O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Ram59]

Not disagreeing with your latter bits. Not sure if you subscribe to the gov.U.K. ‘Court of public opinion’ website (sorry not sure of the exact name I’m on my phone), I am and it’s enlightening - when asked the question ‘should HMG have closed our national borders in Spring 2020) 93% so far have responded ‘yes’! I think that is HMGs biggest **** up of many

Should the UK have controlled the borders much more in the spring of 2020, yes definitely. But, fully closing them would have been impossible.

I am sick of the media comparing us with the likes of New Zealand in this matter. Pre covid, New Zealand had about 80,000 people per day passing through 4 airports. The UK's figure was around 1 million per day through many airports and ports. Those going to airports are easier to cope with, because they're going through a more strict control, especially in New Zealand, and can be placed on coaches for transferring to hotels. In the UK we have the very difficult problem with around a 100,000 using our ports and the eurotunnel, each day, many of these arriving in their own vehicles and can't simply be placed on a coach. Then you have all of the lorries and vans arriving with all sorts of perishable and non-perishable goods, to consider. What could we have done with them, remember, there are no lorry loads of goods going to New Zealand, it's just ridiculous to compare the two.

That's where we have the issue now. Many are calling for 100% hotel quarantine now, but surely there has to be exceptions, so where do you draw the line? SAGE advises that only by closing the borders will we prevent new strains, but how do we get supplies in and how do we know that these variants aren't already here?

[Andy_Faber]

Should the UK have controlled the borders much more in the spring of 2020, yes definitely. But, fully closing them would have been impossible.

I am sick of the media comparing us with the likes of New Zealand in this matter. Pre covid, New Zealand had about 80,000 people per day passing through 4 airports. The UK's figure was around 1 million per day through many airports and ports. Those going to airports are easier to cope with, because they're going through a more strict control, especially in New Zealand, and can be placed on coaches for transferring to hotels. In the UK we have the very difficult problem with around a 100,000 using our ports and the eurotunnel, each day, many of these arriving in their own vehicles and can't simply be placed on a coach. Then you have all of the lorries and vans arriving with all sorts of perishable and non-perishable goods, to consider. What could we have done with them, remember, there are no lorry loads of goods going to New Zealand, it's just ridiculous to compare the two.

That's where we have the issue now. Many are calling for 100% hotel quarantine now, but surely there has to be exceptions, so where do you draw the line? SAGE advises that only by closing the borders will we prevent new strains, but how do we get supplies in and how do we know that these variants aren't already here?

Agree with the NZ thing Ram, but I still think HMG could have done more earlier.

[ramAnag]

Agree with the NZ thing Ram, but I still think HMG could have done more earlier.

The NZ thing is a ‘red herring’ that I haven’t seen mentioned by anyone on here.

On the subject of borders, apparently Grant Shapps claimed yesterday that...we couldn’t close our borders because, unlike Australia, we’re an island! I give up!

On a brighter note...just had a phone call from my surgery inviting me for a first Covid jab on Saturday. Like many, Adi and Andy apart, I’m in the 65-70 cohort so others may be called soon. Very organised...asked relevant questions and to turn up five minutes before the ‘jab time’ wearing accessible clothing. Impressive and earlier than expected.

[Andy_Faber]

The NZ thing is a ‘red herring’ that I haven’t seen mentioned by anyone on here.

On the subject of borders, apparently Grant Shapps claimed yesterday that...we couldn’t close our borders because, unlike Australia, we’re an island! I give up!

On a brighter note...just had a phone call from my surgery inviting me for a first Covid jab on Saturday. Like many, Adi and Andy apart, I’m in the 65-70 cohort so others may be called soon. Very organised...asked relevant questions and to turn up five minutes before the ‘jab time’ wearing accessible clothing. Impressive and earlier than expected.

That’s great news rA, be brave and enjoy the lolly they’ll give you

Edit maybe we can get them to administer to ‘difficult to get to’ GP the way Stevie Nicks used to receive her Cocaine...

[Ram59]

The NZ thing is a ‘red herring’ that I haven’t seen mentioned by anyone on here.

On the subject of borders, apparently Grant Shapps claimed yesterday that...we couldn’t close our borders because, unlike Australia, we’re an island! I give up!

On a brighter note...just had a phone call from my surgery inviting me for a first Covid jab on Saturday. Like many, Adi and Andy apart, I’m in the 65-70 cohort so others may be called soon. Very organised...asked relevant questions and to turn up five minutes before the ‘jab time’ wearing accessible clothing. Impressive and earlier than expected.

You really are starting to annoy, RA. We were discussing whether we should have closed the national borders last spring and now there are calls for the same thing. I mentioned how stupid that the media kept comparing our situation with that of New Zealand and why couldn't we close our borders just like them?

Likewise with comparing us with Australia, in numbers alone we vastly differ, but the biggest difference is how goods come into the country. We have thousands of lorries and vans arriving every day through our ports and tunnel, bringing ***** foods and supplies, how would you deal with them? 100% of food and supplies entering Australia and New Zealand, do so via air freight or on container ships and don't come with a driver.

Much is being made of SAGE 'advising' the government to close the border, a slight twisting of the truth. SAGE advised the government that the only way to stop new variants was to close the borders, no sugar Sherlock!

It's like me advising MM, the only way to guarantee promotion, is to sign Liverpool's manager and first team squad, obvious not possible.

[Geoff Parkstone]

"accessible clothing! That will be fun for a motorbike rider such as I. Not heard anything yet, they must be getting through them faster in Derbyshire, unless you have a younger average population than commuterbelt Surrey

[Andy_Faber]

"accessible clothing! That will be fun for a motorbike rider such as I. Not heard anything yet, they must be getting through them faster in Derbyshire, unless you have a younger average population than commuterbelt Surrey

...or rA has ‘got on their case’ (I’m sure he hasn’t). A thankfully very distant relative of mine has been on someone’s case about getting a jab every day since December that I’m aware of.At 54, she’s five years younger than I with less health conditions and she’s clearly worn someone down as she is getting her first dose today...

[ramAnag]

...or rA has ‘got on their case’ (I’m sure he hasn’t). A thankfully very distant relative of mine has been on someone’s case about getting a jab every day since December that I’m aware of.At 54, she’s five years younger than I with less health conditions and she’s clearly worn someone down as she is getting her first dose today...

No, I honestly haven’t. Received an out of the blue phone call at 8.45 this morning. I know a recently turned seventy year old who was ‘done’ last weekend so thought I might be getting close but I haven’t been ‘on their case’ at all and the young woman I spoke to was unfailingly polite with what felt like an ‘invitation’ rather than any sort of ‘this is it...take it or leave it’ demand.

[Andy_Faber]

No, I honestly haven’t. Received an out of the blue phone call at 8.45 this morning. I know a recently turned seventy year old who was ‘done’ last weekend so thought I might be getting close but I haven’t been ‘on their case’ at all and the young woman I spoke to was unfailingly polite with what felt like an ‘invitation’ rather than any sort of ‘this is it...take it or leave it’ demand.

As I said I’m sure in your case you haven’t. And again, good for you!

[Geoff Parkstone]

No, I honestly haven’t. Received an out of the blue phone call at 8.45 this morning. I know a recently turned seventy year old who was ‘done’ last weekend so thought I might be getting close but I haven’t been ‘on their case’ at all and the young woman I spoke to was unfailingly polite with what felt like an ‘invitation’ rather than any sort of ‘this is it...take it or leave it’ demand.

Would I be right to assume that, giving your past comments on the matter, you will be phoning your local school to find a worthy teacher to concede your place in the queue to