Coronavirus - political views - supporting or otherwise...

[GB72]

I ordered 3 reusable masks off eBay Friday just because I wanted one that was bit better with glasses

Arrived today

£6 well spent, bet their triple price now

Just bought a 4 pack off odd balls for a tenner so got something a bit better than my snood and did a bit for charity at the same time

 

[Crazyface]

I won't be buying any. I can (supermarket) shop without one as I work there. How stupid is this? Anything else I require I'll buy online now.
Also, will small children / babies have to wear them in shops?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Have you forgotten about the VE Day celebrations and photos of packed beaches? And you think that trusting these people would be a good idea?

Whether I trust them or not is neither here nor there - but Gove - in his infinite wisdom thinks that they should be - maybe he has forgotten. Besides. Why doubt them now when they are the same great British public who were trusted to understand issues of much greater complexity only a few years ago.

 

[SocketRocket]

He is the Chief Scientific Adviser, actually, but as I said before, I suspect he was indiscreet in letting that slip and now people think he owns the idea when it was really a broader idea arising from data modelling. We all know who is the big data guy in Number 10.

Still Govt's choice to accept advice, and they clearly rejected a number of pieces of advice from their scientists.

Herd immunity depends on transmission causing an antibody response in enough people that further transmission dies out. It does not stop cases arising, though. Herd immunity is a very risky and unproven strategy, a very untypical public health strategy for an unknown virus, and I doubt that Chris Whitty was a fan. I find it hard to believe that Vallance, who is neither a public health doctor, epidemiologist nor virologist, could successfully advance the herd immunity strategy.

As noted above, Covid has several phases. There is an old fashioned respiratory phase, which can be bad, but there is also an inflammatory phase in some people, which causes organ damage in some or all of the heart, kidneys, liver, brain and circulation. This is what dexamethasone treats. It is a nasty disease and there is mounting evidence of "recovered" people having lasting organ damage.

It sounds like you want the Government to be responsible for trying to implement Herd Imunity and be seen to have ignored expert advice, it also seems like you use supposition driven by your personal dislike of anything the Conservatives do in your conclusions. I know you are a qualified medical Doctor and have experience of working in the NHS and currently in the Private Sector but I would point out this doesn't give you any qualified insight to Government strategy and your accusations are personal opinion, just like mine.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Really! This is just so much noise for noise sake.

When a Government mandates anything there is always a period of grace between the mandate being issued and the 'enforcement' date.

If the Government had insisted on immediate implementation I'd be willing to bet that your would have been hitting the keyboard claiming it guilty of an unreasonable draconian action by not giving notice.

Just unable to accept any criticism of the government or its actions or plans. Instead of accepting that the statements by Johnson and Gove have been - at best - very poor and lacking in clear guidance or direction as usual attention is turned on the messenger rather than the message. In any case, why do you think I would have complained if an immediate mandate On wearing of masks was declared. We have prep’d for such a situation and have a small number of masks - certainly enough to cope with a couple of weeks of food and essentials shopping. And we’ve had them for a couple of months.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I wonder what the posts from some on here would be if the government had said “face masks from tomorrow “.

Maybe they would have said ‘not before time’

 

[Doon frae Troon]

It was eye bleedingly obvious that masks would become compulsory.
We bought ours 4 weeks ago.

Just starting on the new Brexit stockpile list now that Covid 19 has depleted some supplies.
At least we have a better idea of what to buy now.

 

[DanFST]

Well, we could have suppressed the virus if the Govt had not decided to do a stupid, dangerous, snd we now know, ineffective herd immunity strategy. That would have included closing inward travel and locking down much sooner. This idea of protecting the NHS is all fine and dandy so long as you accept that it is virtually impossible to calibrate public policy to allow a modest number of cases.

We have a modest amount of cases. We can and have coped. How is herd immunity ineffective? You say it's unproven, there has never been a pandemic of this scale in modern times..... What other option is there currently? The City can't function with extended periods of closed borders, let alone anything that needs production abroad or importing in. Were we just supposed to stay in full lockdown with closed borders until a vaccine may or may not appear?

Sweden didn't lockdown, has coped very well and it's GDP has only dropped 8% compared to most of Europes 25%. It's a case study into why I think you are wrong. Obviously it's all too early to tell at the moment.

 

[Jamesbrown]

It was eye bleedingly obvious that masks would become compulsory.
We bought ours 4 weeks ago.

Just starting on the new Brexit stockpile list now that Covid 19 has depleted some supplies.
At least we have a better idea of what to buy now.

So it was obvious 4 weeks ago, not at the beginning!?
It wasn’t obvious at all down here. I believe we only mandated it because sturgeon did and then pandered to some peoples insecurities and hysteria. It’s not very Boris Johnson at all to implement this. He goes what is popular and I’d say this idea isn’t popular.
I never saw many wearing a mask whenever I went shopping. Just old people and weirdos.

 

[Deleted member 21784]

I won't be buying any. I can (supermarket) shop without one as I work there. How stupid is this? Anything else I require I'll buy online now.
Also, will small children / babies have to wear them in shops?

Why? Because you have to wear a mask?

Should argue your work should provide you with one . But they will be too scared of being sued if you died.

It's really no hardship to wear one..children under 11 don't have to wear them no.

Reusable one off eBay £5.. keep in your wallet if ness. Job done.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

When face coverings were introduced in Scotland they interviewed a small shopkeeper and asked him if anyone had objected.
Just the one he said, he told me he would take his business elsewhere.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer,

 

[drdel]

I wonder if those complaining about the 'delay' in the mandated mask wearing date realise you do not have to wait??

 

[Billysboots]

I never saw many wearing a mask whenever I went shopping. Just old people and weirdos.

So those nervous about this virus, especially those with underlying conditions, are “weirdos”?

I’m sure they’ll find your observation absolutely charming.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Au contraire, I have no opinion. Like I said, just quoting guidelines.
I was merely pointing out that there is no need for a 14 day lead up to the introduction of govt sanctioned face coverings.
It's really not worth getting worked up about. It demeans us all.

What is worth getting worked up about is the way some on here grasp at every little opportunity that they see to have a bash at government decisions, as if they are made by Machiavellian minds to con the populace.
That is what is demeaning.

 

[Kellfire]

What is worth getting worked up about is the way some on here grasp at every little opportunity that they see to have a bash at government decisions, as if they are made by Machiavellian minds to con the populace.
That is what is demeaning.

Either this government sets out to deceive us or they’re incompetent. There’s no third option.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Either this government sets out to deceive us or they’re incompetent. There’s no third option.

With regards to this government, is that really the only two options you see ? Does that apply to everything they do, or just everything to do with the virus ?

You see no other options at all ?

 

[GB72]

I am a bit in 2 minds about this. Am I convinced that face coverings (as opposed to decent quality face masks) a massive difference, I am not sure. Do I think that it was a necessary step to make the wider public more confident about going to shops etc, yes and that is why it is important. The world keeps turning and in the absence of a vaccine, we need to do all we can to encourage people to live as normal a life as possible. The rule had to be strict and the punishments quite severe in order to give people confidence that if they go shopping everyone will have a mask on. Whether basic face coverings have an impact or are just a placebo, we will see.

I think that the 10 day delay was essential before implementing. What you are saying is that people are banned from any form of shopping, including food and essentials, without a face covering. By imposing the rule that strictly, a time period had to be allowed for people to prepare. Having seen the rush on many items in lockdown, face coverings at a reasonable price are going to far harder to get hold of (look at some of the price gouging on amazon) and so a bit of time is needed to get everything in place.

I appreciate that the need for face coverings has seemed inevitable to so some for a while, but not everyone and so time was needed to ensure that people were not cut off from essential supplies.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I wonder if those complaining about the 'delay' in the mandated mask wearing date realise you do not have to wait??

The point is that many will wait...because wearing a mask is not essential now. And then I suspect in ten days time many will wonder why it has becomes essential that day, and so won't bother.

In pretty much the same way that having front and rear lights on a bike is mandatory under law - however many just don't bother as censure and punishment are considered unlikely and the risk of accident as a result of not having lights is perceived to be low. Besides - for many younger cyclists it's kinda uncool to have lights on your bike - a bit of a sign of rebellion against authority.

And likewise I suggest will masks be seen by many. Thinking it's going to be up to the public to reprimand non-wearers, that's going to be fun...

 

[ColchesterFC]

Thinking it's going to be up to the public to reprimand non-wearers, that's going to be fun...

Surely it will be up to shops to refuse entry to those not wearing masks and then for the police to enforce it if needed.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I am a bit in 2 minds about this. Am I convinced that face coverings (as opposed to decent quality face masks) a massive difference, I am not sure. Do I think that it was a necessary step to make the wider public more confident about going to shops etc, yes and that is why it is important. The world keeps turning and in the absence of a vaccine, we need to do all we can to encourage people to live as normal a life as possible. The rule had to be strict and the punishments quite severe in order to give people confidence that if they go shopping everyone will have a mask on. Whether basic face coverings have an impact or are just a placebo, we will see.

I think that the 10 day delay was essential before implementing. What you are saying is that people are banned from any form of shopping, including food and essentials, without a face covering. By imposing the rule that strictly, a time period had to be allowed for people to prepare. Having seen the rush on many items in lockdown, face coverings at a reasonable price are going to far harder to get hold of (look at some of the price gouging on amazon) and so a bit of time is needed to get everything in place.

I appreciate that the need for face coverings has seemed inevitable to so some for a while, but not everyone and so time was needed to ensure that people were not cut off from essential supplies.

If a shopkeeper is worried abut losing custom due to individuals not going into their shop as they are not wearing a mask, then the shopkeeper can decide whether or not to invest in masks to hand out to potential customers who don't have one.

We (and the government) have had weeks if not months to prepare for the possibility that we'd have to wear masks. If nothing else the government could have arranged for masks to be supplied free to every single household in the country. I think @Hobbit indicated that that is what has been done in Spain?