I'm under no illusion that I'm proposing measures that are about as far from my libertarian philosophy as it gets. However this is an extrordinary time. As long as it doesn't last too long I don't think the damage will be too bad. I'd rather have some fairly hard fascism for a couple of months than a slow erasure of freedom over a year or more that eventually becomes permanant.

Fascism is harder to get rid of when its a gradual process. Turn the UK into a police state overnight and people will be much more willing to see these measures come to an end, and they will be able to come to an end much faster.

And of course I only support restriction of freedom insofar as it benefits the reduction of spread of disease.

a) don't tell people how you are doing it. Buys you a bit of time at the very least

b) There are always smart criminals, but for every smart criminal there are 10 dumb ones. You don't need 100% sucess.

From the Tele's live feed - more signs of the lockdown gradually easing (along with B&Q, Five Guys etc reopening).

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-uk-vaccine-ppe-deaths-peak-lockdown/

Construction workers' health is being threatened by watered down advice on social distancing on building sites, a union has said.

Unite said the latest guidance being given to building workers was unsafe and placed them at unnecessary risk.

The latest operating procedures were issued to coincide with a return to work at a large number of sites this week, particularly in the London area, Unite said.

The guidance now states that where workers are required to work within two metres of each other, they should "work side by side, or facing away from each other, rather than face to face", the union said.

When this is not possible and workers have to work "face to face" within two metres of each other, workers should "keep this to 15 minutes or less where possible".

It's too early to discern what impact re-opening schools there will have, especially for deaths. Give it another week or two.

Regional data for new cases today in England

The 7 English regions 

• London +280 (1.3%) 22,352


• Midlands +605 (3.8%) 16,093


• North West +421 (2.8%) 15,209


• South East +397 (2.8%) 14,053


• North East and Yorkshire +720 (5.2%) 13,777


• East of England +251 (3.1%) 8,218


• South West +184 (3.5%) 5,229

The 10 local areas with the highest cases

1. Kent +88 (3.3%) 2,685


2. Birmingham +70 (2.9%) 2,431


3. Hampshire +85 (3.6%) 2,336


4. Lancashire +59 (2.6%) 2,229


5. Surrey +34 (1.6%) 2,134


6. Essex +51 (2.6%) 1,980


7. Hertfordshire +50 (2.6%) 1,954


8. Sheffield +62 (3.6%) 1,746


9. Cumbria +14 (0.9%) 1,543


10. Staffordshire +59 (4.4%) 1,346

The 10 local areas with the lowest cases

1. Rutland 13 - No change


2. Isle of Wight +1 (1.4%) 74


3. Hartlepool +3 (3.1%) 98


4. North East Lincolnshire +11 (10.6%) 104


5. Peterborough +8 (5.2%) 155


6. Torbay +14 (8.7%) 161


7. Herefordshire, County of +9 (5.4%) 168


8. Bracknell Forest +2 (1.1%) 174


9. North Somerset +6 (3.4%) 175


10. Bath and North East Somerset +3 (1.6%) 182

Head of armed forces to join Raab at press briefing.

Anti-biotics are used against bacteria. It is the bacteria that adapt to nullify the effect of the anti-biotic. Overuse or even worse not completing a course gives the bacteria the opportunity to mutate by natural selection. With a partial dose most are killed but the strongest survive and go on to reproduce and gradually produce an immuno resistant to the anti-biotic strain. I don't think it affects our immune system per say, which was not up to dealing with the bacteria hence the need of help from the anti-biotic.

I don't doubt your sincerity (I don't think you could be anything but) but regarding that last sentence, it has been argued numerous times in the 'Free Speech' threads that restrictions on free speech are necessary insofar that it benefits in the reduction in the spread of fascist ideas. (a disease in itself).

I think you can see where I am coming from. 

That, presumably, includes the freedom to die a painful death or infect someone else who then dies a painful death.

Italy

• 3,370 new cases 


• 437 new deaths

Most confirmed cases in english authorities by head of population (source: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-tracker-how-many-cases-are-in-your-area-updated-daily-11956258 )

                 Cases  per100,000

Brent           1254 379.1

Sunderland  1009 363.7

Southwark   1105 348.3

Lambeth      1047 321.2

Harrow          803 321

Croydon      1226 318.2

Gateshead    634 313.1

Cumbria      1543 309.3

Sheffield      1746 299.7

Knowsley       445 297.5

I don't see a problem in re-opening things such as DIY stores, garden centres and the like. People want to be productive whilst they are at home, doing those jobs they rarely have time to do. As long as there are limits on the number of people allowed inside, with social distancing in the stores and queuing outside, it doesn't lead to a greater spread risk than the supermarkets and smaller food shops are presenting.

I do agree with the travelling to tourist spots and second homes, though. This should be clamped down on hard, and I'd be way stricter in enforcement of this. There's no need to be travelling far for anything, let a alone a weekend jolly to a country pad.

Is that a cynical PR stunt. For some reason, the pathetic plebs of this country get hard-ons for military types.

So, if I bring my dog for a walk around the park later, only to get accosted by two cops sitting side by side in a car, I am the one infecting people, while they, being 'key workers' who not only have the freedom to travel where they wish, are also curiously not infecting people. 

How does that work exactly? 

Still very good round here. Roads way down on normal. People social distancing apart from the odd few idiots. Mind you still people commenting on Yahoo News saying it is only like mild flu and the Government are keeping us locked down so we can't do anything about the 5G masts. Seriously - that's what somebody wrote !!

Daily slides

Transport

Cases

Patients in hospital

Deaths on a rolling 7-day average

It's not the traditional Tory base that Cummings, Bozo, Rees-Smug and most of the other New Brexit Party c*nts answer to. I dare say the occupants of Tufton Street are safely secluded away from potential infection.

Americans really are tapped. The US is a powderkeg waiting to go off...

"You can see the cars going past they say 'reopen Virginia'..."@WalkerSkyNews reports from a protest in Richmond, Virginia against the #coronavirus lockdown measures.

Latest from the US here: https://t.co/gZheuv9xs0 pic.twitter.com/0NZh3b7rxl

— SkyNews (@SkyNews) April 22, 2020

Half of them will believe that baby Jesus will save them

Yes, I've always noticed old people tend to die more often than young people! 

What is not essential to one person is essential to another.

I'd like to see a bit more emphasis on stopping people increasing transmission risk rather than this blanket approach that leaving your house is a criminal offence. As far as I can tell the biggest risks I have been put under were collecting shopping and deliveries. If I had my way I  would have had the police arrest the idiot manager at Asda that thought installing a touch machine for click and collect to re-enter your order number and placing it in the entrance adjacent to a busy escalator. I have been very careful how I handle mail and deliveries but is everybody?

Well obviously! Why wouldn't it be after a week. There's a week's incubation for infection and three weeks lag to death. How hard is that to grasp?

All incited by Trump. 

I can honestly see mass shooting or something happening. Free from Tyranny. Honestly?!