JasonC wrote:
Actually, I think the UK population is pretty compliant
The UK is not only highly compliant, but full of jobsworths who like reporting other people.
If the Soviet Union had taken over the UK in 1945, they would have had such an easy job of forming and maintaining a secret police force with the rampant curtain twitching that goes on in the UK.
I have first hand knowledge of relatively hard communism – Czechoslovakia 1957-1969.
With apologies to Clint Eastwood, there are two kinds of countries
and the 1st lot always get a bad reputation for having collaborated with the invader. And the less nasty the invader is to the locals, the more collaboration takes place.
I don’t need to list the countries which got a bad name for this in WW2. And I think had the UK been invaded, much of it would have collaborated just as enthusiastically as the others.
“Kolaborant” was a dirty word in Czechoslovakia, too.
On this topic, the UK seemed quite willing to throw away social distancing a few weeks ago, hence we got the tighter version. Now, I don’t know, but it seems that everyone (except young people) is pretty scared of it, and that will translate into a very slow economic recovery in some sectors. For example I can’t see anybody taking an airline flight, going to a gym or a keep-fit class, or a restaurant, until the virus is practically gone. Hotels are relatively easy to deal with, on the part of a guest with any braincells, but what about eating?
Some good news about a UK vaccine.
And finally… one for the mostly male pilot community
We haven’t had a lock down either. Except I couldn’t fly for a few weeks, everything has been “normal”. Can’t visit my old father though, as visiting people on elderly care centers is prohibited. We have talked through the window 
But, what has become clear is that people in the “danger” group has locked themselves down. Even today, when schools are open, hair dressers are open and so on, they keep inside, and hardly go out the door. They feel it’s too risky.
In the news they talk about two more waves of this epidemic. One later in the fall, and one a few months after that. We will see. Also, finding some cure that will prevent people from dying, seem to be a closer in time solution than a vaccine. If people can be treated, kept alive, this while mess would be gone in an instant.
In Ireland we have been semi locked-down since Mar 28th. Over 70s must stay home at all times, everyone else can go within 2km of their house for exercise, only food outlets and pharmacies open. It’s due to expire a week from today. The noise from the doctor in charge is that he doesn’t want to lift any measures, but I think that’s just talk to keep people compliant until the last day. In another briefing he declared it suppressed in the community. Still bad in nursing homes, but even with that problem the daily case, hospitalisation, ICU admission, and death daily growth figures have been under 5% and falling for almost 2 weeks. I can’t see any advantage to at least ‘dipping our toe in the water’ as it were, and loosening some of the measures.
LeSving wrote:
Also, finding some cure that will prevent people from dying, seem to be a closer in time solution than a vaccine
There are few treatments on the line mainly for serious cases and preventing people from dying, these will change the balance to the better, surprisingly none of them have “chlor-” in their names unlike hydroxychloroquine (malaria drug), chlorine dioxide (miraculous bleach) or chloroxylenol (Dettol)
Peter wrote:
For example I can’t see anybody taking an airline flight, going to a gym or a keep-fit class, or a restaurant, until the virus is practically gone
Which is not all that stupid: it seems like the probability of catching the virus is something like 18 times higher inside indoor confined spaces (like airliners, gyms etc) compared to outdoors. The risk from being outdoors with other people is very low compared to the risk of being in a confined space with others.
This came out this morning
so the UK is past 30k now, and no doubt almost every other country is 50% above the official totals also.
That doesn’t include those who died as a result of other things related to the lockdown, of course, e.g. choosing to not seek medical care.
Germany appears to be going backwards
which shows this thing is a real bugger to get rid of.
Over 70s must stay home at all times,
What is the logic behind that? Are all the over 70s considered to be infected and a risk to everyone else? If so, why?
Are they considered to be the most vulnerable? in which case can they not decide what risks they wish to take with their own life just as we all do on a day to day basis?
If the justification is the risk of overloading the health services with extra work should I catch the virus, then I’m quite happy to paste a “do not resuscitate if infected with CV19” note on my forehead, and just carry on indulging in my many other lifestyle choices which are just as likely, if not more likely, to result in risks to my health and well-being and my calls on the health services.
Peter wrote:
so the UK is past 30k now, and no doubt almost every other country is 50% above the official totals also.
Sweden has done a similar check and the figures are 10% higher than previously reported.
Peter wrote:
Germany appears to be going backwards
which shows this thing is a real bugger to get rid of.
Indeed. We have to be careful not to spoil our good start into this pandemic. People are getting complacent.
Unfortunately, the choice between easing the lockdown for the benefit of social life, economy and mental health vs keeping it for the benefit of public health is s choice between a rock and a hard place.
What would be very important to know is wheter small children really play a role as vectors of the disease or not, because if they don’t we could at least reopen the Kindergartens, which in turn would be very helpful for many, many families.
