More fool HMG then 

"We will continue to scale up the #testing every single week from here on in, moving out into the wider community" says Chris Witty.

Get the latest on #coronavirus here: https://t.co/OCv4AlKESd pic.twitter.com/jWMwZx0due

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 16, 2020

In other words, they've dropped their ludicrous plan from only a couple of days ago.

Where did you hear that definition of the criteria (sorry just catching up)?  I’m routinely advised to get flu vaccine each year due to mild asthma.

May be based on behavioral science, that people are more likely to do something if they arn't forced or talked down to.

I've certainly seen people with 'this is murica, I'll do what I want' type attitudes (obviously this isn't just limited to the US).

Out of curiosiy how many people had brexit stockpiles they are now going to go through? I started stockpiling in January but I imagine some of you would have started last year.

This was said during the presser

"People above 70-years-old, people who in adult life are advised to take the flu vaccine and women who are pregnant' should take COVID19 social distancing measures particularly seriously"

Basically anyone of the above need to take social distancing seriously until mid June at least

It's probably part of a phased transition anyway.

An immediate blanket ban might start to leak at the worst possible time. A phased ban followed by the blanket ban at the peak may be more effective. Also an enforced ban uses more govt resources than a defacto ban.

I bought a bit of spare pasta, rice etc. but I’m not touching it as there is plenty of fresh food available.

Human nature 

That is my view too. People who go to gyms, pubs, restaurants will be frowned upon and be social outcasts. However, the government needs to also consider how it will support all of the small businesses that won't survive without help.

Indeed. Can be backed up with enforcement if necessary. Some strange "U Turn" type comments, these measures were always on the table and that was laid out before, it was a question of timing.

Interesting the progress being made on a test for antibodies - that's the critical one to ascertain the true extent of infection, and no country has that yet. 

I didn't have stockpiles.

PS: I think I noticed in one of your posts that you have a gf. Can I ask why you bothered going through all that isolation stuff if she wasn't doing likewise? Not being funny but it sounds farcical.

😂😂😂😂

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1239604480234139654?s=19

I had a pretty substantial Brexit stockpile. Some things had gone out of date, but most of it's still OK or the kind of thing that has BB date rather than Use By, so should be OK.

Obviously not. 

Certainly not by the owners of the establishments they are visiting 

people have been told not to panic buy but they do , as sure as eggs are eggs people will be out .

Thanks, so I should be able to go out and about as long as I avoid close contact...

I have just cancelled our weekend break in the New Forest.

I'm starting to think the  'herd immunity' thing was a dire miscommunication rather than actual policy. A total foul up regardless.

The thing the govt really needs to be careful of is the lag in the forcing and the response.

When you apply a force to the system (for example the force could be banning mass gatherings, shutting schools, enforcing curfews, whatever) the system does not respond immediately. So HMG has to be really careful to anticipate both the effect of the forcing and the lag time. If the force is applied at the wrong time the consequences could be disastorous.

France, Germany and the rest of Europe just applied basically maximun force all at once. Efficacy aside, it is definitely a less sophisticated way of doing things. I can also believe that throwing the kitchen sink at the thing too early could backfire.