Coronavirus - UK
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@victor-meldrew said in Coronavirus - UK:
Fascinating poll in The Economist on attitudes to Lockdown in the UK. Thought @MiketheSnow might find it interesting.
Some Britons crave permanent pandemic lockdown While the government prepares for “Freedom Day”, some Britons favour lasting curbs Boris johnson can often channel John Bull, a ruddy cartoon figure from Georgian England. He personified the liberty-loving English yeoman, in opposition to Napoleonic tyranny. Announcing England’s first pandemic lockdown in March 2020, Mr Johnson lamented “taking away the ancient, inalienable right of free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub”. Government behavioural scientists warned that Britons would defy even modest restrictions, and fretted about disorder and looting. Bull. For 16 months Britons have complied dutifully and, for the most part, uncomplainingly. But on July 19th Mr Johnson will scrap nearly all the remaining anti-covid measures in England. Nightclubs will reopen, capacity caps will be lifted on restaurants and masks will no longer be mandatory. The tabloids have dubbed it “Freedom Day”. Conservative mps are overjoyed; many Britons are not. Polling by Ipsos mori for The Economist suggests two-thirds think masks, social distancing and travel restrictions should continue for another month (see chart). A majority would support them until covid-19 is controlled worldwide, which may take years. Even more strikingly, a sizeable minority would like personal freedoms to be restricted permanently. A quarter say nightclubs and casinos should never reopen; almost two in ten would support an indefinite ban on leaving home after 10pm “without good reason”.
Some caution is hardly surprising. Cases are rising fast and may reach 100,000 a day, according to Sajid Javid, the health secretary. That would be nearly twice as many as at the peak of the winter wave. Sir Keir Starmer, the opposition leader, calls the removal of restrictions “reckless”. Yet Britain’s exceptionally high vaccination rate will limit the rise in hospital admissions and deaths. Vaccination has driven covid-19’s fatality rate down from 0.8% of estimated infections to below 0.1%, the same as for seasonal flu. Unlocking now will mean the increase in covid-19 infections comes before winter, when flu picks up. Schools, where much transmission happens, are about to go on holiday. Public willingness to sacrifice for the common good in a time of crisis has surprised ministers. One insider says he has changed his mind on whether Britons would volunteer for war: “I’d always assumed that if my generation was shown the Kitchener poster, they’d say: ‘No chance, mate’.” But the pandemic has also revealed John Bull’s authoritarian streak. Many Britons did not go out dancing or drinking, or take overseas holidays, even before the pandemic. Nightclubs, casinos and dark streets harbour all sorts of wrongdoers. For some, it seems, endless lockdown is an acceptable price for everyone else staying home.
This is NOT my Britain
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@victor-meldrew said in Coronavirus - UK:
No option to say fuck it just let all stop on July 19th? That might have been interesting but not particularly useful to this article.
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I'm just staggered that over 30% want permanent social distancing in Pubs, Restaurants, checking-in and nearly 20% want a 10pm curfew.
I do wonder if it was a rogue poll, but it's been commissioned by a from pretty reputable organisations.
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@mikethesnow said in Coronavirus - UK:
This is NOT my Britain
You can always leave your mask behind when you cross the Wye...
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I struggle to see how meaningful those sort o poles are. If they're based on percentages and the percentages don't add up you'd have to ask yourself percentage of what? Take the wearing of masks question - 70% say put off for a month, 65% say until it's under control and 40% say forever. As the figures add up to more than 100% the big question is what are those percentages actually based on? Is it more complicated than that? If so why is it illustrated so simply?
Or am I missing something blindingly obvious?
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@catogrande said in Coronavirus - UK:
Or am I missing something blindingly obvious?
Possibly. I think the question being asked is:
"Should masks be worn in shops and public transport for a months after July 19?. Yes or no?" 70% say yes
"Should masks be worn in shops and public transport until Covid is under control?. Yes or no?" 62% say yes
"Should masks be worn in shops and public transport permanently?. Yes or no?" 40% say yes
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@victor-meldrew said in Coronavirus - UK:
@mikethesnow said in Coronavirus - UK:
This is NOT my Britain
You can always leave your mask behind when you cross the Wye...
North Sea en route to Hokkaido fingers crossed
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So in each case there were no options?
Seems a good way of proving a pre-conceived point but not a good way to illustrate what people would really elect for if given a choice.
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TBF, I think the poll was to test the public's view on what level of restrictions they would accept under different scenarios
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@victor-meldrew said in Coronavirus - UK:
I'm just staggered that over 30% want permanent social distancing in Pubs, Restaurants, checking-in and nearly 20% want a 10pm curfew.
I do wonder if it was a rogue poll, but it's been commissioned by a from pretty reputable organisations.
I am 100% behind social distancing everywhere, all the time.
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@victor-meldrew said in Coronavirus - UK:
I'm just staggered that over 30% want permanent social distancing in Pubs, Restaurants, checking-in and nearly 20% want a 10pm curfew.
I do wonder if it was a rogue poll, but it's been commissioned by a from pretty reputable organisations.
It would be interesting to see the community breakdown of this discrepancy.
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@antipodean said in Coronavirus - UK:
@victor-meldrew said in Coronavirus - UK:
I'm just staggered that over 30% want permanent social distancing in Pubs, Restaurants, checking-in and nearly 20% want a 10pm curfew.
I do wonder if it was a rogue poll, but it's been commissioned by a from pretty reputable organisations.
It would be interesting to see the community breakdown of this discrepancy.
Not sure if one of the categories would be 'taking the piss' or 'people happy that their significant other isn't at the pub all the time.
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@sparky said in Coronavirus - UK:
50,000 new cases in the UK yesterday and over 40 people dying a day in recent days. Given the advantages the UK has had with vaccine development and roll out, Johnson's handling of this public health crisis has been abysmal.
That may come back to bite Michael in his arse.
No disrespect intended because I’m a small country resident (Wales) but NZ’s approach to this would never have worked in the UK
40 dead
Over 100 died in one flood incident in Germany FFSLet’s put things in their proper perspective please
The past couple of days has been all about how to tackle the real epidemic in the UK, OBESITY
In England alone, there are 60,000 deaths annually attributed to obesity.
That’s half the COVID toll.
If any group needs to wear a mask it’s the fat fuckers who are bringing the UK to its knees.
The ones that get a full reconstruction and which is the real reason the NHS is fucked.
You can’t live forever
And you certainly can’t live forever if you’re obese
I’m sick of hearing and reading the mantra ‘wear a mask, save other people’s lives’
Stop filling your gob FFS
Fuck that’s an early one to get out of the system
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@sparky said in Coronavirus - UK:
50,000 new cases in the UK yesterday and over 40 people dying a day in recent days. Given the advantages the UK has had with vaccine development and roll out, Johnson's handling of this public health crisis has been abysmal.
50,000 people getting the flu would cause 50 deaths, at 0.1% mortality. "Over 40 people" dying is nothing. Bring on the 19th.
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@tewaio Remember deaths is a lagging indicator. People who die with Covid are normally identified as having it two to three weeks beforehand. Two weeks ago there were 27,000 new cases a day so I expect UK covid deaths to reach somewhere between an average of 70 and 100 a day by the end of July.
Hopefully that will be the peak of the UK third wave. Cases and hospitalisations are ready coming down in Scotland. Normally I'm no fan at all of Nicola Sturgeon, but she's done a brilliant job persuading Scots to follow public health procedures and get vaccinated.
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@sparky said in Coronavirus - UK:
tewaio Remember deaths is a lagging indicator. People who die with Covid are normally identified as having it two to three weeks beforehand. Two weeks ago there were 27,000 new cases a day so I expect UK covid deaths to reach somewhere between an average of 70 and 100 a day by the end of July.
Chris Whitty explained there is a balance between opening up too early and opening up too late. If we delay opening up there is a real danger the peak will occur in late-Autumn and more people will die - not just from Covid but from other respiratory diseases piggy-backing on Covid.
I've heard thru Ms Meldrew 1 & 2 the NHS is really worried about a 'flu epidemic this year as being in lockdown hasn't allowed the normal herd immunity to build up. There a much bigger than usual 'flu vaccination program planned this year - 35m people as opposed to 20m last year.