Day of Chaos 2: a.Covid-19 thread.

[von Boom]

I hope everything goes well for you and your family, Tordelback.

[The Legendary Shark]

My best to you and yours, Tordels, I hope all goes well for you.

Thanks for the link, although according to the author's Wikipedia page, she has some interesting ties, including serving on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Health Industry - the same World Economic Forum pushing for "The Great Reset" as a response to current events. This, along with other associations possessing a technocratic global governance flavour, give me pause.

[The Legendary Shark]

Gah - now I'm at it! That link again: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devi_Sridhar

[JayzusB.Christ]

Thoughts are with you and yours, TB. Dark times.

[TordelBack]

Thanks, all. Things with my Dad have been going on for ages, nothing to do with Covid. He's almost 2 years past his initial prognosis, so it's all gravy really. It's more the reality that he usually has hospital appointments almost every week, and he's been hospitalised 3 times this year - which always has to be through A&E, so the idea of shielding him, or by extension my mother, is patently laughable. And they're hardly alone. Yet so much of the anti-restriction lobby rhetoric is about access to health services.

[TordelBack]

Aaarggh, meant to add: oh look, kids spread it after all , what a surprise. And our pretend social-distancing measures in schools, even when implemented, mean that kids who sit 1m away for 30 hours a week aren't considered a close contact for tracing purposes.

[The Legendary Shark]

Is there any chance he can get home visits instead of having to go out?

[Tjm86]

...  mean that kids who sit 1m away for 30 hours a week aren't considered a close contact for tracing purposes.

I think you will find that in actual fact they sit mere centimetres apart in class.  In class / year group 'bubbles' there is no social distancing at all.  It is only recently with the latest round of lockdowns that we've started to see more students wearing face masks in the scrum in corridors!

[IndigoPrime]

Interesting times with our local gym. Mini-IP's gymnastics lessons started up again. Because she's under 8, a parent must stay on-site, in the viewing area. The gym claims it's COVID-safe, even though distancing isn't entirely possible. Last week, 25% of the people in the area were masked, and there was no signage.

I brought this up. I was frankly told by the appalling front of house manager that distancing is the "responsibility of the individual" and that because masks are not mandated by law it would be illegal for the gym to even request (not demand) people wear masks. Which is news to all local schools, I imagine, who are doing just that.

Oddly enough, this week I learn that the on-site thing isn't anything beyond this particular place's own rules. (Other gyms ask you remain nearby, but could stay in your car if you wanted to.) But also: my wife noted there are now signs up, and mask use was up to 75%. But those signs are illegal! They told me so! Etc! Arseholes.

[TordelBack]

Oh I'm under no illusions, Tjm. Once 1m was accepted as a functional distance, it became effectively zero everywhere. Watching gaggles of parents outside the school gates it's not just kids that have no clue what 1m is, never mind 2m.

My youngest was put in a pod of 4 within her year bubble, which in itself is nonsense, but we just found out that they change the membership of the pods around every other week... so there's literally no point in them whatsoever.

My brother-in-law works on The Vikings, and because they can't maintain distance they get tested at the production's expense 2-3 times a week. My kids and their teachers in the same boat, never.

[TordelBack]

I brought this up. I was frankly told by the appalling front of house manager that distancing is the "responsibility of the individual" and that because masks are not mandated by law it would be illegal for the gym to even request (not demand) people wear masks.

Amazing how gyms can insist patrons wear swimming caps in the pool, isn't it.

[Tjm86]

I'm always baffled by the "we can't enforce it" mentality.  All through lockdown, and even now, shops are having people queue up outside to keep the numbers inside down.  They literally don't let people through the door.  Since they're already going that far it isn't too much of a stretch to say that you need a mask as well.

There're any number of rules and regulations that you sign up to for gyms.  Shops are essentially private property.  There's nothing to stop them saying that they are protecting staff and patrons.  If you don't want to, that's fine.  Just do it somewhere else.  (apart from will ...)

As for the old 'confrontation' argument, at the end of the day shops quite cheerfully enforce age limits on alcohol purchases.  That can involve confrontations.  Pubs have the right to eject problematic customers.  that can involve confrontation.  Most reasonable people will go with the flow.  Unreasonable ones just need to go.

[IndigoPrime]

Yep. It's bullshit. I politely pointed out that they were making a choice and if that's so, fair enough, and at least I now understanding that company's own position. But the fact they enforce the other rule about parents remaining inside that specific location is a problem, not least when they then throw the semi-legal "it's your own responsibility to social distance" is reprehensible.

Fortunately, things improved a little this week; had they not, I'd have escalated this for sure.

[shaolin_monkey]

An absolutely vital thread from a member of Independent Sage about the four options the U.K. has to get Covid19 under control.

Although it sounds like there really is only one option - no.4.

https://twitter.com/globalhlthtwit/status/1315336234382827522?s=21


Here's a thread reader app unroll for those who can't be bothered with Twitter:

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1315336234382827522.html

[Bolt-01]

Tords - just dropping a word to say hope your Dad is okay and gets back from the hospital safely. The appalling mess that has become what used to be a reasonably smooth cancer treatment path is just one of the absolute horror shows that is waiting for patients. Routine diagnostic testing is still nowhere near what it should be and that is for those who have decided to present. How many people now are not going to present for a condition because of the current climate.

My very best to you and yours.