The Covid-19 serious chat thread

by **RDW** Mon 23 Mar 2020, 8:50 am

First topic message reminder :

A thread set up to house the more serious chat relating to the global pandemic.

Nothing has changed in what we expect from discussions on here though:

- Please treat each other with respect
- Avoid hyperbole and fake news
- This thread shouldn't be used for a political soapbox, but political discussion will likely happen. See point 1!

A reminder that we have a community thread here for people to vent, look for help and all round support each other. https://www.606v2.com/t69506-the-covid-19-community-thread#3896653

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 4:10 pm

Have to laugh at the BBC broadcaster currently on BBC 1 saying that, during this statement and questioning, journalists will respect a physical two metre difference with Cummings owing to the lockdown.

They haven't been respecting such a distance when crowded outside his home day and night.

by guildfordbat Mon 25 May 2020, 4:26 pm

Mrs Bat reckons Cummings putting back the start of his briefing so it'll have to end by 5pm for the Govt briefing and thus less time for questions.

Can't get away with much when Mrs Bat's around. Wink

by Samo Mon 25 May 2020, 4:37 pm

The violin was funny to begin with now its just getting annoying.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Mon 25 May 2020, 4:41 pm

So he said returned home when his wife was ill then went back to work - is that not breaking the lockdown rules in itself too?

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 4:45 pm

This tedious monologue might go on all night.

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 4:47 pm

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:So he said returned home when his wife was ill then went back to work - is that not breaking the lockdown rules in itself too?

I think he's now revealed that he has broke more lockdown rules than we all originally thought.

by Samo Mon 25 May 2020, 4:48 pm

Of course he isnt resigning. Of course he isnt.

One rule for them. One rule for us.

by GSC Mon 25 May 2020, 4:52 pm

Bore us all to sleep so we forget.

What was the point of this apart from confirming everything reported with some barely plausible reasoning nobody is stupid enough to believe

by GSC Mon 25 May 2020, 4:54 pm

Who advised Cummings this was a good idea.

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 4:57 pm

This has been a car crash and likely made the situation worse.

I can't believe Cummings agreed to answer questions. He's clearly not a brilliant, polished communicator (and I don't think anyone expected him to be) and he struggled to read off his script capably, so asking him to answer questions off a script was never going to end well.

They've tried to play the sympathy card whilst seemingly forgetting that millions of citizens have had similar hardships to Cummings and, unlike Cummings, adhered to the lockdown rules.

by Samo Mon 25 May 2020, 5:00 pm

Even a “sorry-not-sorry” would have been better than this.

by Samo Mon 25 May 2020, 5:06 pm

“You blame the media for this mess you’ve put the government in” take that Laugh

by GSC Mon 25 May 2020, 5:07 pm

Basically I'm special so I can do what I like.

by guildfordbat Mon 25 May 2020, 5:08 pm

Samo wrote:“You blame the media for this mess you’ve put the government in” take that

Do you know who that guy was? He was good.

by WELL-PAST-IT Mon 25 May 2020, 5:10 pm

I have heard nothing so far that makes me think that he broke the rules knowingly and is now trying to bend them to suit his own version.

I couldn't find any child care in 9 million people in London who could look after my child IF both myself and my wife became ill at the same time. Therefore it was okay for me to travel 256 miles to my families home, then go for a drive, a walk in the woods and probably other things when WE are all being told "stay indoors".

What about all the other thousands of families that have kids where one of the parents came down with Corona Virus, doesn't the same apply to them, who would have looked after the child/children if they had both got sick at the same time? Could they have driven half the length of the country to isolate with their families. I think not.

Obviously his wife cannot drive or he would not have needed to go out for a half hour drive to see if he was fit. If he thought that he even might be unfit to drive, he should never have got behind the wheel. Potential car crash, literally.

by Soul Requiem Mon 25 May 2020, 5:15 pm

Even this staunch Tory is confused as to why he hasn't just resigned or preferably been removed from his position, the aesthetics more than anything are not good.

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 5:17 pm

The one thing we've learnt from this is that if your eyesight is a bit dodgy, you should get in the car with your wife and child and take a 30 minute drive. Sound planning.

by guildfordbat Mon 25 May 2020, 5:19 pm

Duty281 wrote:The one thing we've learnt from this is that if your eyesight is a bit dodgy, you should get in the car with your wife and child and take a 30 minute drive. Sound planning.

by guildfordbat Mon 25 May 2020, 5:20 pm

This ain't going away, Mr Cummings.

You might wish to advise the PM of that.

by GSC Mon 25 May 2020, 5:23 pm

guildfordbat wrote:
Duty281 wrote:The one thing we've learnt from this is that if your eyesight is a bit dodgy, you should get in the car with your wife and child and take a 30 minute drive. Sound planning.

Barnard Castle is like a 90 minute round trip from Durham Laugh

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Mon 25 May 2020, 5:24 pm

by GSC Mon 25 May 2020, 5:25 pm

Plot twist: the child was actually Boris

by Samo Mon 25 May 2020, 5:27 pm

GSC wrote:
guildfordbat wrote:
Duty281 wrote:The one thing we've learnt from this is that if your eyesight is a bit dodgy, you should get in the car with your wife and child and take a 30 minute drive. Sound planning.

Barnard Castle is like a 90 minute round trip from Durham

No mention of the fact that that was also his wifes birthday...

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 5:29 pm

This would never have happened if Cameron was in charge. Sod Durham, he would have just left his kids in the nearest pub.

by guildfordbat Mon 25 May 2020, 5:29 pm

The kid needs to take a leak coming back from Barnard Castle but no toilet stop was made on the 260 mile journey to London. Odd that.

by WELL-PAST-IT Mon 25 May 2020, 5:33 pm

What is it that makes a person think they are so privileged that they can act completely different to everyone else in the same position. Why is he different to every other family that has children where one of the parents caught Covid-19, There is no difference in circumstance.

Oh yes, I forgot, I come from a wealthy landed family and work for Boris Johnson. Of course I am different!

by GSC Mon 25 May 2020, 5:38 pm

This one quote from Cummings today sums up his view that the public were mugs to follow the Stay Home advice so strictly.
"The guidance doesn't say you've just got to sit there."

If you had a dying parent/child/funeral/abusive partner you just 'sat there' and followed the rules

And yet we did sit there when my grandmother was in end of life care, and when her funeral was live streamed.

Frak him, Frak Boris and Frak this government.

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 5:40 pm

"You're allowed to exercise judgement."

Well that's the lockdown rules completely fked then. Worst TV interview since Prince Andrew tried to argue that he was in a Pizza Express.

by jimbopip Mon 25 May 2020, 5:40 pm

Callme*, I don't think such an altruistic public servant should selflessly feel the need to fall on his sword just so you can have the pleasure of buying me a pint.

* You did say Callme Guildford didn't you? Thanks to Hilary Mantel for that one.

by WELL-PAST-IT Mon 25 May 2020, 5:40 pm

So, every family that has had a Corona virus victim should have exercised their judgement and shot off to relatives or potentially second homes where they would be neared child care.

He did not even look to see what child care was available in London!

by GSC Mon 25 May 2020, 5:42 pm

It was never about Frak childcare. It's just a moral shield to deflect all criticism.

by 123456789. Mon 25 May 2020, 5:56 pm

All eyes on the Tory MPs now, and their eyes will be on their inboxes.

by tigertattie Mon 25 May 2020, 6:52 pm

Tory spin doctor uses own child to try get out of bother.

The depths this lot will go to seem endless

by TwisT Mon 25 May 2020, 7:05 pm

I share the anger too.....Not sure if this is happening to others too but friends and family now seem to have the feck it attitude now. It's especially hard on those who have lost loved ones or see their businesses go down the swanny.

It might be too early to see whether it will have a feck it attitude knock on effect - emotions mighy just be high at the moment. But I also know two wrongs don't make a right if people do take that opinion.....though I can understand why.

by 123456789. Mon 25 May 2020, 7:08 pm

Further news has come out:

1. His Wife can drive so there was no need for him to drive anyway
2. The trip to the local beauty spot happened to be on his wife's birthday
3. This is not the real scandal, the real scandal is Europe's highest death toll

by Samo Mon 25 May 2020, 7:12 pm

guildfordbat wrote:
Samo wrote:“You blame the media for this mess you’ve put the government in” take that

Do you know who that guy was? He was good.

I believe it was Jason Groves from the Daily Mail.

by Soul Requiem Mon 25 May 2020, 7:14 pm

TwisT wrote:I share the anger too.....Not sure if this is happening to others too but friends and family now seem to have the feck it attitude now. It's especially hard on those who have lost loved ones or see their businesses go down the swanny.

It might be too early to see whether it will have a feck it attitude knock on effect - emotions mighy just be high at the moment. But I also know two wrongs don't make a right if people do take that opinion.....though I can understand why.

In fairness that attitude predates this incident, around where I am which can't be a million miles away from you people gave up a few weeks ago. They now have an excuse however.

by Duty281 Mon 25 May 2020, 7:18 pm

If she can drive, it makes Cummings' odd story about driving for 30 minutes to test his eyesight even odder.

Johnson's just said it's vital to ensure we all follow the rules on social distancing. Doh

by TwisT Mon 25 May 2020, 7:20 pm

True but it's difficult for me now to have a go at the likes of them when my family are contemplating it too. Lots of let's have a bbq invites for next weekend.

by WELL-PAST-IT Mon 25 May 2020, 7:28 pm

I agree that the death toll is the biggest scandal, the other things are insignificant by comparison, but what is done is done, we need to minimise the future deaths as best we can.

The Cummings scandal though will run and run, just too many wholes in the story and the press will not let this one go, even the Tory press.

It is probably time now to start bringing the government to account for the failings in their initial response:

Lockdown too late.

Not closing airports or making quarantine mandatory from day one.

PPE, all aspects

Testing - what a mess.

Watching Boris now, he has seen the light, he is starting to distance himself from Cummings, "I did know about his trips from home, but I had a lot on my plate".

The only reason that we are getting the numbers down is because people HAVE OBEYED THE GUIDELINES, except Cummings of course. His own scientific advisers are saying that Cummings has blown a hole in the guidelines.

by WELL-PAST-IT Mon 25 May 2020, 7:34 pm

We are now starting the BBQ season, even had our eldest around on Sunday, obeyed the distancing rules, made the downstairs cloak room available to him without going through the house and had a great few hours in the garden and too much wine and food.

Didn't have to travel 256 mile to do it either, he came by bike.

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