The government has announced emergency action to try to stem a feared autumn resurgence of coronavirus, tightening laws to ban virtually all gatherings of more than six people in England.

Amid concerns that the current rules are both widely misunderstood and too difficult for police to implement, Boris Johnson will hold a hastily arranged Downing Street press conference on Wednesday to outline the new restrictions.

The dramatic change of approach by No 10 follows a sudden rise in the number of people being infected with the virus, with almost 8,500 positive tests being recorded in England in the last three days.

God'sGift wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:27 pm the pointlessness of all these mini locdowns - all they are doing is aiding the virus. Slows down slightly then it comes back , has no value - should just let it take its course naturally as the end result will be the same

Phnom Poon wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:32 pm

God'sGift wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:27 pm the pointlessness of all these mini locdowns - all they are doing is aiding the virus. Slows down slightly then it comes back , has no value - should just let it take its course naturally as the end result will be the same

i don't get why denialists still don't get it
I'm not a fan of lockdowns, but the logic is quit clear, the end result will not be the same

just like delaying an oncoming army by funneling them through a narrow passage
you are not overwhelmed, and you buy time to improve your methods

there was a study recently showing conclusively that vitamin D all but eliminated the need for ICU (and by extension, death) from covid
i think it will become an inconvenient, but manageable disease, long before there is a vaccine

Doc67 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:07 pm Got a source? I'm interested in that. Might be why Cambodia escaped the worst of it.

Of 50 patients treated with calcifediol, one required admission to the ICU (2%), while of 26 untreated patients, 13 required admission (50%) p value X2 Fischer test p < 0.001.

Doc67 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 8:58 am Well, the virus is evidently not a hoax, it exists and if you get is bad it makes you pretty sick.

But it is not the new Black Death and the government panicked when it believed wholesale that prize prick Professor Neil Ferguson (who later broke the lockdown panic he created because he wanted a shag). The true number was about 50K and could of been a lot less if they hadn't sent infected people back to care homes (criminally negligent of the NHS in my view) and better treatment protocols where known. All that has now changed (hopefully).

That rabble at the weekend were a proper bunch of cranks, the David Icke gang, the antivaxxers of all stripes, conspiracy theorists, gold as money gang and.... the anti-lockdown group. The government is more than happy that the anti-lockdowners are bundled in with the rest.

I don't think the people will tolerate another full scale lockdown. I think people realise that the economy is in serious peril and know that another 6 or 8 weeks off inactivity will send it into a tailspin. I think people, especially the under 50's - who will be the people actually paying for this debacle for the rest of their lives will not double down of the first mistake.

Boris Johnson believes a mass testing programme is “our only hope for avoiding a second national lockdown before a vaccine”, according to leaked official documents setting out plans for “Operation Moonshot”.

The prime minister is said to be pinning his hopes on a project that would deliver up to 10m tests a day – even though the current testing regime is struggling to deliver a fraction of that number and is beset by problems.

The documents say the “Mass Population Testing Plan” could cost £100bn – the equivalent to the UK’s entire education budget.

In a gloomy assessment of the deteriorating position, England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said the recent rise in positive cases was a matter of huge concern.

He also admitted the period “between now and spring is going to be difficult” and said the public should expect the new measures to be in place for a number of months – raising fears they may not be lifted before the new year.