This morning I’ve been working on my Roy Harper book and playing a bit of Louis Jordan. I’m finding this book really interesting. It is making play and really listen to every single track Roy has ever recorded in a way that I’ve never done before, Very enjoyable.
This afternoon I went for a walk up my hill. I wish I’d taken my camera. It was so incredibly picturesque. There were heavy dark clouds and yellow sunlight flooding the fields. Everywhere was so clear, bright and idyllic. It would have made a fabulous shot. I just had to drink it in.
Back to reality – In Coronaland – I see the Tories are up to their tricks. They are doing their best to bury the Cygnus report. Hopefully freedom of information will ensure that it sees the light of day so that everybody can see how inept they have been.
Squawkbox have also uncovered a report of them instructing Track and Trace not to contact anyone connected with schools or pass info on. They really do not want people to know how badly schools are involved in spreading the disease. They are devious.
The cabinet met on Thursday to discuss steps to be taken (once again – without consultation). There is the possibility of a second lockdown (according to senior scientists) and certainly implications for the North of England (presently the area most badly affected.
So where is Johnson? Why isn’t he up there telling us, explaining??? The invisible man!!
Why do we have to wait until Monday???? These are peoples’ livelihoods and lives he is playing with. We should be hearing from him every day. He should be crystal clear. He should be explaining what is going on and the current thinking!!
Thursday – Friday – Saturday – Sunday – mr Invisible is missing!
Are we going to get more cheerleading on Monday? Is he going to tell us we have another oven-ready solution for a world-beating strategy??
I hope not. I want some realism – not lies.
In the UK we had another 15,165 new cases, hospitals are nearing capacity and deaths have jumped to 81.
We are at a tipping point!!
Yesterday in the USA they still haven’t gained control – another 51,165 new cases with 591 deaths.
Yesterday in Brazil – 26,749 new cases and 559 deaths.
Yesterday in Vietnam – 2 new cases and no deaths.
When will people wake up to the fact that these populist clowns don’t know what they are doing – or how to do it!!
Opher, the Cygnus report situation is an interesting one. Attempts to get it released have been going on for months, and they have just stonewalled them. Of course, that’s what politicians do; if the evidence is damning, keep it suppressed.
And it should be obvious to anyone who looks at case graphs Europe-wide that in several countries there has been a big acceleration in new cases starting at the beginning of September. In some countries it was a bit later, and in France it was earlier. I’ll need to update my spreadsheets (I’ve today fixed a bug which was making recent deaths per case figures look over-optimistic, particularly in the UK) and check against school term dates. But whatever they do, they won’t be able to hide the size of the contribution of schools to the spread.
My (cynical) suspicion is that they may have hung off doing anything till next week because their modellers think that new cases will start on a downward trend soon. (Presumably, due to a lot more of the population actually having been infected than the official figures show). That way, they can try to claim credit for stopping the rise.
As to expecting anything but lies from politicians, I think you’re too trusting, Opher. I won’t even bother to listen to them.
Lol Neil. I notice the deaths are taking a big jump. That’s ominous given the time lag. Hospital entrance is getting higher.
What do you think they should do?
Deaths are going up, but now no faster than the cases looking back 21 days. (One of the side-effects of fixing my bug is that I’m now looking back 21 days for the best picture, not 28). That wasn’t so during September; in several European countries, that rate went up. I think that may be a “grandma effect” of grandparents being infected by their grandchildren since the schools went back.
As to what they should do, I’d suggest: (1) lock down in, and only in, those places where health system capacity is threatened – just what they said they were going to do in the first place! (2) hand over control in each place to the local people, some of whom at least know what they’re doing.
Now here’s a good question: Did the Cygnus report suggest any delegation of powers to local health people in the event of a pandemic?
I think you are probably right on both counts. It is the younger people, mainly from schools (though some from pubs) infecting the elderly. I agree with your remedy.
I’d love to know what that report actually said.
Yay, Opher. On this one, we’re in complete agreement!
That’s rare!! Make a note!!
Hey Opher,
I’ve read suggestion that around 38% of recent, new covid-cases are fueled by schools, colleges, and universities, but yet, they remain open, business as usual, across the U.K. If details given in the Skwawkbox article are correct, then the Tories are knowingly, deliberately, unmercifully ignoring one of the main drivers (if not the main driver) of Covid transmissions and endangering thousands of lives in the process.
DN
It was entirely predictable. Children are superspreaders and useless at social distancing (and hygiene). Schools cannot possible maintain safe procedures no matter how hard they try.
But kids desperately need educating!
The worst thing is their dishonesty and deceitfulness.