Generic Virus Thread

[Awol]

1 hour ago, Genie said:

Boris forgot to add an asterisk to his reopening plan that if a new variant comes along that the vaccine is ineffective against we go back to the start, do not collect £200.

We can have an open society and locked down borders, or a locked down society and open borders, but I don’t think we can have both - or at least not for a good while yet. 

[Follyfoot]

Had my first one today was quite scared but very well set up and processed, arm is a tad sore but that all so far

[Delphinho123]

2 hours ago, Awol said:

We can have an open society and locked down borders, or a locked down society and open borders, but I don’t think we can have both - or at least not for a good while yet. 

This is actually where I'm at and something I was discussing earlier with a colleague. There is absolutely no way the latter can happen so we just may need to close our borders for a couple of years or drastically limit who comes into the country.
As a country that doesn't massively rely on tourism, I'd hope it wouldn't affect our economy too much (compared to Spain and Italy) but it's definitely the lesser of two evils if these variants start eating into the Vaccine efficacy. 

[bickster]

12 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

As a country that doesn't massively rely on tourism

Tell that to the airline companies

[Genie]

I think even the controversial vaccine passports won’t be robust enough. All people going in or out will need a test at the port both ways. 

[Delphinho123]

47 minutes ago, bickster said:

Tell that to the airline companies

Yeh, I fear the worst is yet to come for them. 

I just don’t see how you can properly contain the virus if you aren’t controlling who is coming in and going out.

I don’t know, I hope we’re on our way out of this now but I worry things might not be back to normal for a few years yet. 

[HanoiVillan]

Guys, it's going to be fine.

[sidcow]

3 hours ago, Follyfoot said:

Had my first one today was quite scared but very well set up and processed, arm is a tad sore but that all so far

A bit late to start masturbating but it sounds like you were well organised.  Nothing to be scared of though fella. 

[sidcow]

1 hour ago, Delphinho123 said:

This is actually where I'm at and something I was discussing earlier with a colleague. There is absolutely no way the latter can happen so we just may need to close our borders for a couple of years or drastically limit who comes into the country.
As a country that doesn't massively rely on tourism, I'd hope it wouldn't affect our economy too much (compared to Spain and Italy) but it's definitely the lesser of two evils if these variants start eating into the Vaccine efficacy. 

I think you'll find we earn a lot more from tourism than you think. 

[bickster]

13 minutes ago, sidcow said:

I think you'll find we earn a lot more from tourism than you think. 

I read earlier, when the post was made that it was something like 11% of GDP and 3.8 million jobs. What is unclear though is how much would be replaced by internal tourism and in fact how much of that was internal tourism

[sidcow]

2 minutes ago, bickster said:

I read earlier, when the post was made that it was something like 11% of GDP and 3.8 million jobs. What is unclear though is how much would be replaced by internal tourism and in fact how much of that was internal tourism

I'm not suprised. Stratford-upon-avon would probably collapse, London earns masses of income from Tourists, Edinburgh and The Highlands, Warwick Castle these places are choca with overseas tourists. 

It would be a hell of a lot worse than losing the fishing industry that's for sure. 

 

[bickster]

1 minute ago, sidcow said:

I'm not suprised. Stratford-upon-avon would probably collapse, London earns masses of income from Tourists, Edinburgh and The Highlands, Warwick Castle these places are choca with overseas tourists. 

It would be a hell of a lot worse than losing the fishing industry that's for sure. 

 

Yes and some of those places would not replace overseas tourists with British ones

South Coast resorts towns may well have a boost but the big Yank magnets would be dscimated.

Liverpool FC might as well move to the soon to be vacated Goodison Park if the Scandis and the Irish can't come (though I suspect Liverpool itself would just replace those tourists with yet more Hen and Stag parties)

[chrisp65]

I was under the impression the only reason not to kick out the royal spongers was their contribution to the economy via tourism?

So if tourism is no big deal...

Edited March 1, 2021 by chrisp65
Kick out is probably nicer than string up, I’m trying to be a nicer person

[mikeyp102]

https://onewayroadtobeer.com

[Awol]

51 minutes ago, sidcow said:

It would be a hell of a lot worse than losing the fishing industry that's for sure. 

Financially yes, but we’re not allowed to eat tourists. 

I think the wider concern is UK (Heathrow) not losing its status as a global travel hub, but that’s still reflecting pre-pandemic thinking. 

We locked down late because they didn’t want to contemplate the economic damage, which was worse in the end for not acting sooner.

Hard to see how international travel will be much different, in the short term at least. Hopefully this Brazil variant getting in will give Johnson the kick up the arse he clearly needs. Global vaccination is miles off and the virus will continue evolving elsewhere until that’s achieved. 
 

[StefanAVFC]

There's no way you can lock borders long term; it just isn't feasible, the world is too international. People live in other countries. Are expats supposed to just abandon a physical relationship with their family?

[sidcow]

12 minutes ago, Awol said:

Financially yes, but we’re not allowed to eat tourists. 

I think the wider concern is UK (Heathrow) not losing its status as a global travel hub, but that’s still reflecting pre-pandemic thinking. 

We locked down late because they didn’t want to contemplate the economic damage, which was worse in the end for not acting sooner.

Hard to see how international travel will be much different, in the short term at least. Hopefully this Brazil variant getting in will give Johnson the kick up the arse he clearly needs. Global vaccination is miles off and the virus will continue evolving elsewhere until that’s achieved. 
 

We're in the very early days of vaccinations at the moment, don't forget we're miles ahead of the rest of the World.  

Other nations will catch up.  Pretty much every report I see says there is growing evidence they do reduce transmission, and that they do still have good enough if if not as good as protection against all the new variants found so far.  I'm sure the world will look very different in a few months time. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by sidcow

[DCJonah]

On 27/02/2021 at 09:54, sidcow said:

I guess teachers tend to stand, fairly distant at the front of the class for most of the time, and if it's to be believed kids are not great carriers of the disease. 

Whereas shop workers are mostly in fairly close proximity to literally hundreds of different adults from all type of backgrounds. 

I am 100% sure teachers needs to get back to their jobs because my kids education has suffered tremendously and so many kids will be having mental health issues.  

They don't appear to be any more at risk than many other occupations who have to go into a working environment.  If you are looking at professions meat and fish processors seem to have a lot of mass outbreaks because of the cool indoor environments. As soon as you agree to go down professions route you would have to hit the ones with the most cases first, the whole thing would get very messy. 

I will never be able to square the circle of a fit 25 year old whoever getting it ahead of a 49 year old so I agree with what they are doing. 

Why have we just shut all schools for 6 weeks? 

[Davkaus]

12 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

There's no way you can lock borders long term; it just isn't feasible, the world is too international. People live in other countries. Are expats supposed to just abandon a physical relationship with their family?

If it enables the rest of us to open up with more confidence, absolutely.

[Awol]

13 minutes ago, sidcow said:

We're in the very early days of vaccinations at the moment, don't forget we're miles ahead of the rest of the World.  

Other nations will catch up.  Pretty much every report I see says there is growing evidence they do reduce transmission, and that they do still have good enough if if not as good as protection against all the new variants found so far.  I'm sure the world will look very different in a few months time. 

Parts of the world will be very different in a few months for sure, but much of it won’t. There’s serious questions about even the EU being vaccinated by Christmas, but in Africa, Central and South America, large tracts of Asia there’s no way they get sorted out in that timeframe. 

Proper quarantine is what’s needed, as the cases of the Brazil variant show. People can still come and go but in a way that maintains a bio-secure bubble over the UK. 

Yes that shags foreign holidays for a while, but after the last 12 months is it really such a sacrifice to keep new variants out for a while? Domestic holidaying should make up much of the loses tourist businesses in UK face as a result of travel restrictions. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Awol