[The Duke]

My hair is as long as it’s ever been! Never warn a baseball cap on 30 years, untill now!

[Bob Williams]

With SWMBO’s help, I shaved my bonce some weeks ago. Now it has mostly grown back, apart from the Solar Panel in the middle, which refuses to produce more than a few strands. In the hot days over lockdown exercise, I had to wear a hat to avoid having a luminous head, but I have a collection of hats from all over the place, including two baseball caps. The beard, I began growing during chemo after chin cuts and a staff nurse advising me to do it and to dry shave. Now it’s a permanent silver fixture and I like it!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[JayCeeDee]

Bob Williams wrote:

Now it’s a permanent silver fixture and I like it!

The wife would always tell people that I was the ‘tall chap with a ginger beard and glasses’ and I used to say that when there was more salt than pepper in my beard I’d shave it off. Now it’s all white with a smattering of lone brown whiskers it’s still there, where it’s stayed for the last nigh on 50 years. :good:

[Bob Williams]

Never suspected you were ginger JayCeeDee!

Had a mate from boyhood (sadly passed a few years ago) who was 6’2″ and bright ginger hair. We mates in our gang of 9, used to call him ‘Belisha’, after the Zebra crossing lamp.

Still, GLM – Ginger Lives Matter?

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Ed P]

Bad news from the US.

a) The WHO have at last recognised the Chinese findings that Covid-19 can be spread by aerosols, and that indoors they can travel 30 feet or more. We can expect to see mandatory face coverings in all public places being introduced in the near future.

b) The US military have found that the virus remains viable for up to four days on the skin of pets. I guess that means animals will need to ‘social distance’ from other humans, and that taking them into indoor public spaces is not a good idea

[JayCeeDee]

Bob Williams wrote:

Never suspected you were ginger JayCeeDee!

Not in the Chris Evans league, more auburn/light brown.

Before marriage:-

After marriage

:yahoo: :wacko: I’m not always done up to the nines, but they’re the most times I have photos taken. One was at a fashion show, the other was for a Christmas Dinner on holiday!! Wife has been cropped out because she hates photos of herself. :yes: :unsure:

 

[Bob Williams]

As you see, there is now a silver chin beard attached to the ‘tache. This was 2019 on a Riviera Danube cruise, Anniversary night. Missus looks happy enough there, also hates photos but I think the wine helped somewhat! You will gather that I don’t do Dress Up…

This me holding my sadly deceased nephew Pete, later my companion at Forest games, all over the country and Europe. I was 18 then, obviously before I joined the Army (the hair!) I had dark brown hair, with a crazy dark red streak through the centre: legacy of my red haired mam and black haired dad. Had 5 nephews, lost 3 to cancers and heart attacks. Have 5 nieces.

All photos of my previous family, plus many more family photos, were burned by my ex in ’75, before having me ejected.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Boris]

This report from Independent SAGE, the scientific committee, proposes that the UK aims for Zero Covid-19 and suggests how to do it.

http://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/A-Better-Way-To-Go-FINAL-proof-copy-1.pdf

Never trust an atom - they make up everything !

[Ed P]

It would be nice to think that the Government tries to preserve the health of the nation, but the economic health of the country and the looming prospect of a major Brexit shock provide huge constraints that probably make the Alternate Sage impractical.

Frankly the only way I can see out of the mess this Government has caused is to pursue a version of the Bolsanaro/Cummings strategy – warn every vulnerable person that they will need to take their own measures to avoid the virus and to expect no Government/NHS help, then fully reopen the economy with no restrictions.

If every vulnerable person socially distanced at 2 metres, wore an N95 mask, and hand washed etc, they would stand a moderate chance of surviving the 12 months or so until a vaccine is around. They would probably stand a better chance than following the default Government strategy.

[Ed P]

Based on the recent ONS survey it is going to take some time for the restaurant trade to recover to its old position. Lack of confidence by the Public is the main reason. It puts some credence behind the Chancellor’s cut-price August meal deal.

“As some restaurants and cinemas opened in England, 21% of adults across GB said they would be comfortable or very comfortable eating indoors at a restaurant, while 60% said they would be uncomfortable or very uncomfortable. For eating outdoors at a restaurant, the split was 37% likely to feel comfortable with this and 39% saying they would be uncomfortable or very uncomfortable.”

[Bob Williams]

I am tired of reading comments by certain people, quoting nonsense such as the experience of countries like New Zealand, that a similar immediate lockdown here would have stopped Covid in its tracks. That is true for an island nation with low density population, with no near densely populated neighbour, and very nearly self-supporting. Statements like that use 20/20 Hindsight when formulating their comments.

One thing is certain: the continuing mass idiocy and selfish behaviour of nations such as the USA, Brazil, India etc., will ensure that this disease will plague the world for some time to come. Then there is THIS: –

https://tinyurl.com/ybp2mj6b

Is there a conspiracy amongst the bug population, to wipe out the human race?

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Ed P]

Actually Bob, Kiwis do not live on nice spaced out farms (apart from those in or near the cannabis growing zones of the *Coromandel peninsular – the people in that area are often completely spaced-out!)

The bulk of the population live in small cities like Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch and small towns such as New Plymouth. Crowds at sporting events are always large.

We could have acted in the same way as NZ but did not, We actually abandoned our test-trace and track efforts when they might have slowed down the growth of the virus. IMO the blame lies with Government and our failure to learn from China – Germany did and had far fewer deaths, so too did Japan. We could have adopted all measures that might have mitigated the spread of the virus but didn’t.

• There is a true story why ‘weed’ is so prevalent in the Coromandel area. In the 1980s a police helicopter swooped down onto a cannabis growing farm in the middle of the dense bush and scooped up all the plants in a big net slung under the helicopter as the plants were required for evidence. Unfortunately the police failed to bag the net properly and also failed to secure it. As a result a huge aerial cannabis crop seeding of the peninsular and many areas of the 100 miles en-route to Auckland took place!.

[The Duke]

Amazing, today we (in Wales) finally get our pub opening guidelines. And it explicitly states to NO wear or USE and extra PPE than your work would normally have. Like work boots, safely specs etc..

Today Westminster steps up it’s it’smask game with Bojo sporting one, and Scotland mandating then inside shops.

In Wales out gov says don’t uses them as it will take away from the medical sector. And now the hospitality guidelines points out not to wear any as it is not the answer.

I’ll give that msg a week before it changes.

 

One thing I did notice today was the lack of masks in North Wales. Went the pub this afternoon and didn’t see a single person around town, (and it was busy), in a mask. Not one. In Paris it was about 1 in 3, had a mask, usually slung under the chin. Cos they all smoke. In the Loire valley it was probably 1 in 6 had a mask slung under the chin.

It’s seems no one is taking it seriously anymore.

[JayCeeDee]

Frankly the only way I can see out of the mess this Government has caused is to pursue a version of the Bolsanaro/Cummings strategy – warn every vulnerable person that they will need to take their own measures to avoid the virus and to expect no Government/NHS help, then fully reopen the economy with no restrictions.

That sounds more of a Trumpian approach ( without the warning ) than Boris. Deny there’s a real problem, if there is one, blame it on China, pretend they’ve got it all under control and just put out the message ” I’m in charge – you’ll all be fine!!”

As far as the UK is concerned, the next wave, I think, will be youth-centred. The word was that old folk were vulnerable, but youngsters only had a bit of a rough time, or didn’t even know they’d had it. The statistics backed that up.
That sublime ignorance/indifference has led to the scenes we’ve all seen, of mostly under 30’s trotting round, or playing football in the parks during the early stages of lockdown.

The number of deaths within the NHS and Care has likely been due to over-exposure to the virus, or exposure to multiple strands of the virus as it evolved. The youth of today – late teens to early 30’s could well find themselves in the same scenario. They are not invincible and they are so mobile, who knows who else they will infect and take with them.
I’m not painting all youth with the same brush, just those that attend raves, house parties, street parties etc, etc. They are the next typhoid Marys. That is where the next wave will originate, but not where the majority of casualties will come from.

Sensible precautions, as advised, need to be adhered to, so that the majority of our population stands a chance of getting through this.

[Ed P]

Covid Age is the way our Local Authorities assess the death risk from Covid. Alama link

It provides a rough and ready way of assessing how much personal risk you face from covid-19 in the event you catch the disease.

It is an interesting way of expressing the factors. Thus for example a 30 year old fat black male with type 1 diabetes has a covid age of 30+10+13=53 and you can then look at the case fatality rate for covid and see that the case fatality rate for that individual is nearly ten times higher than a 30 years old fit white male. However the overwhelming CFR factor is age  – a 30 year old is 60 times more likely to survive than me.

I think the young are starting to absorb this sort of information so it may not be too long before they are all out partying Scottsdale Arizona-style. Their relative risks are low and their financial upsides from culling the non-productive older generation are high. Perhaps the Alama report should be stamped ‘Top Secret’ :scratch:

[Ed P]

Areas currently deemed at risk of a second wave are detailed here. Good places to avoid if you can!

link

 

[Boris]

Ed P wrote:

U

Missing link ?

Never trust an atom - they make up everything !

[Boris]

Ed P wrote:

Areas currently deemed at risk of a second wave are detailed here. Good places to avoid if you can! link

Missing link ?

Never trust an atom - they make up everything !

[JayCeeDee]

Boris wrote:

Areas currently deemed at risk of a second wave

@boris – THIS details some of the info, don’t know if it was Ed’s link or not, worryingly, for those Forumites in the Midlands and North, that seems to predominately be where it is rising. With the exception of Luton, Southend on Sea and possibly Peterborough, the rest of the list is all above the Watford Gap!!! 🙁

[Ed P]

Sorry about the missing link. It was actually THIS ONE. It was very similar to the New Statesman link with a couple of differences. (the main one I noticed was the addition of Folkestone, Ashford and Bedford, Luton was missing. It smells like there is a master list that is a tad larger – worrying!

I think I may invest in an HeIQ mask before the second wave.

[Author]

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