Covid - 19

[Old Cruser]

I'm just in the middle of another click and collect, putting a few Christmas goodies in this order as I suspect it will get difficult to get a slot in December ( I'm not banking on this lockdown being lifted)

[Sorastro]

So the major football clubs are in dire straits {financially} already eh?
These footballers have been spoiled rotten
When this pandemic is over lets start paying out realistic sums in wages, if they moan sack 'em... let them go abroad to play or better still sign on and get dole money for a couple of months till they find a "proper" job. Then just imagine going to watch Manchester United play and only paying £2:50p to get in, and the players car park full of Skodas and Ford Focuses 

It is alleged....
Many of these footballers {with the help of accountants and lawyers} set up schemes that enable them to "dodge" paying taxes due. This as everyone knows means that they, and many other wealthy people, can circumvent the tax system and therefore deprive the exchequer of it's due's, as it turns out it's cheaper to pay accountants and lawyers than pay their proper taxes.
Even so called do gooders that appear to be "helping out" are usually found to be in amongst this breed so much so that high paid footballers can earn much more and not even kick a ball and their accountants make sure they pay minimal tax.
One such footballer hailed a hero after getting the government to back track on meals for kids during school holidays is apparently one of these lucky punters, maybe if he, the rest, and football in general paid the proper amount of tax we would have the coffers to do things like this without waiting for "superhero's" to emerge.   

[wollygobble]

It seem that the whole of Derbyshire is going into Tier 3 when the current lockdown ends. 
So obviously that didn't work. (Surprise, surprise!)

[Sorastro]

It seem that the whole of Derbyshire is going into Tier 3 when the current lockdown ends. 
So obviously that didn't work. (Surprise, surprise!)

I missed all the excitement on the news. Have just spoken to my daughter who's down South, they apparently are in Tier 2.

[Sorastro]

Judging by the reaction of most of the papers [today] and opinions of many experts there's a 99% chance of there being a spike straight after Christmas, and I fear that too.
People have to ask themselves one question about the Christmas easing, "Is it worth taking the risk?", the answer must be a definite NO!

Of course it will be a difficult Christmas and New Year, but to the senior citizens I would say "Better to sacrifice this Christmas than risk not being around for the next". To the young and middle aged I would say "Don't be selfish you have many more to look forward to".

Obviously I'm speaking from a sedentary position, being one who has retired and is "getting on" so the sacrifices being asked of the people who have large families especially those who have work and the craving to "have a good time" over the festive season must be enormous and I don't envy you one bit, but my watchword is caution. Over the next few days especially...
If your not sure about something, then don't do it!.....otherwise we will be on the lock down treadmill well into the next year.

[Alsatian]

Well Boris has finally had to eat humble pie! He's made more or less the right decision over Christmas - just at least a week too late. I very much doubt that everybody will comply due to this late notification.

I applaud the decision to create a 'tier 4', I just hope he has the b@lls to use it in the future when (not if) it becomes necessary.

On a similar note, my disabled sister (who lives in a care home) had an appointment at the hospital come through for a routine ear related outpatient appointment in Jan next year.
No way on this earth am I taking her out of a care home to go for a non-urgent appointment. That is putting too many people at risk. Apparently, the last time a resident went there as an outpatient, they came back with Covid and thirteen residents subsequently caught it and unfortunately died.

The care home have just opened up for visits, subject to a negative fast test result. Not wishing to seem harsh and unfeeling but, with so many false positive /negative results, no way am I prepared to either take the disease into the care home, or to bring it out of there.

[Umpire]

\I have been to the Royal for an ultrasound this morning and it was pretty busy in that department,

[Old Cruser]

Well Boris has finally had to eat humble pie! He's made more or less the right decision over Christmas - just at least a week too late. I very much doubt that everybody will comply due to this late notification.

I applaud the decision to create a 'tier 4', I just hope he has the b@lls to use it in the future when (not if) it becomes necessary.

On a similar note, my disabled sister (who lives in a care home) had an appointment at the hospital come through for a routine ear related outpatient appointment in Jan next year.
No way on this earth am I taking her out of a care home to go for a non-urgent appointment. That is putting too many people at risk. Apparently, the last time a resident went there as an outpatient, they came back with Covid and thirteen residents subsequently caught it and unfortunately died.

The care home have just opened up for visits, subject to a negative fast test result. Not wishing to seem harsh and unfeeling but, with so many false positive /negative results, no way am I prepared to either take the disease into the care home, or to bring it out of there.

Boris is left again looking stupid, he tries to be Mr nice guy and it doesn'r work! Most of us knew what needed doing for the festive season -
Shops - there's no social distancing on the occasions I have been in. They can have queue's outside all they want but once inside it's a free for all! We can't expect the shop staff to police that!
Schools - have to keep sending certain years home in Tupton Hall and others have had problems.
Hospitals I wouldn't go for a routing appointment either Alsatian, better to stay away!

[Sorastro]

Judging by the reaction of most of the papers [today] and opinions of many experts there's a 99% chance of there being a spike straight after Christmas, and I fear that too.
People have to ask themselves one question about the Christmas easing, "Is it worth taking the risk?", the answer must be a definite NO!

Of course it will be a difficult Christmas and New Year, but to the senior citizens I would say "Better to sacrifice this Christmas than risk not being around for the next". To the young and middle aged I would say "Don't be selfish you have many more to look forward to".

Obviously I'm speaking from a sedentary position, being one who has retired and is "getting on" so the sacrifices being asked of the people who have large families especially those who have work and the craving to "have a good time" over the festive season must be enormous and I don't envy you one bit, but my watchword is caution. Over the next few days especially...
If your not sure about something, then don't do it!.....otherwise we will be on the lock down treadmill well into the next year.

Having watched the briefing yesterday afternoon I can't help but wonder if Boris was looking over my shoulder whilst I typed the above post that morning!
As for "applauding his decision to create a tier 4" it doesn't really matter.. it could be tier 7, because as long as people "mingle" at either work or shopping or just passing in the street we will never be fully rid of it and subsequent lockdowns.
Easing the restrictions over Christmas was a no brainer from the get go... Corona virus needs to be defeated not toyed with.
The vaccine roll out in the first week there were just over 135,000 got their jab, sounds a lot but it's a drop in the ocean compared to the "waiting list"
I know it's a mammoth task, but the way Boris and his health minister have been describing the success of the mass roll out  after only one week the section me and the wife are in, at this rate, I can't see us getting our shots till about April May time, maybe even longer.

[wollygobble]

This is the second time Boris has done this.  Remember the rejected 'circuit break' in October, which resulted in lockdown in November?

"We must follow the science! Except when we don't like what it says.  Then we ignore it, because, after all, we are the Prime Minister. 
Until it's far too late, and then, bugger it, we must follow the science!"

[Sorastro]

Apparently there were rumours abound in government that Boris was going to throw in the towel in the new year after Brexit was "fixed".

Unfortunately {for all of us} he has to stay on mainly because...

A/ He doesn't want to appear a failure and walk away like his old school chum Cameron.

B/ Because of Covid nobody wants the damn job anyway, so he's stuck with the poison chalice for a little while longer, much to the dismay of people like me who want him gone but are still stuck with him.

Whatever the outcome of 2021 is I still think he won't be in no.10 by the end of the year, fingers crossed!

[Sorastro]

The Government making it compulsory for the wearing of face masks for shoppers, shoppers not adhering to the rule could be find up to £100.
As usual no one is policing this, and who's job is it anyway?

The police can't {or won't} police it, the shops staff aren't enforcing it, we were in Morrisons at Staveley yesterday and saw no fewer than 3 people without masks {all o.a.p.'s} and not being challenged by the staff. They had a member of staff on the entrance counting you in, I would have thought that people not wearing masks would be challenged and either refused access or supplied with a mask. They had an ordinary member of staff on the entrance and a security guard on the exit, I would have thought swapping them round would have been better, at least security does have a modicum of authority about them. Obviously Morrisons like the other big supermarkets are frightened to death to upset {and possibly lose customers } so let it slide but it shouldn't happen. The excuse of "Well I have asthma and can't wear one" doesn't hold water with me, the wife and I have had asthma for 40 years but that doesn't stop us abiding by the rules. I hate wearing a mask and so does the wife, but we do.

What would this supermarket do if through their "negligence" their staff and customers got infected and had to close down for the foreseeable future, it would cost them more than refusing entry to a few dozen people not wearing masks. Anyone walking into shops not wearing a mask has no intention of wearing one, obviously a law unto themselves, so they should have their groceries delivered or start being turned away from ALL the shops till they get the message. 

If we don't start enforcing these safety measures we will never be free of lockdown.

News today Morrisons to enforce facemask wearing......exept for the medically exempt of course!..WASTE OF BL**DY TIME!!!
While ever there's exemptions we will never get on top of this.
I and my wife are fast reaching the twilight of our years and we don't want to spend the remaining time that's left to us impersonating a prisoner in solitary on death row.

[Alsatian]

How very true!

[Tarzan]

Never fails to amaze me how journalists are quite happy to slate everyone else, but none of their own profession when it comes to breaking or pushing the boundries of covid rules. Whilst watching  a tv news report  on Boris's bike ride, i couldn't help but notice how press photographers & tv camera crews were clambering all over one another to get a good picture of Boris, no social distancing at all & only a few were wearing masks. Same thing happened a couple of weeks ago when  something was happening at the Old Bailey & it's an all too common occurance in Downing Street. 

[Sorastro]

Alsatian......
 Now THAT'S the poster that needs to be used in the fight against covid, I hope someone starts printing T shirts with that on, I would buy two definitely.