UK closes down social life as coronavirus outbreak accelerates

[webfact]

UK closes down social life as coronavirus outbreak accelerates

By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan

 

People, some wearing protective face masks, walk through the City of London, as the number of coronavirus cases worldwide continues to grow, in London, Britain, March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday shut down social life in Britain and ordered the most vulnerable to isolate for 12 weeks, ramping up the battle against a coronavirus outbreak just as it accelerates towards it peak.

 

Johnson had faced a backlash after his government took a less stringent approach to tackling the virus than countries such as Italy, France and Spain which have effectively locked down much of Europe.

 

In a toughening of Britain's approach to the outbreak, Johnson closed down any remaining social life in the world's fifth-largest economy and ordered those over 70 with underlying health problems to isolate for 12 weeks from this weekend.

 

"What we are announcing today is a very substantial change in the way that we want people to live their lives and I can’t remember anything like it in my life time," Johnson, 55, said at a news conference in Number 10 Downing Street, flanked by the government's top scientist and top doctor.

 

Johnson's new finance minister, Rishi Sunak, was due to announce further support for businesses on Tuesday, a finance ministry source said, as many companies face a huge financial hit from the spread of coronavirus.

 

Sunak announced the biggest spending budget plan in nearly 30 years last week, including measures to offset the impact of the virus, and promised more help if needed.

 

People should avoid pubs, clubs, restaurants, cinemas and theaters, the government said, though Johnson stopped short of ordering them to close. He said he hoped the venues would take a responsible approach. People should also avoid unnecessary travel and work from home where possible, he said.

 

He said this was particularly important in London as it appears to be "a few weeks ahead" of the rest of the country.

 

The hospitality industry criticized the move, saying that since they were not being compelled to close, businesses would not be able to claim on their insurance.

 

"This announcement will lead to thousands of businesses closing their doors for good, and hundreds of thousands of job losses," UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said.

 

The Society of London Theaters said its member venues, which include London's major West End theaters, would close from Monday night until further notice.

 

The limits on social contact could last for months or at least weeks, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said, adding the next few weeks and months would be "extraordinarily difficult" for the health service.

 

Health minister Matt Hancock told parliament that non-time sensitive, elective surgery would be canceled or postponed.

 

Johnson said anyone with symptoms of the coronavirus should isolate along with their entire household for 14 days.

 

Sterling fell to its lowest against the U.S. dollar since October while Johnson was speaking, down two thirds of a cent on the day. This economic and financial crisis, though, is not like the 2008 financial crisis, Johnson said.

 

"This is unlike 2008, there isn't a systemic problem within the economy," Johnson said. "If we can get the disease under control ... then there is absolutely no reason why economies worldwide should not come roaring back."

 

VIRUS SPREADS FASTER

The British government has faced criticism for no longer testing all suspected cases of coronavirus, and Whitty said testing was critical and Britain would scale it up. Earlier on Monday, the World Health Organization called on all countries to ramp up their testing program.

 

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom has risen to 1,543, up from 1,372 the day before, the health ministry said on Monday. The UK death toll rose to 55.

 

"It looks as though we are now approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve and without drastic action cases could double every 5 or 6 days," Johnson said.

 

He said it was essential to ensure "those with the most serious health conditions are largely shielded from social contact for around 12 weeks."

When asked about the need for a globally coordinated response, Johnson said there was widespread agreement in the G7 that measures would be needed.

 

"We are going to need to make sure everybody has access to liquidity," he said. "If we do things jointly then I think that the global markets will understand that we're all operating in the same sort of fiscal framework and I think we'll be much more successful that way."

 

Johnson faced a backlash on Monday over his decision to keep schools open, with angry parents keeping their children at home and complaining that other countries were doing more to stop the spread of coronavirus.

 

Britain may need to close schools to slow the spread of coronavirus but now is not the time for this, the government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said.

 

"At some point, as we've said, it may be necessary to think about things like school closures. But those things, again, need to be done at the right time in the right way, at the right stage of the outbreak," he said.

 

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, Elizabeth Howcroft, Elizabeth Piper, David Milliken, William Schomberg, Paul Sandle, Andrew MacAskill and Estelle Shirbon; editing by Kate Holton, Guy Faulconbridge, William Maclean and Himani Sarkar)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-17

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[OJAS]

33 minutes ago, webfact said:

and ordered those over 70 with underlying health problems to isolate for 12 weeks from this weekend.

So what assistance does HMG plan to give to these people in coping with this period of house arrest? Based on what is stated (or, more to the point, not) in the OP, I strongly suspect zilch, in which case they are, in effect, being hung out to dry.

[bartender100]

30 minutes ago, OJAS said:

So what assistance does HMG plan to give to these people in coping with this period of house arrest? Based on what is stated (or, more to the point, not) in the OP, I strongly suspect zilch, in which case they are, in effect, being hung out to dry.

You can bet they will bail out the banks and airlines

 

I run a small business in the UK with 50 employees, soon all to be laid off, they are all on zero hours contract and will get nothing from the company i work for, who would go bust if they paid them with no revenue coming in

 

Most live pay check to pay check

[Cryingdick]

3 minutes ago, bartender100 said:

You can bet they will bail out the banks and airlines

 

I run a small business in the UK with 50 employees, soon all to be laid off, they are all on zero hours contract and will get nothing from the company i work for, who would go bust if they paid them with no revenue coming in

 

Most live pay check to pay check

 

Sounds like they might be a lot better off working for somebody other than you. That strategy is no different than the banks and airlines you complain about. The difference is they are essential to modern civilization. 

 

Everybody hates the banks until they want a loan, the airlines until they need to go somewhere. 

[Nyezhov]

7 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

Everybody hates the banks until they want a loan, the airlines until they need to go somewhere. 

Thats they way life works though. Folks hate cops until they need to call 911, they hate dentists till they get a tooth ache....

[Chomper Higgot]

53 minutes ago, bartender100 said:

You can bet they will bail out the banks and airlines

 

I run a small business in the UK with 50 employees, soon all to be laid off, they are all on zero hours contract and will get nothing from the company i work for, who would go bust if they paid them with no revenue coming in

 

Most live pay check to pay check

Do you run this business or is it the company you work for?

[Nyezhov]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The limits on social contact could last for months or at least weeks,

They have taken away my football and now I cant watch Brit chicks squeezed into too tight short dresses drunkenly puking on a Bank Holiday weekend in Newcastle. Thank god for You Tube replays.

[Chomper Higgot]

47 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Thats they way life works though. Folks hate cops until they need to call 911, they hate dentists till they get a tooth ache....

You and that hate thing of yours.

 

The truth is most people have far more nuanced opinions than the black and white you habitually project onto masses of people.

[thaibeachlovers]

A glimmer of hope is that the clip joints that infest Soho will be shut down.

[Cryingdick]

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

Thats they way life works though. Folks hate cops until they need to call 911, they hate dentists till they get a tooth ache....

 

I guess continuing further we could say nobody hates the hookers but everybody hates the VD clinic. 

[Enoon]

 

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

So what assistance does HMG plan to give to these people in coping with this period of house arrest? Based on what is stated (or, more to the point, not) in the OP, I strongly suspect zilch, in which case they are, in effect, being hung out to dry.

 

Actual advice is:

 

"Those people should, if possible, avoid leaving the house "even to buy food or essentials" - but they may leave the house "for exercise and, in that case, at a safe distance from others" .

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51917562

 

 

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, Cryingdick said:

 

I guess continuing further we could say nobody hates the hookers but everybody hates the VD clinic. 

its brilliant insights like that that make me hold my nose and enter the echo chamber.

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

 

Actual advice is:

 

"Those people should, if possible, avoid leaving the house "even to buy food or essentials" - but they may leave the house "for exercise and, in that case, at a safe distance from others" .

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51917562

 

 

So, if for whatever reason they were unable to get the necessary support mechanisms in place (and it is IMHO churlish to assume that friends and family would in all cases be available for this purpose at the drop of a hat - in addition to internet access and expertise materialising out of thin air in some cases to enable individual isolatees to order groceries online from Sainsbury's or wherever), then it would be perfectly fine for them to leave their house in order to buy food or essentials. Rather defeats the whole purpose of "incarceration" for 12 weeks, I think!

 

What I would particularly like to know is what has happened to HMG's plans to requisition hotel rooms for the duration of the emergency. Whilst most isolatees would, naturally, probably prefer to spend the entire period of their "incarceration" banged up in their own home, a requisitioned hotel room would appear to be the ideal alternative solution for those to whom, for whatever reason, the necessary support mechanisms were unavailable. Yet Boris made no mention of this possible alternative in his latest announcement yesterday, as far as I can tell. So have HMG now given up on the idea of requisitioning hotel rooms? If so, on what basis was this decision made? If cost was the primary driver, then all I can say is so much for Boris's promise that no expense would be spared by HMG in tackling the coronavirus epidemic!!

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by OJAS

[dunroaming]

8 hours ago, OJAS said:

So what assistance does HMG plan to give to these people in coping with this period of house arrest? Based on what is stated (or, more to the point, not) in the OP, I strongly suspect zilch, in which case they are, in effect, being hung out to dry.

We need to make sure we are hearing what is being said.  We are not on lockdown like Italy and Spain and our movements are not being restricted as such.  What we are hearing at the moment is advise on the way we structure our daily lives.  The government are trying to strike a balance that would be the least disruptive whilst trying to stem the spread of the virus.

 

Nobody is a bigger critic of Johnson than me but I do think he is taking a grown-up approach to this situation.  Inevitably there will be further restrictions to come but for once this doesn't smack of a knee jerk reaction.

[Jip99]

9 minutes ago, rhyddid said:

After he allow half of the population he now step back and close down venues, this man is simply insane and shall be removed ASAP

Is BS BJ trying to reduce NHS and pension funds cost, aiming to decrease the percentage of pensioners and citizens with serious disease ? 

 

You do post some cr4p.

[BritManToo]

8 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Thats they way life works though. Folks hate cops until they need to call 911, they hate dentists till they get a tooth ache....

I always hate cops.

And they've never been any use when I needed them.

 

Bloody waste of space ............

[Krataiboy]

6 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

 

Actual advice is:

 

"Those people should, if possible, avoid leaving the house "even to buy food or essentials" - but they may leave the house "for exercise and, in that case, at a safe distance from others" .

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51917562

 

 

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, 70, says he has no intention of complying with the Tory Government's "order" to old folk to isolate themselves for four months?

 

Should he be regarded as a hero - or a villain?

[dunroaming]

35 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, 70, says he has no intention of complying with the Tory Government's "order" to old folk to isolate themselves for four months?

 

Should he be regarded as a hero - or a villain?

Nor have I or anyone I know.  This advisory at the moment anyway.

[3NUMBAS]

12 hours ago, bartender100 said:

You can bet they will bail out the banks and airlines

 

I run a small business in the UK with 50 employees, soon all to be laid off, they are all on zero hours contract and will get nothing from the company i work for, who would go bust if they paid them with no revenue coming in

 

Most live pay check to pay check

wont do em any good as airports look likely to close due to no traffic or they will need bankrolling to stay open for no traffic

[elliss]

13 hours ago, OJAS said:

So what assistance does HMG plan to give to these people in coping with this period of house arrest? Based on what is stated (or, more to the point, not) in the OP, I strongly suspect zilch, in which case they are, in effect, being hung out to dry.

 

   Busy time for undertakers ....555

[elliss]

49 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, 70, says he has no intention of complying with the Tory Government's "order" to old folk to isolate themselves for four months?

 

Should he be regarded as a hero - or a villain?

 

Attention seeker ,  too little, too late ..

 

[thaibeachlovers]

9 hours ago, OJAS said:

So, if for whatever reason they were unable to get the necessary support mechanisms in place (and it is IMHO churlish to assume that friends and family would in all cases be available for this purpose at the drop of a hat - in addition to internet access and expertise materialising out of thin air in some cases to enable individual isolatees to order groceries online from Sainsbury's or wherever), then it would be perfectly fine for them to leave their house in order to buy food or essentials. Rather defeats the whole purpose of "incarceration" for 12 weeks, I think!

You write what seems to have been overlooked by officialdom- not everyone has a home in which they can reside, not everyone has people to bring them stuff, not everyone has access to the internet etc.

Forgotten, or just ignored?

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I always hate cops.

And they've never been any use when I needed them.

 

Bloody waste of space ............

 Beat bobbies used to be known to the people they protected, but since they retreated to their cars, and disappeared , or as near as makes no difference, cops are no longer regarded as protectors but as harbingers of bad things.

[bartender100]

23 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Do you run this business or is it the company you work for?

As per my post "company I work for" I run the business for them, what does that matter?

[OJAS]

16 hours ago, dunroaming said:

We need to make sure we are hearing what is being said.  We are not on lockdown like Italy and Spain and our movements are not being restricted as such.  What we are hearing at the moment is advise on the way we structure our daily lives.  The government are trying to strike a balance that would be the least disruptive whilst trying to stem the spread of the virus.

 

Nobody is a bigger critic of Johnson than me but I do think he is taking a grown-up approach to this situation.  Inevitably there will be further restrictions to come but for once this doesn't smack of a knee jerk reaction.

I suspect that our views about Boris may well be polar opposites. I personally have admired his drive and determination in getting Brexit done, but I am not seeing a similar drive and determination on his part to get coronavirus fixed, which I do find disappointing, I have to say. The UK does, unfortunately, appear to be behind the game in Europe in getting lockdowns, etc in place – for which Boris, as PM, has to carry the can as far as I am concerned. And I really do wonder (and fear) whether the rather more cautious approach which he appears to be adopting to tackling the coronavirus pandemic is going to end up prolonging the agony in the UK.

 

But, that all said, it is, of course, far too soon for definitive judgements on Boris’s handling of the coronavirus issue.

 

[from the home of CC]

imo the military will be called out eventually in some countries due to people not responding to government pleas, social shutdown should have occurred a few weeks back and now it's too late for many. There have been cases reported in the US of 30yr old patients that are critical, that is worrying considering the general opinion is that this is a boomer plague..

Edited March 18, 2020 by from the home of CC