Coronavirus is not high threat to workers, EU says, causing outcry

[snoop1130]

Coronavirus is not high threat to workers, EU says, causing outcry

By Francesco Guarascio

 

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 19, 2020. Picture taken February 19, 2020 REUTERS/Yves Herman/

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission classified the new coronavirus as a mid-level threat to workers, drawing criticism from socialist lawmakers because the move will allow less stringent workplace safety measures than if the virus was deemed a high risk.

 

The decision has wide economic and health implications as it could affect companies’ costs in restarting business activity and have an impact on workers’ safety.

 

The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, classified the new coronavirus as a level-3 hazard on a four-step risk list on which level 4 is the highest.

 

Under EU rules, a level-3 virus “can cause severe human disease and present a serious hazard to workers; it may present a risk of spreading to the community, but there is usually effective prophylaxis or treatment available”.

 

Level-4 biological agents pose a “high risk” of infection with no prophylaxis or treatment available.

 

There is currently no treatment to prevent or cure COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which has killed nearly 380,000 people worldwide, according to a Reuters tally.

 

A spokeswoman for the European Commission said several criteria are used to classify biological hazards and none of them has more weight than others.

 

“The existence or absence of prophylaxis cannot be considered as a standalone criterion,” the spokeswoman said.

 

The decision followed consultations with scientists and with the World Health Organisation, and it was supported by experts from the 27 EU states, based on the most recent data on the epidemic, she added.

 

NOT TRANSPARENT

 

“We strongly oppose the decision by the Commission to classify COVID-19 only as a mid-level hazard. COVID-19 is the biggest health challenge of our lifetime,” said EU lawmaker Agnes Jongerius, who speaks on employment matters for the socialist grouping, the second largest in the EU Parliament.

 

She said the decision was not taken in a transparent fashion. “There is no public information available about the consulted experts and their reasoning.”

 

The Commission’s decision is immediately applicable, but the parliament could block it in a vote expected in June.

 

Medics and nurses are among those most at risk of contracting the disease. Localised outbreaks have often occurred in plants with a large workforce, such as slaughterhouses.

 

The decision means employers will have to guarantee a series of safety measures for their workers. But because the virus is not classified as high risk they are less likely to be exposed to legal challenges in case of infections.

 

The epidemic in Europe, the world’s worst-hit region, has reached its peak, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

 

However, the virus is still circulating and a second large wave of infections is considered likely in the autumn.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-03

 

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[keith101]

With 6,484,151 confirmed cases and 383,109 deaths from covid-19 how can they possibly say its not high threat they are obviously only thinking about their economy and nothing else .

[Kadilo]

It has to be downgraded otherwise the controls required for businesses to function would be unworkable. 
 

There needs to be a common sense approach that suits both workers and businesses. If workers don’t accept this sooner or later they most likely won’t have a job to protect themselves at. 

[473geo]

17 minutes ago, keith101 said:

With 6,484,151 confirmed cases and 383,109 deaths from covid-19 how can they possibly say its not high threat they are obviously only thinking about their economy and nothing else .

Age of death, majority not of working age

[JetsetBkk]

 

[tribalfusion001]

2 hours ago, keith101 said:

With 6,484,151 confirmed cases and 383,109 deaths from covid-19 how can they possibly say its not high threat they are obviously only thinking about their economy and nothing else .

Out of roughly 8 billion on the planet, I would say that is quite a low risk.

[HauptmannUK]

Sounds a reasonable assessment. For most people of working age the threat is modest. The threat rises strongly for those of retirement age. Obviously some workers (e.g. medical) are at greater risk and are offered additional protection.

[vermin on arrival]

This isn't the black death. Take sensible precautions. Protect the vulnerable, and get on with our lives.

[tribalfusion001]

1 minute ago, vermin on arrival said:

This isn't the black death. Take sensible precautions. Protect the vulnerable, and get on with our lives.

Exactly. Nanny states all over the world stopping us from enjoying our lives.

[spiekerjozef]

tell that to all the workers in the slaughter houses, why suddenly so many new infections from that industry?

[vermin on arrival]

1 minute ago, spiekerjozef said:

tell that to all the workers in the slaughter houses, why suddenly so many new infections from that industry?

They did not put in any precautions and protections for the workers. Had them packed in like sardines and working while ill.

[Kadilo]

Another car crash daily update from Boris. 
 

Quarantine about to start, more job losses and businesses down the pan for travel companies and aviation industry. 
 

At least Sir Patrick Vallence had the balls to admit the science says introduce quarantine when the numbers coming in are potentially high vs the relatively low numbers over here. Complete opposite of what we are doing now. He also stressed it was a Political decision. 
 

 

[spiekerjozef]

2 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

He also stressed it was a Political decision. 

Aren't all wrong decisions political ?

[tribalfusion001]

7 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

Another car crash daily update from Boris. 
 

Quarantine about to start, more job losses and businesses down the pan for travel companies and aviation industry. 
 

At least Sir Patrick Vallence had the balls to admit the science says introduce quarantine when the numbers coming in are potentially high vs the relatively low numbers over here. Complete opposite of what we are doing now. He also stressed it was a Political decision. 
 

 

A bad political decision at that. They haven't even said who is going to do the telephone spot checks, maybe they can get some of 25,000 idle track and tracers to do it.

[Kadilo]

1 hour ago, tribalfusion001 said:

A bad political decision at that. They haven't even said who is going to do the telephone spot checks, maybe they can get some of 25,000 idle track and tracers to do it.

I read that one in 100 will get checked. It’s like everything else, looks great on paper but reality is different. 

[tribalfusion001]

57 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

I read that one in 100 will get checked. It’s like everything else, looks great on paper but reality is different. 

So it's not a strict quarantine, you can go out for food, medicine, funeral, court and if you are at golf course, you just say that you are food shopping as it's a phone call. This government is the most pig headed lot I can think of in decades.

 

Under the quarantine plans, self-isolating arrivals are permitted to leave the house to buy food and medicine for themselves or others in the household, including pets, where it is not possible to obtain the provisions in any other manner, as well as to attend funerals, court hearings and to access critical public services, such as social services. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/priti-patel-urged-to-publish-scientific-advice-behind-uk-quarantine-move

Edited June 3, 2020 by tribalfusion001

[vermin on arrival]

2 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Exactly. Nanny states all over the world stopping us from enjoying our lives.

Not just enjoying, but seems they want us to live in caves for the next two years or until a vaccine is found whenever that may be (maybe never).

[tribalfusion001]

19 minutes ago, vermin on arrival said:

Not just enjoying, but seems they want us to live in caves for the next two years or until a vaccine is found whenever that may be (maybe never).

The tide seems to be turning now, people know who is going to be affected worst and making their own judgment calls. I think more of these protests are likely, the demographics of the protesters are mainly under 30 and they are the ones who are mainly not going to be affected by the virus. If I was in their age bracket I would be p*ssed off too, in fact I am 555

[Kadilo]

1 hour ago, tribalfusion001 said:

So it's not a strict quarantine, you can go out for food, medicine, funeral, court and if you are at golf course, you just say that you are food shopping as it's a phone call. This government is the most pig headed lot I can think of in decades.

 

Under the quarantine plans, self-isolating arrivals are permitted to leave the house to buy food and medicine for themselves or others in the household, including pets, where it is not possible to obtain the provisions in any other manner, as well as to attend funerals, court hearings and to access critical public services, such as social services. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/priti-patel-urged-to-publish-scientific-advice-behind-uk-quarantine-move

This is what the Ryanair boss has been bleating on about. 
 

They can get the train, tube , bus or whatever from the airport to whatever address they have given so they may have already infected loads getting to their place of quarantine. It’s a farce. 
 

People talk about Thais saving face. This is all because they didnt quarantine when they should have so trying to make it look like they did something. You could tell Vallence was making a point of letting the public know this quarantine has nothing to do with Sage recommendations.

It’s purely political. 

Edited June 3, 2020 by Kadilo

[tribalfusion001]

20 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

This is what the Ryanair boss has been bleating on about. 
 

They can get the train, tube , bus or whatever from the airport to whatever address they have given so they may have already infected loads getting to their place of quarantine. It’s a farce. 
 

People talk about Thais saving face. This is all because they didnt quarantine when they should have so trying to make it look like they did something. You could tell Vallence was making a point of letting the public know this quarantine has nothing to do with Sage recommendations.

It’s purely political. 

Yep, pathetic really. If you are going to do quarantine, then take them from the plane and place them in a hotel for 14 days, no shopping for food, no funerals, no trips to the pharmacy.

[blazes]

5 hours ago, vermin on arrival said:

Not just enjoying, but seems they want us to live in caves for the next two years or until a vaccine is found whenever that may be (maybe never).

 

The climate change freaks want us to live in caves for the next 100 years....

[blazes]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

The decision followed consultations with scientists and with the World Health Organisation, and it was supported by experts from the 27 EU states, based on the most recent data on the epidemic, she added.

 

 

"scientists" + the "World Health Organization" + "experts"!!!!!

 

Nuff said.

[Logosone]

0.8% of people have the virus.

 

Yah, it's not a high risk. Not so much level 3 as level 0.8.

 

People of course don't want to go back to work, as they're getting paid a good chunk of their wages without doing a thing.

[Letseng]

16 hours ago, 473geo said:

Age of death, majority not of working age

Majority is still of working age unless you retire everybody at 55. It may vary from country to country but in my neck of the woods the oldies are a minority. 

[473geo]

3 minutes ago, Letseng said:

Majority is still of working age unless you retire everybody at 55. It may vary from country to country but in my neck of the woods the oldies are a minority. 

EU country you are living?

[Krataiboy]

20 hours ago, keith101 said:

With 6,484,151 confirmed cases and 383,109 deaths from covid-19 how can they possibly say its not high threat they are obviously only thinking about their economy and nothing else .

No, just demonstrating a sense of perspective.

 

The common flu causes up to five million cases of severe illness worldwide and kills up to 650,000 people every year, according to the World Health Organization. But we don't let it throw a spanner in the works of the global economy.

 

If only more of us were as rational as those EU Commissioners.

 

(Never thought I would EVER say that!).

 

 

[ukrules]

I read somewhere that more people older than 100 years of age had died than those younger than about 40, can't remember exactly what it said.

 

The figure for those older than 80 years far outstripped the number of working age deaths.

 

I'm sure all the numbers are available somewhere if people want to go digging, those over 65 are generally not part of the workforce.

 

[Baerboxer]

On 6/3/2020 at 8:52 PM, keith101 said:

With 6,484,151 confirmed cases and 383,109 deaths from covid-19 how can they possibly say its not high threat they are obviously only thinking about their economy and nothing else .

 

They probably have the same knowledge as London Mayor Khan who assured London Transport workers they'd be perfectly safe!

 

It's called political expedience! Bet the MEP's and bureaucrats will be extra specially protected though!