I have read the official Tier 3 guidelines very carefully. The fact that these guidelines consist of both rules and advice is itself confusing. For example, we are advised not to travel outside South Yorkshire from Saturday onwards but if I do and the bobbies happen to stop me am I breaking the law? Apparently not but a cop who has not read the guidelines might think otherwise.
At this point I was going to insert some made-up silly Tier 3 rules - just for fun but when I saw what I had written, I thought to myself - that's not funny. In fact, it has been difficult to find any humour in this entire COVID-19 saga. It's a continuing nightmare like a never-ending season of "Love Island" or "At Home With the Kardashians" that we are all required to watch.
Tonight we have arranged to meet up with Frances and Stewart for dinner at "The Robin Hood" in Millhouses but we won't be allowed to sit at the same table as we live in different houses. The landlady has agreed to give us two adjacent tables - two metres apart and of course we may only remove our face masks when seated. We will see how it goes. At least I won't be cooking tonight.
Partly for future reference, here are some of today's COVID statistics:-
Great Britain: 789,229 known cases overall. 44,158 deaths. Yesterday there were 26,688 new cases and 191 deaths.
Australia: 27,466 known cases overall. 905 deaths. Yesterday there were 22 new cases but no extra deaths.
Florida USA: 762,534 cases overall. 16,210 deaths.
This second wave is bound to be far worse than the first, simply because people are tired of being told what to do. They want their freedom. Although this is understandable, especially amongst the 18-30's, it will eventually be the cause of more spreading. Catch 22 all over again.
ReplyDeleteI fear that your forecast is deadly accurate Cro.
DeleteSorry to disappoint your prejudice, Cro.
DeleteAs far as I can see, the 18-30's are far more observant of the "rules" than, say, myself. I know this because the Angel is twenty nine and his friends fall within the twenties to early forties group. During the first "wave" the Angel, voluntarily, locked down - big time. He is lucky in as much as his company, well before the government made a move, set him up at home. As not to get my own son's disapproving looks and a shake of the head I had to sneak out of the house. "Oh, Mama", he sighed, "if everyone did as you do ... " Yes, I replied, but no one does. Walking the streets Armageddon was mine. Now, of course, it's mayhem out there. Courtesy of a MASK. Inverse law of proportion or some such.
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My observations would certainly support Cro's statement. The youngsters are completely ignoring it much, I have to say, to my annoyance. It is not so much a problem on the Isle of Lewis where, so far, compliance is good and we have no cases but amongst the relations of my friends in Glasgow the single youngsters are openly contemptuous. It scares me.
DeleteIt’s a fact the 16- 21 year olds are NOT SOCIAL distancing
DeleteMany younger people follow the rules with serious civic responsibility but a significant minority have shown themselves to be irresponsible. It is wrong to generalise.
DeleteAh, YP, sigh of relief. The Libran's measured approach. Curbing my appetite to answer John directly I'll just say that generalizations (by definition "sweeping") make me reach for one of my aforementioned pieces of polished driftwood to stifle my screams. Luckily they are all large, and forgiving.
DeleteOne flaw in John's argument re the age group he mentions (16-21) that the guidelines and their message appear to suggest that the younger the less likely you are to be afflicted - which, yes, I realize, doesn't account for youngsters being potential CARRIERS even if asymptomatic. What of children? Few of those sweetie pies I see on their way to and from school wear masks. If one of them were mine, I don't know what I'd do. Build a parallel universe? We are in uncharted waters.
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The young are not potential carriers
DeleteThey ARE carriers
One piece of advice, John, you should be less certain, more questioning.
DeleteU
I don’t need your advice
DeleteHave summat adventurous for Dinner, Sir Yorky.
ReplyDeletePrawn Cocktail, T-Bone Steak (Medium Rare) with Garden Peas and French Fries.
Followed by Black Forest Gateau, Coffee, and After Eight Mints.
You can step outside with Stewart and smoke a Panatella, blowing the smoke up tae the stars. Like they care.
As the Likely Lads song went, *All we have to look forward to is the Past.*
Nah, ye've aa they great walks ahead of ye, man.
This comment has cheered me up no end Uncle John.
DeleteUncle John, or Uncle Buck by any other name !
DeleteDaunting to think that John Candy a true Canadian original, was born in 1950, the year before me, and died in 1994.
But don't let that put ye off your sizzling sirloin steak, Laddie. Just stay clear of mayonnaise or horseradish, crawling with ecoli unless fridge fresh.
Yesterday I bought a paperback titled *I Am Dead And You Are Alive - A Journey Inside the Mind of Philip K Dick* by Emmanuel Carriere.
Maybe it's time I read Dick's masterpiece, *The Man in the High Castle*.
Strange slippage of the mind.
DeleteThe book is titled *I Am Alive And You Are Dead*: Philip was haunted by his sister who died young.
Not a strange slip up at all John - here in the mythical land of Covidia.
DeleteI feel very lucky to be in Oz, believe me! But I still feel the weight of the situation worldwide. When will it all end?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Australia is just holding back the waves but at least that's getting you closer to a vaccine Margaret. I hope you continue to take great care.
DeleteThe sad thing is when the circuit breakers/lockdowns are over the Covid will still be there. Do you think they will ever find a vaccine or even cure YP? I have my doubts. No it's looking like herd immunity like the Spanish flu. Let's get back to normality watching live football and Rock concerts.
ReplyDeleteNorthsider, we (21st century) are too precious. Once upon a time, not that long ago, and till Dr Jenner came along, we had cow pox. Not that long ago children died in infancy, their mothers in childbirth. After the initial wailing no one raised an eyebrow. It's just life. Or death - obviously.
DeleteU
Yes, think of what it was like for mothers, hearing their children coughing uncontrollably in the night, before antibiotics.
DeleteMy GP gave me antibiotics three times last winter, owing to chest infections. My sister in London has a GP who refuses to give her antibiotics, even when she returns unwell from working trips in the Third World. She's not yet of an age for her pneumococcal injection. Which I had to ask for.
Claire Raynor's dying plea was, *Don't meddle with my beloved NHS.* Some hopes! My GP before retirement said to me, *The Tories don't believe in the NHS.*
Aye John. Every time I see that NHS badge on Tony Hancock's lapel, it makes my blood boil. He's not fit to wear the badge.
DeleteInstead of tiers, in Germany we have a colour code - starting from orange to red to the newly introduced "dark red". Apparently, the greater Stuttgart region (which comprises Ludwigsburg) is dark red.
ReplyDeleteCurrent numbers for my town (Ludwigsburg) are: Out of 93,604 inhabitants, there are 84 known Covid-19 cases today, 3 more than yesterday. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 639 known infections.
The virus won't know or care whether it is inside a private home or a restaurant. I find it unreasonable that the rules forbid you and Shirley to visit Frances and Stewart at their home, but allow you to visit the same restaurant and sit at nearby tables. You could just as well keep your distance at their home, couldn't you.
Sorry to hear your vicinity being coded dark red. A most unbecoming colour.
DeleteI agree with your sentiment re the logistics of meeting up as you describe. It's ridiculous. I won't ask why people, arbitrarily, obey those RULES. In reality no one is policing anything. For all the restaurant knows having arrived in a pack (under cover of the early dark evening) YP and family could all live under the same roof.
Had similar conversation earlier, with the Angel, explaining to him that if ever there was a nation to obey rules it's the motherland. Das Betreten des Rasens ... you know the drill. On the other hand, it's the nation of poets and thinkers, philosophers and composers. Questioning everything.
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I like to play by the rules even when they seem illogical. Meeting Frances and Stewart in one of our homes for dinner would be far less risky than meeting in a pub as we did last night. Also I wouldn't have had to fork out £89!
DeleteThis whole saga reminds me of The Hero of Haarlem; we are all desperately jamming our fingers into the COVID quarantine dyke trying to delay the eventual flood from overwhelming us.
ReplyDeleteAs the R rate rises in England - up to 1.5, it is as if the dyke is lready bursting JayCee.
DeleteI don't envy your situation. We too have conflicting and inconsistent rules. I can be up close and personal with a hair barber, but I can't see my mother who lives outside our 25 km limit, nor buy a screw or a new pair of shoes other than online. Taking away hotel quarantined returning travellers, Australia's figure for new infections that day is under 10, 6 I think. 4 in Victoria, 2 in NSW. We are close to killing off the virus, but the mental health and economic damage has been immense.
ReplyDeleteAustralia has done a bloody good job of keeping the beast outside the door.
DeleteThe latest figures for the U.S. are 8,338,413 cases and 222,220 deaths.
ReplyDeleteI personally know nine people who came down with COVID-19 and one of them has died.
It is a terrible toll Bob. Just make sure that you and Ellie continue to dodge COVID!
DeleteFlorida's not looking so good, is it? Meanwhile, the bars the students frequent are open for mass partying.
ReplyDelete"The Mask of the Red Death" keeps coming to mind.
I keep thinking that IF Biden is elected, perhaps our government will create a mask mandate for all of the counties in all of the states and we'll finally get this thing under control because as of now, it's definitely not.
Some Americans seem to imagine that to wear a mask is to surrender your liberty. Even when President Biden introduces a mask mandate many of your redneck "freedom" brigade will eschew it.
DeleteThis whole thing is such a nightmare. I'm sorry to hear about your increased restrictions. I have a problem with not seeing family. We rarely see our sons and grandchildren these days. I do fear we are going into a much more difficult time. Our state now has between 1500 and 2000 new cases every day and our hospitals are full. I won't even look at the death counts.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell will Christmas be like this year Bonnie? Last Christmas we had no idea what was just round the corner.
DeleteDid they choose 3 tiers because they think we're thick to cope with more? The more intelligent Scots and Irish have or are going to have a more adaptable 5. Why isn't Leeds in tier 3 - similar numbers to Sheffield? Full of inconsistencies.
ReplyDeleteAre you talking about wedding cakes?
DeleteI have had a sore throat now for 3 days, amongst other ails. As much as I don't think I have COVID, it would still be irresponsible of me to go to work. I will call the COVID clinic in the a.m. and see if I need to be tested for the virus. It may reveal something totally unrelated.
ReplyDeleteBest to be cautious Carol. I hope it turns out to be nothing much.
DeleteI can't make heads or tails of these tiers and the various distinctions between them. And even though you're now in Tier Three, schools are still in session, correct? It's all mystifying.
ReplyDeleteIt IS scary how high the UK death rates are. For Florida to have roughly the same number of cases but far fewer deaths is sobering. (Considering how many older, vulnerable people live in Florida.)
But look at the populations Steve! Florida > 21.48 milion. Britain > 68.5 million. In that sense Florida's deaths are more alarming.
DeleteBut deaths as a percentage of people infected (not overall population) are seemingly much higher here. Although I suspect there are also discrepancies in testing.
Deleteas usual covid is hard to predict.
ReplyDeleteI just looked in my crystal ball and I predict that it will kill many more people.
DeleteI hope you enjoyed your strangely distanced dinner!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kylie. It was great.
DeleteIf you look at the whole of the U.S. our cases are over 8 million. Our death toll is over 222,000. The statistics are sobering. We all mist do our part. Including dining at separate tables. Hope that went well for you.
ReplyDeleteWe felt very safe and had lovely meals two metres apart - but we could talk.
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ReplyDeleteMy husband's colleague did the same thing so that he could see his parents recently. We've been in local lockdown since the beginning of August, stricter than Tier 2, and now in Tier 3. It all feels very Hotel California... you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave, as cases continue to rise despite restrictions.
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