. It absolutely decimated my industry. Whole swathes of companies closed overnight, people lost jobs. Not to mention families being split up.

 

Bottom line, no one cares one jot.  I really don't see Covid being any different. People only care about what affects them.

[woodenhead]

4 minutes ago, admiles said:

 

Sadly though an awful lot of people are incredibly selfish these days. They don't care that people will lose jobs, homes, etc because it doesn't affect them personally. Brexit is the prefect example of that. It absolutely decimated my industry. Whole swathes of companies closed overnight, people lost jobs. Not to mention families being split up.

 

Bottom line, no one cares one jot.  I really don't see Covid being any different. People only care about what affects them.

Not wanting to get drawn into a Brexit debate, but 'Whole swathes of companies closed overnight' - what industry are you in?

[Crisis Rail]

1 hour ago, caradoc said:

 

Surely the reason for vaccine passports (should they be introduced, which has not actually been decreed yet) is to allow mass gatherings of people to resume safely ? Saving lives and avoiding hospitalisation is the purpose of the vaccines themselves !

 

I am not particularly keen to have to carry a vaccine passport, but if that is the price of allowing events such as the Steve Hackett concert I have a ticket for, or Warley ditto, to go ahead, so be it. 

 

I have sympathy for those unable to be vaccinated, but for those who refuse, none; That is their choice and they will reap the consequences. 

 

 

Like

[Dunsignalling]

17 hours ago, Hobby said:

Motability cars are registered by the supplying dealership so will carry the local registration of the original purchaser. They aren't registered centrally. (We're on our fifth so I speak from experience of how it works.) 

 

Also they only tend to get onto the secondhand market three years down the line and not many of us can afford a LR equip, so unlikely to be an ex motability car with a 70 reg. 

So, when you get a new one, will the old one go out to tender (or auction)?

 

That would explain my acquiring one off a forecourt 200+ miles from where it was first registered.

 

John

[petethemole]

SWMBO has a Motability car, currently on her sixth.  We were told they go to auction.

[monkeysarefun]

6 hours ago, Hobby said:

Back On Topic it seems that we've sent over 700k doses of the AZ vaccine to Australia recently!

Well you sent us  Rita Ora so you do owe us.

[Hobby]

Thanks, Pete, yes that is my understanding as well. They are quite popular with secondhand car sales people as they are usually low mileage and in good nick... One careful owner!! We can, if we wish, buy it at the end of the lease, they give us a price and we can use the mobility element of PIP to pay for a loan to get it. I've not bothered so far, haven't been too attached to them!

 

5 hours ago, hayfield said:

I have not seen and references about these, any other info?

 

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-more-than-700-000-doses-of-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-flown-from-uk-to-australia-report-12269132

 

I see herd immunity is in the news again... I wish the experts would make their mind up, though in this case I agree with Matt Hancock's "lets take it slowly" attitude and as that's the official line anyhow...

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/britain-set-to-achieve-herd-immunity-on-monday-ucl-modelling-shows/ar-BB1fql84?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBoPWjQ

 

But then...

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coronavirus/matt-hancock-dismisses-suggestions-uk-will-have-covid-herd-immunity-by-monday/ar-BB1fq9eN?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBoPWjQ

 

 

5 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Well you sent us  Rita Ora so you do owe us.

 

Brilliant!! 

 

(You can keep her as well!)

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Hobby

[Neil]

2 hours ago, caradoc said:

Surely the reason for vaccine passports (should they be introduced, which has not actually been decreed yet) is to allow mass gatherings of people to resume safely ? Saving lives and avoiding hospitalisation is the purpose of the vaccines themselves !

 

I'm surprised that there has been resistance to the notion of vaccine passports for pubs, non essential shops and other smaller venues or events. I would have thought that one of the obstacles to a return to something near normal would be public confidence, for every single person at an illegal rave, party of wedding reception there must be hundreds, possibly thousands, who would be extremely wary of returning to busy public spaces. Knowing that you would be mixing only with people who have a very low likelihood of having Covid would boost confidence.

 

Also I need to point out that the vaccine alone won't save lives and avoid hospitalisation, responsible behaviour guided by the best scientific advice is also required. For some time passports may be a part of that. I have a 'friend' who is stubbornly anti vaccine and careless in his behaviour; I won't be mixing with him anytime soon but Joe public who don't know of his idiocy may in the future inadvertently be in close proximity if he's not required to prove his status.

[admiles]

22 hours ago, hayfield said:

As for loosing old business sectors, this pandemic has shown the foolishness of relying on other countries, whole new manufacturing opportunities have opened up this year. Who would have thought McLaren F! would be designing and making ventilators !!  

 

I'd say this pandemic has shown the need to trade with other countries in the most seamless way possible.  PPE, vaccines etc manufactured abroad. Without those countries we'd have been in dire straights.

 

Even if we go down the route you suggest we more manufacturing here (at higher cost) where do the raw materials come from? Answer in a lot of cases - abroad!  The products being manufactured today are complex, much more so than say 100 years ago.  They need components and materials that have to come from all over the world. 

 

Trying to turn the clock back simply won't work. The world has moved on.

[admiles]

1 hour ago, woodenhead said:

Not wanting to get drawn into a Brexit debate, but 'Whole swathes of companies closed overnight' - what industry are you in?

 

Freight forwarding

[hayfield]

32 minutes ago, Hobby said:

Thanks, Pete, yes that is my understanding as well. They are quite popular with secondhand car sales people as they are usually low mileage and in good nick... One careful owner!! We can, if we wish, buy it at the end of the lease, they give us a price and we can use the mobility element of PIP to pay for a loan to get it. I've not bothered so far, haven't been too attached to them!

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-more-than-700-000-doses-of-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-flown-from-uk-to-australia-report-12269132

 

I see herd immunity is in the news again... I wish the experts would make their mind up, though in this case I agree with Matt Hancock's "lets take it slowly" attitude and as that's the official line anyhow...

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/britain-set-to-achieve-herd-immunity-on-monday-ucl-modelling-shows/ar-BB1fql84?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBoPWjQ

 

But then...

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coronavirus/matt-hancock-dismisses-suggestions-uk-will-have-covid-herd-immunity-by-monday/ar-BB1fq9eN?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBoPWjQ

 

 

 

Brilliant!! 

 

(You can keep her as well!)

 

 

 

Herd immunity is totally different, and should not be confused with other things. Clearly its not mixed messages from government, but mixing up messages between differing interest groups

 

This was the statement

 

The UK's vaccination programme is beginning to break the link between Covid-19 cases and deaths, scientists have said.

 

Nothing about herd immunity and please note the word used  Beginning

 

However the "Independent" reported

 

The UK could reach coronavirus herd immunity by Monday, modelling by University College London (UCL) has forecasted in contrast with government scientific advisers’ Sadly there are a lot of differing trains of thought

 

Nothing to do with government messages, just one independent train of thought

[hayfield]

24 minutes ago, admiles said:

 

I'd say this pandemic has shown the need to trade with other countries in the most seamless way possible.  PPE, vaccines etc manufactured abroad. Without those countries we'd have been in dire straights.

 

Even if we go down the route you suggest we more manufacturing here (at higher cost) where do the raw materials come from? Answer in a lot of cases - abroad!  The products being manufactured today are complex, much more so than say 100 years ago.  They need components and materials that have to come from all over the world. 

 

Trying to turn the clock back simply won't work. The world has moved on.

 

The trouble is with this method is you can be held to ransom in times of crisis 

 

Look at our vaccine rollout, expensive in the short term, life and money saving in the longer term and the world is ever changing especially when items can be made automatically and does not need to be shipped from the other side of the world.

[Steamport Southport]

59 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Well you sent us  Rita Ora so you do owe us.

 

Can't blame that on us. She's Albanian....

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, admiles said:

 

Freight forwarding

That’s odd as being in that business and now the U.K. is “outside” the EU seamless trading area I would have thought your businesses would have been busier than ever?

Edited April 8, 2021 by boxbrownie

[DIW]

I think Al Goodwyn had a good comment the other day on the Covid Passport situation...

 

https://www.gocomics.com/algoodwyn/2021/04/05

Edited April 8, 2021 by DIW
Date correction

[simontaylor484]

6 hours ago, petethemole said:

SWMBO has a Motability car, currently on her sixth.  We were told they go to auction.

I have bought 3 ex motability cars all ex auction via Available car 

[chris p bacon]

5 hours ago, admiles said:

I'd say this pandemic has shown the need to trade with other countries in the most seamless way possible.  PPE, vaccines etc manufactured abroad. Without those countries we'd have been in dire straights.

 

You obviously didn't take note about how other countries behaved in sourcing PPE , For an example look at just one experience France had.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/02/global-battle-coronavirus-equipment-masks-tests

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by chris p bacon

[Pete the Elaner]

4 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

That’s odd as being in that business and now the U.K. is “outside” the EU seamless trading area I would have thought your businesses would have been busier than ever?

 

While there were valid arguments for & against Brexit, some seem to be blind in 1 direction & keep banging on like a stuck record about how bad it was to leave.

It is irrelevant at this time & in this discussion so it is best ignored. This thread is supposed to be about Covid & the lockdown.