Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Admiral Yi]

I think he exaggerates, but voices valid concerns.

I think he voices exactly one valid concern, the one about police exercising authority not granted formally by law.

As has been mentioned, the current restrictions were not generated by mob hysteria, they were generated by scientific examination of transmission rates, mortality, and hospital capacity.

He repeats Shelf's argument about the need to allow the Hobbits of the Shire to gambol and frolic, which I think is incredibly selfish and self-centered.

I also have a diametrically different view of the police's attitude to enforcing these restrictions than Sumption, and others of you, do.  I don't think they're smirking bully boys eager to throw their weight around (incidentally the Martinus paradigm) but dedicated front line public servants who are compelled to expose themselves to the virus while they chase around irresponsible twit watchers and Easter egg shoppers.

[Admiral Yi]

He's a lawyer stating his case with some very sharply spun pitches.

He chose his own brief.

[Sheilbh]

For the record, based on that transcript  Gups posted, I think Sumption is a nutter.

I think he exaggerates, but voices valid concerns.

Agreed - especialy the point on the police enforcing the law not what they think it should be or what they hear at press conferences. We might need stricter measures but, if that's the case, it's the government's job to change the regulations first.

[Iormlund]

This discussion sounds quite ridiculous to me.

For context we've had to forcibly confine people after they jumped quarantine and led to at least two outbreaks. Granted, these cases are linked to certain ethnic group, but you guys have things like Travellers as well.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Worth mentioning with the numbers yesterday now tallied the U.S. processed results for 113,000 tests yesterday, and its overall testing rate per million is right at 3000/million now, up from 2600.

[Oexmelin]

He repeats Shelf's argument about the need to allow the Hobbits of the Shire to gambol and frolic, which I think is incredibly selfish and self-centered.

Will you make the same argument about selfishness when we'll inevitably confront the matter of debt and default?

[The Minsky Moment]

I also have a diametrically different view of the police's attitude to enforcing these restrictions than Sumption, and others of you, do.  I don't think they're smirking bully boys eager to throw their weight around (incidentally the Martinus paradigm) but dedicated front line public servants who are compelled to expose themselves to the virus while they chase around irresponsible twit watchers and Easter egg shoppers.

Slight amendation.

I think they are law enforcement officers struggling over to how to administer and enforce vague guidelines in an unprecedented situation without much clear support or guidance from their supposed political masters.

[Legbiter]

We've hit over 1100 confirmed cases, 10.000 are in precautionary quarantine, 35 people are hospitalized. We're finding 40-60 new cases every day. We've managed to keep it from going exponential but the health services are beginning to feel the strain. Definitely not "just the flu".

[Maladict]

All current measures extended to the end of April. No lockdown, but people are urged not to go on holiday.
IC possibly to be overwhelmed by next weekend. No testing capacity outside of healthcare workers available until late April.

Time to hunker down.

[Malthus]

I've been taking long urban walks with my youngest; the streets are quieter than the parks, though one can easily maintain a safe distance in both. I realised earlier today that I have not used any mode of transport in March apart from my legs.


The pictures of Atlanta may have been taken with a telephoto lens; but it certainly looks like the people there are way too close together.

My hobby has come into its own: I like to walk with my family in local graveyards. Huge areas and you can expect to be far away from any living people! It's the perfect pandemic pastime. Outdoor exercise and low risk of transmission.

I avoid the parks, particularly on nice days, because they are usually crawling with people who are harder to avoid. Joggers in particular appear as a group to be clueless about not coming close.

[merithyn]

I just don't think these quite tiny examples should be helped to drive a "police, back off!" narrative barely a week into a lockdown that a) its going to get more strict soon and b) will last a couple of months.

Tamas you do have a point, but I think class isn't such an issue, because in two months time, nearly everyone will be champing at the bit to get out and about.

I don't have a solution to that.

I think class and race are definitely an issue here. Some communities (working class, BAME) are already well versed in they heavy handedness of the police that you just have to put up with.

Now we are seeing that get spread to more affluent members of society and they are the ones kicking off when confronted over their 'minor' acts of non-compliance.

This is how I'm seeing it. Suddenly, the not-so-poor, not-so-brown folk are getting a taste of what it is like to be poor and brown, and kicking up a fuss about it. Um, sorry not sorry?

I mean, if they're going to keep kicking up a fuss for the poor and brown people in their communities afterwards, okay, but I've a feeling they won't be doing so once their own personal freedoms are restored. Hard to feel sorry for them.

[alfred russel]

Joggers in particular appear as a group to be clueless about not coming close.

While I am definitely guilty of this, I'm not sure how to avoid it. Sidewalks aren't 6 feet wide. Sometimes I try going into the streets but that isn't always practical or possible.

Also, I can't imagine someone jogging past someone is going to present much risk of transmitting coronavirus. I very vaguely remember that weeks ago Dr. Fauci was asked about this scenario and said it wasn't a real risk, but I may be making that up.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Inspirational video on youtube for benefit British population :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk0lNoxFaIM

[merithyn]

Yeah I get that. But let's say it's kids going to pick out their Easter eggs and that household has coronavirus. Surely it's better for those six people to go once for a time limited period, rather than six individual trips over the course of the day infecting different groups of people in the shop at different times?

Jesus Christ, seriously?  It's the goddamn Plague man.  Whatever fucking egg dad comes back with is the one you get.

[Malthus]

Joggers in particular appear as a group to be clueless about not coming close.

While I am definitely guilty of this, I'm not sure how to avoid it. Sidewalks aren't 6 feet wide. Sometimes I try going into the streets but that isn't always practical or possible.

Also, I can't imagine someone jogging past someone is going to present much risk of transmitting coronavirus. I very vaguely remember that weeks ago Dr. Fauci was asked about this scenario and said it wasn't a real risk, but I may be making that up.

What I do when someone is approaching me down the sidewalk is to step off it, either onto the grass or onto the road if it is safe, in the hope that the other person will do the same but on the other side.

It's annoying when they are jogging down the middle and don't bother even to move over. 😄