COVID-19 — Coronavirus

[denislawsbackheel]

If they stay open and a few thousand die then no one will criticise them. They'll have gotten the same results as every other country without shutting down.

that’ll be the Sweden that currently has the second highest number of deaths per capita in the world is it?

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

That’s the night I should have been in Birmingham, we’d have both been out on the lash

It was as well! I was supposed to be in a second date the following night too. That relationship has lost a bit of momentum in the last couple of weeks!

 

[Scottyboi]

Singapore to suspend one of its Terminals for 18 months. Gives you an idea of how long they think this will impact us.

My favourite airport

 

[BlueAnorak]

I thought they were locking down after criticism of them not doing well comparatively with the other Nordic countries? They’re gonna be in for a lot of criticism if they stay open and thousands die.

After a few weeks now there is clear evidence that those that were pro active, closed borders and locked down quicker and stricter are doing much better than those that didn’t.

I think the biggest factor in stopping the spread is wearing a mask/covering your nose and mouth and hygiene. Everything else - unless a draconian lock down like China or excelent tracing/tracking like Taiiwan is just tinkering on the edges.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Singapore to suspend one of its Terminals for 18 months. Gives you an idea of how long they think this will impact us.

18 months?

 

[domalino]

that’ll be the Sweden that currently has the second highest number of deaths per capita in the world is it?

Which is what you'd expect if you looked at any of the models. Their strategy results in a short sharp peak, ours results in a broader peak followed by several other broad peaks.

 

[BlueAnorak]

I think some people in this thread are just completely and utterly deluded about what we can actually do to stop this virus.

We can't escape without losing lives.

We can't test 66,000,000 people a week.

We can't have a total enforced lockdown until a vaccine arrives in 18 months.

All we can do is mitigate as best as we can. Reduce and slow the spread, shield the particularly vulnerable, make sure the healthcare system doesn't get overrun.

If Sweden feel they can do that without the full lockdown then that's great for them. We can't, we've just got too many people too densely packed together.

... and far too many knob heads.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

But we can stroke a Tiger!

Grrrrrrrreat post, mate.

 

[jay_mcfc]

And not totally crashed the economy in the process.
Our government will of course then be blamed for locking down.
They looked to be on the rapid escalator a few days back but I'm not sure now with 3 days of reasonable numbers.
They are working from home and social distancing and hygiene thing and, probably the most important thing, wearing masks or covering their faces with scarves. And unlike us people are following the rules.

Sweden is one country where, if you're prepared to lose lives (I wouldn't), this way of doing things could work. Their population is less than 11 million in a huge country. Stockholm is less than 1 million. There'll be more people in London every day than in their entire country.

 

[Chippy_boy]

There is absolutely zero chance of this happening. Your plan to lockdown even more severely than we already are for 18 months is a complete fantasy.

That is not what I have suggested at all. I have said this previously several times:

We lock down as we are doing - ideally we would have done it sooner and harder, since then the peak would have been lower and the duration shorter. But we are where we are.

And then once the infection rate is right down and the death rate near or at zero, then we gradually ease off restrictions and start to get back to normal. However, we start mass scale testing and immediately isolate anyone infected, trace their contacts and isolate them as well. And if the numbers start to pick up, we start imposing restrictions again.

This is the only viable strategy. It is all well and good you talking about "fantasy" but you offer no alternative. 40m get this; tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands die, and the NHS is obliterated. That is your alternative.

Moreover, what I am suggesting is the course shown to be effective in other countries. And for that matter, it's the course we are taking. Singapore are just starting to put restrictions in place again, now that their death toll has reach a dizzy 6 (total, not per day). vs our circa 5,000. They kept it at 6 with vigorous mass testing, isolation and contract tracing. And everyone wears a mask! When our lock down ends, this is PRECISELY what we must do.