Jump to content
NEurope
bob

COVID-19 (The artist formally known as Coronavirus)

Recommended Posts

16 hours ago, killthenet said:

Just saw a guy in my local Tesco wearing a novelty plastic Vault Boy mask - not quite sure it's entirely COVID safe but it was covering his face at least

My friend wears a Spider-Man mask to his office and they've accepted it. I suppose it's still effective. The pictures and videos he sent of his work place's reactions to it are funny. They've let him wear it as well. It's good to see some work places have a bit of humour.

My shoe shop told me I had to wear a black mask so...I wore my smiling Joker one instead. They laughed. I got told about wearing a black one, asked them to point it out in the rulebook where it says it had to be black, they were stumped and laughed about it and let me carry on wearing it, lmao. The thing is, everybody loves it and I get comments on it so I think that's why they're okay with it.

In the shoe shop, most of the staff don't wear one. Out of the 12 people working there, only 3 (including me) wears one. I prefer them, personally.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 17/08/2020 at 6:16 PM, nightwolf said:

Same as other people here, I only wear a mask indoors in my town, but its a tiny one where even on the busiest of days I'll barely see 4 or 5 people on an hour walk. 

In the large town - Cambridge, we wear a mask as soon as we get out the car until we get back in. No exceptions. I don't trust anyone at all to behave themselves. The fact that it had to be put as a requirement before most of the population would wear a mask really screams volumes. 

I 100% agree with you.  You cant control anyone except yourself. Just a pity half of the population are moronic idiots.  Believe what you wanna read online, but these folk need to do themselves a favour and drop the c*nt act and just do something for the well being of everyone.  It's so not difficult.  If I can, with significant breathing difficulties, then anyone can.

We're very much on the brink of lockdown here, i suspect all it will take is schools going back.  And I'll be back into the insanity known as shielding... yaaaaaaaaaaay. :cry: We've already had reductions to gatherings, 15 outside and 6 (from 2 households) inside, so that's given my sister an awful decision to make about her wedding. 

One of my friends has got really ill, and her daughter too.  She and the two kids went for testing today (sunday morning) and i'm crossing my fingers that they're all ok.  

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It’s funny how different this is in different places. Part of my new role is to head our Covid response group and we have the exact opposite problem to this. People want to come back into the office and we have to battle them to stay at home. 

We’re currently not expecting to bring people back this year, and from next year onwards we’re investigating how we can operate with far more work from home and rethinking the role of the physical office as part of our work life. The next few years are (hopefully) going to see a huge change in how we work and the way society operates. I just hope we get it right.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, will' said:

It’s funny how different this is in different places. Part of my new role is to head our Covid response group and we have the exact opposite problem to this. People want to come back into the office and we have to battle them to stay at home. 

We’re currently not expecting to bring people back this year, and from next year onwards we’re investigating how we can operate with far more work from home and rethinking the role of the physical office as part of our work life. The next few years are (hopefully) going to see a huge change in how we work and the way society operates. I just hope we get it right.

It'll be a trial and error for a lot of companies I assume. So you won't be alone.

From my understanding the company I work for has had WFH as a "privilege" for a very long time. As we have only recently been acquired in the last year and a half, we never got onboarded to WFH. But covid sped the process up.

My boss was very against it to begin with and thought covid was overblown. Soon changed his tune...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So as of Tuesday households in Birmingham can't mix but can go to the pub together...?

Also uncertain if this means I can or cannot go see my mom who is outside Birmingham.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Over here they’re starting the roll out of tracing tokens, which work in addition to the app for those without phones. I imagine once they’re sure the system works they will make the token mandatory for everyone. It’s a little big brother-ish but if it means we can ease some of the other restrictions currently in place I’ll gladly carry one around. 

23 minutes ago, Ashley said:

So as of Tuesday households in Birmingham can't mix but can go to the pub together...?

I do wonder who is making the rules up there. Is it just that you can’t go to other people’s houses but everything else is basically OK? Seems like a waste of time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
27 minutes ago, will' said:

I do wonder who is making the rules up there. Is it just that you can’t go to other people’s houses but everything else is basically OK? Seems like a waste of time.

The basic question seems to be "are you helping the economy or not?"

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
59 minutes ago, Ashley said:

So as of Tuesday households in Birmingham can't mix but can go to the pub together...?

Also uncertain if this means I can or cannot go see my mom who is outside Birmingham.

My question is what the penalty is you do go to another household?

That there aren't fixed fines and other potential penalties for breaking these rules just shows how much of a mess it's all been over here compared with other countries, we haven't taken things all too seriously. Also the fact that I'm only just learning this and am close by to Birmingham...there have to be better ways to keep people in the loop.

The British summer mentality shines through in the strangest ways, didn't think it would in a pandemic but ::shrug:

34 minutes ago, will' said:

Over here they’re starting the roll out of tracing tokens, which work in addition to the app for those without phones. I imagine once they’re sure the system works they will make the token mandatory for everyone. It’s a little big brother-ish but if it means we can ease some of the other restrictions currently in place I’ll gladly carry one around. 

That's pretty much what the UK needs in a nutshell.

I'm amazed no country has pushed surveillance harder than seems to be the case at the moment around the world when it comes to tracking COVID (apart from countries which were already unfortunately at that position pre-COVID). If there was ever a time(/excuse) to have comprehensive surveillance installed, now would be the time. 

Quote

I do wonder who is making the rules up there. Is it just that you can’t go to other people’s houses but everything else is basically OK? Seems like a waste of time.

I don't think we know either :laughing: I'm guessing it's some politician who knows absolutely squat about control measures for a pandemic, and didn't pay enough attention when they were advised to not relax things, or pay much closer attention than they have done. 

But seriously, aside from all that, what a surprise that our figures spike when we force people to go back to school/college/uni in the middle of a pandemic, where they also have zero enforcement of rules relating to face masks, distancing, etc. Not to mention everywhere they pass by/through on the way to and from school, with all the small shops that have tried to open back up now they've gone back to school, to try to stay in the black. 

Who could have possibly known? 

:blank: 

Edited by Julius

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They're controlling things they cannot tax IMHO.  I'm far from a conspiracy theorist but their policies are getting ridiculous.

They've put us on lockdown here.  "Ballymena Town" and bt43.  Which is fucking vague at best.  The town itself is barely 2m radius.  Greater Ballymena is a 10 mile radius, easily.  (consisting of more than half a dozen postcodes).  There was 2 big factory outbreaks, one in the town, and near where I live, outside of the town.  No change to shielding but told to be "extra cautious" which means fuck all to high risk people that have to go to work and put themselves in danger on a daily basis.  So they'll basically be like oh well you died you weren't careful enough

How they can clamp down on people visiting and say its spreading inside homes is beyond me.  Poor management, and staff being treated like absolute shit is whats spreading this.  Can't afford to self isolate for 2 weeks without pay... a lot of people will just go to work and hope for the best.... usually in factories where ppe and distancing is impossible.  Workplaces where management WILL NOT let their staff go home even with symptoms (has happened here on more than one occasion publicly). 

The assholes that continue to break the rules to the extreme will continue to do so, leaving the people that try their best to follow the rules isolated, lonely and at high risk of causing harm to themselves. :blank:

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

From looking at my facebook feed I can say with the absolute certainty of anecdotal evidence that people (not only the youth) have not understood the socialising rules for the last couple of months, and that must be a contributing factor. The rule of six is barely a change.

It was up to six of multiple households [outside only], or up to 30 if from just two different households [inside or outside].

Now it's up to six of multiple households [inside or outside].

I see the main problem as there being a serious lapse in communication about still staying 2m away from anyone not in your household. All over my social feeds I see friends sat next to each other, or adult children hugging older parents, kids from different families crawling all over each other, and so on, and so on. And then they're unironically tagging these posts with things like #socialdistance.

It's a massive failing from government that these people don't understand they're still breaking rules.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/09/2020 at 2:46 PM, Ashley said:

So as of Tuesday households in Birmingham can't mix but can go to the pub together...?

Also uncertain if this means I can or cannot go see my mom who is outside Birmingham.

I presume the 'bubble' thing still applies? I visit my folks from time to time and stayed last week cos I wasnt well(waiting in a covid result atm for a potential surgery tmw too) - and even so how am I a person in single-occupency supposed to have my post-appt aftercare without going there? Also been visiting my friend's since before lockdown even happened - they all had covid and maybe even me too then so its always been in my 'bubble' but as people have said they mostly only want to push economy and not clarify much of this?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah I checked that afterwards.

Although it does seem silly I can go on a train and visit my mother where she lives (and works in an office), my brother lives and shares custody of his daughter (who now goes to school) with his ex (and lord know who she is seeing) and be close to all those but can't go visit someone in their garden.

I get a line needs to be drawn somewhere but it just seems a bit silly that I can visit my bubble which (in my particular circumstances) provides a greater risk than going round someone's garden.

But as I said its moot, I don't know anyone in Birmingham! :p 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

An update from my post in May - I finally got my British Airways flight money back yay!

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 minutes ago, Cookyman said:

An update from my post in May - I finally got my British Airways flight money back yay!

Drinks are on you!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Been avoiding life. Gonna head to my parents in time now for the morning whilst buses are quiet - they told me I could come for my appt still but conviniently wouldn't confirm I had a negative covid-19 test. I'll be doing my best to push them for it because its such a joke and shambles imo; i had to break isolation and travel to get a test at one site to visit a different site tomorrow and maybe that test/journey was completely irrelevant if the test doesnt have a result...(it probably does tbh...surely??)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Went to the hospital on Thursday, everything was super safe, came out, walked straight past a school and might as well have just coughed on everyone. What a joke. Hundreds (its a big school in Cambridge) of students walking around, mingling, parents not bothering either. My partner and I were already walking past in mask anyway, but my god, is it any wonder the numbers have gone up? 

Side note: My parents still think we should use herd immunity, when I'm likely to get it and possible die, so thats fun, had to point that out to them. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm monitoring things around Newport.  Meant to be going down to Cornwall next weekend, but cases continue to rise in Newport.  The Welsh gov have pinpointed that the most likely source of the number of positive cases rising came from a house party over the August bank holiday.  This party had individuals who came back from Ibiza and didn't isolate, most likely Covid carriers which have in turn spread it to others.  These people then (unknowingly) have gone to various pubs/clubs in the area and spread it further.  Have seen these pubs put on facebook that they're closed for deep cleaning, staff are isolating until they've had a negative test / 2 weeks is up.  More and more schools are having positive Covid tests (think i've heard 7 schools).  Luckily everything i've booked up is free cancellation, so if we go into a local lockdown like Caerphilly and other cities, i won't lose any money.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Our school has had a couple of pupils get tests but no positives so far. Obviously it's hard to keep the kids apart but I don't think we are doing too badly. Different play areas for different bubbles, staggered lunch times, hand gel dispensers on every entry door etc. Our main worry was going to be the parents but after a rocky first day they are now learning to not leave their cars at pick up/drop off and no parking. This is causing the occasional queue on the high street but the kids are starting to get quicker and quicker at pick up so it's not too bad.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone been on the trains recently and if so, how are they? I’ve got an urge to maybe go to London for the day at some point but the trip down there is what would concern me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Happenstance said:

Anyone been on the trains recently and if so, how are they? I’ve got an urge to maybe go to London for the day at some point but the trip down there is what would concern me.

They seem to be back to how they were before Covid. So try and avoid travelling at peak times would be my advice.

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 18/09/2020 at 7:00 PM, Happenstance said:

Anyone been on the trains recently and if so, how are they? I’ve got an urge to maybe go to London for the day at some point but the trip down there is what would concern me.

Went to Bristol a few weeks ago, only off-peak and it was pretty quiet.  Haven't had to use it during peak time as of yet, but i'm not planning to anytime soon.  They're ok, everyone was distancing from each other and 3/4 were wearing masks/coverings.

Edit: More areas in Wales, including Bridgend and Newport are going into local lockdown as of 6pm tomorrow.

Edited by Jimbob

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

×