surrealitychecklonely, but not unloveddreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered Userregular
the point of the police being nominally involved is not that they actually are going to be doing much enforcing of it but that they 1) have discretion to do so if necessary to prevent absurd abuses 2) make it look serious enough so that everybody else cooperates
the details of making it a proper criminal matter are obviously incredibly stupid
What happens when everybody drives to the same nice bit to wander around in?
I appreciate that ambling around a suburb isn't exactly gripping exercise, but everybody from Ilkley to Bingley driving up to the Cow and Calf, to take a local example, makes social isolation pointless
Basically what happened here stateside. Locally we had the first bout of nice weather since forever over the weekend, so all the parks and trails were jam packed with people doing their "essential exercise."
Tim Martin, Phillip Green and Mike Ashley are engaged in a furious struggle to see who can be the biggest piece of shit employer. It's neck a neck so far but they're all doing absolutely heroic work.
Ireland's turn to go into full lockdown, though it's less dramatic than the UK. All non essential businesses are to close. No unnecessary travel at home or abroad. No outdoor gatherings of four or more unless it's families. There'll be an increase in Gardai numbers to ensure social distancing is being adhered to. Here's the video from RTE News, Ireland's public broadcast news service.
Honestly pretty much everything non essential had already closed and people had already cut travel way down, so a lot of this is just formalizing stuff for those were flouting the rules or easing off on it all after a week.
Are there different restrictions in place for Northern Ireland and the Republic now?
Yes I think so, and after barely having any for the first week Northern Ireland's restrictions are now stricter than the Republic I think. Here's the full list of restrictions from the Managing Director of RTE News.
Heard a news story about farmers desperately looking for people to help with harvesting next month, as the seasonal workers won't be able to enter the country because of the lockdown.
So they're getting their reality pill a year early, I guess.
The 60 year old clerk on our team who hands us our post, files, etc rang in earlier, with a full checklist of Corona symptoms. 2 hours later, the mid-20s guy next to her rang in, not well.
People on our floor are freaking out, management still haven't decided if we are essential workers. We have 2 people who have presumably been infectious for 2 weeks, in a large windowless room with circulated air.
I told my manager I'm off for the next 2 weeks, because no- one here can make a fucking decision, and I'm not waiting to be sent home at some intangible point in the future.
Update.
After I went hom, I got a text from work.
The office is being sent home for 3 weeks.
A skeleton staff remains, about 6 in all, and will rotate on a weekly basis, to deal with emergencies.
I don’t know if this is just our office, as we’ve had people ring in sick with symptoms, is our entire organisation, or the whole Home Office.
Boris might address it tomorrow in his daily briefing, I’ll wait and see.
I stocked the freezer on the way home, so I am stocked up on pizza and snacks.
It’s scary to compare what we’re doing in the uk with Trumps announcement today that he wants people back in work for Easter.
The more I think about it the weaker this "lockdown seems".
There's quite a broad spectrum of shops that can still open and I've already seen several companies insisting they're essential such as WH Smith's.
A large proportion of my town will still be open tomorrow.
I can sort of see the government's plan, gradually increase the severity of the lockdown so that each step can be assessed.
Some Wh Smiths are also home to post office branches, so they are kinda essential.
I've been having a similar discussion with friends and family - for anything longer than 2 weeks, there's a lot more places that might turn out to be "essential" than you think.
As an example, hospitals and doctors - including your local GP - are going to need printer ink, pens, paper, computer keyboards, mice etc. Almost all hospitals will have supply contracts set up, but a lot of local medical centres will be on the "pop down to the local WH Smith/Argos" supply strategy. Heck, things like chairs, beds, and trashcans break and need replacing too, so you can probably add general department stores too.
Basically for anything longer than a month, anything that falls into "do doctors, grocery stores, and delivery companies use these things on a daily basis" will turn out to be "essential".
It's far more then even that. On a long-enough timeline, most of the economy becomes "essential".
eg - What happens if someone's stove breaks or their water heater or what not? Well, they need to be able to buy a new one. And if that happens enough, people need to be building new ones so you don't use up all the stock. And so on.
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Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
Yeah, TIL (an hour or two ago) that the UK has no emergency broadcast system. The government has repeatedly ignored its own findings that said they needed one. Obviously.
I have actually kept the one EBS test message that I managed to pick up whilst in Europe last year (oh how long ago that feels right now).
Perhaps it's kind of a sad statement to make, but I'm holding on to it like a souvenir of briefly experiencing life under an actually competent government. :rotate:
My trip to Manchester (also by train) early last month for a Delain gig feels so, so long ago now. It feels like it was one of the last vestiges of a vaguely sane world.
The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus and is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, Clarence House has said.
Reports that he keeps phoning the Queen to arrange a quick meet up and a long hug are unconfirmed.
I mean yes he's rich and famous but he's also constitutionally important (if not actually necessary to handle the current crisis) and probably has regular contact with government people. So testing him isn't solely a matter of privilege as a result of money (though obviously the hereditary nature of his position is a matter of egregious privilege).
Having a succession crisis right now because Charles and/or the Queen got ill would be a problem in a way that, say, Danny Dyer or Harry Kane or some other rich and famous person getting ill wouldn't.
I mean yes he's rich and famous but he's also constitutionally important (if not actually necessary to handle the current crisis) and probably has regular contact with government people. So testing him isn't solely a matter of privilege as a result of money (though obviously the hereditary nature of his position is a matter of egregious privilege).
Having a succession crisis right now because Charles and/or the Queen got ill would be a problem in a way that, say, Danny Dyer or Harry Kane or some other rich and famous person getting ill wouldn't.
While you're absolutely right, because that's the way the rules are (not) written down. If the UK actually got to the point of "Oh no! No more royal family" It could solve this in about 1 hour by:
1) appointing some random other person as King
2) becoming a republic.
3) just pretending that the Queen never died, and just use "the office of the Crown" or some stand-in.
This potential crisis is super easy solved.
Now I realize that actually solving things is not really Boris'ses "thing"....
Actually since Danny Dyer is a descendant of royalty from way back when maybe he should be squirrelled away somewhere in case enough of the royal line cark it and we can have our first cockney King.
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
I'm also descended from royalty way back when, can I have a go at being King? I will give all the stolen jewels back and donate Buckingham palace to Shelter, and bring back the Saxon style hall with a big fuckoff fire in the middle to use instead.
Is anyone really worried about a succession crisis? I mean there are quite a lot of royals, it's kind of built for this.
I would imagine a couple of tests struck them as a reasonable price to pay for not having to worry about it once they were able to pack them off into self-isolation.
Sorry hang on you're telling me that the virus that doesn't recognize the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and that led to the cancellation of all Orange marches has now infected Prince Charles?
If this keeps up we're going to start calling this the coronupthera virus.
I mean yes he's rich and famous but he's also constitutionally important (if not actually necessary to handle the current crisis) and probably has regular contact with government people. So testing him isn't solely a matter of privilege as a result of money (though obviously the hereditary nature of his position is a matter of egregious privilege).
Having a succession crisis right now because Charles and/or the Queen got ill would be a problem in a way that, say, Danny Dyer or Harry Kane or some other rich and famous person getting ill wouldn't.
I mean yes he's rich and famous but he's also constitutionally important (if not actually necessary to handle the current crisis) and probably has regular contact with government people. So testing him isn't solely a matter of privilege as a result of money (though obviously the hereditary nature of his position is a matter of egregious privilege).
Having a succession crisis right now because Charles and/or the Queen got ill would be a problem in a way that, say, Danny Dyer or Harry Kane or some other rich and famous person getting ill wouldn't.
I mean yes he's rich and famous but he's also constitutionally important (if not actually necessary to handle the current crisis) and probably has regular contact with government people. So testing him isn't solely a matter of privilege as a result of money (though obviously the hereditary nature of his position is a matter of egregious privilege).
Having a succession crisis right now because Charles and/or the Queen got ill would be a problem in a way that, say, Danny Dyer or Harry Kane or some other rich and famous person getting ill wouldn't.
I mean yes he's rich and famous but he's also constitutionally important (if not actually necessary to handle the current crisis) and probably has regular contact with government people. So testing him isn't solely a matter of privilege as a result of money (though obviously the hereditary nature of his position is a matter of egregious privilege).
Having a succession crisis right now because Charles and/or the Queen got ill would be a problem in a way that, say, Danny Dyer or Harry Kane or some other rich and famous person getting ill wouldn't.
It was his crystal ball... and it was more like he missed his mother so he called her ghost, but either way, the guy was Prime Minister for 22 years. The advice had to be good.
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the details of making it a proper criminal matter are obviously incredibly stupid
Basically what happened here stateside. Locally we had the first bout of nice weather since forever over the weekend, so all the parks and trails were jam packed with people doing their "essential exercise."
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Honestly pretty much everything non essential had already closed and people had already cut travel way down, so a lot of this is just formalizing stuff for those were flouting the rules or easing off on it all after a week.
Yes I think so, and after barely having any for the first week Northern Ireland's restrictions are now stricter than the Republic I think. Here's the full list of restrictions from the Managing Director of RTE News.
Calling for 250k volunteers to help with NHS support (food & supplies delivery, etc.)
Approx 35k extra staff between final year students and retirees returning.
Absolutely throwing bodies at this to try and get on top of it.
Something about new extra wards as well? I missed that point.
They're repurposing the ExCeL centre in London into a temporary hospital with 4000 beds.
It's being called NHS Nightingale, I expect we'll hear a lot about it in the future.
Steam | XBL
Never heard of it.
So they're getting their reality pill a year early, I guess.
In our defense, January was at least a decade ago.
Update.
After I went hom, I got a text from work.
The office is being sent home for 3 weeks.
A skeleton staff remains, about 6 in all, and will rotate on a weekly basis, to deal with emergencies.
I don’t know if this is just our office, as we’ve had people ring in sick with symptoms, is our entire organisation, or the whole Home Office.
Boris might address it tomorrow in his daily briefing, I’ll wait and see.
I stocked the freezer on the way home, so I am stocked up on pizza and snacks.
It’s scary to compare what we’re doing in the uk with Trumps announcement today that he wants people back in work for Easter.
Crazy times.
It's far more then even that. On a long-enough timeline, most of the economy becomes "essential".
eg - What happens if someone's stove breaks or their water heater or what not? Well, they need to be able to buy a new one. And if that happens enough, people need to be building new ones so you don't use up all the stock. And so on.
Perhaps it's kind of a sad statement to make, but I'm holding on to it like a souvenir of briefly experiencing life under an actually competent government. :rotate:
Whereas the Tories right now seem more like:
Transpennine look to be waiving the admin fee for cancelling advance tickets, which is probably the best experience I've had with their trains
Steam | XBL
John Crace (in the Grauniad) had a nice take on this
Who knew that after ten years of cuts the NHS would struggle to cope with a pandemic
Reports that he keeps phoning the Queen to arrange a quick meet up and a long hug are unconfirmed.
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Steam | XBL
How many tests are being used up on mildly ill rich and famous people
As many as the ruling class need?
Having a succession crisis right now because Charles and/or the Queen got ill would be a problem in a way that, say, Danny Dyer or Harry Kane or some other rich and famous person getting ill wouldn't.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
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While you're absolutely right, because that's the way the rules are (not) written down. If the UK actually got to the point of "Oh no! No more royal family" It could solve this in about 1 hour by:
1) appointing some random other person as King
2) becoming a republic.
3) just pretending that the Queen never died, and just use "the office of the Crown" or some stand-in.
This potential crisis is super easy solved.
Now I realize that actually solving things is not really Boris'ses "thing"....
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
I, for one, would be wholly in favour of us Weekend at Bernie's-ing our way through such a period of national grief.
I would imagine a couple of tests struck them as a reasonable price to pay for not having to worry about it once they were able to pack them off into self-isolation.
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If this keeps up we're going to start calling this the coronupthera virus.
Or King Ralphing it
Someone get John Goodman on the phone.
Steam | XBL
Just appoint a governor and give then an Ouija board. Or whatever Mackenzie King used to consult his dog's ghost.
Those dog's gave good advice too.