O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Geoff Parkstone]

Returning to the topic, I don’t understand why - in the light of the current frankly scary figures - we aren’t following a ‘plan B’ at least as far as compulsory mask wearing indoors and on public transport is concerned.

Having been to three ‘events’ this week it just appears too random at the moment i.e. very crowded gig on Monday saw an estimated 5% of mask wearers, Pride Park on Tuesday...much the same, even in the concourses...and a theatre visit yesterday...about 5% in the bar and 85% in the auditorium.

You wouldn’t get away with that in Spain and their figures, despite the influx of summer tourists, are so much better than our horror show ones.

Every picture tells a story and this one includes a Government extraordinarily reluctant to do anything that isn’t populist or is likely to raise questions over the ‘success’ of their Covid strategy to date.

In the curious spirit of you agreeing with me yesterday, I have to agree re masks but it's a hard one. As a non driver I regularly use buses and trains and despite the transport companies requiring use of masks, via signs and onboard announcements, compliance is now at an all time low maybe 10%

British people do seem to display an "I know best" or " noone tells me what to do" philosophy, more so than Johnny foreigner. Perhaps it's over confidence in the vaccine, who knows. But curiously in shops, where masks are voluntary, I see far more compliance than on transport where it remains carrier mandated.

I'm genuinely unsure if the government reintroduced mandated mask wearing, compliance would rise. It cannot be policed or enforced other than consensually, and it seems Citizen UK has broadly speaking set his or her (other genders are available) stall out.

I'd like to see more masking during the winter in particular, but I suspect it's a flawed ambition. Too many people seem to think the crisis is over and any government would struggle to impose it now

[ramAnag]

In the curious spirit of you agreeing with me yesterday, I have to agree re masks but it's a hard one. As a non driver I regularly use buses and trains and despite the transport companies requiring use of masks, via signs and onboard announcements, compliance is now at an all time low maybe 10%

British people do seem to display an "I know best" or " noone tells me what to do" philosophy, more so than Johnny foreigner. Perhaps it's over confidence in the vaccine, who knows. But curiously in shops, where masks are voluntary, I see far more compliance than on transport where it remains carrier mandated.

I'm genuinely unsure if the government reintroduced mandated mask wearing, compliance would rise. It cannot be policed or enforced other than consensually, and it seems Citizen UK has broadly speaking set his or her (other genders are available) stall out.

I'd like to see more masking during the winter in particular, but I suspect it's a flawed ambition. Too many people seem to think the crisis is over and any government would struggle to impose it now

Lol...nothing ‘curious’ about it. Yesterday you made a good point whereas usually, imo, you all too often sound like a ‘Government spokesman’ or just resort to slightly personal attacks.

You probably think the same of me as an ‘opposition spokesperson’.
All this suggests is that we can reach agreement when common sense is involved and that is what we need UK wide.

Slightly ironically the only ‘public transport’ I tend to use are planes and, judging by your description of more daily use, I’m grateful for that. I do honestly think though that Government has to stop p ussyfooting around abdicating responsibility and declare that, for the foreseeable, masks are mandatory in indoor public places including all public transport.
It can’t be that hard...that is the case in Scotland...you simply wouldn’t get into my Health Centre or a Spanish supermarket without one, and if that means ‘demonising’ the duckwits who won’t comply...so be it.

P.S. The staggering difference between my ‘gig’ and ‘theatre’ experience in terms of mask compliance can I think only be put down to one of two things. 1. The theatre audience was older and more ‘sedate’. 2. Covid ‘protocol’ at the theatre was that people were ASKED to wear masks during the performance. There was no such request at the gig although all at the gig attendees were temperature and QR code checked on arrival which didn’t happen at the theatre.

As I said...just all too random.

[Geoff Parkstone]

re-imposition of masks: in principle, yes. For practical purposes I think that bird has flown. Trying to reintroduce a policy to a wide population who (from anecdotal evidence) were never totally keen on the idea to start with would I fear simply result in mass non compliance.

As a point of interest, I wonder what the correlation might be between your "demonised duckwhits" and your "underclass". There are several street sleepers in the town nearest to me (yes, not all leafy Surrey is leafy!) and my son's girlfriend's family runs a local foodbank. Neither the former nor any attendee at the latter has been seen anywhere near a mask in the last few months.

[ramAnag]

re-imposition of masks: in principle, yes. For practical purposes I think that bird has flown. Trying to reintroduce a policy to a wide population who (from anecdotal evidence) were never totally keen on the idea to start with would I fear simply result in mass non compliance.

As a point of interest, I wonder what the correlation might be between your "demonised duckwhits" and your "underclass". There are several street sleepers in the town nearest to me (yes, not all leafy Surrey is leafy!) and my son's girlfriend's family runs a local foodbank. Neither the former nor any attendee at the latter has been seen anywhere near a mask in the last few months.

Let’s hope ‘non-compliance’ doesn’t catch on in other aspects of life then...because ultimately it’s ‘anarchy’.

I don’t think there’s much correlation between ‘demonised duckwits’ and the ‘underclass’. You and I will see very little of the latter, unless we go looking. There will however be a correlation between the ‘underclass’ and the 5,000,000 adults in the UK who are said to still be completely unvaccinated as there will between arrogant tos sers of all classes and the duckwits.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Let’s hope ‘non-compliance’ doesn’t catch on in other aspects of life then...because ultimately it’s ‘anarchy’.

I don’t think there’s much correlation between ‘demonised duckwits’ and the ‘underclass’. You and I will see very little of the latter, unless we go looking. There will however be a correlation between the ‘underclass’ and the 5,000,000 adults in the UK who are said to still be completely unvaccinated as there will between arrogant tos sers of all classes and the duckwits.

5 million is your number of the day! 5 million unvaccinated and 5 million having had a third. It would perhaps have been better for all if the 5m thirds had gone to the 5m zeroes, but this gets us back to to why there are 5m out there unvaccinated. Some will of course be by choice......

[ramAnag]

5 million is your number of the day! 5 million unvaccinated and 5 million having had a third. It would perhaps have been better for all if the 5m thirds had gone to the 5m zeroes, but this gets us back to to why there are 5m out there unvaccinated. Some will of course be by choice......

Not really...I mentioned that only 5m had benefited from the booster yesterday. Today I mentioned that a different 5m had not been vaccinated at all. Both figures came from BBC R5 because circumstances meant I spent more time listening to the radio than usual yesterday.

There are 5m out there unvaccinated for a variety of reasons. Some will have genuine health concerns...some will be pregnant...some will want to become pregnant and have heard specific rumours...some will be bone idle...some will be too disorganised...some will have religious concerns and some - the ‘underclass’ - will be unreachable.

[ramAnag]

Not really...I mentioned that only 5m had benefited from the booster yesterday. Today I mentioned that a different 5m had not been vaccinated at all. Both figures came from BBC R5 because circumstances meant I spent more time listening to the radio than usual yesterday.

There are 5m out there unvaccinated for a variety of reasons. Some will have genuine health concerns...some will be pregnant...some will want to become pregnant and have heard specific rumours...some will be bone idle...some will be too disorganised...some will have religious concerns and some - the ‘underclass’ - will be unreachable.

Oops. P.S. The ‘honey monster’ has just been on TV suggesting it’s only 4m who have had the booster. Better, GP?