The 2m rule could be ditched according to the Tele:

The two-metre social distancing rule is being reviewed by the Government in the hope that relaxing the restriction could allow more businesses and schools to reopen, The Daily Telegraph understands.

Ministers have asked the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to look again at whether people need to stay so far apart, amid growing evidence that coronavirus does not transmit well in the air.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/05/01/two-metre-rule-reviewed-amid-hope-relaxed-restrictions-could/

 

 

 

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That's what I was thinking about the decision to reopen schools. Just say if there was a big outbreak, some of the children were badly affected, even died, what would the fall out be especially as saying about opening when safe to do so. 

I'd go the other way for the time being, 4m instead of 2.

This is crazy talk, if it doesn’t transmit well in the air, how have so many caught this? Just from surfaces?

Here’s the full article for non subscribers.

Q won’t be happy about this!

 

Tomorrow’s Telegraph front page: “Two-metre rule could be relaxed in exit plan”#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/iLpHmZhoSm

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 1, 2020

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Reports that Kim Jong-Un has made an appearance 20 days after being reported dead. If the picture alongside is today's, he certainly looks a bit peaky, like he has had Covid-19 or something.

Well, what would Jesus do?

Pretend to be dead and disappear for a few days?

Seems to be de rigueur for national leaders these days.

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The two metre rule needs to be relaxed so that developers can claim the cupboard under the stairs is actually a double bedroom.

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No, is it good?

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Yep, blatantly obvious it spreads in the air. The Diamond princess was enough to show that, allied to how many people are catching this. 

Plenty of anecdotes around from people who caught it whilst practicing rigorous hand washing.

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The only thing that surprises me is that you're surprised.

It's just the same in here. We had the usual suspects heaping sarcasm and derision at the government because the 100k per day target was clearly unattainable. Now it's been exceeded we have a switch of approach to nit-picking over the testing kits sent in the post.

The substantive point is that we've ramped up the level of testing. The rest is just irrelevant noise and small-minded and petty.

Mind you, it's taken long enough for th government to get something right.  The amateurish start and the obfuscation over PPE are indelible black marks.

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Johnson's old mates at the Telegraph seem determined to put pressure on him to unlock (too soon in my opinion). They are coming up with all sorts of theories to undermine it. Will he have the strength to overrule them. I have my doubts. i think they will do what they have always do:-

Say one thing in the PR to say it is all wonderful and do something else behind the scenes and hope the public will let them get away with it as they have many times before.

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A relative of mine, who claims to be a key worker (not sure what she does other than being a dog breeder!) went for a COVID-19 test today at a Drive-Thru location. Her husband also had one because he runs a Car Recovery Firm, though being as he's now 70, I'd be surprised if he actually does recoveries.

Neither had symptoms, they just went for "peace of mind". I thought you had to have symptoms to get a test? Maybe it doesn't matter if the Government are trying to test as many people as they can?

They've posted numerous photos and video clips of the experience, most of which were rubbish, but this is the instructions they were sent for taking a swab.

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That would make more sense. But it would make shopping in supermarkets an even bigger nightmare.

Our recent trip to Tesco suggests either a woeful lack of understanding of what two metres looks like or a wilful disinterest in following the rules. Even some of the staff doing the 'click and collect' and home delivery work were as bad.

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I suspect it's the supermarkets that are causing most of the new cases around the country. I was quite impressed by my weekly trip to Morrison's today, well yesterday now. They have made changes to the way you checkout. Much more supervision and isolation here. There were less people being let in too, but there is a real problem where people start to congregate where shoppers take their time by a certain area. I had a word with the checkout staff behind the screen. Asked him how workers there were faring, and he said they we all doing well and no cases he was aware of.

On this occasion though it is not Johnson v the RWM, it’s Johnson and the scientific advisors v the RWM and I think that’s a very different equation.

The scientific advice will still be focusing hard on social distancing because it’s a key area. I just don’t see relaxation on both ‘stay at home’ and social distancing simultaneously; it would make no sense to raise the risk so much unnecessarily.

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You can't re-train people in a few weeks.

On numerous occasions I've walked past something I meant to get, turned round and gone back with only that in my mind, Clearly that ruins the distancing behind me, inadvertently. Multiply that by other people, and it's inevitably going to lead to people closer than they 'should' be.

The mention of four metres is just daft, no matter how desirable in a purely theoretical world. In the end we are going to have to accept an imperfect solution to those scenarios and concentrate on minimising the risk so far as practical. 

People aren't plates on a sushi conveyor belt. 

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I find that telegraph headline astonishing.

It really does undermine the core messaging. It sounds like a headline to test the water and I cannot for one second see SAGE changing their advice.

Every paper this morning seems to have their own version of what’s going to lofted after lockdown. It’s so confusing to know what’s real or made up

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