COVID - general discussion - Temp Locked
Comments
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The overall effects of Covid have been very 'mixed'. We all know the devestation it has caused and the 'bad' things.... including the aweful number of folk who have sadly lost their lives. However, there have been positives too.
The first lockdown certainly gave us the opportunity to sort out our back garden and to build a new garden shed. Those of us who deal in the arts have acquired new skills. As we have been unable to meet together in person to sing in choirs, we have learned how to use software to enable us to construct audio and video productions of these who have been brave enough to sing into their own phones at home.
We have learnt how to use Zoom, and have relied even more on social media. Traditionally, and because of distance of miles, we have only very occasionally met together as a family. Now, I speak to my sister on Zoom virtually every week.... pre-Covid, that was a couple of times a year!!
We have still managed to get out in the caravan (around the lockdowns).... but overall, less travel and less pollution perhaps??
Although Covid cases are escalating, I have a feeling that the yearly flu virus will be a lot less this year, as folk are taking extra precautions.
It has truly been an awful year, but perhaps there have been some positives.
However, overall, the sooner we can get on top of the Covid epidemic, the better.. Hopefully a brighter 2021.
David
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Yes +1
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Covid up date from our neigbours who were going the Edinborough in motor caravan , Now staying at home with huge turkey (butcher has halved it for them so half in freezer for easter) Brother coming up from Southamton and taking dad back from Gloucestershire ,ok so far as both in tier 2 until latest announcement, Hampshire into tier 4 and Gloustershire into tier 3 on Boxing day
so Dad could be in Hampshire for a while
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Agincourt, Trafalgar, Waterloo. Perhaps Mr M wants to go for "best of seven"
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There are a lot of voluntary agencies helping out the HGV drivers thankfully, food, drinks etc.....
They should have deployed “rapid response” units to area a couple of days ago. When Army personnel were used to carry out testing in our town, it only took 13 hours to get test results back.
Moderator comment: political commentary removed
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Surprisingly, and quite incomprehensively to me (not difficult I hear you say
), Wiltshire, apart from Swindon, has been left in Tier 2 whilst all around us with the exception of the New Forest is in, or will be from Boxing Day, Tier 3. If we are then moved into Tier 3 at the next review what on earth is the point? I feel sorry for the pubs and restaurants in Bristol which only last week decided to restock and take new bookings and are now back in the same state as before. Why not just take the inevitable hard decision now and we all know where we are? 
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"British scientists highly regarded the World over. British Government? A laughing stock. Couldn’t organise a pee up in a brewery."
In fairness, TtDA, according to news reports tonight, the Government is poised to make a major announcement reflecting their indefatigable sense of purpose and steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds.
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It’s always interesting how many armchair experts there are around and criticise everything that is being done , but what would they do ? If there are easy answers then why don’t they run for local MP and then everything would be sorted
Me , I’m happy to stay at home and accept what is asked of me
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We're all just kicking ideas around, Husky, don't think anyone is claiming to be an armchair expert!
Governments come and governments go, it's what democracy is all about - having an opposing opinion and not accepting what is asked of one are not one and the same thing.
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I so agree,there are so many who are looking in from the outside without ,understanding what is/has been going on at the "coal face" OH and i have been involved in several organisations at committee level,in past years and have had the same "armchair"critics/experts ,who when faced with actually getting their "hands dirty"suddenly cannot "find the time" or any other "problems" that does not allow any input?
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It is true that it's easy to criticise, especially with the benefit of hindsight. We all know mistakes have been made but that doesn't mean we believe we could have done better given the same circumstances.
I think it's important to realise that this is a caravanning forum and anything we say here will have no influence on the situation whatsoever. Every one of us is in need of letting off steam by chatting with others in the same situation. Some of us do this by suggesting ideas, some by providing information, some by criticising politicians and some by criticising each other.
We all share the same aims and just chatting helps us through this terrible time.
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Yes, looking backwards rather than forwards is easy. I’d prefer to see folks withhold judgement until we reach the end of the road. There are many complex economic, social and health aspects to this crisis and the eventual outcome in terms of achieving a balance across the national interest is what matters most, not today’s fervour or political tribalism.
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Are people not just observerving what they have seen. Given that there is hardly a person in this land who has not had their lives turned upside down by COVID is it not unreasonable that our politicians attempt to deal with the situation in a competent manner? It just seems to me that from what I have observed is that they have been chaotic and and over promised at every stage of the proceeding. When it becomes clear to the man in the street what needs to be done why do politicians seem unable to deal with things is a calm and measured way. Probably something to do with the personalities involved but I would suggest that Jeremy Hunt would have tackled the situation in a more measured way had he still been Health Secretary and would probably have the clout to rein in the PM. I also wonder if the announcement in the House of Commons about the mutated strain of the virus rather than it being mentioned by a scientist didn't cause the chaos we have seen at Dover over the last few days? There needs to be a calmer, more measured response to this crisis. The public will understand if they feel the people in charge are competent and dealing with everything in an honest way.
David
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The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.
Winston Churchill
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I prefer “the past is done, it’s unchangeable.....move on”
Interesting you should feature Winston Churchill tho’, without a war he would be a very unremarkable PM, a bit like Thatcher and the trade unions.
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Indeed he wasn’t
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Does it need to be?
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Yes they may just be observing, but this country hasn’t seen anything like this in modern times ,and is a very fluid situation , the government is trying to balance the risk of death with the collapse of the economy. The practical thing to do is lock the whole country down for as long as it takes ,but that is not really possible. I don’t have the answers, but maybe the government on all sides should work together to work out the best for everyone
perhaps I should stop thinking out loud
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It’s good to think out aloud sometimes Husky. And I fully agree that Parliament as a whole should have been involved, much earlier than now.
I certainly don’t envy those making the decisions, but I do question the, at times, lack of foresight, lack of being wholly committed to a course of action. No one can control how this terrible virus is mutating, but hedging and fudging around what to do, when to do it, and who, how and where is not helping, merely bouncing the case loads around and around. Control resources are simply not in place, or are applied after, rather than before an announcement is made. Playing catch up is so much more difficult.
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The key word there is ‘fluid’. In such situations I’m happier with those who take a dynamic approach to a problem, as opposed to the entrenched and dogmatic who, once locked into a solution, consider it a weakness not to stick with it come hell or high water or choose simply to follow others. The former might not appear elegant in approach, but for me, pragmatism and courage to change course if necessary always works better overall.
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With the benefit of hindsight, although, IMHO the decision was wrong then, we have been playing catch-up ever since the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Money makes the decisions.
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