Are the british public actually morons? Or is such a ridiculous display of irony just performance art. How much damage are these claps actually doing if they make it socially acceptable to mingle every thursday evening.

FYI 2m is not enough in my opinion. The scientific evidence suggets 8m if you want to avoid aerosol transmission or larger droplet transmission from coughs and sneezes.

Sorry to hear that news, Northern Sky. 

Give it a rest. I know, personally, a non-EU colleague that was screwed over because of EU only quotas. No one is against immigration, except fruity nutters people like you love to amplify to make your strawman arguments with. Nothing wrong with having sensible controlled immigration that treats everyone fairly.

Gavind D posted a picture yesterday of NHS workers themselves cramming outside to clap. They were shoulder to shoulder.

Its bad in Brazil which is kinda worrying if only because the very warm and constantly humid climate should be detrimental to the virus. I suspect Africa is several weeks behind everywhere else due to poor travel infrastructure but I also think its probably going to get hard next month.

When I saw someone vaping, the aerosol travelled at least 10 metres. I thought to myself, the same thing must happen with the aerosol when someone sneezes. I'm very wary of going in shops/supermarket in case someone has sneezed.  Some people really do have explosive sneezes!  

I think enough is enough then. The claps just need to stop as they are doing more harm than good. The first time was fine, but now things are getting over the top. People are clearly trying to make them 'more imaginative' and shirk any form of social distancing.

well, Q, you need to have a word with our delightful Home Secretary!! -  I think you'll find that fruit pickers, along with care workers, etc etc are defined as unskilled and earning less that £26k per year or whatever the salary level that was set by Patel... It was nonsense at the time... Farmers round here in the soft fruit business and salad crop businesses have been doing their nut, lobbying hard to get the Govt to relax the rules to make it easier to bring in workers from elsewhere to pick the crops... I have no doubt too, that the larger supermarkets are screwing the farmers to get costs down... all boils down to cheap food... cheap food always comes at a cost, be it to the environment or to human beings, in terms of low wages etc..  anyway, this is probably the wrong thread to discuss here...

Aerosols can survive in the air for up to 3 hours.

In a wide open space this is not usually an issue as they become quickly diluted. But in enclosed spaces its a problem. We know, definitively, that people more than 2m away can easily be infected in an enclosed public space. Even 10m+ has happened. In a wide open space I think the 8m rule is fairly safe though.

On my runs I take no chances and go for 50 (this is also why I continue to drive a mile at 5am to the wide open area where you can see someone 50m away)

The problem with this kind of thing is that when someone does it, everyone do it. It does not mix well in overcrowded societies. Clapping, whooping, hooting, making silly noises is not my sort of thing.

Also as we are talking about clapping.

If people are 'whooping' the virus will be spread further. Things like singing, shouting, even talking spread viral particles further than 2m. Doorsteps are not so bad but I would not go out or open a window at 8pm on a Thursday when everyone else is doing it.

Not worth the risk.

Not that I want this thread to be derailed, but there are exceptions for seasonal workers including fruit pickers that mean you don't need to pass the threashold. These immigration rules are designed to meet economic demand, not to be punitive. And yes oversights will be made but why does everyone always assume that those oversights are deliberate and mallicious? I make oversights all the time, in variables I don't consider. Immigration is extremely complicated and most screw ups are caused by incompetence or human error not malicious intent. And, in any case, the govt macromanages immigration they don't micromanage the details. That's the civil service's job.

Frankly I'm not a massive fan of these shows of support. They are often superficial and a sort of imported American/Celebrity thing where you have to be seen to show your support. I prefer people actually doing something to help them. I have been joining my neighbours each Thursday. But once is enough. You are looked upon like traitor if you don't join in. I have to stand side by side with some neighbours who I know in the past have had racist views about the staffing in our local hospital and vote in a way that doesn't help NHS workers. But then our family don't do other American imports like Father's day. I don't need a card and a present once a year to know my kids love me and they know that.

I know that, you know that - pity the British media didn't during the campaign then. Remember the poster??

So when is the apology coming for the disgraceful "leave" poster or was that just from the strawmen and fruity nutters of the official campaign that whipped so much anti-immigration and racial abuse of already British immigrants etc.

I think the clapping idea was well intentioned (probably as a result of lots of images from Italy), but the idea of suddenly getting together for a minute or two (because the virus has taken it's eye off) just shows how dumb we can be. The scenes from Westminster bridge are truly bizarre - what on earth were the police, on site, thinking about letting this number of people congregate? 

And I thought my call for a march against coronavirus was taking the piss...

I think if Q wants to avoid Brexit he might need to change his signature line

Meanwhile I'm bored with all the Brexit bollox posted in here

This is about a virus not some RW experiment 

What poster?

Apologies   

I don't want to avoid brexit.

If anything COVID has shown the one time when a pan continental organisation could have been useful it failed miserably.

Personally I love the clapping and communal show of support for our carers. So much so it brings a tear to my eye. I find it comforting that so many people are on the same page. It has made me feel more patriotic than I ever have done before. 

That all said, it should always be done safely, and I would never judge anyone who chooses not to. 

This has nothing to do with this thread - I don't know what you are referring to in the campaign, but keep it for the EU exit thread.

That's because Bolsonaro is a Trump-style idiot who has just fired his health minister for pushing for corona restrictions. Bolsonaro thinks it's just the flu.