Update from The House of Plague, Day 56

[elisi]

Today is just me being grumpy about Boris (and the government generally) and reposting a lot of stuff from Twitter.

Coronavirus UK has killed

• 236 Healthcare workers
• 171 Transport workers
• 47 Teachers
• 20 Crèche workers
• 99 Retail workers

Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act gives you the right to a safe work environment.

— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) May 11, 2020

Videos:

Still not over Piers Morgan being one of the few holding the government to account...

This, from @piersmorgan, is a masterclass in the questions all journalists should be asking in this pandemic.

If you're not holding government to account now, over potentially tens of thousands of avoidable deaths, then when? pic.twitter.com/ajJUNDxqvY

— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) May 11, 2020

There's poor leadership, there's general incompetence - and then there's screwing up to such an unfathomable degree that you manage to piss off Phillip Schofield.pic.twitter.com/v5sJIOn3h4

— Graham Lithgow (@grahamlithgow) May 11, 2020

pic.twitter.com/k6Sr4Iac15

— realmattlucas (@RealMattLucas) May 10, 2020

General bitchiness, and a lot of re-writes of the new slogan:

The UK’s coronavirus strategy in the British press vs the UK’s coronavirus strategy in the rest of the world’s press. pic.twitter.com/Tga8wVU09f

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) May 11, 2020

The difference between "Your" and "You're" #BorisHasFailed pic.twitter.com/TCRfIfPbXx

— Britgirl's Tweets (@MarieAnnUK) May 10, 2020

On the day this appears, the Tories decide it’s a good idea to encourage more people to go out.

But flags and cardboard spitfires and Vera Lynn and more flags and royals and flags.

We get the governments we deserve. pic.twitter.com/JGBlpiZIZa

— DisappointedIdealist (@DisIdealist) May 10, 2020

Not sure why people were complaining about confusion. Government line is really clear - working class people should go out to work and middle class people should work from home where it is safe.

— Tom Mauchline at home (@TomMauchline) May 10, 2020

The message seems to be that construction workers should go back to work, on foot, to make money for people who don't care if they live or die.

— Frankie Boyle (@frankieboyle) May 10, 2020

Four people who think it’s obvious what “stay alert” means - and it obviously means something different to each of them... pic.twitter.com/A7V1K1Qebn

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) May 10, 2020

🚨Important message for the whole of the UK 🚨: pretend you’re in London no matter where you live and just follow the guidelines below. https://t.co/lnj7mZxoqo

— Robin Stevens (@redbreastedbird) May 10, 2020

Comments

[ruuger]

I don't think we've had clear strategy as such, hence not being a poster child of any one way of dealing with the crisis. So far iyt looks to me like decisions have been made pretty much on the fly, depending on the latest information - which has worked well since the situation and what we know of the disease keeps changing quickly. For example, schools are opening again this week because latest data suggests that children are unlikely to spread the disease, and the Minister of Education is of the opinion that the risk of schools becoming hotbeds of infection is smaller than the detrimental effects of remote school on children's mental health.

We've had our own cock-ups, like missing the deadline for EUs shared PPE order because the decision got stuck in byrocracy, but I think the biggest criticisms against Marin & co has been their refusal to a) compromise civil liberties to stop the virus or b) make long-term decisions without supporting data (for example, the mayor of Helsinki wanted them to say already now if there could be 500+ people events in August).

[elisi]

I guess you basically have sane, trustworthy people in charge, who are good at communicating clearly.

Re. PPE then I found an article about how Finland has been hoarding PPE (and other essentials) since WW2? Go you! Alas, the UK - which WAS prepared and DID have Plans in place some years - let it all slide. Well, the Tories did. >:(