Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Covid-19

Starmer’s main focus during PMQs has been that the government has been late or too slow in its actions; definitely looking at things in the past. Yes, he did talk about the country comparison charts but that was linked to why things were or were not done. He has not been constructive, he has been bleating with the benefit of hindsight. Very easy to stand back and criticise with the benefit of hindsight. He has offered nothing useful apart from demanding lots of plans and ‘safety for all; all without recognising that complete safety is an illusion, as life is risky. It’s about risk management, not risk elimination which is what Starmer and the Unions advocate.

The 'Hindsight' accusation can only really be applied when it's too late to change course, and new information has emerged that couldn't possibly have been known at the time when the decision was made. I would argue that neither of these conditions have existed since the start of the crisis, we have always been able to watch and learn from other countries' experience.

I wouldn't say that Starmer and the Unions have the same position, but I would agree that the union position of requiring complete risk removal is unrealistic. Fundamentally I think that anyone's position on how to handle the situation boils down to how one weighs up the human cost against the health of the economy, and ultimately we all choose a position somewhere on the continuum that extends from"Let them die, we need to make money" to "We're not going anywhere until you can prove it's 100% safe".

My view is simple and straightforward. The UK must realise that despite the cult of exceptionalism we really aren't as good at handling things as for example Germany. I would simply ask their guidance, in secret if necessary, and do what they do. Their track record has been far better than ours, we have over 49 deaths per 100,000 people, they have 9.3, a variance so great that it can't be down to just differences in reporting methodologies.

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/cases-2019-ncov-eueea

I'm looking forward to the time when the scientific advice is published and the government's reactions to the advice are forensically dissected day by day. Not.

+1

I do believe the success of the German figures only in about four weeks. At the present time, it is perhaps rather a mixture of success and happy circumstances. If the easing that we have had since the beginning of this week doesn't change the numbers for the worse, then it's ok.

Personally I am cautious and do not make use of all the loosening up. On the one hand, I like to drive the Morgan a bit, but I did it only three or four times in almost three months (which I was allowed to anyway during this period of time), but on the other hand I don't go now to a restaurant because I don't have to.
Our biggest critical unknown will be how the numbers change when people spend long hours together in closed rooms, even if you open windows. By that, I mean the schools that are reopening as much as restaurants and all kind of shopping which takes longer time.

Another reason for Germany's seemingly good outcome is that they have no really big cities and overall population density is a lot lower. It is clear that open spaces and sunlight are very positive factors.

It is also interesting that our tardiness in locking down may have allowed a semi-Swedish result, with some form of herd immunity in London appearing. Certainly infection rates in London are falling and outside care homes the R value is well below 1. One prediction in the media today is that London may be free of new cases by the month end.

In Scotland and the North East the picture is different. God help me, I never thought I'd begin to agree with Ms S, but she may be proven to be right in delaying Scotland's release!

Another snippet today, BJ is going to force the NHS to "declare war on fat": One source said that BJ thinks that his severe illness was due in part to his obesity.

Listening to the Government broadcasts and updates clearly, to me at least, demonstrates the same old politicians vagueness and lack of clarity as ever. They seem to have kept the mentality of non commitment, deliberately vague and confused advice and information. Why has there not been a use of better Public Information broadcasting? Let’s say the BBC running regular programs spelling out the lockdown do’s and don’ts when it was clear the “official” briefings and subsequent rubbish in the media were adding to the confusion?
I do see, though, that the possible overwhelming of the NHS (Save the NHS) has been achieved as evidenced by the Nightingale hospitals not being needed for increasing cases. Why were they not then used as recuperation centres for those released from hospital, especially for those from carehomes? Years ago we had such recuperation hospitals. My mum went to one after an op.
The reported failure to take up offers from UK companies for certified PPE versus imports such as Turkish sub standard PPE is disgraceful. Who was overseeing it?
As for Labour......they should have been roped in to a form of coalition to help with the situation. They now appear to be on the hindsight bandwagon using the factors I put above as ammunition.
I am glad that Wales, Scotland. N Ireland have held back on easing lockdown.
There, enough typing!

Peter J. I don't know if you have average values for all of Germany or figures for West Germany vs. the old GDR without Berlin. In East Germany there are much fewer cases of viruses. People are older, less mobile and live in smaller towns.
Just as I'm writing this, maybe that's one reason why our numbers look pretty good when they always include East Germany.

If you only see West Germany, there are quite a few people living in the countryside, but there are a few larger areas like Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart and many more cities with more than 150,000 inhabitants. NRW has 526 inhabitants per square kilometer = 1,360 inhabitants per square mile




On the other hand, we had almost the most cases in rural Bavaria on 31 March. Most were holidaymakers from Austria (Ischgl) and northern Italy.

Well I’m pleased to live in England as I had a great day yesterday driving to Yorkshire in the sun in the Morgan, met up with a friend and enjoyed a game of golf and had a glorious drive back on quiet roads

Thank you Prime Minister

The population density of London is something else...

This is old data, Greater London encompasses a total area of 1,583 square kilometres (611 sq mi), an area which had a population of 7,172,036 in 2001 and a population density of 4,542 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,760/sq mi).

When we lived, through the 1990s, in Wesel, NRW, (population 65,000, half the size of Salisbury) there was plenty of open countryside close by, it never realty felt "urban", even Dusseldorf is only 630,000!