Which station was reporting that?

Any idea what it is like on the drain? During rush hour people have to join a massive queue before they can get on I believe. Always seemed like queuing for the torture chamber to me. Now it must be like buying a ticker in the Corona draw.

Not used the drain for a very long time.

Coronavirus: Louis Vuitton owner to start making hand sanitiser

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51868756

In France but it sounds like the sort of thing Hancock was talking about (I know he said ventilators) in the UK yesterday with manufacturers switching to "war time" production. Obviously it will be easier to make hand gel than ventilators, especially for a cosmetics company! Have any UK manufacturers picked up the baton yet?

Businesses squealing for help left, right and centre. When the dust settles I expect a new economic model will emerge like after WW2. If massive support is offered to businesses it won't be acceptable to the public for them to return to massive troughing and tax dodging when the dust settles. They will need to pay their "fair share".

This makes more sense that filling cupboards with toilet rolls:

People have been stocking up on cannabis before the Netherlands goes into lockdown.

Why is no one holding the government to account and asking fundamental questions:

1) Why were tests down 2400 yesterday?

2) Why has comprehensive contact tracing been abandoned? (it has regardless of what they may say - it's a consequence of 1)

3) Why is "our" NHS taking 7 days to process some of the tests?

4) Why are people being told they can't test unless they meet rigorous criteria?

5) With the above how will it be possible for the UK to monitor the spread of the virus? Are we now entirely dependent on hospital admissions and deaths? Lagging indicators. 

6) How many new ventilators have been bought a) this year b) in the last 2 weeks

As Nick (I think) and others said last night we should be looking at Asia for guidance. More sense from Hong Kong. Made in Hong Kong stopped being a joke when I was a kid. Now is the time for "medical advice from Hong Kong" to stop being dismissed too.

An infectious diseases expert in Hong Kong has cautioned against aiming for “herd immunity” in response to the coronavirus pandemic, warning that the result could be that the medical system is “paralysed”, Helen Davidson reports.

Hong Kong University professor Yuen Kwok-yung, reportedly told local radio on Monday that the approach, suggested by the UK’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, was risky.

In two to three months 20-30% of the population can become immune. But the biggest danger of this approach is that your medical system could be paralysed.

A lot of elderly people might not get appropriate treatment, and some doctors and nurses could die because they remained busy after being infected. This could cause much public fear.

Yuen said some western countries had taken an “old-style approach” like they were taking children to a party with a child who had measles.

But you can only use this kind of so-called herd immunity to control a disease when the death rate is very low.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/mar/16/coronavirus-live-updates-us-cdc-events-europe-lockdown-uk-deaths-australia-france-italy-spain-update-latest-news

quote=Brian Gaze:

Why is no one holding the government to account and asking fundamental questions:

1) Why were tests down 2400 yesterday?

- Because they are following the strategy of only testing those hospitalised for any reason.

2) Why has comprehensive contact tracing been abandoned? (it has regardless of what they may say - it's a consequence of 1)

- Because things have got beyond that stage - it is now better to isolate the vulnerable.

3) Why is "our" NHS taking 7 days to process some of the tests?

- because the testing service is already overwhelmed, hence the strategy in "1" above.

4) Why are people being told they can't test unless they meet rigorous criteria?

- because of capacity - better to test those who are hospitalised and emergency/health service workers - prioritisation.

5) With the above how will it be possible for the UK to monitor the spread of the virus? Are we now entirely dependent on hospital admissions and deaths? Lagging indicators. 

- it is not possible - the stated worldwide figure is a complete joke as I wrote earlier - millions have it, not 170k

6) How many new ventilators have been bought a) this year b) in the last 2 weeks

- good question.

P.S. the one thing which would demonstrate the true picture and the geographical concentrations, is the hospitalisation rate.

Cummings wants to "keep the beaches open". Who cares if 100,000 old, weak and sick die? The strong will survive, the weak will perish.

A genetically stronger population will emerge from the ashes

In the press briefing today, the likes LK won’t bother with these questions. She is the darling of No 10. 

But your quite correct. These are IMPORTANT questions. I feel like the government is being so slow and unclear.

Natural selection should deal with this one.

Let me repost with a new caption; Absolutely fucking thick as [censored]pic.twitter.com/vWWsZi58Jt

— William Kedjanyi (@KeejayOV2) March 15, 2020

I totally agree with this. Governments need to consider carefully what they do here or there could be an almighty backlash.

Travel company Tui said: "In this rapidly changing environment the safety and welfare of our guests and employees worldwide remains of paramount importance and thus Tui Group has decided, in line with government guidelines, to suspend the vast majority of all travel operations until further notice, including package travel, cruises and hotel operations.

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English and Welsh beach resorts should do well this summer - provided people can get to them. Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK and it has low population density, so that is a good place to visit if possible, as is much of Scotland if you like the outdoors and midges.

P.S.

That has made me think of a new problem - can the virus be transmitted person to person by mosquitoes and other biting insects?

My lungs and heart are in good condition (I can only guess, haven't been to a doctor for 10 years!)

If I get it I will probably become a spreader as Cummings wants

 Excellent question.

Thanks for answering. 

If your answers to 1,2,3 and 4 are correct I think it is a shocking indictment of the NHS - "the envy of the world". South Korea with a smaller population and similar (can't recall exact) per capita GDP is managing FAR more tests and contact tracing despite being weeks ahead of us. 

South Korea had a concentrated outbreak and put all their resources into testing and contact tracing - that proved effective. Whether that could work in the European context is a moot point - it is clear that in France, Spain and Germany, the epidemic is out of control - more effective border controls sooner might have prevented that.

The country which stands out for me is Japan and I would like to know what measures they undertook - they have managed to "flatten the sombrero" as the UK government states is its aim, but just how have they achieved it? Look at any graph and you see Japan cases going up at half the rate of any European country.

As I said the English salesmen at Maxell always used to laugh at the Japanese visitors for meticulously washing their hands after going to the loo. 

Japan has tested half the people we have. The only country that has done well in my view is South Korea and as you say they may have been 'lucky' that most of their cases were in one massive cluster connected to The church.  So they could just about keep on top of it through contact tracing.

The UK has half the number of ventilators and ICU beds as Italy despite having a bigger economy. Our hospitals will be overwhelmed faster and for longer. A disaster is in the making.

This is the reality of 10 years of Conservative government. No wonder Johnson wants to pretend the virus is not real.

The obvious flaw being that we have an absolutely bobbins climate and - especially in the north-western fringes - you can't guarantee a week of mainly warm/hot, dry and sunny weather.

I enjoy a mini break in the UK, and have struck lucky with the weather on the odd occasion, but it's rarely the sort of weather condusive to sitting round a pool relaxing and drinking cold beer, or spending half a day on the beach sizzling in the sun.