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Enforcement of the new rules on social distancing, unnecessary journeys etc.

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bramling

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Spot on once again. A lot of anger building up among key transport workers about the behaviour of others. This isnt just train driverd and gaurds btw.

Yes absolutely people need to realise this.

At my work today, like all week, we’ve been pulling out all the stops to run the absolute best possible service with the (depleted) resources available. With a lot of effort put in, I can honestly say I have come home satisfied that I’ve done the absolute best in order to support the country as a whole, and in particular those key workers not least the NHS but not forgetting others too. I’m 100% sure this is the case across the board.

It’s little short of enraging to then come home to see others treating the whole thing as a holiday, or moaning about his awful it is that Easter breaks are being disrupted, or to see dog mess all over normally clean paths, or to find one has to queue for the supermarket just because some people are going there as a time-filling jaunt. There’s now a petty argument over police power, let’s all remember police are also putting themselves at a degree of risk, and I’m sure few really relish the idea of having to go round moving people on from parks or breaking up house parties. I can’t say I’ve had any problems with police, although to be fair I’ve not really come across many. In all cases I’ve just had a mutually respecting nod and wink, perhaps I just have the right look who knows?!

The anger and bitterness which is building up is not going to dissipate readily. A lot of people need to have a serious reflection on their behaviour and actions over the last three weeks - but sadly those who need to do this the most are likely to be those with the least self-awareness.
 
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Mogster

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There will be antibodies, the question is how long they last.

People do produce long lasting antibodies to SARS, 15+ years after infection people are still producing useful antibody capable of neutralizing cultured virus. I’ve not seen it referred to in the mass media but have read reports in journals.

SARS and CoV2 are very similar so it’s a reason to be hopeful at least.
 

farleigh

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Yes absolutely people need to realise this.

At my work today, like all week, we’ve been pulling out all the stops to run the absolute best possible service with the (depleted) resources available. With a lot of effort put in, I can honestly say I have come home satisfied that I’ve done the absolute best in order to support the country as a whole, and in particular those key workers not least the NHS but not forgetting others too. I’m 100% sure this is the case across the board.

It’s little short of enraging to then come home to see others treating the whole thing as a holiday, or moaning about his awful it is that Easter breaks are being disrupted, or to see dog mess all over normally clean paths, or to find one has to queue for the supermarket just because some people are going there as a time-filling jaunt. There’s now a petty argument over police power, let’s all remember police are also putting themselves at a degree of risk, and I’m sure few really relish the idea of having to go round moving people on from parks or breaking up house parties. I can’t say I’ve had any problems with police, although to be fair I’ve not really come across many. In all cases I’ve just had a mutually respecting nod and wink, perhaps I just have the right look who knows?!

The anger and bitterness which is building up is not going to dissipate readily. A lot of people need to have a serious reflection on their behaviour and actions over the last three weeks - but sadly those who need to do this the most are likely to be those with the least self-awareness.
Anger and bitterness indeed. Rather than criticising people you should try to understand how hard this is for some people. Have some empathy man.
 

bramling

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Anger and bitterness indeed. Rather than criticising people you should try to understand how hard this is for some people. Have some empathy man.

Yes I fully understand it is difficult - for those who are doing the right thing. It certainly doesn’t appear difficult for those whose main concern seems to be being denied the ability to sunbathe. I’m afraid I’m not going to refrain from criticising those whose choice of actions are quite literally throwing a heap of spanners in the works, when many are trying to pull together to ensure the necessary things function which will allow the country to get through this with hopefully the least worst outcome possible.

The government has implemented a fairly generous package to insulate many from the worst immediate effects of this, and the one thing being asked of people in return is to stay at home as far as possible for a few weeks. Seems like a pretty fair deal in the circumstances.

I think it’s quite natural for anger to bubble up when considerable effort (and exposure to risk in the process) is undermined by the injudicious actions of others. The government initially tried to treat the population with respect and assume a level of maturity would be forthcoming, this approach proved a disastrous failure hence we ended up with a legally enforced lockdown.

There’s little excuse or justification, we’ve all been exposed to plenty of media coverage showing how things have gone in other countries, and now we find ourselves on a similar path. Fortunately we had the opportunity of a slight head-start which at least means some preparations were able to be made which means the NHS stands a fighting chance of being able to cope.

Lots of people are working hard (perhaps working more hours than usual or having to cover the workload of missing people on top of their own) and under pressure (perhaps worrying about loved ones who may be at greater risk), and having to balance all this with the normal tasks of daily life (which are being made more difficult by the boredom brigade). Can some *really* not see how the behaviour of some is causing anger to build up? Maybe anger isn’t quite the right word - how about intense frustration and disappointment that when the country needed people to step up to the task, some have spectacularly failed.
 
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yorkie

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..The government initially tried to treat the population with respect and assume a level of maturity would be forthcoming, this approach proved a disastrous failure hence we ended up with a legally enforced lockdown.
That clearly isn't what happened. The measures were in stages, and quite rightly too. It was a sensible, phased approach.
...Can some *really* not see how the behaviour of some is causing anger to build up? Maybe anger isn’t quite the right word - how about intense frustration and disappointment that when the country needed people to step up to the task, some have spectacularly failed.
I can tell you're angry but I don't really see what you are describing (except occurring in a small percentage of the population which really isn't worth getting angry about); I am used to working in sometimes challenging situations with sometimes ungrateful people, It doesn't make me an angry person. It's very unhealthy to be so negative.
 

bramling

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That clearly isn't what happened. The measures were in stages, and quite rightly too. It was a sensible, phased approach.

I can tell you're angry but I don't really see what you are describing (except occurring in a small percentage of the population which really isn't worth getting angry about); I am used to working in sometimes challenging situations with sometimes ungrateful people, It doesn't make me an angry person. It's very unhealthy to be so negative.

In all honesty I tend to take the more cynical view. However the feeling described is pretty typical in the various workplaces I’ve been involved with over the last month or so, and especially this week as in some places many elements of the lockdown are quite clearly breaking apart.

Yes you’re right it’s probably a small proportion of the total population - although I’d suggest it’s a little bit more than the small fraction you are intimating. Perhaps things are worse in London than elsewhere (which may at least partly explain why London has it worse in terms of cases/deaths?). Having said that given the stories of tyres being let down in Wales and the like perhaps not.

I can say with some certainty that what happened certainly wasn’t planned as a neat phased operation. Indeed the lockdown seems to have been more the outcome of the cobra meeting on that Monday.
 

ashkeba

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Restrictions are about minimising spread, not about being fair. Plenty of people who paid a fortune to live in posh flats will have exactly the same problem as someone in a Council block.
Indeed. Being unfair to poor people who don't have a private garden with their flats is just a bonus for the Conservatives!
 

yorkie

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Yes I'm well aware that some places can be toxic especially in certain industries. I would never want to work on a place like that. Some people at certain workplaces just don't realise how privileged they are.
I can say with some certainty that what happened certainly wasn’t planned as a neat phased operation. Indeed the lockdown seems to have been more the outcome of the cobra meeting on that Monday.
Maybe but if so it will be due to changes in policy based on evidence and in any case I don't think it could have reasonably been done straight away without the staged approach we had.

The evidence suggests the NHS isn't going to be overwhelmed and that the R value has been reduced significantly, so while you may (in many cases understandably) not see the actions of certain individuals as fair, it's not going to have the effect you think it is in the grand scheme of things, so I'd try to feel less angry as that will have a detrimental effect on your health and your immune system.

Indeed. Being unfair to poor people who don't have a private garden with their flats is just a bonus for the Conservatives!
I don't think that's fair comment at all; they are after all allowing people to exercise without Draconian restrictions. Some other countries aren't. I don't have a private garden but I've been out walking for miles and the law allows me to do so in this country.

I'd hate to live somewhere like the Republic of Ireland.
 

ashkeba

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I’m normally fairly pro cycling, however the problem we have now is it seems to have become a bandwagon activity for bored people. A colleague was moaning today that on his journey home yesterday he was constantly having to negotiate groups of cyclists. Just what one wants having been up since 0300 in the morning.
If it's relevant that your colleague has been up that long then it is illegal for them to be driving while over tried. It is as bad as drunk driving but not prosecuted as much.

It has not become an activity for bored people but it has become an activity for all the thousands of gym and swimming pool and team sports users who can no longer do those things. Several I know run some days and cycle the others. Few are taking loopholes. Most are just being extra careful to stay healthy during this health crisis.

And as for the idea they're holding up key workers! Honest! You know what job famously cycles? Nurses! You even call wheel locks "nurse's lock" in this country!
 

ashkeba

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I don't think that's fair comment at all; they are after all allowing people to exercise without Draconian restrictions. Some other countries aren't. I don't have a private garden but I've been out walking for miles and the law allows me to do so in this country.

I'd hate to live somewhere like the Republic of Ireland.
To be clear, I mean that the editors and supporters of the Conservatives newspapers see the opportunity to criticise poor people as a bonus. This government has been surprisingly ecumenical, doing some liberal and some social policies as well.

I would hate to be in Paris now, confined to home 10-7 because of nonsensical arguments and government refusal to open up streets and parks.
 

Jonny

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I’ll be surprised if London doesn’t get a second wave, or perhaps doesn’t see the flattening which the rest of the country might be expected to be seeing. The last couple of days have seen a very conspicuous increase in people out and about. Groups of hoodies are now frequenting the empty trains, having no doubt twigged that police are nowhere to be seen and there’s now no revenue protection. The traffic on my journey home from work (by car today) was if anything worse than a normal weekday, at least until having left London when things thinned, and retail parks and supermarket car parks could be seen with car parks filled to capacity. Plenty of evidence of sunbathing, and there were some busy trains and platforms in places this morning, certainly with no social distancing in evidence to the required standards.

To be honest I don’t know why I’m bothering doing my bit going to work when this is clearly being treated by many as a national holiday. There was a pretty toxic atmosphere at my work, with some pretty major anger bubbling up at all this. I bet this is even more so in industries where deaths are being seen, such as the buses.

It probably isn’t helping that the government does have a bit of a vacuum at the moment, but I think there are now signs of potential trouble ahead. The way elements of the population are behaving is nothing short of a disgrace.

It will be interesting to see how well it works, certainly. Enforcement is proving to be an issue across Europe as well, and they have roughly twice the police officers per capita compared to Britain even at 2010 numbers. Also we have had relatively short days and cold weather, once it starts to get warmer and longer days there is going to be more and more trouble in certain quarters. My prediction (more of a guess, knowing human nature) is that riots in "inner suburban" areas with high density population, especially if the lockdown continues into summer. The other possibility is that someone takes the law into their own hands and disorder spirals from there.

Tomorrow we’ll see the weekly spectacle of the clapping to support the NHS staff. Why do people have the nerve to bother when one minute they’re clapping and next minute sticking the proverbial finger up?

The media is heavily edited. For starters, they may be different people.
 

Bantamzen

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Well it looks like the present movement restrictions will be maintained for at least another 2-3 weeks which is a relief. Maybe the next review will be about 2 weeks after the easter weekend when the effects on any non-compliance with the rules can be seen as an increase in the number of cases. If there is another upswing, then expect there to be at least 3 weeks more from then. Some people really don't help at all.
Gratefully, the police successes in recent days seem to be from neighbours and other complying people informing the police of selfish behaviour. As the majority of the population are doing the right thing, to see their riends and relatives go down sick and even die will cause a lot of anger so the selfish ones can't expect much sympathy except from the few others like them. That will enable the police to operate in the interests of the majority.

Its not a relief to the millions of people finding themselves at home & not knowing when they might get paid again. Its not a relief to those businesses trying to work out if they can even make it through a few more weeks. Its not a relief for people with depression, people with other ailments who are terrified of seeking help for fear of being accused of killing others, its not a relief for people suffering domestic violence.

Relief is not a word that should be used in this context, necessary maybe but not relief.

It’s little short of enraging to then come home to see others treating the whole thing as a holiday, or moaning about his awful it is that Easter breaks are being disrupted, or to see dog mess all over normally clean paths, or to find one has to queue for the supermarket just because some people are going there as a time-filling jaunt.

Do you know for sure that people are just filling time in supermarket queues? Most people I encounter in them just want to get what they need and get away.

There’s now a petty argument over police power, let’s all remember police are also putting themselves at a degree of risk, and I’m sure few really relish the idea of having to go round moving people on from parks or breaking up house parties. I can’t say I’ve had any problems with police, although to be fair I’ve not really come across many. In all cases I’ve just had a mutually respecting nod and wink, perhaps I just have the right look who knows?!

It is far from petty. The Police have their instructions, and they can advise the general public on how best to look after themselves and everyone else. But when you hear Police chiefs threatening to have people's shopping checked, then I'm sorry but this becomes serious.

The anger and bitterness which is building up is not going to dissipate readily. A lot of people need to have a serious reflection on their behaviour and actions over the last three weeks - but sadly those who need to do this the most are likely to be those with the least self-awareness.

There have been some who have shown a severe disrespect through their activities for sure. But equally there is a growing number of people using this crisis to magnify their own personal loathing of others. One example, I have a friend who is a nurse in the NHS who has just shared a Facebook post from another showing a letter that was left on their car. Basically the letter was from a neighbour who had spotted them going out everyday "not wearing a uniform". The letter went on to say that this meant this person was "part of the problem" & that they had been "reported". The friend of my friend is also a nurse, but for obvious reasons was changing in and out of uniform at the hospital.

This kind of thing is spreading as readily and easily as the virus, people are way too quick and eager to berate others without even necessarily having good reason, or an understanding of the circumstances. This is going to leave a deep psychological scar on our society that will likely have implications well into the future. This pandemic is not an excuse to be crap to, or angry at each other. If people are doing things they are not allowed to, talk to them. If they are doing things that might cause concern to others, talk to them, we need to stay human throughout this, otherwise what is the point?
 

Bletchleyite

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Indeed. Being unfair to poor people who don't have a private garden with their flats is just a bonus for the Conservatives!

If you mean those "private parks" you get in London (and I think Bath in places), as they are something you have access to rather than it being part of your property I would expect those to be legally exactly the same as a public park - that is you can go there for a run or walk (they're mostly too small for cycling) but not to sit around sunbathing. The whole thing is about keeping households apart from each other.
 

farleigh

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This kind of thing is spreading as readily and easily as the virus, people are way too quick and eager to berate others without even necessarily having good reason, or an understanding of the circumstances. This is going to leave a deep psychological scar on our society that will likely have implications well into the future. This pandemic is not an excuse to be crap to, or angry at each other. If people are doing things they are not allowed to, talk to them. If they are doing things that might cause concern to others, talk to them, we need to stay human throughout this, otherwise what is the point?
I think that is a very thoughtful and prescient paragraph, particularly the last sentence.
 

Bletchleyite

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There have been some who have shown a severe disrespect through their activities for sure. But equally there is a growing number of people using this crisis to magnify their own personal loathing of others. One example, I have a friend who is a nurse in the NHS who has just shared a Facebook post from another showing a letter that was left on their car. Basically the letter was from a neighbour who had spotted them going out everyday "not wearing a uniform". The letter went on to say that this meant this person was "part of the problem" & that they had been "reported". The friend of my friend is also a nurse, but for obvious reasons was changing in and out of uniform at the hospital.

There does seem a lot of vigilanteism going on, and vigilanteism is never acceptable - we have a policing and judicial system for a reason. While it does feel a bit Soviet in the circumstances, if you are concerned a crime is being committed the right thing to do is report it to the Police and nothing more. Or maybe have a quick open-minded word first, as you say.

As in not "what are you doing going out in the car so much", but something less accusatory.

As for anger, while we are animals and we all get angry from time to time, I'm getting a bit fed up with it being seen as a virtue (alongside virtue signalling) by some. Anger is a negative emotion and is really best avoided. Personally if I do get properly angry (not that often but it does happen, I am an animal after all) I spend lots of time afterwards reflecting on how it happened and why and how I might avoid it happening again.
 

SilentGrade

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https://twitter.com/grandad1975/status/1248247686563631104?s=21
Can we have some clarification on being allowed on your own Garden during the Governments lockdown and Social distancing. One of your officers was recorded in Rotherham Eastwood village telling a couple with children they are not allowed on their own garden... Reading government legislation our PM @BorisJohnson has said ”You can still use your garden freely, considering it is a part of your own property and not a public place where risk of infection is heightened"...
Seen this video doing the rounds last night. In it a SYP Officer tells a family they can’t be in their front garden. No where in any regulations is this the case, and in fact the government have explicitly said you can be on your own property.

SYP completely in the wrong here and have rightly apologised, saying they want their approach to be clear and yet I think the only thing that is clear is that some forces are at serious risk of undermining any goodwill that is necessary for the restrictions to work.
 
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yorksrob

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It’s little short of enraging to then come home to see others treating the whole thing as a holiday, or moaning about his awful it is that Easter breaks are being disrupted,

And for someone unlucky enough to be stuck at home without gainful employment, how exactly should they be treating the time ?

I feel fortunate to be able to work from home, but if I were furloughed I would be trying to make the best of it in whatever way I could within the guidelines. That might involve doing DIY, sunbathing in the garden (If lucky enough to have one) and certainly going out for my daily exercise. Trying to treat it as a big holiday would probably be the best way of dealing with it frankly. I certainly don't think self-flagellation will achieve anything for anyone.

As for moaning about the situation, I've been moaning about everything for the last forty years and I certainly don't intend to stop now.
 

Tetchytyke

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In all honesty I tend to take the more cynical view. However the feeling described is pretty typical in the various workplaces I’ve been involved with over the last month or so, and especially this week as in some places many elements of the lockdown are quite clearly breaking apart.

It's easy to be at work and see those who aren't as having a jolly, but my experience isn't the same. I'm still working but at home, as is my wife, and trying to do that with a toddler isn't easy; it's easy for me to see those who've been furloughed as having it easier, but that's not true either.

People are, by and large, just trying to get through this as best they can. Certainly here there are people out and about but everyone is keeping their distance.

I think the parks thing is massively overblown, even in London the photos simply don't support the media's attempts to try and blame poor people. And it is blaming poor people; those without private gardens will be in the park to let their kids run around for a bit.

Research this morning shows a quarter of 16-24yo people are struggling with the lockdown.

As for supermarkets, with the restrictions on numbers there will always be a queue to get in. That's just life. I don't see people going for a jolly- standing in a line in Tesco's car park certainly isn't my idea of fun- and so you're just going to have to accept that you'll have to wait. There are still a lot of people at work, so it will be busier at certain times.

Meanwhile, in "do what I say not do what I do", Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick has been commuting between his £2.9m townhouse in Westminster and his manor house in Herefordshire, and drove 40 miles to visit his parents "to drop off medicine".

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ring-covid-19-lockdown?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
 

Bletchleyite

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https://twitter.com/grandad1975/status/1248247686563631104?s=21

Seen this video doing the rounds last night. In it a SYP Officer tells a family they can’t be in their front garden. No where in any regulations is this the case, and in fact the government have explicitly said you can be on your own property.

SYP completely in the wrong here and have rightly apologised, saying they want their approach to be clear and yet I think the only thing that is clear is that some forces are at serious risk of undermining any goodwill that is necessary for the restrictions to work.

There is a general problem with this - a lot of people (including people who should know better like the Beeb) are saying "stay indoors" whereas the rule is "stay on your property" or "stay at home". At home includes gardens, driveways and the likes, and the law is very specific on this matter. Though it is worth being aware that being in the garden or on a balcony does pose a slightly higher risk as you could be within 2m of someone else in some cases, and it's not entirely out of the question that if things got really out of hand in terms of NHS demand that might actually have to be stopped. Though no other country has done so yet, even those with the strictest lockdowns.

I do wonder if the reason for this error is cultural - in London (where most broadcasters and news media are) many people live in flats without any outdoor space.
 

Tetchytyke

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SYP completely in the wrong here and have rightly apologised

Not good enough. The officer with the nasty attitude should be getting their P45.

It is not "petty arguments about police" when you see officers doing this sort of thing, it's a disgrace.
 

Bletchleyite

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It's easy to be at work and see those who aren't as having a jolly, but my experience isn't the same. I'm still working but at home, as is my wife, and trying to do that with a toddler isn't easy; it's easy for me to see those who've been furloughed as having it easier, but that's not true either.

I'm working as normal (from home) and am very glad of this, I'd far rather that than be furloughed, it is keeping me nicely busy and meaning not much changes in my life overall, really.

I do feel for those working in supermarkets etc who are at higher risk, though - a lot of people are very scared. I do wonder though if there should be an option for those people to choose furlough and someone else who wants to work and e.g. has nobody high risk at home can take the job. Obviously this will only work with jobs requiring only short training, but that's most of retail.

And obviously there are those who hate their job, who now hate it even more...all the reports I'm hearing of surly and unhelpful supermarket staff are coming from Tesco, and only Tesco. I think that tells you something.
 

Mogster

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Any further restrictions should be backed by scientific evidence. We have the ability to model the effects of changes so anything further needs to be carefully applied for a limited time. Covid isn’t occurring in isolation, the lockdown can have unwanted effects on people’s health also.

Having travelled into the centre of Manchester for work this week it seems there are still lots of cars on the road, even around 7pm. Are all these journeys really essential? I’d be happy to be stopped by the Police and asked the purpose of my journey but it doesn’t seem to be occurring. I think we need enforcement of the measures we have rather than extending the lockdown further.
 

Bletchleyite

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Having travelled into the centre of Manchester for work this week it seems there are still lots of cars on the road, even around 7pm. Are all these journeys really essential? I’d be happy to be stopped by the Police and asked the purpose of my journey but it doesn’t seem to be occurring. I think we need enforcement of the measures we have rather than extending the lockdown further.

The problem is that they are very difficult to enforce because "I'm going for exercise innit" is an automatic correct answer. This is why I think the biggest single improvement they could make to enforceability would be to heavily restrict the use of cars and public transport for that purpose, as only a very few people cannot safely exercise directly from their home.
 

yorksrob

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I'm working as normal (from home) and am very glad of this, I'd far rather that than be furloughed, it is keeping me nicely busy and meaning not much changes in my life overall, really.

I do feel for those working in supermarkets etc who are at higher risk, though - a lot of people are very scared. I do wonder though if there should be an option for those people to choose furlough and someone else who wants to work and e.g. has nobody high risk at home can take the job. Obviously this will only work with jobs requiring only short training, but that's most of retail.

And obviously there are those who hate their job, who now hate it even more...all the reports I'm hearing of surly and unhelpful supermarket staff are coming from Tesco, and only Tesco. I think that tells you something.

As I understand it, Tesco has recently been undergoing a big restructure, which doesn't help things at the best of times.

I certainly think that for the customer facing industries, there will need to be an option for the older members of the workforce to be furloughed, given that they are at a higher risk in the first place.
 

Bantamzen

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There does seem a lot of vigilanteism going on, and vigilanteism is never acceptable - we have a policing and judicial system for a reason. While it does feel a bit Soviet in the circumstances, if you are concerned a crime is being committed the right thing to do is report it to the Police and nothing more. Or maybe have a quick open-minded word first, as you say.

As in not "what are you doing going out in the car so much", but something less accusatory.

As for anger, while we are animals and we all get angry from time to time, I'm getting a bit fed up with it being seen as a virtue (alongside virtue signalling) by some. Anger is a negative emotion and is really best avoided. Personally if I do get properly angry (not that often but it does happen, I am an animal after all) I spend lots of time afterwards reflecting on how it happened and why and how I might avoid it happening again.

I'll be honest, watching & reading people looking terrified of other people, accuse each other of killing others, or being a "infection vector" does make me angry, and I've often had to count quietly to ten. I understand why people are worried, but treating each other as a risk is not good for our society as a whole.

In terms of reporting, if say a large group had gathered then fair enough that probably should be especially if the group looked like they could not be reasoned with, for example acting in an anti-social way. However people behind twitching net curtains, accusing all and sundry isn't on. Its going to be difficult enough dealing with all the consequences of this without an army of self-appointed judge & juries adding to the problems. For every minor incident associated with social distancing the Police attend to, the scope for more serious crimes to go unchecked increases.

And talking of which....

https://twitter.com/grandad1975/status/1248247686563631104?s=21

Seen this video doing the rounds last night. In it a SYP Officer tells a family they can’t be in their front garden. No where in any regulations is this the case, and in fact the government have explicitly said you can be on your own property.

SYP completely in the wrong here and have rightly apologised, saying they want their approach to be clear and yet I think the only thing that is clear is that some forces are at serious risk of undermining any goodwill that is necessary for the restrictions to work.

Another example if how not to handle such situations. We don't see the full context of what started this, although the officer does seem to imply she had previously seen the bloke leaving a local store. However regardless of what provoked her intervention, there is no "no garden" rule as she seems to argue. Just ask politely for them to observe some distance from the neighbours and passers by, and get back to the real job.

The more examples like these rise to the public awareness, the less trust the public will have. Because regardless of the emergency powers and laws, the Police, and the government still need the trust of the public to make this work.
 

SilentGrade

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t is not "petty arguments about police" when you see officers doing this sort of thing, it's a disgrace

I completely agree in this circumstance and I think the unfortunate family on the receiving end of this were much more patient than many would have been. In fact I wonder if she’d have even set foot in the garden if it was fenced off.

I certainly would have told her straight it wasn’t illegal and to leave my property.

However people behind twitching net curtains, accusing all and sundry isn't on. Its going to be difficult enough dealing with all the consequences of this without an army of self-appointed judge & juries adding to the problems.

This for me is the most damaging part of the whole thing. The idea of there being an informant on every street corner will tear society apart imho and some police forces need to stop encouraging it or we’ll have some long lasting and serious consequences when this is all over.

There’s a reason things like this were used so extensively in east Germany
 
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bramling

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If it's relevant that your colleague has been up that long then it is illegal for them to be driving while over tried. It is as bad as drunk driving but not prosecuted as much.

Not sure if I wasn't quite clear, however at this moment most of the railway will be running courtesy of people who have been up at times like 0300. It's typical for shifts to book on as early as 0445.

It has not become an activity for bored people but it has become an activity for all the thousands of gym and swimming pool and team sports users who can no longer do those things. Several I know run some days and cycle the others. Few are taking loopholes. Most are just being extra careful to stay healthy during this health crisis.

And as for the idea they're holding up key workers! Honest! You know what job famously cycles? Nurses! You even call wheel locks "nurse's lock" in this country!

There's lots of things people can't do at the moment. No one needs to cycle in order to maintain fitness, and especially not in groups - which is what's been happening in my area. What I'm seeing is two distinct subsets. One is groups of men on roadie-type bikes taking the opportunity to do relatively long rides. How do I know this? Because I'm seeing them on rural roads some miles from housing. The other group is the play cyclists who are wobbling around everywhere, including footpaths alleyways pavements and sometimes roads. The latter group are hardly out for exercise since they'd get more exercise value out of a walk, and the former group wouldn't be so much of an issue if they weren't choosing to do it in groups.

As regards key workers, I can assure you this isn't nurses.
 

bramling

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To be clear, I mean that the editors and supporters of the Conservatives newspapers see the opportunity to criticise poor people as a bonus. This government has been surprisingly ecumenical, doing some liberal and some social policies as well.

It hasn't taken long for divisiveness to creep in. I note in the last couple of the days there's been some reporting about ethnic minorities being disproportionately affected. One set of news coverage started the report with a view of Grenfell Tower, and started with a tone along the lines of "just a couple of years after Grenfell, we now have *this*". It couldn't have been more of a muck-stir if it tried. There may well be time for this sort of analysis, however now is not that time.

As far as gardens go, I have one 100 yards long. Since the lockdown came in I've spend a grand total of one day in it, despite having been on leave for one week. Evidently I don't have enough time on my hands!

Seriously, I just don't get the boredom thing. Despite having a week off, I still have plenty of books and DVDs that I didn't get round to reading/watching.
 
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