Coronavirus

[Dave2002]

Boris' announcement last night was only slightly more coherent than Jeremy Corbyn's message on Brexit during the last election ......

No - it wasn't.

[Dave2002]

Now in England it seems that people working in construction or manufacturing could go to work.

Can someone tell me why - is all construction or manufacturing "essential"? Surely quite a lot of such activity is really not essential. Manufacturing is only essential if the end products are essential. Similar considerations apply to construction.

So who decides?

[Joseph K]

No - it wasn't.

[Count Boso]

Can someone tell me why - is all construction or manufacturing "essential"? Surely quite a lot of such activity is really not essential. Manufacturing is only essential if the end products are essential. Similar considerations apply to construction.

I think we're supposed to be on to the next stage where people who can't work from home are being actively encouraged to go back to work whether their work is deemed to be essential or not as long as they avoid using public transport if they possibly can. Plus we can now go out as much as we like to take exercise and sit on benches in the sun.

[Dave2002]

Another really stupid thing is that apparently in England one can drive any distance in order to go to an open space, so one could go from Cornwall up to Berwick on Tweed. What part of transmitting the virus around the country don't people understand - or more precisely, HMG doesn't understand?

[gradus]

Another really stupid thing is that apparently in England one can drive any distance in order to go to an open space, so one could go from Cornwall up to Berwick on Tweed. What part of transmitting the virus around the country don't people understand - or more precisely, HMG doesn't understand?

Dave, doesn't common sense play some part in all this. No matter how stringent the rules there will inevitably be people who ignore them or think that they are exempt. The advice on self-isolation if you suspect infection remains unaltered and without immunisation there will always be a risk of infection in future. Surely the risk of infection can't be used to keep us in our houses for an indefinite period. Covid19 is now out in the world and although I may have missed it, I haven't heard any scientist or politician say that we are gong to eliminate it altogether. At some point the Cornwall to Berwick trip will be on despite Covid 19's presence.

[oddoneout]

Now in England it seems that people working in construction or manufacturing could go to work.

Can someone tell me why - is all construction or manufacturing "essential"? Surely quite a lot of such activity is really not essential. Manufacturing is only essential if the end products are essential. Similar considerations apply to construction.

So who decides?

Party donors?

[Dave2002]

Dave, doesn't common sense play some part in all this. No matter how stringent the rules there will inevitably be people who ignore them or think that they are exempt. The advice on self-isolation if you suspect infection remains unaltered and without immunisation there will always be a risk of infection in future. Surely the risk of infection can't be used to keep us in our houses for an indefinite period. Covid19 is now out in the world and although I may have missed it, I haven't heard any scientist or politician say that we are gong to eliminate it altogether. At some point the Cornwall to Berwick trip will be on despite Covid 19's presence.

Yes - up to a point, but there's surely no point in making it very easy to screw up. The Italians decided after their outbreak that one really important factor was travel between nearby towns and cities, so we could at least consider that as a warning. I would have thought a fifty mile journey - even just one way - would be OK for a relaxation of the rules at this time - but allowing travel from one part of the whole country to another at the other end of England doesn't seem completely sensible. OTOH, as I live in Scotland now, I can't legitimately even travel 17 miles to have a picnic, or to take photos in an area where there aren't very many people. There were a few motor caravans up in that area, and the police did go and investigate them.

The evidence so far is that many in England don't have much common sense, and even if in fact 80% do, the remaining 20% are more than capable of making up for those people's prudence.

Perhaps good news is that the daily death rate seems to have been around 2-300 per day for the last few days, so it's significantly less than I'd thought based on previous data. That is good, but hopefully that rate will go down much further.

[DracoM]

And you can imagine that up here, in Western Dales, the virtual shut-out from the tourist hubs by the Lake District police is likely to bring us HERE real prob of unexpected influxes.
Bit apprehensive, to be honest.

[Petrushka]

Perhaps good news is that the daily death rate seems to have been around 2-300 per day for the last few days, so it's significantly less than I'd thought based on previous data. That is good, but hopefully that rate will go down much further.

Might that be the time lag due to the bank holiday/weekend factor again? Hope we don't see an increase tomorrow but my bet is that, sadly, we will.

[burning dog]

Another really stupid thing is that apparently in England one can drive any distance in order to go to an open space, so one could go from Cornwall up to Berwick on Tweed. What part of transmitting the virus around the country don't people understand - or more precisely, HMG doesn't understand?

You have to return the same day.

[Bryn]

You have to return the same day.

So if I was to set off in my car at 00:01 and drive the 3 to 4-hour journey to my favourite west country beach, and having greeted the dawn there and enjoyed the day, heading back at around 20:00 to get home by midnight, that would be just fine. That is, indeed, just what the good people of Devon would welcome with open arms.

[Bryn]

Posting without further comment:

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Posting without further comment:

Belgium is highest of all, but isn't on this list.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Shouldn't we spare a thought for the poor police trying to enforce the new 'rules'? How the blazes will they tell if somebody is breaching them? And if they do nick somebody, it's a fundamental principle of our law that offences are meant to be clear, and any ambiguity must be read in the defendant's favour. Defence lawyers should have a ball!

If you can afford one of course...