"Covid rising in England" - let's stop the fear mongering

[duncanp]

I agree Johnson has zero moral authority to try and impose any new restrictions

This is why I hope he stays on as Prime Minister until the end of the year.

 

[Broucek]

The whole "Prime Minister refuses to rule out" is juvenile reporting. Wise leaders (and I'm not necessarily including the PM in that category) avoid creating hostages to fortune in this way. I'm a long, long way from being a lockdown fan but if a vicious new variant was overwhelming our hospitals then some form of lockdown *might* be an appropriate response and he's surely right to say that it's still in the toolbox.

 

[duncanp]

The whole "Prime Minister refuses to rule out" is juvenile reporting. Wise leaders (and I'm not necessarily including the PM in that category) avoid creating hostages to fortune in this way. I'm a long, long way from being a lockdown fan but if a vicious new variant was overwhelming our hospitals then some form of lockdown *might* be an appropriate response and he's surely right to say that it's still in the toolbox.

I think the likes of the BBC and Locktivist Sky News deliberately ask a government minister whether they are going to rule out a further "lockdown", knowing full well that the minister will say no. (to ruling out a further lockdown)

But refusing to rule out a lockdown does not mean that one is even remotely likely.

I have used the lottery analogy before - if I buy a ticket for the next lottery draw, I cannot rule out the possibility that I might win the jackpot. But winning the jackpot is one of the least likely outcomes to buying a lottery ticket.

Then there is the question of what is meant by a "lockdown". Even if this current "wave" continues for some time, it is highly unlikely that there will be any forced closure of businesses or mandatory stay at home orders. People have had enough of this codswallop, and the economy just cannot take any more of restrictions of this kind.

In some ways, the current "wave" could be seen as one of the final, if not the final, COVID exit wave after all restrictions are lifted. "COVID's Last Stand" if you like.

It was perhaps inevitable that there would be some increase in cases once large scale events happen again for the first time in three years, and almost all travel restrictions are lifted.

But returning to any form of substantial COVID restrictions would only mean that this "exit wave" would be postponed, not cancelled.

So we might as well get it over with now, during the summer when the natural prevalence of respiratory viruses is at its lowest level.

 

[yorkie]

There is no way a lockdown would be justified nor would they dare introduce one. It's not worth thinking about.

 

[kez19]

There is no way a lockdown would be justified nor would they dare introduce one. It's not worth thinking about.

I agree with you fully but I’m finding it that it seems to me as if all the UK media are wanting restrictions of some sort, I’m guessing those in the media don’t like seeing people interacting with others enjoying life, one would suspect the media would want us tied down watching their stuff 24/7 with constant fear.

It’s again a rinse/repeat method again but I think this time people are more awake to it, as I say it feels a bit too coordinated for my liking.

 

[Class 33]

There won't be another lockdown. It's not worth even thinking about. The last lockdown ended March(or was it April) 2021. Well over a year ago now! I think the government has at least moved on from those hugely DAMAGING series of lockdowns we had to endure in 2020 and 2021. There won't be any more!

I do agree though that it seems a lot of the press and media are actually wanting Covid restrictions to return, and publishing headline articles to try and fuel this to happen. I remember just before Easter Sky News was airing/publishing LIVE BREAKING NEWS "NHS chiefs calls for return of tougher Covid measures ahead of brutal Easter" headline articles/reports. Sky News wetting themselves with excitement that NHS chiefs were calling for the return of restrictions! They wanted this to happen! Thankfully though the government told these NHS chiefs to bugger off with their calls for the return of tougher Covid measures! I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happens again soon. NHS chiefs, so called health experts or whoever calling for tough Covid restrictions to return ahead of brutal autumn/winter, and Sky News and the likes of The Mirror, The Sun, Daily Mail, etc publishing big headline articles on their websites. Only for the government to again tell these NHS chiefs and so called health experts to bugger off with their calls for Covid restrictions to return! So I'm pretty confident the tide has turned on this now. These NHS chiefs, so called health experts and the press and media can try all they like to try and bring back Covid restrictions. But unlike before, it's not going to work anymore. Covid restrictions will not be brought back again!

 

[ainsworth74]

but I’m finding it that it seems to me as if all the UK media are wanting restrictions of some sort

I do agree though that it seems a lot of the press and media are actually wanting Covid restrictions to return

Do they? Do they really? I think the BBC have been ridiculous for sending out a breaking news alert and having a live page for the "jump" in cases this afternoon but I've not the BBC suggesting that restrictions are required. They've reported the comments of some people working for the UK Health Security Agency who have suggested that people take some steps (such as trying to avoid others if you're ill) but even they aren't advocating anything approaching the sort of restrictions that would get in the way of living life.

I struggle, and indeed have struggled throughout, to see how any media organisation, at least any that are vaguely reputable, have been arguing in favour of restrictions. Then again I wasn't glued to every story by a media outfit or No10 press conference like some on here seemed to be!

 

[DustyBin]

Do they? Do they really? I think the BBC have been ridiculous for sending out a breaking news alert and having a live page for the "jump" in cases this afternoon but I've not the BBC suggesting that restrictions are required. They've reported the comments of some people working for the UK Health Security Agency who have suggested that people take some steps (such as trying to avoid others if you're ill) but even they aren't advocating anything approaching the sort of restrictions that would get in the way of living life.

I struggle, and indeed have struggled throughout, to see how any media organisation, at least any that are vaguely reputable, have been arguing in favour of restrictions. Then again I wasn't glued to every story by a media outfit or No10 press conference like some on here seemed to be!

Whatever their motivation, I’m firmly of the opinion that yes they did. Maybe it was more the drama they wanted as opposed to the actual restrictions, but they whipped up hysteria at every opportunity and were highly irresponsible in my opinion. From the Daily Star to the Daily Mail to the BBC, they all reduced themselves to the same level when it came to covid.

 

[Enthusiast]

Two of my neighbours and my wife have had Covid in the last 5 weeks...

How did they find out?

 

[30907]

How did they find out?

Perhaps they were taking precautionary tests before visiting a vulnerable person?
Perhaps they had symptoms and tested so that they could avoid spreading it?
Perhaps they were tested prior to a hospital treatment?
Perhaps they tested after being warned by a contact who was positive?

All those are realistic scenarios and apply among the dozen or more local people of my acquaintance who have had covid in the last couple of weeks.

 

[Mikw]

There's unlikely to be another lockdown, the country is struggling with the economy for a start, two huge economical impacts on top of other.

However, the number of ICU beds is the critical thing to monitor in all this. It is the only reason why restrictions would ever be considered again.

Also, two members of my extended family have tested positive after getting back from Spain a few days ago, they're very rough with it and decided not to attend a funeral today, which is wise decision as the funeral was full of elderly mourners

 

[bramling]

The whole "Prime Minister refuses to rule out" is juvenile reporting. Wise leaders (and I'm not necessarily including the PM in that category) avoid creating hostages to fortune in this way. I'm a long, long way from being a lockdown fan but if a vicious new variant was overwhelming our hospitals then some form of lockdown *might* be an appropriate response and he's surely right to say that it's still in the toolbox.

It’s also rather irrelevant whether he rules something out or not, given he has quite a history of failing to keep his word. Any commitment made by Johnson is pretty much void by the time he’s finished saying it!

 

[kez19]

Do they? Do they really? I think the BBC have been ridiculous for sending out a breaking news alert and having a live page for the "jump" in cases this afternoon but I've not the BBC suggesting that restrictions are required. They've reported the comments of some people working for the UK Health Security Agency who have suggested that people take some steps (such as trying to avoid others if you're ill) but even they aren't advocating anything approaching the sort of restrictions that would get in the way of living life.

I struggle, and indeed have struggled throughout, to see how any media organisation, at least any that are vaguely reputable, have been arguing in favour of restrictions. Then again I wasn't glued to every story by a media outfit or No10 press conference like some on here seemed to be!

Think back to the last ever press conference with Boris, was it Peston that asked about restrictions? I’m sure it was? (weren’t they caught without masks at that conference to obviously put them on for show?)

It’s similar as I pointed out in Scotland I believe James Matthews of Sky did a similar thing with Nicola Sturgeon (as I say seems co ordinated to me)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jul 2022 ==

Whatever their motivation, I’m firmly of the opinion that yes they did. Maybe it was more the drama they wanted as opposed to the actual restrictions, but they whipped up hysteria at every opportunity and were highly irresponsible in my opinion. From the Daily Star to the Daily Mail to the BBC, they all reduced themselves to the same level when it came to covid.

It seemed to me during COVID and asking the restrictions questions was some sort of media raffle!

So in short and from what I said from the outset (create drama - reality show - us the public pawns - media chase ratings/readership or clickbaiting), I agree I’m surprised at how quick the BBC has went down even in my own estimation (yet I listened to 5 Live pre covid during the first 6 months was World Service after that it became fear porn so switched off and have mostly switched off news media in general now ie BBC/Sky/STV)

 

[Richard Scott]

Also, two members of my extended family have tested positive after getting back from Spain a few days ago, they're very rough with it and decided not to attend a funeral today, which is wise decision as the funeral was full of elderly mourners

Assume none of these elderly mourners are vaccinated then?

 

[yorkie]

There's unlikely to be another lockdown, the country is struggling with the economy for a start, two huge economical impacts on top of other.

However, the number of ICU beds is the critical thing to monitor in all this. It is the only reason why restrictions would ever be considered again.

If there is a threat of lockdowns any time ICU beds are in short supply due to an evolution of a virus or any other reason, we need to build more ICU capacity. There is no way we can all be held to ransom again over this. It's completely unacceptable.

Also, two members of my extended family have tested positive after getting back from Spain a few days ago, they're very rough with it and decided not to attend a funeral today, which is wise decision as the funeral was full of elderly mourners

By very rough do you mean having a bad cold / flu like symptoms? If they are vaccinated then it's unlikely to be anything worse than that .

For the vast majority of people I know, they've either been asymptomatic or had very mild symptoms. There will always be some exceptions, especially during this transition period where we are building up population immunity and the virus is adapting for humans, but proportion of infections that are not mild is low and only a miniscule proportion are in ICU.

We need to move away from the fear mongering and accept the virus is endemic.

 

[nw1]

There's unlikely to be another lockdown, the country is struggling with the economy for a start, two huge economical impacts on top of other.

However, the number of ICU beds is the critical thing to monitor in all this. It is the only reason why restrictions would ever be considered again.

Could that not apply for all eternity though? The Covid virus will still be here in 10 years time; will they be threatening restrictions then because the health service might not be able to cope?

It almost suggests that they might prefer us to live under constant threat of restrictions than fix the health service so it can cope.

While this could be done for ostensibly economic reasons, they need to realise that the damage to the economy caused by living under constant threat of restrictions is a real thing and long-term, the economy will be better off if we get fully back to normal, even if it means some short-term spending to fix the health service.

There needs to be an endgame to this. If the health service cannot cope with minor, non-deadly Covid waves, it seems to me it's the health service which needs fixing. The solution is not, in my view, to live under constant threat of (admittedly sub-lockdown) restrictions such as being morally pressured to test if you have cold-like symptoms, legally-mandated 10-day self-isolation for a positive test, mandatory testing for nightclubs or live events, etc.

And, ongoing, is the Covid virus actually a bigger threat to the health service than the various flus which circulated, sometimes with notable and relatively dangerous peaks, during the 70 years or so ending 2019? Or is it just part of the prevailing contemporary politics that restrictions are seen as a politically-acceptable solution, when they were not during the second half of the 20th century?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jul 2022 ==

If there is a threat of lockdowns any time ICU beds are in short supply due to an evolution of a virus or any other reason, we need to build more ICU capacity. There is no way we can all be held to ransom again over this. It's completely unacceptable.

Absolutely. This is the point more people need to make.

It seems to me that restrictions are being used as an excuse to not spend appropriate amounts of public money on health services (not just the NHS, this is an internationally-applicable comment). Maybe the pro-restriction people on the left need to realise they are perhaps being played for fools by pro-spending-cuts economic conservatives (who nonetheless are naive to the wider economic effect of their restrictions)!

 

[duncanp]

More evidence that "zero COVID" doesn't work, and having strict lockdowns and "snap lockdowns" only means that there will be a bigger "COVID wave" when all restrictions are removed.

I am sure that flimsy face nappies are going to make all the difference in Australia.

But for heavens sake don't let the locktivists and maskivists in this country anywhere near this article, as it will give them ideas.

Mask mandate could return for Queensland amid covid wave and the flu

Masks could become mandatory across Australia again as a looming Covid and flu crisis threatens to bring the nation to a standstill.

www.dailymail.co.uk

'Increasing pressure' to bring back hated mask mandates across Australia amid looming third Covid wave and raging flu season - with hundreds of thousands of workers predicted to stay at home over the coming weeks​

• Mandated masks could return across Australia
• Nation is facing potential double whammy of Covid and influenza this winter
• Nearly 250,000 Aussies have tested positive for Covid in the past week
• Weekly influenza cases have already gone past the five-year average

Masks could become mandatory across Australia again as a looming Covid and flu crisis threatens to bring the nation to a standstill.

Nearly 250,000 Aussies have tested positive for Covid in the past week, with states including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, recording more than 8,000 cases in the past 24 hours.

Over the past week, NSW recorded the most infections with 61,000, while more than 50,000 people tested positive for the virus in Victoria.

And those figures are expected to get worse in the coming weeks as the winter chill grips the nation and new, highly infectious Omicron strain BA.5 becomes dominant.

Australia is also now facing a double whammy with rising cases of the flu making this winter the worst influenza outbreak in years, causing chaos in the workforce.

Now Queensland is tipped to be the first to bring back mask mandates in a bid to stem the tidal wave of infection.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard revealed there had been ongoing talks with his interstate colleagues about mask mandates returning.

'I can say that nationally, there is increasing pressure,' he told 4BC's Peter Fegan.

'There is a school of thought that we should be mandating masks again.'

Hundreds of thousands of workers are likely to be forced to stay home during the next month, adding to the crippling staff shortages smashing many businesses nationwide.

Influenza case data from the Health Department showed that the weekly figures have already gone past the five-year average and hit more than 147,000 this season.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had celebrated the lifting of almost all mask rules earlier this year with an awkward slow-motion video on social media showing her ripping off her mask.

But it now looks like the celebrations may have been premature and short-lived - and may affect other states too.

The mask mandate was lifted for airports last month, but passengers are still required to wear them when on the plane.

Across the Sunshine State, masks are still required in healthcare settings, aged care, disability accommodation, prisons, detention centres, on public transport and in rideshares or taxis.



Queensland recorded a 12 per cent rise in Covid-19 deaths over the past month, with 199 fatalities in June compared to 177 in May.

Dr Gerrard said the current strains of the virus have been evading both vaccine and natural immunity, but stressed vaccination was still the best protection, with fourth boosters vital for those over 65.

Those under 65 should have their three doses of a Covid vaccine, he added.

'We are seeing the establishment of a new wave of covid, these BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants that are causing a significant wave at the moment,' Dr Gerrard said.

'Infection with this virus will be very common, you will know a lot of people infected with this strain of the virus in the coming weeks.

'The majority of people that are being admitted to hospital in Queensland are people over the age of 65 who are not up to date with their vaccinations.

'That has actually shocked me, that most (of those) people are not up to date with their vaccinations.'

Hospitalisations are set to spike significantly, he warned, with numbers expected to soar from the current 600 people being treated in the state's hospitals.

He added: 'The vaccines do protect us, particularly if you're up to date with boosters; they protect us against severe disease, that's the most critical thing.'

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said the current spate of Covid and flu-related absences, combined with existing national staff shortages, is ultimately causing a massive blow to productivity.

'Some businesses that are already in a fragile position due to labour shortages will have no choice but to close their doors temporarily when illness hits,' Mr McKellar said.

'Staff shortages haven't been more acute in living memory.

'Small businesses suffered the shock of enforced shutdowns during the height of the pandemic...Now, they are the most vulnerable to staff absences if illness enters the workplace.'

Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin warned that widespread complacency with see the compulsory return of masks.

'I'd like to think they won't be required, but if they are then it might be something that comes back more broadly and then is reduced as we get a hold of things again,' he said.

'But again, I hope that's not something that has to happen.'

 

[philosopher]

This is why I hope he stays on as Prime Minister until the end of the year.

This is probably the only advantage of Boris as PM. Jeremy Hunt, who I think would have quite a big chance of coming PM if Boris was forced out, seemed very keen on lockdowns. So if he came PM, I think he would more likely than Boris to reimpose restrictions.

 

[yorksrob]

A new lockdown would be so in name only as no one will follow it.

 

[Mikw]

One thing that would mitigate against further lockdowns would be a expansion in the number of NHS ICU beds.

"Better care together" is the policy of granting the NHS money if they agree to sell off land and sites, with existing sites modernised and declared as "new" hospitals, even though it's actually a reduction in hospitals.

I'm sure we can all agree this would be better than the omni-present threat of a lockdown whenever new waves of this virus - and subsequent others - take hold.

Yes, in a normal situation the focus on more day care and regional treatment isn't a bad one - but it doesn't take into account pandemics or exceptional circumstances.

 

[greyman42]

Perhaps they were taking precautionary tests before visiting a vulnerable person?
Perhaps they had symptoms and tested so that they could avoid spreading it?
Perhaps they were tested prior to a hospital treatment?
Perhaps they tested after being warned by a contact who was positive?

All those are realistic scenarios and apply among the dozen or more local people of my acquaintance who have had covid in the last couple of weeks.

Only number three is realistic because people are not interested in testing anymore because they have to pay for the tests.

 

[Cdd89]

I'm sure we can all agree this would be better than the omni-present threat of a lockdown whenever new waves of this virus - and subsequent others - take hold.

There is no “threat of a lockdown”. Even if healthcare would be overloaded, there is the more important factor of the benefit of lockdowns needing to exceed the harm they cause. This was barely met in a pre-vaccination world and it certainly won’t be going forward.

 

[Bikeman78]

Whatever their motivation, I’m firmly of the opinion that yes they did. Maybe it was more the drama they wanted as opposed to the actual restrictions, but they whipped up hysteria at every opportunity and were highly irresponsible in my opinion. From the Daily Star to the Daily Mail to the BBC, they all reduced themselves to the same level when it came to covid.

Same goes for the petrol panic last year. The media caused the problem. I believe a few filling stations ran dry but the media managed to cause panic across the whole country which made the problem far worse.

 

[Class 33]

Do they? Do they really? I think the BBC have been ridiculous for sending out a breaking news alert and having a live page for the "jump" in cases this afternoon but I've not the BBC suggesting that restrictions are required. They've reported the comments of some people working for the UK Health Security Agency who have suggested that people take some steps (such as trying to avoid others if you're ill) but even they aren't advocating anything approaching the sort of restrictions that would get in the way of living life.

I struggle, and indeed have struggled throughout, to see how any media organisation, at least any that are vaguely reputable, have been arguing in favour of restrictions. Then again I wasn't glued to every story by a media outfit or No10 press conference like some on here seemed to be!

Here is just one example of a journalist during the endless Coronavirus Downing Street News Conferences we had for months on end, asking the government to introduce tougher restrictions. This one from 11th January 2021. We still had the hugely damaging mandatory face covering and social distancing restrictions still dragging on, the country had just been put into a THIRD damaging reckless national lockdown. And here at 36m 10s in this video, Emily Morgan from ITV News asking Matt Hancock "Isn't now the time to act and make the rules stricter?"!!! Yet the irony of this is just about a week before this, she put out a report on the ITV News that there was a considerable rise in the number of people seeking help from their GP's for their mental health problems as a result of these ongoing restrictions and lockdowns!!! And then about a week later she's asking the government to make the restrictions tougher/stricter!!!!

 

[kez19]

Here is just one example of a journalist during the endless Coronavirus Downing Street News Conferences we had for months on end, asking the government to introduce tougher restrictions. This one from 11th January 2021. We still had the hugely damaging mandatory face covering and social distancing restrictions still dragging on, the country had just been put into a THIRD damaging reckless national lockdown. And here at 36m 10s in this video, Emily Morgan from ITV News asking Matt Hancock "Isn't now the time to act and make the rules stricter?"!!! Yet the irony of this is just about a week before this, she put out a report on the ITV News that there was a considerable rise in the number of people seeking help from their GP's for their mental health problems as a result of these ongoing restrictions and lockdowns!!! And then about a week later she's asking the government to make the restrictions tougher/stricter!!!!

I admit I caught the odd one here and there between the UK/Scottish Government but it seemed to me the media weren’t happy with anything in place but asked or demanded harsher restrictions, so let’s ask the following questions.

What were the media own objectives in asking for harsher restrictions (even if some were or were not in place)?

What was media gaining from this?

Why was certain rules in place for us plebs but as we now know rules were broken (politics aside on this part), but as mentioned Sky News Beth Rigby and Kay Burley broke rules (so who else in the media broke rules we are still unaware of?)



There could be more questions out there but these are a couple I can think of that in my opinion raises more questions than answers into how the media has or should I say still continues to act.

It’s a bit ironic if ITV to have a report mentioning mental health the week before but yet they campaign about CALM on their channels.

Homepage

We’re the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and we’re uniting the UK against suicide.

www.thecalmzone.net

Yet networks such as ITV will say they’ll cover/support things like this to then be thrown under a bus when it suits! It reminds me too during COVID there was next to no cancer ads such as Cancer Research that they usually covered but they didn’t start to appear again until after the second or third lockdown (coincidental? Possibly not but I did wonder this during that time).

As I say there is more to this than meets the eye (regardless of politics) but one thing as a positive for me is that my own trust in the BBC or STV/ITV News has gone and in a way I’m glad.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jul 2022 ==

Same goes for the petrol panic last year. The media caused the problem. I believe a few filling stations ran dry but the media managed to cause panic across the whole country which made the problem far worse.

I remember this too, who knew media could actually cause this and walk away from it?

It was the same in the lockdowns too, look at the shortages of loo rolls and pasta or certain items that then caused supermarket to be short of due to media recommendations (once again strange that), but media cause this but walk away from the situations without consequences?

 

[bramling]

If there is a threat of lockdowns any time ICU beds are in short supply due to an evolution of a virus or any other reason, we need to build more ICU capacity.

... which is a topic that has received surprising little media scrutiny.

One would have thought the media would have been all over the government's plans for how to handle things in the medium and longer term. Do we assume there essentially hasn't been any thought given to whether ICU capacity needs to change?...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jul 2022 ==

I admit I caught the odd one here and there between the UK/Scottish Government but it seemed to me the media weren’t happy with anything in place but asked or demanded harsher restrictions, so let’s ask the following questions.

What were the media own objectives in asking for harsher restrictions (even if some were or were not in place)?

What was media gaining from this?

Why was certain rules in place for us plebs but as we now know rules were broken (politics aside on this part), but as mentioned Sky News Beth Rigby and Kay Burley broke rules (so who else in the media broke rules we are still unaware of?)



There could be more questions out there but these are a couple I can think of that in my opinion raises more questions than answers into how the media has or should I say still continues to act.

It’s a bit ironic if ITV to have a report mentioning mental health the week before but yet they campaign about CALM on their channels.

Homepage

We’re the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and we’re uniting the UK against suicide.

www.thecalmzone.net

Yet networks such as ITV will say they’ll cover/support things like this to then be thrown under a bus when it suits! It reminds me too during COVID there was next to no cancer ads such as Cancer Research that they usually covered but they didn’t start to appear again until after the second or third lockdown (coincidental? Possibly not but I did wonder this during that time).

As I say there is more to this than meets the eye (regardless of politics) but one thing as a positive for me is that my own trust in the BBC or STV/ITV News has gone and in a way I’m glad.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jul 2022 ==



I remember this too, who knew media could actually cause this and walk away from it?

It was the same in the lockdowns too, look at the shortages of loo rolls and pasta or certain items that then caused supermarket to be short of due to media recommendations (once again strange that), but media cause this but walk away from the situations without consequences?

Don't forget all the publicity for Captain Tom too, with the family now being at the centre of a rather grubby looking scandal (who would have thought it?!).

 

[kez19]

... which is a topic that has received surprising little media scrutiny.

One would have thought the media would have been all over the government's plans for how to handle things in the medium and longer term. Do we assume there essentially hasn't been any thought given to whether ICU capacity needs to change?...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jul 2022 ==



Don't forget all the publicity for Captain Tom too, with the family now being at the centre of a rather grubby looking scandal (who would have thought it?!).

I remember the publicity about Captain Tom but now there is a scandal? Quick look the charity in trouble and the Gin being pulled? Aah but question once more did we see the BBC/Sky jump on this or did they sweep this under? (by means not on their sites I mean on TV/radio?, I’ll go with the possibility of not). On the other the media sure knows how to pick them!

 

[MikeWM]

I'd say the huge number of people in central London today is fairly indicative of how concerned the general population is about this 'fifth wave', ie. not at all.

At this point, most of the alarmism and calls for behaviour changes/restrictions appears to be from echo chambers in the media and twitter/facebook. As long as it stays there, and right now I don't see any obvious reason why it won't, all should remain ok.

There's two big differences now : one is that people are bored with it all and are starting to have more important concerns such as whether they can pay their food and fuel bills; and secondly everyone has either had covid or at least know many people that have, and have plenty of personal evidence that for the vast majority it is nothing to be particularly worried about, however much we're told to panic and worry about it.

 

[317 forever]

I'd say the huge number of people in central London today is fairly indicative of how concerned the general population is about this 'fifth wave', ie. not at all.

At this point, most of the alarmism and calls for behaviour changes/restrictions appears to be from echo chambers in the media and twitter/facebook. As long as it stays there, and right now I don't see any obvious reason why it won't, all should remain ok.

There's two big differences now : one is that people are bored with it all and are starting to have more important concerns such as whether they can pay their food and fuel bills; and secondly everyone has either had covid or at least know many people that have, and have plenty of personal evidence that for the vast majority it is nothing to be particularly worried about, however much we're told to panic and worry about it.

In terms of staying free from lockdowns, it is a relief that despite the supposition that the recent surge in cases is the result of more social events over the Jubilee, there are no restrictions proposed for the Commonwealth Games.

The combination of the large-scale vaccine rollout and new milder variants means Covid is rarely unduly dangerous now. It is little more than a successor to previous colds or flus now.

 

[johnnychips]

I noted that the BBC had a scare story today, which has now dropped out of their ‘most read’. However, I was astounded that Covid still has its own subsection along with politics, business etc. It really is time to stop this nonsense.