When will this shit end?

[zahidf]

That REACT study is missing December.  So ignore the JAN RISE IN INFECTIONS  headlines 

 

[alanr]

2 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I suspect the stuff about the Australian model is an attempt to disguise Spaffer and co's shitness by pretending they're operating a plan that's been widely praised.

I've been following the Australian response, and WA in greater detail, since the start of this. It is impossible for UK to now implement the Australian model, the success in Australia is because they took the correct decisions almost a year ago.   WA is continuously updating the regulations and really seems to be on top of the situation. For example a few days ago they made masks mandatory on aircraft and in airports, even though they are effectively covid free.

https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/wearing-face-masks-airports-and-aircraft

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/359bca83a1264e3fb8d3b6f0a028d768

[eFestivals]

Just now, alanr said:

It is impossible for UK to now implement the Australian model, the success in Australia is because they took the correct decisions almost a year ago.

I don't believe it's possible for the UK to operate the Australian model, full stop. We rely on constant cross-border interaction for our very survival (food supplies).

The UK could have operated much better, of course. But better would be something more like Germany - and even that is having a very bad time of it right now.

[Mimo]

5 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

What's the Aussie model?

Those graphics show a gradual open-up, which is what the UK did last summer and what we'll be doing again via tiers (and then something below the current tiers).

I know Aus is currently (almost) covid-free, but I also know that NZ is planning to let covid in once people have been vaccinated and I'm guessing Aus is the same.

As we already have covid here and won't get to covid free we don't need to start letting it in.

I suspect the stuff about the Australian model is an attempt to disguise Spaffer and co's shitness by pretending they're operating a plan that's been widely praised.

Borders closed, drive virus down hard and eliminate. Strict test track and trace with enforced isolation, jump very hard on any outbreaks that do occur.

On the surface we did similar with tiers, but we were wishy washy as fuck and didn’t drive the virus down enough due to an impatience to reopen everything. I’ll never forget sitting in the cinema last summer, the adverts before the film had strong propaganda vibes hammering the message ‘we need to get back to normal’. All the talk was of saving the economy and learning to live with the virus, not eliminating the virus to save the economy. That’s the big difference as I see it.

[km9]

48 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

I think my main issue is that we are treated like children a lot of the time. I may not speak for everyone but I think we all recognise how fluid the situation is but by giving us a date surely that only encourages everyone to work harder to get our ducks in a row and hit the target.

If the date then changes its a bit like "okay we take that on the chin, we've got to work harder"

Perhaps just my view on it, I don't know.

Ideally yes, but this isn't how it would pan out. They would be accused of moving the goalposts and of 'yet another U-turn'. Not many people say 'OK, they tried their best so I'm happy to take it in the chin'.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

2 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I don't believe it's possible for the UK to operate the Australian model, full stop. We rely on constant cross-border interaction for our very survival (food supplies).

The UK could have operated much better, of course. But better would be something more like Germany - and even that is having a very bad time of it right now.

Absolutely. You only have to look at the actual amount of virus Australia had compared to us at the start of the pandemic, their numbers are minuscule by comparison. We could have done a lot, lot better, but you can only really compare us to other European countries in that respect.

Knowing what we know about the virus, if you look at Australia’s death toll from it that tells you how much virus they had there in the first place, next to none in comparison to us.

[steviewevie]

1 hour ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Good about your dad but that is frustrating! Hope she gets it soon. Is he in a different area?

And yeah I agree. I'm probably more on the negative side but it's protective for me because I don't get my hopes up too high. I think I'll be back in the pub and seeing the people I love this summer and am happy with that thought for now.

same area, different GP.

[FestivalJamie]

Today’s vaccine update. Added in Malta because they are now the fastest in the EU, ahead of Denmark. We should really see EU start to speed up once Pfizer supplies are no longer disrupted and hopefully EMA approved AstraZeneca next week.

 

 

[eFestivals]

1 minute ago, Mimo said:

All the talk was of saving the economy and learning to live with the virus, not eliminating the virus to save the economy. That’s the big difference as I see it.

Oh, absolutely.

But we're now at the point where learning to live with the virus is the way forwards - probably even for Aus too (I've not checked but presume they'll re-open once they've vaccinated).

So we'll be going to a different place than we should have gone to last summer.

[Mimo]

FWIW I think we absolutely can make a success of an Aussie ish model working in combination with the vaccine. It won’t be easy but we can’t afford not to really, the alternative is likely third wave as new variants reduce the vaccine efficacy. 

[steviewevie]

1 hour ago, JoeyT said:

I think the issue I've been having and i'm sure countless others are having is with the generalisation of when this will end with words such as "few" or "soon" or "in the coming months"

The fact is there isn't an end date really, which makes the current stage we are at all the more frustrating.

Western Australia for instance had a very clear road map which shows what you could / can look forward to. I've attached below for reference (albeit now out of date). Why can't our government produce something similar? It would certainly give us all something to work towards.

 

well it's easy for them because there's fuck all of it about.

[Ozanne]

4 minutes ago, FestivalJamie said:

Today’s vaccine update. Added in Malta because they are now the fastest in the EU, ahead of Denmark. We should really see EU start to speed up once Pfizer supplies are no longer disrupted and hopefully EMA approved AstraZeneca next week.

 

 

Seychelles have dropped points today. 

[zahidf]

12 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I don't believe it's possible for the UK to operate the Australian model, full stop. We rely on constant cross-border interaction for our very survival (food supplies).

The UK could have operated much better, of course. But better would be something more like Germany - and even that is having a very bad time of it right now.

The proposed Australian model here would exclude Haulage ( as long as they have a negative test)

[Crazyfool01]

6 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Seychelles have dropped points today. 

They had a var decision go against them ... my money is on them ending up second behind Israel ... they have some easy fixtures coming up 

[fraybentos1]

12 minutes ago, FestivalJamie said:

Today’s vaccine update. Added in Malta because they are now the fastest in the EU, ahead of Denmark. We should really see EU start to speed up once Pfizer supplies are no longer disrupted and hopefully EMA approved AstraZeneca next week.

 

 

That Israel rate really is mind-boggling. In a few weeks we will know so much more from them in terms of what vaccines are capable of achieving in real-world settings.

[efcfanwirral]

5 minutes ago, zahidf said:

The proposed Australian model here would exclude Haulage ( as long as they have a negative test)

Then if France end up creating the vaccine resistant strain it will slowly make it's way into Kent and up the country from the hauliers.

I also don't think people are sensible enough to accept hard lockdowns for a handful of cases here, and it's not like we'll pay people to stay at home in those situations so that's another big problem 

[xxialac]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/european-championship

The UK is going to fight tooth and nail to host the European Championships, aren't they and throw a tonne of cash at it.

Johnson would love getting one up on other EU countries as a populist show of strength and to get the UK on people's TV screens worldwide.

[eFestivals]

5 minutes ago, zahidf said:

The proposed Australian model here would exclude Haulage ( as long as they have a negative test)

yep, but that means we'll be letting waaay more covid into the country than Aus, which puts us into a different situation than Aus.

Aus are able to control covid at their borders because they don't need to let anyone in. And those they have let in have been very small in number (with the numbers controlled), and for a country which isn't an air travel hub. 

The UK is an airline hub, and I can't really see the govt wanting to let that go - so we're going to have much more air travel too, and probably without the forced quarantine & big costs that Aus has.

[zahidf]

 

[zahidf]

Just now, eFestivals said:

yep, but that means we'll be letting waaay more covid into the country than Aus, which puts us into a different situation than Aus.

Aus are able to control covid at their borders because they don't need to let anyone in. And those they have let in have been very small in number (with the numbers controlled), and for a country which isn't an air travel hub. 

The UK is an airline hub, and I can't really see the govt wanting to let that go - so we're going to have much more air travel too, and probably without the forced quarantine & big costs that Aus has.

Oh for sure. I dont mind the govt looking at it though of other countries really are massively behind us in vaccination terms.

[Ozanne]

1 minute ago, zahidf said:

 

That’s pretty good going given the logistical issues with getting vaccines into care homes. 

[zahidf]

1 minute ago, xxialac said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/european-championship

The UK is going to fight tooth and nail to host the European Championships, aren't they and throw a tonne of cash at it.

Johnson would love getting one up on other EU countries as a populist show of strength and to get the UK on people's TV screens worldwide.

UK already has the semis and final. And have several stadium's available with infrastructure.  Would be a no brainer for us to have it.

[xxialac]

2 minutes ago, zahidf said:

UK already has the semis and final. And have several stadium's available with infrastructure.  Would be a no brainer for us to have it.

One issue that might arise though is that EU is seriously considering closing its borders to non-EU countries.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

2 minutes ago, zahidf said:

UK already has the semis and final. And have several stadium's available with infrastructure.  Would be a no brainer for us to have it.

Yeah, the current format is a farce completely unworkable. We’d be the most obvious to host it. 

[Reckoner]

25 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I don't believe it's possible for the UK to operate the Australian model, full stop. We rely on constant cross-border interaction for our very survival (food supplies).

The UK could have operated much better, of course. But better would be something more like Germany - and even that is having a very bad time of it right now.

The Australian model is really just about stopping short term  tourism  and non essential business travel (and locking citizens out, but that's a whole other matter) and making sure that anyone who does enter goes through 14 days quarantine in a state facility.

Cargo and freight through air and sea are still operating with  precautions through testing and quarantine. A long list of exemptions for workers with critical skills specifically around oil and gas, as well as Tv and Film, partners and children of citizens and compassionate/compelling circumstances (visiting a sick relative/death etc) mean they can still travel if approved.

The road freight is obviously the main difference that would need a solution