O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Ram59]

Latest reports show the majority of the newer cases to be transmitted in the home. Person catches it at, say the pub, goes home and infects the entire family. At least that is the way it is here.

Also, despite the rising number of new cases, the vast majority seem to have either very mild symptoms OR are asyomptomatic. That might point to the the virus weakening, as I predicted from day 1, OR, as some doctors here are suggesting, it might be a new, weaker strain of the virus.

We shall see.

Is the UK showing the same sort of picture as here?

I think that the large increase in cases, Europe wide, is mainly amongst the younger age groups, who are less likely to be severly affected by the virus.

Whether this later spreads to the older, more vulnerable population, only time will tell.

[MadAmster]

I think that the large increase in cases, Europe wide, is mainly amongst the younger age groups, who are less likely to be severly affected by the virus.

Whether this later spreads to the older, more vulnerable population, only time will tell.

Correct '59. Over here it is mainly the young who are testing positive but the majority of the small number of hospitalisations are 55+.

The stats for the week ending 11th August are 4036 new cases. 1448 up o the week previous.

38 hospitalisations, 9 down on the previous week.

9 deaths, 3 up on the previous week.

Not nice for those affected but the figures are not shocking enough to warrant a complete lockdown althought he cabinet wants to add more measures in Law from this Thursday. They have received a letter signed by >800 doctors and >1000 other health professionals saying more measures are neither warranted nor necessary.

We shall see.

[ramAnag]

As I said rA, other countries including Denmark have managed to return children to school, it can't be that difficult to come up with a plan that enables schools to reopen with as little risk as possible.

The Government will follow its usual line, which is to blame others for its mismanagement!

I entirely agree with you about the Government, Swale...and the completely incompetent Williamson in particular.

I know nothing about Denmark but I am familiar with German schoolchildren, who seem to follow a Scottish type of academic year, and have indeed gone back...but only, in my experience, on a 50% timetable.
One of the differences between here and there appears to be the extent to which employers appear to be going out of their way to accommodate employees’ child care complications.

[Andy_Faber]

Wow...AF has something positive to say about the BBC shocker.

I'm pretty even-handed about stuff rA, BBC produce some real quality as I've said in the past, I'm just disappointed at their obsession with diversity as you know. The issue I raised about the BBC 'Doughnutting' BAME faces into every possible feature has now become endemic, and hasn't gone unnoticed by my friends 'the silent majority', broadly non-racist folk who are just ****ed off with the practise which is actually in breach of the BBC's charter

[Ram59]

I'm not familiar with the protocol for the allocation of university places. Do universities offer more places than their capacity, based on the fact that a proportion of students don't get the grades that they hoped for? If this is the case, then to award grades based on assessments would end up with not enough university places to go around.

[ramAnag]

I'm not familiar with the protocol for the allocation of university places. Do universities offer more places than their capacity, based on the fact that a proportion of students don't get the grades that they hoped for? If this is the case, then to award grades based on assessments would end up with not enough university places to go around.

Not a great area of expertise for me either Ram...but, for obvious reasons, there will be far fewer money making overseas students taking places this year. This means that there will be more places for ‘domestic’ students, though whether they’ll want to go to University when all the social opportunities are so obviously curtailed is another matter. Not going to be a great year for advocates of ‘gap years’ either so who knows?

[Geoff Parkstone]

I entirely agree with you about the Government, Swale...and the completely incompetent Williamson in particular.

I know nothing about Denmark but I am familiar with German schoolchildren, who seem to follow a Scottish type of academic year, and have indeed gone back...but only, in my experience, on a 50% timetable.
One of the differences between here and there appears to be the extent to which employers appear to be going out of their way to accommodate employees’ child care complications.

Bloody hell, rA, I must have completely misread your views, I thought you were a government apologist and that you would be up in arms at Swale's suggestion.

Anyway I have a client in Denmark who I regularly chatted with about their experience with Covid. They havent had it anything like as bad as many countries and were one of the first to reopen schools. Sensible pragmatism, didnt change much and have experienced little problems with reopening. It was staggered, with the youngest classes returning first. However to contextualise their success, class sizes there were nearer 20 and classes were split in half. Unsurprisingly teachers there moaned because it meant more work for them (seemingly a common complaint). Social distancing was enforced and new H&S rules re hand washing etc. All good sensible stuff, not too different to what you are hoping to see here. Some classes were taken outdoors, although obviously that isnt a long term solution, and parents had the option to keep kids at home.

Can we manage that here? There's no rocket science to what the Danes did but they had the advantage of lower class sizes to start with so that helps with your concern over physical accommodation.

What does baffle me though is the seeming imperative that we return to how it all was last year. Surely covid gives us the opportunity to reevaluate things and how we do them. In offices, that means working from home using technology. What is wrong with making this an integral part of the learning experience on a permanent basis? Students have 3 days in school, 2 days out learning remotely, rotating week on week. Class sizes halve, teacher contact time increases during the "days in" and remote help is provided for those days when the kids are at home. I appreciate that this has its own issues - particularly in the early years classes where face to face is maybe more important, and it has childcare implications, but, whats wrong with thinking outside the box and reevaluating education, as well as many other things.

We can learn many things from the last few months in the way we work, shop, educate etc which will stand us in good stead for the future when COVID 23 comes around or whatever. Covid 19 should be treated as the stimulus we need to change life practices that technology can make happen. Lets not run scared of it, lets embrace the change. yes, it will change everyone's lives - but then so have other pandemics, wars etc yet we are still here, surviving, economically better off than ever, albeit losing that human touch as we huddle in houses crounched over our internet portal on the world.

Then, when we are herded into this mostly insular existence, the illuminati can switch off the internet and cause blind panic !!! :-)

[ramAnag]

I'm pretty even-handed about stuff rA, BBC produce some real quality as I've said in the past, I'm just disappointed at their obsession with diversity as you know. The issue I raised about the BBC 'Doughnutting' BAME faces into every possible feature has now become endemic, and hasn't gone unnoticed by my friends 'the silent majority', broadly non-racist folk who are just ****ed off with the practise which is actually in breach of the BBC's charter

I know you are...there again there have been times when you’ve run he who shall not be mentioned close in terms of condemnation of the dear old BEEB.

[MadAmster]

Personally, I don't want things to go back to the "old normal". To me, people working all hours and even being expected to handle company email at home in the evenings and weekends and even on holiday, is not a normal I look forward to. Zero hour contracts which mean you are not unemployed despite getting work intermittently. People working 3, 4 or more jobs, mainly part time ones and still struggling to get by. Million- and billion-aires getting richer while the poor stay at a certain level if they are lucky and get poorer if they aren't. 24/7 everything. Little or no time for quality time with anybody or anything or even by yourself.

Not seen any figures for the NL or UK but there was a report, a few weeks back, saying US billionaires total combined wealth had gone from $2.8 Trillion to $3.6 Trillion since February. The wealth of "the man in the street" had reduced.

As long as the top 1% want ever more wealth and power the bottom 30% who have very little will remain in that situation. The next 50% will fare slightly better..... just. Time for there to be a more level playing field IMO.

[ramAnag]

Bloody hell, rA, I must have completely misread your views, I thought you were a government apologist and that you would be up in arms at Swale's suggestion.

Anyway I have a client in Denmark who I regularly chatted with about their experience with Covid. They havent had it anything like as bad as many countries and were one of the first to reopen schools. Sensible pragmatism, didnt change much and have experienced little problems with reopening. It was staggered, with the youngest classes returning first. However to contextualise their success, class sizes there were nearer 20 and classes were split in half. Unsurprisingly teachers there moaned because it meant more work for them (seemingly a common complaint). Social distancing was enforced and new H&S rules re hand washing etc. All good sensible stuff, not too different to what you are hoping to see here. Some classes were taken outdoors, although obviously that isnt a long term solution, and parents had the option to keep kids at home.

Can we manage that here? There's no rocket science to what the Danes did but they had the advantage of lower class sizes to start with so that helps with your concern over physical accommodation.

What does baffle me though is the seeming imperative that we return to how it all was last year. Surely covid gives us the opportunity to reevaluate things and how we do them. In offices, that means working from home using technology. What is wrong with making this an integral part of the learning experience on a permanent basis? Students have 3 days in school, 2 days out learning remotely, rotating week on week. Class sizes halve, teacher contact time increases during the "days in" and remote help is provided for those days when the kids are at home. I appreciate that this has its own issues - particularly in the early years classes where face to face is maybe more important, and it has childcare implications, but, whats wrong with thinking outside the box and reevaluating education, as well as many other things.

We can learn many things from the last few months in the way we work, shop, educate etc which will stand us in good stead for the future when COVID 23 comes around or whatever. Covid 19 should be treated as the stimulus we need to change life practices that technology can make happen. Lets not run scared of it, lets embrace the change. yes, it will change everyone's lives - but then so have other pandemics, wars etc yet we are still here, surviving, economically better off than ever, albeit losing that human touch as we huddle in houses crounched over our internet portal on the world.

Then, when we are herded into this mostly insular existence, the illuminati can switch off the internet and cause blind panic !!! :-)

All good sensible stuff indeed, GP and partly what I have been suggesting...in the absence of alternative building provision...part time attendance made up for by online provision.

Unfortunately it’s a little more complex. You are a capable and professional person as, one imagines, is your Danish client.
Likewise, my near neighbours have children who attend (board) at a quite well known public school. They haven’t attended school since March but have received a more than acceptable online education because certain conditions have been met...they are bright and well motivated kids, they have access to the necessary equipment, their parents are very committed, particularly academic and able to work from home and the school has everything in place to be able to provide the service required.

Those children have probably missed out socially over the last four or five months of education but in no other way.

At ‘Bash Street Academy’ somewhere in the Inner City things aren’t quite the same and while relative poverty doesn’t necessarily equate to bad parenting - far from it - it doesn’t help, and without the necessary ‘resources’ and conditions in place there is, imo, a need for the Government to provide additional support (buildings and staff) in areas which are already proving to be ever more commonly associated with increased outbreaks of Covid.

P.S. Agree 100% with MA’s post #39. Says it all.