The issue is beast is one person dones this and they have a cold, but another does this and has COVID-19 it will spread massively

Exactly. But so many poor people die on the streets anyway, would anyone even notice the extra deaths? Or care

I had posted this the other day: Trump has appointed VP Pence to lead the US coronavirus response. He is a religious and anti-science guy who:

• had slashed public health funding as Governor of Indiana and then the state went to have one of the worst HIV outbreaks


• resisted a needle exchange programme


• cut the budget for Planned Parenthood


• prioritises abstinence and heterosexual monogamy before condom use


• he said 'smoking doesn't kill' and in 2013 slashed funding for programs designed to prevent smoking; As of 2018 Indiana had the 5th highest rate of smokers in the US

 “It’s like putting an arsonist in charge of the fire department, a bank robber in charge of the US Mint.” a US professor of epidemiology said

Brian said measures other than quarantine have slowed it down.

It will spread anyway as long the govt doesn't do anything. If you are worried, don't use public transport and ask your employer if you can work from home

Other examples: The UAE were ahead of the UK in infections until the weekend, but they've not had any community transmission, and their totals have stopped growing since stopping flights from Iran. Likewise Oman, Qatar. Australia's total hasn't really grown. Singapore and Hong Kong have also slowed right down after initially piling on cases.

I also think that air conditioning may negate the benefits of sunshine and warmth - people can still spread the virus when indoors; and places like Singapore and the Middle East have ubiquitous AC. The UK certainly doesn't. So maybe there is some hope.

In any case, I'm glad it's now March and not November.

We'll see what happens in Italy and South Korea but there have been tentative signs they could be following the Chinese path. That aside the main weapon is information. If people wash their hands more frequently and rub their faces less the spread of the virus is likely to be slower.

Trump is certainly capable of doing anything to cover up the real numbers especially in election year.

Given your condition, I think you should be working from home by now.

Perhaps he could have a word with Boris

I'm back in London tomorrow for a meeting on the Brompton Road, and I've already planned my Santander Bike Route from Waterloo. I'm not going anywhere near the tube if I can help it.

But Italy is still the primary source for new infections elsewhere:

"Ukraine has confirmed its first case of coronavirus.

Ihor Kuzin, acting head of the Health Ministry's public health centre said the man was hospitalised on Sunday in the city of Chernivtsi. He is in a stable condition.

He had travelled to Ukraine from Italy via Romania."

Because it has many cases and the incubation period can be 14 days. The question that should be asked is whether Italy is turning the corner now - not what was happening 10 days ago. 

PS: I'm not saying it is or isn't.

Indeed. It's probably true though that Italy and Europe (including us) could probably have handled the Italian cluster better. On the other hand, it's tempting to think that it'd spread anyway and we are just trying to delay it, but evidence from other countries seems to suggest that it might just be possible to contain it.

Yeah, it was interesting to read about his actions. Corporatised theocracy.

Finally some good news. This is from the BBC

Italy reports drop in new coronavirus cases

Italy has reported its first dip in new cases from the coronavirus outbreak.

On Monday, Italian authorities said there were 258 new cases of the virus - a 16% increase on the previous day.

The head of Italy's Civil Protection Authority, Angelo Borrelli, said the figure was "comforting" after new cases spiked by 50% on Sunday.

Monday's increase brings the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,835. Of those, 52 have died and 149 have recovered.

Half of all confirmed coronavirus patients in the country have mild conditions and have been told to stay at home, according to Italian news agency Ansa.

Some 40% are in hospital and only 10% are in intensive care, Ansa reported.

Italy has the third highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, behind South Korea and China, where the illness originated in the city of Wuhan.

Italian authorities have responded with travel restrictions in the north of the country, with a number of towns in Lombardy in lockdown.

I'm afraid  a minority of idiots will never change their habits - even if it is  bubonic plague being spread.

We have a  guy at work that seems to have a perpetual cold.  He just bursts into our office without knocking and  frequently coughs  without  covering his mouth or even trying to direct  the crap that comes out away from the person he is talking to.  

What is merely damned rude behaviour  at the best of times  could be  seriously health threatening during the worst of times.  Normally we are too restrained and polite to say anything but  he's going to get a pretty sharp response from me   if he does it now  !   Did anyone say anything on the tube or did they just glare and "tut". ?

Coronavirus battle plan revealed by UK government

The Army is on standby and police will be told to stop investigating lower level crime, the Government's coronavirus "battle plan" has revealed.  

The Government’s 28-page coronavirus action plan also warns that workplaces could have a fifth of their staff off sick at any one time, meaning that essential public services such as the NHS and police would have to focus on core services only.

The Government’s 28-page coronavirus action plan warns of:

1. Coronavirus being compared to Spanish Flu


2. Outbreaks could come in multiple waves


3. Emergency services will concentrate on serious crime


4. Tax mitigation for businesses


5. Expected increase in deaths


6. Stockpiling strategy for medical supplies 


7. School closures and working from home 


8. Non-urgent NHS care to be delayed


9. Police told to stop investigating lower-level crime


10. The Army on standby

P.S. "police will be told to stop investigating lower level crime"

I thought they did that years ago, unless they mean they are going to stop the absurd Twitter witch hunts.

I was reading up about the swine flu pandemic yesterday. It wasn't very long ago and yet I have absolutely no memory of life being affected in any way. I'm sure it was but how quickly you forget things...

Oh and from a selfish point of view, this stock market crash has come at the perfect time to invest a big chunk of my redundancy payout into my pension and buy cheap. Well you have to take the positives 

Infectious diseases head Dr. Anthony Fauci has to stop Trump from asserting in a White House meeting that coronavirus vaccine would be available in two months: "Like I've been telling you, a year to a year and a half." pic.twitter.com/YF59PYMlG0

— Oliver Willis (@owillis) March 2, 2020

So nothing about forcing employers to accept quarantine periods for staff, and not count this as sick leave?

Typical right-wing [censored]ers.

That look of total incomprehension on his face. Like a dog watching someone solving a Rubik's cube.

Can someone please infect this ignorant bastarrd!

Hard to imagine anyone more inept at handling this crisis than Trump.