SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I doubt I am alone - though I think some are doing well (you forgot to include that ? )
Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?
- Thread starter drdel
- Start date
I doubt I am alone - though I think some are doing well (you forgot to include that ? )
hovis
Tour Winner
i disagree. and so do the majority of people. how can the government answer what the exit strategy will look like when they don't know themselves? should they guess? they don't know as they are waiting on data. they said this from day one. they clearly explained that constructive data will take 3 to 4 weeks to come through. yet the press keep saying "when are we lifting the lockdown".
if they did intend to lift the lockdown but didn't because of this data the press would be the first people to ridicule them for it.
on another note, let's just say they are holding information back. i cant blame them. People are stupid!! we have shown that. add that to the stupid press compounding every breath that is muttered by the government and you have a mess
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I don’t disagree on exit strategy - or on your last sentence.
But they could tell us the key metrics that they will use to inform the strategy. I believe the Scottish FM may be thinking of doing that next week. So for instance...positive antibody testing is clearly a metric - and so when a figure of 95% is reached for that metric that would be a point at which the government would be able to do what? Could they do something at 75% or at any other level combined with other indicators and metrics with all necessary caveats.
I don’t see the risk - even for the less than fully attentive - in doing that, and it gives me confidence in there being a way out of this that isn’t like Trump tapping the side of his head when asked the same question.
hovis
Tour Winner
why is that information useful to you or anyone at this moment? haven't they said that antibody testing is inaccurate at the moment?
Crazyface
Tour Winner
I attach no blame to anything the government are doing / will do to help us through all this. Just suppose they had stock piled PPE all over the country just in case anything like this happened and didn't. We'd be shocked to hear how much it was costing to to purchase and store and keep in good condition instead of helping save lives. They are doing their best. It is a global thing and everyone is after PPE. It would be great if it just fell from the sky, but it don't. I think the 100K testing thing is a bit of a joke. They'll never get to that. But that aside, the government have adopted a policy and are trying to stick to it, albeit, the police with there usual ineptitude are screwing things up (Westminister Bridge fiasco). I a tat fed up that people are ignoring all the advice. Tesco's????? Bluddy Home Bargins staff and customers beggar belief. Denser than a Black Hole.
I start a job with Morrisons, delivering, on Monday, might as well work I thought. I am looking forward to their induction and their policies on all this. Could be a fun three hours and I might be told to leave. LOL
I start a job with Morrisons, delivering, on Monday, might as well work I thought. I am looking forward to their induction and their policies on all this. Could be a fun three hours and I might be told to leave. LOL
drdel
Tour Rookie
Personally I'm very pleased to be living in the UK at the present time. The Government has done its best to keep us all informed and I'd hate to be in their shoes.
While one should never just accept statements from anyone without question under these circumstances but, under the situation, updates can only be made as new information is available. As the medics learn it will mean that with the benefit of hindsight earlier decisions may prove to be unwise, that doesn't mean the decision was wrong or stupid at the time.
Expecting Ministers and Medics to reveal future plans in a rapidly evolving situation is plainly silly. The vast majority pick up their 'news' from the TV and press; unfortunately the media will select the soundbites and look to hype stories risking OTT reactions which may cause unexpected consequences.
You say "...they should all be able to give a clear consistent answer and not seem to be evasive or indecisive." This is just an unreasonable expectation under evolving and changing circumstances and, I suspect, you would be one of the first people hitting the keyboard with glee when you discover a past statement proved a mistake under the clarity of hindsight. Give them a break and be thankful you are not having to make decisions that affect millions of lives and livelihoods.
Do you not think that the "key questions" the journalists raise are the very same questions that the PM and Ministers are asking the experts?
The questions you refer to are a bit of a moving feast. For example, the original thought on ventilation, i.e. produce a lot of cheap CPAP devices. This is now being considered as not the best way forward. There's also a school of thought that some of the symptoms mirror altitude sickness.
And then there's the rate at which lockdown works, infections diminish. Do you have a crystal ball for when that will happen, bearing in mind that the experts all around the world are still trying to fully understand what's in front of them?
The questions might be, note might be, the right questions but at this moment in time the answers to some of them are of the "how long is a piece of string-type" questions.
Personally, I find there isn't an intelligent journalist asking questions at the briefings, and as for the repetition and rewording of the same question - very poor. There seems a distinct lack of patience. Maybe looking at how long its taking in countries that have had C19 longer than the UK is a better indicator of some of the answers.
As for some of the Ministers looking tired/stressed; they know that they are being asked to make decisions that could determine whether or not a significant number of people live or die. That is a level of stress no one handles comfortably.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
It’s simply about maintaining confidence in the government that it is on top of this as best it can be. And it’s not for me its surely more important for those struggling with lockdown. As far as the antibody testing...there will be one that is accurate and so the metric is on the basis of an accurate antibody testing.
hovis
Tour Winner
I get being confident in the government. I just don't get how you can gain confidence from what questions are being asked. the press have come across as a bunch of hillbillys that didn't go to school. I personally think they know more but can't trust us with this information. I cant blame them
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AmandaJR
Money List Winner
Very emotive Dr. talking/appealing/bemoaning on BBC this morning talking about a lack of PPE. I, for one, am sick of hearing this constant criticism on the subject and would be interested if for once they showed the opposite perspective as it is out there. Have a driver like @Fish tell the country about the deliveries made where the last delivery of PPE hasn't even been opened. Let the public know the full story about this issue and how the NHS are deailing with it...not just have a go at the government.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
If we don’t find the briefings useful then we stop watching them or the government stops doing them daily...would we prefer that? And I am also clear that this is really difficult and uncertain and that the government can only be on top of things as best they can...and I agree that trying to put timescales on any of this is not appropriate.
If the answers to essentially the same questions are clear and consistent then there are no issues. It is when responses start sounding evasive that confidence might start to wane. So always put the best ministers up front to do the briefings. And make sure they are fully briefed. Most are doing as well as can be expected in the circumstances.
The most repeated questions are around PPE and testing. We have been assured repeatedly that testing will be 100,000 a day by end of April - that was the government commitment. I think it reasonable then for us to know how well things are progressing towards that commitment. We are currently at 25,000 a day. The government briefing tells us every day of the current number, but it is I think reasonable then to ask the question about the gap.
I suspect that everyone's level of confidence might be different. What satisfies yours might not satisfies the next person but is more than satisfying for the next. For me there's two main strands to that confidence, a) do I like what I'm hearing, and b) what are those in 'opposition' saying about the govt's performance? If those in a position to significantly oppose the govt's actions are, in the main, supporting the govt... what's the problem?
Crazyface
Tour Winner
Brilliant !!!!! The "press" asking the questions should be fired off into oblivion. Utter morons.
hovis
Tour Winner
on the testing I agree with you. but shouldn't we be asking them on the 1st May why they didn't reach it rather than accusing them of not hitting it 2 weeks before the deadline. it's like asking Lewis Hamilton why he didn't win the race when he gets to his first pitstop
Many drivers have been in touch with the mainstream media, they’re not interested, it doesn’t suit the narrative.
It’s not the government’s responsibility to ensure there was enough PPE at each and every hospital, that’s the job of the Trusts procurement teams, and they’ve been caught out and are deflecting the blame, imo of course.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I 100% agree. I hope that I understand the issues as well as most - and most ministers seem on top of things and the briefings generally work for me. But I dislike hearing what sounds like evasion from others as I don’t think it’s necessary, and just doesn’t help. It’s not going to be the likes of me or most on here who are trying to find a way around lockdown measures and excuses to do what they want to do. But it seems that there are quite a few out there who will.
hovis
Tour Winner
I don't want to mention the hospital but my bosses wife said they have ppe boxes stacked all over the place and are repeatedly turning drivers away as they have no room to store it.
We see it daily, obviously they’re purchasing from different sources, maybe this has been the biggest issue, should there be a central ordering system, so orders and repeat orders can be monitored against potential usage? is there panic buying going on throughout the trusts? and the ones complaining simply don't have a good aggressive procurement team, and it’s them failing their immediate staff?
Testing; "we" know where we are now and "we" know what the gap is - simple maths. We also hear that the centres are up and running but are often sparse of 'customers.' You can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink. I have always detested the need to wipe some people's backsides.
I've heard the, "yes but the test centre is an hour each way." So how much do you value your own life. Get up early and GO!
Mudball
Assistant Pro
Amanda .. I am going to disagree.. this is ultra omnishambles from the Govt. apparently there is PPE but they could not get it out in sufficient quantity and quality to the front line.
Would we ask our Army boys and girls to go to the frontline but not give them guns & armour. Every frontline worker without PPE is at risk. The new PHE guideline of work without ppe is diabolical. Drs and nurses signed up to save lives not to kill themselves.
Our local GP is buying PPE directly from Far East, Germany etc. They have turned to fund raising platforms to get this.
I speak as a husband of an NHS worker and I know the number of calls they have been on trying to figure out PPE and guidelines. She still does her job but every time she goes to her clinic, we as a family say a silent prayer. Every time she coughs, I sh*t myself.
So every time I hear some one from the frontline berates the lack of PPE, I feel like throwing the remote at the TV.
Without people like Fish, we would be in a worse place. But unfortunately we can’t say we have done enough... Hannock’s magic wand is the same as May’s magic money tree..
.. rant over