Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

I think the UK numbers need to broken down a bit. London has about 2000 cases and every other region around 450-500. We're at the edge of a Lombardy still situation in London, the rest of the country is further behind and will hopefully be able to contain it more by following the guidance.

London's fucked though - this was Columbia Road flower market today:


Central London's deserted but it's like the way people are interpreting this guidance is stop going to Soho and Borough, BUT it is absolutely fine to go to your local cute markets and parks and Instagram it all because it is a nice day out and everything

I honestly thought/hoped we were better than this

[DGuller]

There is a Russian phrase to describe this: undaunted idiots. 

[garbon]

What the fuck are they thinking?

[PDH]

All in all, people here in Santa Cruz have followed the "shelter in place" guidelines pretty well.  The panic buying was last monday, now the denizens of this town are in a torporous state from too much Chef Boyardee eaten out the can with a plastic spoon.  They are docile now that the outdoor bans included beach volleyball, their will has been broken.

[Fate]

I'm at the local Winco right now. Paper towels and toilet paper secured. Most people are respecting the six-foot rule. Lots of gloves and masks seen.

I've decided I'm totally going to make some fun cloth masks. (CDC suggests four layers of close-knit cotton, of which I have plenty.)

If you want to make it more "surgical grade" try interposing a non-woven layer between the outer and inner cloth layers. Coffee filters might work. Or if you have some HEPA filter grade stuff laying around you could cut it into the proper shape.

You can buy masks on eBay still and get them shipped quickly. They have the stylish Asian resusable types in large supply and probably would work better than anything you could make personally. Hospitals would never use them so you're not depriving the medical system from vital materials.

[The Larch]

Here both the Prez and VP have jumped quarantine.

Prez's wife, mother and FiL now positive. Both mother and wife got the bug during the massive Women's Day demonstration they delayed locking down the country for.

Don't make shit up.

[Iormlund]

Here both the Prez and VP have jumped quarantine.

Prez's wife, mother and FiL now positive. Both mother and wife got the bug during the massive Women's Day demonstration they delayed locking down the country for.

Don't make shit up.

:shrug:
They put politics above public health whether you want to see it or not. If it was up to me the lot would end up in jail.

[Sheilbh]

What the fuck are they thinking?

Right!? Same in Broadway Market, Victoria Park etc. Really disappointing and upsetting.

Interesting information from today's news conferences - cases in London are rising significantly. But at this stage only 12% of critical care beds are covid cases - so that' what about 400?

[Tamas]

There is a Russian phrase to describe this: undaunted idiots.

Johnson is just too much of a coward to do anything about it. Just seen this reported of his press conference going on now:

When asked by a reporter when the government would consider using the police to enforce social distancing, Boris Johnson seemed quite incredulous.

"Bring in the police!?" he responded.

However, he reiterated that if people continue to ignore advice on staying apart, tougher measures would have be introduced - but still no detail on what these tougher measures could be.

I think he is among the people who are just taking too much of their self-worth from their social life and thus incapable of grasping what's happening and what's coming.

I think that when things started to get real, he was briefed by the experts like any other executive would be about the start of a project: briefed on the various alternative options. And he went for the one that promised the least disruption. It has been a clear failure, as we are basically replicating the Italian script despite having had weeks of warning. To this day what little restrictions there are are being ignored by a substantial amount of the population, and we have our PM shitting his pants on the thought of involving actual coercion to save what may amount to thousands.

[Valmy]

I honestly thought/hoped we were better than this

This just shows why the government cannot just give suggestions and hope people act responsibly. You have to tell some of these morons what to do.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The problem in London may be that there is simply not enough free space to permit sensible distancing while outside. Perhaps some sort of rota could be arranged?

[Sheilbh]

This just shows why the government cannot just give suggestions and hope people act responsibly. You have to tell some of these morons what to do.

I mean they've been told. I am not compassionate or sympathetic enough to these people to think that the issue is the government hasn't been clear enough. I think the issue is they're choosing to still treat it like a snow day.

As Nicola Sturgeon says - if you aren't noticing big changes in your like, ask yourself if you're really doing what you should be.

I think he is among the people who are just taking too much of their self-worth from their social life and thus incapable of grasping what's happening and what's coming.

I think he thought people were better than this - I thought people were. We've seen the images and news reports from Italy, we've heard the intensive care doctors pleading with people to stay at home. And most people have but in this situation it doesn't take many people acting selfishly to ruin it all.

I am gobsmacked and furious at how irresponsibly some people are behaving. Johnson's being too benign now, if it was up to me I'd be sending in riot police on horses to clear Victoria Park. Probably for the best I'm not in charge

[Oexmelin]

I suspect many people thought it was Italians being stupid silly Italians, and that the stern, responsible, law-abiding [insert your nationality here] would of course be better.

I have also heard expressed the sentiment that the US health system - THE BEST IN THE WORLD - wouldn't have to worry about the same thing happening in those other deprived countries...

[Josquius]

Speaking to my parents today. Apparently they've heard the advice is if you've got a caravan or second home to go there and be in the countryside.
Doesn't affect them of course. But  this is madness. So much conflicting information flying about.

[Syt]

You know it feels weird, but my sisters unisono post on facebook that people should stay at home and self-isolate as if they're already infected. They bitch about people not taking the proposed social distancing measures seriously. I'm pleasantly surprised.