Didn't Matt Hancock say on Question Time a few weeks ago that the government had been liaising with the major supermarket chains over supplies - only for that to be shown as a lie the next day by the major supermarket operators?

I tend to agree with this and as I keep saying, I trust our scientists, but not our politicians. Communication has been poor and they are failing one of the clearest guideline on how to handle an epidemic.

Just on Friday some journalists were briefed that HMG will legislate to keep schools open in order to spread the virus to healthy people and achieve herd immunity before next winter. This is a complete shambles. 

The availability of ventilators is another classic failure, the WHO has been urging all countries for a month now to increase their supply.

It should calm down in the next week or so once the supermarkets deal with the extra demand, and also because the plebs will run out of space for all their toilet roll and dried pasta.

Here we go

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-crisis-supermarkets-accuse-hancock-of-lying-about-food-supply-deal-whvnqmvv7

Supermarkets have accused Matt Hancock of lying after the health secretary claimed that the government had been in discussion with them about getting food to people who were self-isolating.

Mr Hancock told viewers of Question Time on BBC One on Thursday that the government was in talks with the supermarkets on the issue. “We are working with the supermarkets to make sure that, if people are self-isolating, then we will be able to get the food and supplies that they need,” he said.

A senior executive of one supermarket chain accused Mr Hancock of lying. “I am really angry about it,” he said. Another said that the Department of Health got in touch with his company for the first time yesterday.

My local has also requested it but has said they will still accept cash too

Amazing. It turns out that all of Twitter knows everything there is to know about the virus. I don’t know why we have scientists.

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) March 15, 2020

Reporting back from a recce I made to the front line earlier.

Weymouth, Dorset ASDA by the harbour to be precise.

The battle of Toilet Paper fought yesterday has cleared the shelves apart from ASDA’s own private regiment where 10x4 recently arrived reinforcements were putting up a brave resistance. I don't think they would have survived more than ten minutes after I left given the frenzy.The same in the kitchen roll aisle but not even one survivor here. If I was to make a forecast I think there will be some blocked drains in the next few weeks because kitchen roll isn't the same weave as toilet paper.

In the soap aisle I managed to get a four pack of Pears (only hard soap left), the bottles of soap have all been taken prisoner and are presumably on their way to a POW camp on Portland. There also appears to have been a concerted push in the vitamins and health supplements section, though even though there were reinforcements arriving as I passed, this seems to be the next weak point in the defences.

In the food section, coffee has taken a fall with Coffee-Mate becoming a fresh casualty alongside powdered milk. One row of honey has also been taken prisoner which means that people must think there are health benefits in using this material. Otherwise I was able to stock up on dates, oats, dried fruits, hard tack and some luxury Kit Kats which have now been sent to the barracks next to the mess.

As I was getting into the car, I chatted to a lady who said she works in primary education. She thinks local schools will close this week though what day she wasn't sure.

On the way home I passed something that caught my eye. A brand new white ‘Eco Health Unit’ had been plonked overnight in a lay-by just outside Osmington village. Strange this one as I know of no utility work (water gas etc.) that uses this kind of rather plush looking metal half container. An army checkpoint all weather shelter which will be opened in due course once martial law is declared is possible?

It’s location makes sense if you are planning to geographically isolate communities like Weymouth and Portland.

😂😂

There have been many, many times over the last three years that I have moaned bitterly about living in the back of beyond. Today, I went to our local (6 miles away) Sainsbury’s. Although the store was extremely busy, like Christmas Eve and a bit more, I got everything I needed. Yes, the shelves were depleted, but there was loo roll, pasta, soap,etc. No gel and no paracetamol/ibuprofen. Tho the jury is out on the use of Ibuprofen, and letting a fever run it’s course is helpful.  Anyway, today, I am glad I live in the back of beyond. 

If only he could blame the EU eh? Oh the good old days of Brexit, where govt bullsh1t was so cheap and pleasing to the ears.

WE have THREE viruses this year.

Corona.

Flue

Media.

The last one is causing more havoc than the other TWO put together.

Hugh Schofield on the BBC now says the UK is still following "herd immunity" strategy. Interesting view on the French situation too:

Which is the best course of action?

Hugh Schofield

BBC News, Paris

Debate is raging in France about what is the better model for tackling Covid-19: the Chinese with their radical system of confinement for limiting the spread; or the UK with their “herd immunity” approach, according to which infection of a majority is inevitable – and even, if properly handled, to be welcomed.

Up until a couple of days ago, it seemed France leaned more to the “herd” philosophy. Like in Britain, the official view favoured a controlled propagation - buying time so that the wave of infections is drawn out over a long period, and hospitals are not overwhelmed.

But now suddenly, there is a shift in the other direction. First schools, then cafés, restaurants and allnon-essential shops are to be closed. It seems the government now thinks Chinese- and Italian-style draconianism is more appropriate - except when it comes to the municipal elections, which are going ahead as planned.

If it all feels a little improvised, that is perhaps excusable. We have after all never seen anything like this before.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-51895276

👍👍

LOL - department of the bleeding obvious again from the FO. Flights are to be grounded anyways.

I sense that the appalling communication of HMG is causing more confusion and stress. My local co-op has been raided this morning as if war is coming. I also saw fewer dog walkers in the hills today, which is strange as going out for a walk is probably the best thing you can do.

People should remain rational, the vast majority of patients will have mild symptoms. Different story obviously for vulnerable people and also for the economic fallout.

Anyway enough, I am off to the pub.

FYI

Until such point that there is a debt, it's legal for stores to refuse legal tender.

Typically in a store there never a situation where there is a debt owed to the store by the customer. Generally the goods belong to the store up until the point that they're paid for, after which they belong to the customer. At no point in time did either party owe the other a debt.

To illustrate a counter example, in a restaurant ( Mc Donalds doesn't count ), you typically receive, and consume your food before you pay for it. Once you receive it ( or at least once you eat it ), then a debt exists in that you owe the restaurant for the food you've eaten. It would be illegal for the restaurant in that case to refuse legal tender.

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-legal-for-retail-stores-to-refuse-to-accept-cash-and-insist-on-debit-or-credit-cards-only

Youd think Boris would be watching and thinking I as PM need to reassure people and put a stop to the panic. 

But nothing. TM used to love a podium moment; now we have a PM that just hides away for days on end.

Indeed the whole thing seems mad/surreal or at least my earlier visit to Weymouth today.

https://fsi.stanford.edu/news/how-taiwan-used-big-data-transparency-central-command-protect-its-people-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR1kymBhx8Uwr0fZBCiIWdRrtDGFx82gYigUH_4GBRa4Iltq5PQTmQBCMlc

This is worth a read and was posted on a fishing forum by someone whose nephew lives in Taiwan.

You don't fancy being Prime Minister do you, xioni?

As far as I’m concerned, HMG are acting on scientific advice and I’m with them on that.  But what they are getting so wrong, is communication.  If  they don’t sort that out quickly, they’ll completely lose control, it will be a free for all, faith in their virus strategy will be lost and the plan will be futile. 

If you tell people they may be quarantined for four months then it shouldn't be a surprise that people think they may need to stock up. Ok, so its for the over 70s but I would have thought it will generally raise worries.

Fair to say there is extreme criticism behind the scenes among Tory MPs and ministers over the govt's messaging on herd immunity

— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) March 15, 2020

 Spot on. The man is a coward. Number 10 is his fridge.

After being shot in the buttocks in Vietnam, chased around the globe by the Illuminati, stranded in space, marooned on a desert island, dodging bullets and bombs on the beaches of Normandy, ship hijacked by Somalian pirates, stranded in an airport, mugged by youths in East Germany etc.

And now, tested positive with a potentially fatal virus whilst in another foreign country ... you would have thought Tom Hanks would have learned his lesson about the dangers of travelling by now!