Brexit, for once some facts.

[Wicky]

It will all be OK folks!

Trump Declares National Day of Prayer for Americans Affected by Coronavirus and National Response Efforts

Prayers working for some ... ;-)

Prince Andrew delighted by US travel ban

Despite widespread alarm over the US decision to ban all travel from the
UK, one high-profile individual is thrilled.

Prince Andrew insists it is very important that nobody goes to the US for
a considerable time during and after the coronavirus outbreak.

Lorraine Fisher, 34, an expert in Royal travel affairs, said: “The Duke of
York has taken a particular interest in the latest international travel news.

“He thinks it is an excellent idea that nobody should feel compelled to
travel to the US.

“Even if they have important reasons to travel, such as legal matters, for
example, it’s best to stay at home and remain out of harm’s way.”

The US announced that all travel from the UK would be banned from
Monday night.

 

[Barry Shittpeas]

I have a solution to the toilet roll shortage. If anyone wants one, drop me a message, I am going to commission Kentucky Fried Chicken to start making them. (If an earth moving machinery manufacturer can make medical ventilators, a fast food outlet should have no trouble with this)

 

[daveboy]

I've done an online shop at ASDA....Earliest delivery Fri (site crashed yesterday)
Received this email shortly after.
Demand for online shopping has increased and we’re delivering as many orders as we possibly can. If you can be flexible in your delivery or collection time, that would be fantastic and we’ve made sure our drivers all have sanitizer spray so they can continually ensure they’re able to keep your shopping and the totes clean and hygienic.

If you do need to self-isolate for any reason, I’d just ask that you let us know of your situation in the ‘Other Information’ section when placing your order. Let us know where you’d like your order to be left – be that your doorstep or communal entrance and our drivers will bring it there for you. They’ll use bags rather than our usual totes and let you know they’ve arrived. If you’re unable to collect your order quickly then drivers will give you a call, but because they have so many deliveries to make at the moment, if they can’t get hold of you after a few minutes, then the order will be returned to the store and the order cancelled and refunded. For your reassurance and theirs our drivers will wear gloves when they’re delivering to anyone who is self-isolating.

 

[oyster]

I've done an online shop at ASDA....Earliest delivery Fri (site crashed yesterday)
Received this email shortly after.
Demand for online shopping has increased and we’re delivering as many orders as we possibly can. If you can be flexible in your delivery or collection time, that would be fantastic and we’ve made sure our drivers all have sanitizer spray so they can continually ensure they’re able to keep your shopping and the totes clean and hygienic.

If you do need to self-isolate for any reason, I’d just ask that you let us know of your situation in the ‘Other Information’ section when placing your order. Let us know where you’d like your order to be left – be that your doorstep or communal entrance and our drivers will bring it there for you. They’ll use bags rather than our usual totes and let you know they’ve arrived. If you’re unable to collect your order quickly then drivers will give you a call, but because they have so many deliveries to make at the moment, if they can’t get hold of you after a few minutes, then the order will be returned to the store and the order cancelled and refunded. For your reassurance and theirs our drivers will wear gloves when they’re delivering to anyone who is self-isolating.

Asda didn't have a good reputation before CV!

BBC One - Watchdog - Asda Home Delivery

An undercover investigation by Watchdog Live found failings in cleaning standards at Asda

www.bbc.co.uk

The lack of clarity about gloves makes it difficult to know if it is good or bad. Are they one-use gloves? Or do they put (potentially) infection-carrying reusable gloves onto their continually sanitised hands?

Are we back to using millions more disposable plastic bags? And gloves? And sanitiser bottles?

 

[Barry Shittpeas]

Coming to a toilet near you....

If nothing else, it made good tracing paper.

 

[Nev]

It would not surprise me if things get bad in the USA (which seems likely) and the Polls look bad for Trump towards the end of summer. He will bring out some kind of executive order (probably granted under some emergency power) that will delay the US elections and move them into next year or beyond.

 

[sjpt]

that will delay the US elections and move them into next year or beyond.

Just like the UK elections? Given the expected decline of virus in the summer and increase again next winter (and on into spring) it would surely be best to have deferred the elections to this autumn.

 

[oyster]

We have at least two rather older MPs - Bill Cash and Barry Sheerman (there might be others).

If they have to self-isolate, they will be unable to vote in the HoC. That strikes me as unacceptable. The HoC simply must institute some form of MP-not-present voting system with a high degree of urgency.

(Not that I agree with their views.)

 

[sjpt]

Presumably the HoC will close soon as a gathering of over 100 people? Perhaps they will have to use some form of conference call ... the discipline needed for such calls might even force some level of adult behaviour?

 

[Danidl]

Just like the UK elections? Given the expected decline of virus in the summer and increase again next winter (and on into spring) it would surely be best to have deferred the elections to this autumn.

The "expected decline" in Summer is just a forlorn hope. There is ZERO evidence that it will happen.

 

[flecc]

And I most certainly wouldn't dismiss them as "Even the daughters ..."

I had in mind the daughter in her 20s and 30s whose nappy I've changed decades ago!

Even we single blokes can be family men!
.

 

[flecc]

Flecc will be okay

The milkman can bring you beer now (only in London, sorry)

The era of the milkman has been on the decline for decades, but one company in London isn’t ready to say goodbye. Dairy giant Milk & More is attempting to bring customers into the milk-delivery fold with an unconventional offer: beer pairings. (What else?)

thetakeout.com

I don't drink any alcohol. Most of those drinks I regard as disgusting and don't understand why they are liked.
.

 

[flecc]

Why JCB?

It illustrates the paucity of successful UK manufacturing firms to choose from.
.

 

[flecc]

Wetherspoons, Norton Mmm... Dyson would be a more obvious choice.

No, Dyson make their stuff in China and the like, JCB is one of the very few UK companies who actually make anything here.
.

 

[Nev]

There was someone on the radio this morning representing manufacturers but from what I could understand they were really talking about assembly companies that just put parts together which had been made abroad, most of this work is done under license.

He said we certainly have the capacity to build the required health equipment. The problem he said would be sourcing the parts to enable the assembly to take place.

 

[flecc]

For your reassurance and theirs our drivers will wear gloves when they’re delivering to anyone who is self-isolating.

This illustrates the failings in the real world that I was discussing with Danidl.

The driver comes to non self isolating people in my block of flats, using the outside handle of the hall doorway with his bare hands to enter, then when leaving the inside door handle as well.

Those door handles are used by all the residents and everyone else visiting/delivering mail, goods etc., so at high risk of contamination.

So then the driver can take his contaminated hands to everyone else, including those he puts on gloves for, since putting on gloves with contaminated hands means contaminating the gloves too. In any case the door handles will contaminate gloves if he's wearing them.

This is why containment will not work, the precautions are riddled with flaws in real world practical circumstances operated by fallible humans.
.

 

[jonathan.agnew]

I don't drink any alcohol. Most of those drinks I regard as disgusting and don't understand why they are liked.
.

for me its a primate thing - we have limited consciousness to start off with, then we become neurotically controlling in the face of a complex overwhelming reality. a good merlot (or spliff when I was a student) did the world for helping me to let go of fantasies of control; and just float (like our atoms after we die as you accurately described some pages ago)

 

[oyster]

I happened to be on the drive at the front of our house this morning when the postie arrived. Yes, he had a letter for me. And insisted (in a very pleasant manner) on putting on a tub and not handing it to me. Muttering something about having absolutely NO contact with anyone.

 

[flecc]

I happened to be on the drive at the front of our house this morning when the postie arrived. Yes, he had a letter for me. And insisted (in a very pleasant manner) on putting on a tub and not handing it to me. Muttering something about having absolutely NO contact with anyone.

But he has to handle the letter box flaps that other posties have handled or someone's coughed and spluttered over.

Once again an example of why containment won't work.
.

 

[oyster]

But he has to handle the letter box flaps that other posties have handled or someone's coughed and spluttered over.

Once again an example of why containment won't work.
.

Again, lack of information really is a problem. The time that the virus remains potent on hard surfaces has been claimed to be from a few hours to 72 hours (and probably "forever" according to some sources). But we have no real understanding of whether that means a letterbox in bright sunshine or the underside of the flap in dark shade will be similarly affected.