Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Liep]

Sweden 17, Denmark 13.

They are, unfortunately, gaining on us.

I'm going to be slightly bitter if we end up even. I mean, better safe than sorry but still.

[Zoupa]

God bless bored sports commentators and their very good dogs:

https://youtu.be/f2BZNowCXws

https://youtu.be/vPhpJuraz14

Football fans, please watch this 

[Liep]

God bless bored sports commentators and their very good dogs:

https://youtu.be/f2BZNowCXws

https://youtu.be/vPhpJuraz14

Football fans, please watch this 

Excellent

[Admiral Yi]

  Nice.

[Josquius]

Excellent  indeed

[Threviel]

Sweden 17, Denmark 13.

They are, unfortunately, gaining on us.

I'm going to be slightly bitter if we end up even. I mean, better safe than sorry but still.

Swedish numbers are not really updated, Swedish CDC are very clear that these are untrustworthy weekend numbers, will be correctly updated by Tuesday.

Danish numbers are in line with their previous reports. Presumably Denmark keeps up their government statistics over the weekend.

[Duque de Bragança]

We do love our paperwork.

This is true, but now you can show your the derogation on your cell phone, so no more trees wasted!

[grumbler]

God bless bored sports commentators and their very good dogs:

https://youtu.be/f2BZNowCXws

https://youtu.be/vPhpJuraz14

Football fans, please watch this 

Brilliant stuff.  I'm passing this on.

[garbon]

I like that the home secretary reappeared to say there have been 300 thousand 34 974 thousand tests.

[Sheilbh]

I like that the home secretary reappeared to say there have been 300 thousand 34 974 thousand tests.

Her briefing pissed me off on so many levels. In terms of the press (this is why I still think lobby/political correspondents should be supporting health/sceince correspondents, not the other way round) - I want Boris Johnson to fully recover - I don't particularly care beyond that about all of these questions that I'm sure are thrilling for Westminster. Also given the Home Secretary's making announcements about domestic violence, I feel like that deserves at least one follow on question from one of the seven (male) journalists - though clearly they disagree.

Also her PPE answer had my blood boiling - nothing will get me angry like a "I'm sorry if you feel that" apology

[Agelastus]

Also her PPE answer had my blood boiling - nothing will get me angry like a "I'm sorry if you feel that" apology

She's someone who should never have been given a senior role in the first place, but it's difficult to see how she could do anything else.

(a) She's not the health secretary; ministerial apologies should be for failings in their own department.

(b) She's not the PM; unless he's authorised it (which is unlikely in the current circumstances) she would have been making policy by apologising for the government.

She was on a sticky wicket with that question whatever she did. So she tried the non-apology response and did it poorly.

[Sheilbh]

She's someone who should never have been given a senior role in the first place

Agreed. Call me old-fashioned but I think if you have to resign from the cabinet because you get caught having unauthorised meetings with a foreign government, without the knowledge or authorisation of the Prime Minister, then there probably shouldn't be a way back in to another cabinet role

(a) She's not the health secretary; ministerial apologies should be for failings in their own department.

(b) She's not the PM; unless he's authorised it (which is unlikely in the current circumstances) she would have been making policy by apologising for the government.

She was on a sticky wicket with that question whatever she did. So she tried the non-apology response and did it poorly.

This is fair, but they must know that question is (rightly) going to come up every briefing. I think she was put up because all of the ministers so far (and there's been quite a number: Johnson, Raab, Sunak, Hancock, Gove, Sharma, Eustice) have been men and she's the most senior woman cabinet minister. Given the importance/pressures on the benefits system I actually think Therese Coffey would probably have more to say that's relevant right now.

Edit: By the by, the Queen's released an Easter audio message which apparently is something she's never done before:
https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1249019411811520512?s=20

[crazy canuck]

Alberta is sending excess masks to BC and other provinces.  BC might be in a position to start loosening restrictions in three weeks if current trends continue.  One of the first things to be brought back will be elective surgeries.  Spare temp hospital beds will be kept just in case.

Despite a beautiful long weekend it looks like most are abiding by the restrictions.

[Barrister]

Queen's Easter message is again wonderfully done.

"Again" not that she's ever done one before, but in comparison to her first Covid-19 speech.

[Barrister]

Alberta is sending excess masks to BC and other provinces.  BC might be in a position to start loosening restrictions in three weeks if current trends continue.  One of the first things to be brought back will be elective surgeries.  Spare temp hospital beds will be kept just in case.

Despite a beautiful long weekend it looks like most are abiding by the restrictions.

Cool story (with only a modest amount of back-patting) on how Alberta prepared for the pandemic, such that we are shipping extra supplies to other provinces:

https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/david-staples-masterminds-behind-albertas-medical-supplies-surge-to-meet-covid-19-crisis/