Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Zanza]

Germany has two layers: state and federal police. The federal police only has limited jurisdiction to guard borders including airports and due to history the (former federal) railways. Everything else is state police. There are no local police forces. Additionally there is customs on federal level which also have police powers. They belong to the finance ministry.
Actually, there is one more police force in our parliament, which answers to the speaker and not the executive.

[The Brain]

You're on a roll today Brainy.

I'm high on life.

[Razgovory]

Among Americans overall, without a religious affiliation, the poll found that 43 percent believe foreign governments are to blame for the pandemic, while 37 percent said it was caused by the U.S. government.

That's a badly worded question.  Blame or caused by could be interpreted as China tolerated bat and pangolin markets or the US allowed people from China to spread it to the US, or didn't quarantine people coming back to the US.

The actual question was "Which of the following, if any, would you say is a cause of the current coronavirus situation in the
United States?"

Options were:

Christians 2%
Non-religious people 2%
People of non-Christian faiths 3%
Climate change 7%
Immigrants 9%
Human sinfulness 11%
Global trade 21%
Other things in nature 28%
U.S. government's actions or policies 37%
Foreign governments' actions or policies 43%
None of these 24%

That is a vague question.  What is meant by "situation"?

[The Brain]

Among Americans overall, without a religious affiliation, the poll found that 43 percent believe foreign governments are to blame for the pandemic, while 37 percent said it was caused by the U.S. government.

That's a badly worded question.  Blame or caused by could be interpreted as China tolerated bat and pangolin markets or the US allowed people from China to spread it to the US, or didn't quarantine people coming back to the US.

The actual question was "Which of the following, if any, would you say is a cause of the current coronavirus situation in the
United States?"

Options were:

Christians 2%
Non-religious people 2%
People of non-Christian faiths 3%
Climate change 7%
Immigrants 9%
Human sinfulness 11%
Global trade 21%
Other things in nature 28%
U.S. government's actions or policies 37%
Foreign governments' actions or policies 43%
None of these 24%

That is a vague question.  What is meant by "situation"?

You never watched Jersey Shore?

[The Larch]

Plus every two-bit federal agency having its own police force... "This is the postal police, you're under arrest!"

Yeah I mean I find the European police + gendarmes a bit weird (still don't fully understand if they do different jobs ).

Although the most overpoliced place I've been is Mexico - I swear every city had 3-4 different police forces

Here the Gendarmerie (Guardia Civil) works as a rural police, while the regular police is a city police.

The Guardia Civil also deals with borders and customs, as well as intercity traffic.

Regular police also has different levels, there's National Police, Local Police, and some autonomous communities have their own police force as well (replacing National Police there, not on top of it). State ports also have their own port police services.

[The Larch]

Interesting. Is it the same in Italy? Just because that's the country in Europe where I'm always most surprised and dazzled by the variety of uniforms

Roughly, yes. The Carabinieri act as the gendarmerie branch, while you have also the Polizia di Stato and the Guardia di Finanza. Then there are also municipal police services, provincial police and, more recently, some regional police services on top.

[Josquius]

I demand a graph to show the relationship between number of police forces and corona infections

[Iormlund]

The Guardia Civil also deals with borders and customs, as well as intercity traffic.

Regular police also has different levels, there's National Police, Local Police, and some autonomous communities have their own police force as well (replacing National Police there, not on top of it). State ports also have their own port police services.

Weirdly enough, while the Guardia Civil patrols and guards borders, actual entry falls under the jurisdiction of the National Police. So the guys who secure the airport are gendarmes, but the dude that grants entrance is a policeman (or a machine the last time I flew outside Schengen).

[celedhring]

The Guardia Civil also deals with borders and customs, as well as intercity traffic.

Regular police also has different levels, there's National Police, Local Police, and some autonomous communities have their own police force as well (replacing National Police there, not on top of it). State ports also have their own port police services.

Weirdly enough, while the Guardia Civil patrols and guards borders, actual entry falls under the jurisdiction of the National Police. So the guys who secure the airport are gendarmes, but the dude that grants entrance is a policeman (or a machine the last time I flew outside Schengen).

It's not weird when you take into account that passports, national ID cards, resident cards, etc... fall under their purview.

[mongers]

In the last two days as they ease their lockdowns, both Spain and France have recorded below 100 covid deaths; meanwhile the UK consistently registers 400-500 deaths, but is also relaxing travel and shopping restrictions. 

[Syt]

In the last two days as they ease their lockdowns, both Spain and France have recorded below 100 covid deaths; meanwhile the UK consistently registers 400-500 deaths, but is also relaxing travel and shopping restrictions. 

Keep Calm and Carry On. The Culling depends on it.

[celedhring]

UK figures are really odd. Transmission is falling very slowly, although apparently they have increased testing a lot so it's hard to judge. Still, that's a hefty deaths figure after 2 months of lockdown.

[Syt]

Meanwhile, at a British protest ...

[mongers]

UK figures are really odd. Transmission is falling very slowly, although apparently they have increased testing a lot so it's hard to judge. Still, that's a hefty deaths figure after 2 months of lockdown.

Not when you factor in the incompetence of some ministers and Johnson's lazy hand on the ship of state's tiller.

Yesterday on the R4's 'Any Questions' programme they interviewed a government minister, Helen Whately, who spouted the most banal waffle; her qualifications for office a PPE degree and a career as a PWC management consultant.   

Normally that wouldn't matter, they'd mess up, be moved around a bit and their failures would cost an extra few tens of millions, the problem is she's the Care minister responsible for care homes and the elderly etc.

[Eddie Teach]

Who better to insure hospitals are well supplied than someone with a degree in PPE?