From what I’ve seen today the Government doesn’t need to ease the lockdown restrictions because people have already decided to cut themselves some slack. This is annoying after we’ve made major efforts to isolate ourselves.
I’ve been reading about the voluntary lockdown in Sweden, which everyone says has worked well. I’m not sure it would work too well in the UK, from what I’ve seen today. On top of that, Swedish Government scientists have even said that our lockdown is futile.
However, after some of the things they have done I’m not sure how far I’d trust Swedish scientists. Not that they were the only ones who thought eugenics were a Good Thing.
You would expect that their death rate would be very low in that case, wouldn’t you? It isn’t. It’s lower than hours, to be sure. But it’s higher than Ireland, where the low rate of death has been attributed to Ireland adopting a lockdown policy.
So, with a lower death rate being linked to (a) strict lockdown policies and (b) relaxed lockdown policies you have to wonder who is right.
Or if anyone is right…
That’s it for now. I’ve failed to hit my self-appointed 250 words, but I’m having trouble concentrating. Lockdown has finally softened my brain, and I’m devoting too much of my brain to thoughts of the gooseberry crumble one of the neighbours gave us.
The picture is from the free picture library – sorry about that but I’m nor getting out much. That should be about the right number of words.
What is more depressing is that the government, while unable to communicate a meaningful sense of direction to the public with regard to the virus, is simultaneously secretly negotiating to sell the country to the USA and openly destroying our European trade. Sometimes I feel quite pleased to be old.
I am lucky to have this farm, and the summer season with all its work. It’s comforting to see things grow as opposed to listening to the news. 🙂
That is true. Possibly the worst thing about the lockdown is that we have started to watch the news again.
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As long as you meet your target on the designated day, even if you have to fiddle it a bit, you can relax after that.
A friend of mine had a test two weeks ago. He had to travel 40 miles for the test. Then they lost the result. They offered him a new test 60 miles away, but when he objected they offered one 4 miles away.
I wonder if this was recorded as one test or two.
🙂 3, I’d say
Lies, damned lies and government testing statistics…
Everyone seems to be taking lockdown very seriously where we live, and many were isolating before they were told to …. and there have been no corona cases in our village yet according to the ONS. That might change once workers restart their city commutes and the tourists return – I’m a little nervous for that.
Keep safe and well 🌿
Yes, the test will be when we start moving round again. Good to hear the village is keeping clear – hope you all stay fit and well.
For the first time in my life I wonder if governments genuinely just don’t know what to do for the best. You see, it’s not just about who might suffer from COVID-19 but everyone else who will suffer from something. For example, I’ve had a tight chest and indigestion all week. It’s gone today after relaxing yesterday but my working conditions at home are appalling and I usually walk about five miles a day, which helps keep work stress in normal circumstances down.
If you extrapolate this out across a whole population, it really is bad news…. So, what is the solution?
What to do for the best?
Well, get everyone back to work as working from home seems to be quite stressful for a lot of people.
But that means more queues and more emissions again.
I’m already in a quandary.
Yes, it is quite a tough nut to crack, isn’t it.
Just been to B&Q and it was mayhem. The queue outside was okay but then at the entrance I was told I couldn’t go in without a trolley. That didn’t stop several people from invading my social distancing space in the shop, which then entailed an assistant asking people to disperse. So, then I felt sorry for the staff and felt obliged to say specifically kind words to show my appreciate of the work they were doing. All in all, a very stressful event – can’t wait till a paint recycling business in Leeds reopens, where even under normal circumstances it isn’t busy!
The few times I’ve been shops in the last two months the staff have been as bad as the customers.
Paint recycling seems a brilliant idea.
Yes, the paint recycling is great. They were on the verge of expanding before the lockdown and can’t operate at the moment because of the council recycling centres being shut. Wakefield seems to be coming out of lockdown more quickly than Leeds and with the way people were behaving today I’m not surprised!
I’d chosen this particular B&Q because it was close to the farm where we now get raw milk, thanks to you (outskirts of Wakefield).
Lockdown does seem to work, Australia and New Zealand went hard early and it seems to have paid off, we are getting only the occasional new case now and so far our death toll has not exceeded the 100 mark. As of this weekend we are starting to slowly ease restrictions and things are slowly going back to normal, although went to the shops this morning and despite all the messaging about social distancing it was not happening. If outbreaks start to climb we will be back in lockdown so I hope people make some effort to be careful, I would like to keep my new found freedom.
Cynical but true I suspect governments are weighing up the value of protecting their older citizens. Stay safe no matter what they say.
There are a lot of factors in play, and mortality rates really don’t seem to have a direct relationship to lockdown.
It’s the only thing we can do, and seems to work, but there are clearly a lot of lessons and subtleties we will have to draw from the experience.
I’m finding it difficult to concentrate, as well.
I am not going to come out of lock-down yet; I’m going to wait a while longer just to see what happens. Admittedly, I have been out for a couple of walks recently, against regulations, but we didn’t see many people – two walkers, a cyclist, a woman in a small horse-drawn cart and a couple of delivery vans on the last walk. I don’t think we’ll know the best method used for keeping us safe for some while. As my sister says – no-one is being kind! It is all just a means of keeping the NHS creaking on. Most governments have method in their madness, or rather, madness in their method and to ‘decrease the surplus population’ (see Mr Scrooge) might be the means of saving a penny or two! The economy is the thing, ultimately.
Governments will have an acceptable number of deaths built into their plans, and as most of the covid deaths will be people who are already old and ill I’m sure that they see this as a good thing for the health and pension system even as they express their sympathy.
Exactly so.
Right now, lockdown is one of few tools available to us to stay well. They are being lifted in this country, and I am waiting with dread to see what the death rate is. Sigh.
We have been told so many things – mandatory lockdown, voluntary lockdown, timing of lockdown, the number of intensive care beds, age profile, sunshine, cold weather, testing, tracking, population density…
All we can do until the vaccine comes out. Sigh.
Then, like flu and measles, the ‘experts’ will refuse to have it. In the UK we have lost our measles-free status due to this and only about 70% of NHS staff bother to have the flu vaccine in winter.
Can’t “like”this. Sigh.
It is quite depressing, I agree.
🙂