That is why we need to treat anything they say now with a rather large dose of salt, IMO.

I totally understand the point that was made in a previous thread the other day about how governments around the world now need to come together to fight the disease and that now is not the time for recriminations and finger-pointing. That said, given the deceit, obfuscation and evasion of the Chinese authorities for several weeks after the outbreak began there, how can anyone have any faith in anything they say now?

Excl: Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick - who has repeatedly urged people to stay at home and not visit elderly relatives - visited his parents 40 miles from his home during Covid-19 lockdown - by ⁦@murphy_simon⁩ and me https://t.co/Zc4bKQZRYy

— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) April 9, 2020

JFF model update with 10713 people tested.

Model prediction: 4199

Actual: 4344

Another excellent day for the JFF model that called this one within a few hundred cases. Model is performing very well at the moment. I'm becoming increasingly optimistic about its predictions which are good.

This I just don't get ! - I bet their house is much more spacious and luxurious  and they don't have to dump in a chemical toilet and then dispose of the results !

.... but then I really don't "get" caravans anyway - probably becuase I had some pretty hideous early childhood  hols in  some. 

Why would   you want to spend time in a plywood monstrosity that smells of Calor gas buggering around  with gas mantels and gas cylinders cooking on a tiny hob,  sleeping on a shelf and having to fetch washing water from a farm 1/2 a mile away.    

Give me a nice country hotel with a decent restaurant and a bar serving  trad ale any day of the week.

Fantastic news about the PM. My information was wrong but I am genuinely delighted and relieved that he is on the mend.

What a fantastic thing our NHS is. Its people and it as an institution. It and they saved my life - I will never forget it.

Yes another lovely display as about 6 red flares light the side of Bromfield Hosptial I can also see a huge firestorm@ about 500 metres from the other end huge damebuster noise I can see shadows of faces looking out most probably nurses  from the Bromfield  end Police in attendance looks like 1 person setting the whole lot up amazing stuff must been seen from many miles.

Thinking Boris news has added a little extra surrounding noise.

I’d rather be on a cruise or an all inclusive hotel in the Caribbean, but there’s no chance!  Actually, we have a tent and a lawn!  

Daily breakdown of the data from PHE

UK data 

• Daily confirmed Cases -  4,344 (-2,753)


• Total UK deaths - 7,978

English data

Top 10 Local Authorities with the highest confirmed cases

1. Birmingham: 1,524


2. Hampshire: 1,317


3. Surrey: 1,175


4. Essex: 1,139


5. Lancashire: 1,111


6. Kent: 1,105


7. Hertfordshire: 1,090


8. Sheffield: 1,020


9. Cumbria: 936


10. Brent: 880

Local Authorities with the fewest confirmed cases

• Rutland: 8


• Isle of Wight: 41


• Hartlepool: 55


• North East Lincolnshire: 58


• Torbay: 66


• North Lincolnshire: 71


• Kingston upon Hull, City of: 74


• Bath and North East Somerset: 84


• Herefordshire, County of: 84


• Peterborough: 85

Regional data

• London - 15,217 (+1,479) 


• Midlands - 9,063 (+474) 


• North West - 7,339 (+699) 


• North East and Yorkshire - 7,061 (+560) 


• South East - 6,739 (+456) 


• East of England - 4,438 (+273)


• South West - 2,472 (+195) 

All changes with yesterday. Data based up to 9am today for new cases and up to 5pm yesterday for new confirmed coronavirus deaths. Not all deaths occurred in the 24hr period.

👍 

That may be a slightly over dramatic way of looking at it. We won’t know the true number of excess deaths for a while. There are around 50,000 deaths every month in the UK on average, to put the numbers in perspective. 

New Horizon tonight at 9 on BBC2 about Covid

I’ve had a couple of small beers. My wife managed to get some Stella at the Co-op and I’ve just noticed the date: best before end July 2019! They must have found some boxes at the back of the storeroom. Tastes fine though. 

How on earth is that calculated? It's closer to 25%.

4,344 positive

16,095 tests

The Stella tasted fine? Must definitely have been off then! 

 Couldn't agree more. Never understood the caravan thing.

As we correctly celebrate Johnsons recovery, lets not forget this govt has totally arsed up its response in many areas which has arguably led to many unnecessary deaths

Dr Chowdhury wrote to PM on 18 March asked urgently for PPE for all staff. He said, ‘we may be doctors and nurses but we are also human beings’. Our gov is killing our health workers. https://t.co/bdSMEidpav

— Prof Kate Williams (@KateWilliamsme) April 9, 2020

Lots of clapping here tonight. Noisier than before with people using their wheelie bins as drums.  Good news about Boris too though I'm not sure if that was announced before or after the clapping. 

​

Coronavirus: Spain close to the beginning of a decline in epidemic - PM

Quote

 

• Germany, Italy and Denmark say they may loosen lockdown restrictions as Spain plans to allow some businesses to reopen.

Spain is close to the beginning of a decline in the coronavirus epidemic, the country's prime minister has said. Health officials reported 5,756 new cases and 683 new deaths over the latest 24-hour period. That is compared with 6,180 new cases and 757 deaths on Wednesday.

It comes as Germany, Italy and Denmark indicated that improving figures on coronavirus could mean restrictions being lifted, or partially lifted, within weeks. Spain's PM Pedro Sanchez urged all political parties to join a pact for national economic revival once the COVID-19 crisis is over. He said: "The fire starts to come under control... This war against the virus will be a total victory." The Spanish parliament was expected to vote for a two-week extension of Spain's state of emergency which would keep people at home until 26 April.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-spain-close-to-the-beginning-of-a-decline-in-epidemic-pm-11970955?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter

​

Nor me. Scars from childhood holidays probably. 

Never did get the cruise thing either - and especially so now The idea of being cooped up with thousands other folks in a tin box and occasionally let off to be bussed en masse to tourist honey pots fills me with horror.

Trudeau says this is the "new normal" in Canada until a vaccine is developed

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/coronavirus-covid19-april9-canada-world-1.5527309

Rights and wrongs aside, he needs to be careful with this kind of talk. There is broad support for the lock down at the moment, and dissenting voices so far seem to be mainly on the libertarian fringes. However, this could change very rapidly as people's businesses go under or they see loved ones suffering from increased isolation.

Even social distancing is hard - it just feels unnatural. A huge proportion of the things that people do to make life worth living aren't possible from 2m away from each other (ooh err missus!). I would hate for it to become the "new normal" although I accept it may be necessary for a long time.

Trudeau needs to find some way to give people hope that things will ease by summer. A tough call for him, but "that's why they pay you the big bucks" as they say here.

You've actually made me smile with your attitude towards the PM's battle with COVID. 

I know you were fervently against Brexit and thought not a lot of Boris politically...but you have found it easy to separate politics and actual human decency, unlike a number of rabid idiots on twitter and the like wishing him ill. 

I've not always agreed with you but you've gone well up in my estimation :)