Brexit, for once some facts.

[flecc]

You see the same sort of thing in retail stores, you join a queue to go in everyone 2 mtrs apart as indicated on the ground. You reach for a trolley and someone sanitizes it for you and in you walk, into a large store which is only partly filled to help with social distancing.
It all works quite well strangely enough, but then you notice the staff .. no face masks or protective gloves huddled in small groups of three or four talking about the last time they went out clubbing, almost four months ago wasn't it Tracy .. yeah must be.
No social distancing for them, they're all one big family all in it together, you can't catch covid off your best friend can you ?

It's like I've said all along, social distancing is no more than tokenism. In London and it's outskirts the customers don't bother either, face masks are still very much the exception and the few there are in the streets have mostly only appeared very recently.

All those of all ages around me have been visiting each others homes throughout as usual, the teens and early twenties have been gathering in the usual large groups. When people meet in the street and chat the two metres is often nearer two feet, especially when the chat goes on for a while. I see known relatives and friends from afar still visiting their relatives and friends here as usual, in some cases staying overnight or for the weekend.

There's been little meaningful social distancing. The authorities insistance that there has been is nonsense, probably judged from the superficial like the supermarket queues. The joke is that those are unnecessary anyway since people don't breathe though the back of their necks so two feet would be ok there.

London led with the resistance to the parks closed and traveling issues and possibly as a result took an early big hit, but it's paid off now with an early steep decline in infections and deaths. There's been some denying that's been the case in here, but as the weeks have passed they are being shown to be wrong. We did swap an early big hit for much less now.

I doubt the token and often impossible to do social distancing did very much at all in resisting the infection spread. I believe the lockdown measures of closing work places, schools and all social gathering places had far more effect, through people not meeting at all at work and school or not being very close together with strangers in buses and trains and on crowded pavements during their travel to those places.
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[Wicky]

I'm doing some locum work in the nhs. Ran a group today, saw part of a crisis team (not entirely bit too close for comfort) huddle together in front of a laptop. Felt guilty for not saying anything about social distancing. But there is an odd phenomenon happening at the moment. It's not burnout or apathy or lack of knowledge that make otherwise skilled clinicians disregard social distancing, or find the latest directive to all nhs staff to wear masks regardless of patient contact absurd. It's something else, not unrelated I think to being in a country in which the crisis is being so badly mismanaged and covered up and it feels very late to bolt the horse

In WW2 frontline soldiers commonly wandered around with the chinstraps of their helmets undone - a bit like some folks beliefs about safety belts in cars, and coming to more harm than having it properly done up.

Also wether they are are green or veteran will probably have a bearing on how they behave - Green experience will try to do things by the book, while experienced hands will be rather more pragmatic. A lot depends on how it is enforced and made into a new 'norm'.

 

[Wicky]

But please always to call them face coverings. As if we have no idea whasoever that there could be a difference between hospital PPE and what we might use on the train. We are too, too stupid.

Probably worded pragmatically - instead of stipulating a regulation N95 mask is required to travel - a 'face covering' gives more leeway and avoids confrontation - so if somebody turns up at a train station or bus stop without one, and can remove a t-shirt / sanitary towel and wrap that around their noggin and be on their way...

 

[RossG]

He doesn't have permission to stick bundles of £50 notes on a wall either but the effect is the same....the wall is now worth millions.

I heard they were fake , like him.

 

[RossG]

His social commentary through art is often brilliant, I think of him as being little short of genius and justly famous.
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One of his acts of vandalism made it's way down this was many years ago and it was rightfully removed by the council with full agreement from local residents, you can't argue with that.

 

[RossG]

Just reported on the news ... another outbreak of covid at a food market in China, lockdowns now in force.
I hope like me everybody has stocked up on facemasks, hand gel, and gloves. I now have what amounts to thousands of all of those item because I now know there was no shortage in the first place.

The news media are suggesting more and more that the Government leaned on the Scientist's to report the situation regarding virus spread, masks etc according to their script. I wonder if this conspiracy will ever be finally exposed for what it was.

A thought that often runs through my head is that 500 years ago Boris, Cummings and the rest of the mob would have been executed for treason by now ... pity we can't turn the clock back.

 

[sjpt]

You know it makes sense. Stick with Barry, you won’t go far wrong.

No '????' emoji to put on that post.

 

[sjpt]

It's like I've said all along, social distancing is no more than tokenism ...

There's been little meaningful social distancing.

I disagree; though it may be true for some places. It certainly isn't possible to keep 2m distance all the time, but a few seconds at 1m is not that serious, and generally (not always of course) around here people are keeping to the sensible distances.

 

[Barry Shittpeas]

It sounds like all the BBMFs, MGB GTs & BLTs are at it again in London. If those football supporters turn up to guard the statues, they could all end up giving each other a right good pasting. All of the lockdown and economic harm for nothing.

 

[Barry Shittpeas]

No '????' emoji to put on that post.

There’s the Agree emoji. It’s the white tick on a green circular background

 

[flecc]

a few seconds at 1m is not that serious,

Exactly, so i don't know what you are disagreeing with.

If following someone, two metres is just tokenism since people don't breathe through the back of their necks so far less separation is needed.

If passing in opposite directions the exposure is so short that, as Danidl has pointed out, the risk of transfer is almost nil even if very close.

So social distancing of the two metres kind makes next to no difference, as I said.

Any real reduction in the infection rate has been from total separation, such as not going to work or school, or social gathering centres such as events, entertainments, restaurants etc where strangers have to be close together for extended periods.

Now that total separation is gradually ending we're likely to see the infection rate bounce. If so it will prove that it's total separtion rather than social distancing that is effective.
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[flecc]

It sounds like all the BBMFs, MGB GTs & BLTs are at it again in London. If those football supporters turn up to guard the statues, they could all end up giving each other a right good pasting. All of the lockdown and economic harm for nothing.

That will only affect the outsiders coming in to demonstrate. Our free social mixing in London, especially of the people involved in these demonstrations, has never stopped.
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[RossG]

Just had a phone call from my son in Portsmouth, it seems vigilantes are forming circles around statues in town to protect.

Ring of steel round the Captain lads, ring of steel form at the double. (Corporal Jones)

 

[RossG]

That will only affect the outsiders coming in to demonstrate. Our free social mixing in London, especially of the people involved in these demonstrations, has never stopped.
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It's funny how different parts of the community have behaved during the lockdown. Around streets in many towns and in stores people really stuck to the rules from what I personally witnessed. However on Beaches, on the Seafront and in parks there were groups of mostly young people gathered together.
It was as though you followed the rules in certain places, but in others it was a case of herd immunity and united we stand.

 

[flecc]

Just had a phone call from my son in Portsmouth, it seems vigilantes are forming circles around statues in town to protect.

They're wasting their time in Portsmouth.

With climate change melting the polar ice caps, those statues will end up under water anyway.
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[RossG]

They're wasting their time in Portsmouth.

With climate change melting the polar ice caps, those statues will end up under water anyway.
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Here's a odd fact flecc a engineer working in Portsmouth told me. Apparently the safest place to be in that City during a flood is on the seafront because that's the highest point, the rest of the place is lower so is liable to cop it.

 

[flecc]

Here's a odd fact flecc a engineer working in Portsmouth told me. Apparently the safest place to be in that City during a flood is on the seafront because that's the highest point, the rest of the place is lower so is liable to cop it.

Yes I know that from my boating and motorcycling days.

It's also true of a huge area of Central London too with the Thames embankments and the Tidal barrier being the high points.

Below is if the ice caps melted away, the sea rise then being 216 feet:


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[sjpt]

Exactly, so i don't know what you are disagreeing with.

If following someone, two metres is just tokenism since people don't breathe through the back of their necks so far less separation is needed.

If passing in opposite directions the exposure is so short that, as Danidl has pointed out, the risk of transfer is almost nil even if very close.

So social distancing of the two metres kind makes next to no difference, as I said.

Any real reduction in the infection rate has been from total separation, such as not going to work or school, or social gathering centres such as events, entertainments, restaurants etc where strangers have to be close together for extended periods.

Now that total separation is gradually ending we're likely to see the infection rate bounce. If so it will prove that it's total separtion rather than social distancing that is effective.
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Lots of cases aren't in movement and the times are longer, like meeting and talking to someone out and about or queuing for a shop; where observing the 2m rule makes a significant difference. Also having the 2m rule as an aspiration keeps the transient passing distances up even when not quite managing the 2m.

I agree that infection rate will bounce with reduced total separation; but that doesn't prove that social distancing isn't effective.

 

[RossG]

Yes I know that from my boating and motorcycling days.

It's also true of a huge area of Central London too with the Thames embankments and the Tidal barrier being the high points.

Below is if the ice caps melted away, the sea rise then being 216 feet:

View attachment 36093
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Looks like we'll all be heading to Wales or Scotland if that happens.

 

[oldgroaner]

this is worrying. I find myself agreeing more and more often with BS.

Don't worry, he'll have screwed his other head on tomorrow and normal service will be resumed.