Soft southerners vs hard northerners

[fillyboy]

Needed 4 upvc windows and a door for my little home project. Phoned every local window company I could think of yesterday, all shut down.
Tried a company in Doncaster where I bought a couple of skylights the other week as they were cheaper than I could find anywhere else, 'Aye lad send us t' measurements and well give you a reet good price'.
Sent drawings through last night, email this am with good price, free delivery to Cornwall within two weeks and probably cheaper than I could source locally.
Seems there is a bit more of a 'business as usual' approach in the North of England, mind you, as a precaution, I'll wipe the frames with a damp cloth before unloading them.

 

[sodthisforfun]

All shops but essentials were supposed to be closed. New windows aren't really essential. Perhaps the South are just better at doing as advised and keeping the staff safe?

I know it sounds daft but others I know have felt the same, but ordering non essential items makes us feel guilty.

 

[Brigadier]

In response to plod searching shopping baskets, didn't the gov offer the guidance "if it's in the shop, it can be bought"?
Perhaps the same applies to ordering online etc?
We've been buying birthday pressies for my second - born's upcoming, online.

 

[fillyboy]

New windows aren't really essential

They are if it rains.

 

[IT Minion]

Business as usual is what got us into this mess. We failed to take enough preventative measures early enough.

If they can make the windows safely and it's being sent by courier who won't make contact then it's within the scope of the existing lockdown. Arguably we should be following a more strict one, as other nations with similar numbers of cases are, but that's a different question.

 

[ellal]

All shops but essentials were supposed to be closed. New windows aren't really essential. Perhaps the South are just better at doing as advised and keeping the staff safe?

I know it sounds daft but others I know have felt the same, but ordering non essential items makes us feel guilty.

If people are able to buy then that might just keep a few more businesses from going under.

Plus if filly manages to keep active then that possibly helps with his mental health during this weird time we are living in.

Win, win I would say.

 

[sodthisforfun]

If people are able to buy then that might just keep a few more businesses from going under.

Plus if filly manages to keep active then that possibly helps with his mental health during this weird time we are living in.

Win, win I would say.

I don't have a problem with it - up to the shops to do what they want.

 

[motorbiking]

Starting to think the lockdown needs an end date & plan. OMG - I agree with labour

 

[IT Minion]

Starting to think the lockdown needs an end date & plan. OMG - I agree with labour

Actually I disagree with it. If you tell people that there's an end date and what the next step is then people will start to do that now. Like when you're driving and you see a 50 speed limit sign up ahead. You know you're still in a 30 but everyone starts accelerating early. In this case people will start edging towards the new lower state early.

Say that you're working on it but actually releasing the plans now will cause more confusion as they are changing too quickly at the moment.

 

[motorbiking]

What about the light at the end of the tunnel to motivate people?

 

[IT Minion]

What about the light at the end of the tunnel to motivate people?

 

[motorbiking]

I think for species with slightly larger brains.. we want something that ticks some the higher level human requirements:

 

[Munroast]

What about the light at the end of the tunnel to motivate people?

providing it isn't an inbound freight train

 

[JohnD]

If you tell people that there's an end date and what the next step is then people will start to do that now.

Has an end date been proposed? I think it was "strategy" they called for.

I had an idea that the plan would be staged with gates

I would look at it something like this:

Obtain test kits at the rate of X+Y million per week

Perform infection-testing at the rate of X million per week

Perform immunity-testing at the rate of Y million per week.

Identify people with immunity and ask them to carry out the higher-risk work.

When Z% of the population and their households test as infection free, allow those people to return to work. Continue testing them regularly and isolate any that become infected.

Trace the contacts of any that have become infected and isolate them until they can be declared safe, or ill.

When W% of the population test as infection-free, loosen lockdown.

No dates in my outline. Only gates that must be achieved. No sign of the first gate being met yet. No sign of X, Y, Z or W being agreed.

 

[ellal]

What about the light at the end of the tunnel to motivate people?

The problem is different countries are doing things differently, and no-one imo has the foggiest as to which is the absolute best approach.

But we see and hear about places that have been kept open/are opening up again, and yet we are still in effectively semi lockdown ourselves.

I wonder how long until the so far reasonably kept behaviour gets stretched too far?

When people's financial reserves run out starting with the poorest of course, but how far up the chain before people start to disregard the measure en masse?