When will this shit end?

[stuartbert two hats]

8 minutes ago, balthazarstarbuck said:

The problem is though, it ain’t an app saying ‘might be a good idea to get yourself tested’, it says this:

Which is gonna scare the bejeezus out of people they’ll be fined or thrown in clink if they don’t comply.

 

5 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I have a feeling this will change soon. Bookmark this but the rule will be only to self isolate if you have symptoms. If you are double vaccinated you won’t get an exposure notification.

Interestingly I was told by the lady from Track+Trace over the phone yesterday that it was not a legal requirement to isolate, but a strong recommendation.

[fraybentos1]

Cases down by 1000 in Scotland compared to last week...

Is it on it's way back down here? Fuck knows but let's hope so.

[andyrhodes24]

3 minutes ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

Lineup confirmed for 5pm. Boris, Whitty and Vallance.

 

Big guns being rolled out. 

Speaking of festivals going ahead, I hope Whitty plays "Next Slide Please", it's a right tune

[steviewevie]

7 minutes ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

Lineup confirmed for 5pm. Boris, Whitty and Vallance.

 

Big guns being rolled out. 

that's good...need some sciency stuff to back these new opening plans...try and ease some nervous tension out there...I wonder if Whitty/Vallance will try and persuade people to continue to wear masks in certain situations or not?

[philipsteak]

5 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

 

Interestingly I was told by the lady from Track+Trace over the phone yesterday that it was not a legal requirement to isolate, but a strong recommendation.

You've just prompted me to check the screenshot of the initial message I got and yep, it does say advised. 

My companies policy is to isolate for the 7 days anyway. Not sure anyone could force you back to work as it stands now anyway. Wouldn't be a great look

[st dan]

One thing in regards to masks, I’m assuming it doesn’t have to be a concrete decision that can never be reversed?

Once things open up fully, if we are seeing cases at 100k+ a day in September/October, then then masks can become compulsory more or less overnight couldn’t they? If this brings cases back down to say 50k a couple of weeks later, then that would be enough real world evidence to show how effective they are, and the benefits of them staying over the autumn/winter period at least. 

[DeanoL]

13 minutes ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

Good post, although I take issue with the bolded. The government has made twice a week testing freely available (and in practice you could even take a test more frequency than that if you wanted extra reassurance)

If you have the virus you should be staying at home under all circumstances and shouldn’t be going on public transport at all, mask or no mask. If you don’t have the virus then there’s no reason to wear a mask (unless you have one of those FFP3/N95 type masks that protect you as well)

FWIW, I think an infected carrier wearing a mask DOES reduce the amount of aerosols they’d breathing into the air. So masks sort of do work if you have the virus. But then, you shouldn’t be out of your house at all if you do. For the vast majority of us who don’t have the virus, mask wearing is literally just virtue signalling because we don’t have anything to spread in the first place. 

The problem is it's easy to get it and be entirely asymptomatic. And it's not like they could scale up the testing so that everyone could have one twice a week. 

Even if they could, I think the majority would find the requirement to have tests twice a week more onerous than mask wearing. I mean, people are saying they're fed up with wearing masks because they're uncomfortable but that throat/nose swap is a lot more uncomfortable! (I know, durations are different, but you'd get many of the same complaining).

[Havors]

2 minutes ago, st dan said:

One thing in regards to masks, I’m assuming it doesn’t have to be a concrete decision that can never be reversed?

Once things open up fully, if we are seeing cases at 100k+ a day in September/October, then then masks can become compulsory more or less overnight couldn’t they? If this brings cases back down to say 50k a couple of weeks later, then that would be enough real world evidence to show how effective they are, and the benefits of them staying over the autumn/winter period at least. 

Masks bringing cases down from 100k to 50k would be a miracle.... there is very little evidence they do anything of value anyway. If they worked to any noticeable extent like that we wouldn't have had the 2nd and 3rd wave. 

The guidance has always been illogical. To be classed as close contact you need to spend 15 mins in close proximity to someone (like the England lads)... so why would walking past people to go the bathroom without a mask on be any risk? And lets not mention the fact people finger their facemasks constantly and never wash them... haha 

I always worn one because its thats what they asked and it was no skin off my nose... regardless of how pointless I think they are. If they gave everyone the FFP3 masks, now that could make a real difference. 

[Fuzzy Afro]

10 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

The problem is it's easy to get it and be entirely asymptomatic. And it's not like they could scale up the testing so that everyone could have one twice a week. 

Even if they could, I think the majority would find the requirement to have tests twice a week more onerous than mask wearing. I mean, people are saying they're fed up with wearing masks because they're uncomfortable but that throat/nose swap is a lot more uncomfortable! (I know, durations are different, but you'd get many of the same complaining).

My issue with masks isn’t so much that wearing one bothers me personally, as much as I don’t like seeing other people wear them. I’d prefer them to be binned off entirely.

 

However, I’ll swab my nose and throat twice a week to avoid looking like a nuclear scientist in front of people on the train. 

[st dan]

6 minutes ago, Havors said:

Masks bringing cases down from 100k to 50k would be a miracle.... there is very little evidence they do anything of value anyway. If they worked to any noticeable extent like that we wouldn't have had the 2nd and 3rd wave. 

The guidance has always been illogical. To be classed as close contact you need to spend 15 mins in close proximity to someone (like the England lads)... so why would walking past people to go the bathroom without a mask on be any risk? And lets not mention the fact people finger their facemasks constantly and never wash them... haha 

I always worn one because its thats what they asked and it was no skin off my nose... regardless of how pointless I think they are. If they gave everyone the FFP3 masks, now that could make a real difference. 

Yeah that’s fair, and if we don’t really see a significant increase in cases once masks are no longer compulsory, then the argument over whether they are/were ever required has answered itself.

[Matt42]

17 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

 

Interestingly I was told by the lady from Track+Trace over the phone yesterday that it was not a legal requirement to isolate, but a strong recommendation.

 

8 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

You've just prompted me to check the screenshot of the initial message I got and yep, it does say advised. 

My companies policy is to isolate for the 7 days anyway. Not sure anyone could force you back to work as it stands now anyway. Wouldn't be a great look

Just like with everything throughout this whole pandemic I think there is also a case of being unlikely.

I know someone who recently travelled and basically broke every rule going. Fancied some hobnobs and went to the shop to try and find them, they weren’t in store so went through a series of shops to find them. Didn’t get contacted at all by test and trace.

Then I know someone who travelled and got serial knocks on their door at every moment checking they were in.

[Matt42]

Pretty grim this, leading SAGE scientist Susan Mitchie advocating for lifetime masks and lockdowns. Coincidentally a member of the British Communist Party. No surprise she’s uneasy with the state giving up some controls on individuals. She clearly doesn’t trust individuals to be smart enough to keep themselves alive or make their own decisions.

[northernringo]

 

[Havors]

1 minute ago, northernringo said:

 

A lot of people I know scan in but have the contact tracing off. Its all been pointless for while now. 

[steviewevie]

14 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

Pretty grim this, leading SAGE scientist Susan Mitchie advocating for lifetime masks and lockdowns. Coincidentally a member of the British Communist Party. No surprise she’s uneasy with the state giving up some controls on individuals. She clearly doesn’t trust individuals to be smart enough to keep themselves alive or make their own decisions.

Madley is such a cockhead.

[steviewevie]

 

[efcfanwirral]

42 minutes ago, Havors said:

Masks bringing cases down from 100k to 50k would be a miracle.... there is very little evidence they do anything of value anyway. If they worked to any noticeable extent like that we wouldn't have had the 2nd and 3rd wave. 

The guidance has always been illogical. To be classed as close contact you need to spend 15 mins in close proximity to someone (like the England lads)... so why would walking past people to go the bathroom without a mask on be any risk? And lets not mention the fact people finger their facemasks constantly and never wash them... haha 

I always worn one because its thats what they asked and it was no skin off my nose... regardless of how pointless I think they are. If they gave everyone the FFP3 masks, now that could make a real difference. 

I'm also pretty sure back at the start one of the reasons for NOT advising everyone to wear them was because people would touch them and not put them on properly, making it more likely they'd get it. Then it somehow turned into rules that practically encourage everyone to take them on and off multiple times. So confusing 

Edited July 5, 2021 by efcfanwirral

[Radiochicken]

18 minutes ago, Havors said:

A lot of people I know scan in but have the contact tracing off. Its all been pointless for while now. 

Am I the only one that quite likes the app? 🙈

It’s useful to know if I’ve been near someone positive (whilst also knowing the app is anonymous so it’s not like the police are coming round if I don't isolate). For example, if I got pinged I’d just get hot on the lateral flows for a few days; especially if I was visiting my grandparents. For me that’s an easy, no effort measure, which is helpful to work out if my personal risk might be slightly higher at a given time (without any over reliance e.g. no ping is not equal to zero risk).

 

[gigpusher]

1 hour ago, stuartbert two hats said:

 

Interestingly I was told by the lady from Track+Trace over the phone yesterday that it was not a legal requirement to isolate, but a strong recommendation.

I've seen acquaintances on Facebook who have been told to isolate but the rest of their family are still leaving the house. It seems odd to me that you could be asked to self-isolate because you sat 2 tables away from someone in a restaurant but that your family who have been in close proximity with you for a couple of days after you went to that restaurant can still just go where they want. 

[st dan]

9 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

 

Articles like this are so frustrating. Who actually knows how this will unfold until we try it out? Let’s not set it up to fail eh, like Peston is clearly attempting to do here.  

I’m getting an ever increasing sense that a number of people (both high profile and Mr Joe Public) actually want the easing of restrictions to go tits up, to use as a form of political point scoring in future. They’ll be queuing up with the ‘I told you so’s at the first opportunity. 
I personally have absolutely no time for any of these cretins in charge of the country at present, and would absolutely never vote for them in an election, but am fully behind supporting them trying to get things back to ‘normal’. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by st dan

[steviewevie]

I still use the test&trace app because I am morally superior.

Never been pinged though.

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, st dan said:

Articles like this are so frustrating. Who actually knows how this will unfold until we try it out? Let’s not set it up to fail eh, like Peston is clearly attempting to do here.  

I’m getting an ever increasing sense that a number of people (both high profile and Mr Joe Public) actually want the easing of restrictions to go tits up, to use as a form of political point scoring in future. I personally have absolutely no time for any of these cretins in charge of the country at present, and would absolutely never vote for them in an election, but am fully behind supporting them trying to get things back to ‘normal’. 

He's pointing out that this is a big gamble from Johnson...and may well pay off, or it may not. I don't think it's unreasonable for a political correspondent to write about this.

Edited July 5, 2021 by steviewevie

[Zoo Music Girl]

8 minutes ago, Radiochicken said:

Am I the only one that quite likes the app? 🙈

It’s useful to know if I’ve been near someone positive (whilst also knowing the app is anonymous so it’s not like the police are coming round if I don't isolate). For example, if I got pinged I’d just get hot on the lateral flows for a few days; especially if I was visiting my grandparents. For me that’s an easy, no effort measure, which is helpful to work out if my personal risk might be slightly higher at a given time (without any over reliance e.g. no ping is not equal to zero risk).

 

Yeah I'm kind of with you. I don't mind it as we have vulnerable people in our lives that we might be visiting. They've been jabbed but I'm still not 100% sure of how they'd react to getting it as cancer sufferers with lowered immune systems. I'd rather know if I'm at risk of exposing them.

That said we have plans to go away end of this week and I'm getting a bit jittery that I might get the dreaded ping with all these people that seem to be getting it! 

[august1]

Kate Middleton isolating after coming into contact with someone. Its been stated she's had two jabs. The 'first' one very publicly 4 weeks ago? hmm 

[st dan]

2 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

He's pointing out that this is a big gamble from Johnson...and may well pay off, or it may not. I don't think it's unreasonable for a political correspondent to write about this.

At no point in that short article does he imply that it might pay off. He references increased rates of cases and hospitalisations and drop in efficacy of Pfizer against the Delta variant, all pointing as to why this might not be the right move. Not denying everything he has written isn’t factually correct, but surely you can see his intentions of writing such an article.