COVID-19 Virus.

[pmccarthy]

Like a phoney war?

[Jerry_Atrick]

Even with delayed stats, today was the worst UK COVID death day at something like 816 - after the curve was flattening. I agree @Red - the lockdown is weak - especially in the big cities (which on a population basis dwarf Aussie cities). I eas listenting to LBC and apparently Londong may as well not be in lockdown. I am glad I finished my London job at the end of Feb... I know people who are far from essential taking the tube and going to work... and they could technically work rom home.

 

UK today passed 20,000 COVID related deaths.. We are as I recall, about 3 tomes the population of Aus.. The factor of number of deaths is much higher.

[old man emu]

We have been fortunate in Australia that as a rate per 100,000 people, our numbers of cases and deaths have been quite low. Perhaps it's because a large proportion of our population lives away from the major cities, or that even in our major cities we don't quite live on top of each other.

 

The crunch will come in Winter if we have a cold one. It will be hard to separate the 'flu cases from the COVID ones. At least you can get vaccinated against the expected 'flu strain. I bet many more people will get a 'flu shot this year than in the past. I'm even thinking of offering up my arm.

[pmccarthy]

I think the opposite, there will be very little flu because of social distancing. Colds and flu are way down at present. I will not bother with the shot.

[facthunter]

IF climate change "never was," I doubt you need the flu shot either. It's the same sort of logic.. I got the flu shot ages ago at the first opportunity. They said I'd probably require a booster later which I will also endeavour to have. The distancing has the same effect on flu transmission as it does on the Coronavirus so it's a given the flu incidence will be less than otherwise but it's also less because of others having the flushot.. I lived right next to a house where people DIED of POLIO. I've seen TB eliminated but returning because of negligence. Measles and whooping cough coming back as a big risk, because of peoples attitude against vaccinating. Nev

[Old Koreelah]

[facthunter]

Multi story Buildings make the population more dense. Nev

[red750]

[Yenn]

The UK has a higher death rate per head of population than the USA. No time for them to be complacent.

[willedoo]

Looking into the coronavirus payment and supplement, it looks like age pensioners won't get the $550 per fortnight supplement, but they qualify for both one off payments of $750 each. People on jobseeker allowance will get the $550 supplement, but only the first one off $750 payment. Anyone who loses their job and applies for jobseeker allowance any time after the first $750 will not get the second one either, so they miss out altogether on the one off payments.

Edited April 27, 2020 by Guest

[Yenn]

Pensioners don't need any supplement, I reckon they are the best off part of the population. They still get the pension, they can't go out and spend up big on anything and they are given $750. I would like to know why, maybe it is to soften them up for the next election?

[spacesailor]

AND IT GOES STRAIGHT BACK TO GOVERNMENT TO PAY THOSE GOVERNMENT CHARGES.

spaceasilor

[Red]

There are many multi millionaire business owners in the UK who have furloughed their staff and the government is paying them 80% of their wages whilst off work

I'm glad the workers are being supported, but its another example of private businesses benefitting from public handouts, I understand why this is a good thing to do, but it should require some payback from the private companies, otherwise its just another example of privatising profit and nationalising debt

[Jerry_Atrick]

I don't think the businesses are benefitting directly.. The business reeives the 80% to the mav value of 2500/month and have to pay that amount to their employees.. I don't think they get to keep any of it. I could be wrong.. It helps keep the employees on the payroll so that they don't lose their job abd it pays them more than the basic unioversal credit, which is something like £400/month.. I could be wrong, though and the government website doesn't provide the details in a nice consumable format (or at least in the way my brain takes it).

[old man emu]

The money is not going out yet. A business has to pay the money to employees, then lodge a claim with the Government. It's a refund system. The Catch-22 is that the business has to show that it's turn-over/profit has fallen since the introduction of restrictions. That puts the supermarket chains out of the game as their quarterly trade went through the roof in the first quarter of 2020 due to panic buying.

 

Ahh Karma - gotta love it.

[red750]

Pubs, clubs and restaurants have had a massive, in some cases total, loss of turnover. Quite simply, they have closed. I heard yesterday that banks have closed some branches because staff have had to take time off to look after school aged kids, so remaining staff have been reallocated to keep other neighboring branches open and staffed.

[Red]

I don't think the businesses are benefitting directly.. The business reeives the 80% to the mav value of 2500/month and have to pay that amount to their employees.. I don't think they get to keep any of it. I could be wrong.. It helps keep the employees on the payroll so that they don't lose their job abd it pays them more than the basic unioversal credit, which is something like £400/month.. I could be wrong, though and the government website doesn't provide the details in a nice consumable format (or at least in the way my brain takes it).

 

The business gets to keep its staff on the books, many of which would out of need tried to find alternative jobs, they don't have to re train new staff when things come back online, this is not an insignificant factor for any business and its taxpayers money, I wonder how many business owners with multiple millions in the bank even consider topping up the wages from their own profit margins, its a definate that they wouldn't have kept the people on if it was entirely out of their pockets, so once again its public support for a private business

Edited April 30, 2020 by Red

[Old Koreelah]

[onetrack]

One of the interesting side benefits of the clubs and pubs closing is the massive reduction in gambling losses. It's been estimated Australian gamblers have been saved from losing over AU$1B since the COVID-19 restrictions commenced.

Australian gamblers lose approximately AU$20B annually, with most of those losses through pokies and other club and pub gambling systems. That's a lot of money, that would go a long way to providing better health care for those Australians.

 

It's also interesting to see the problem gamblers who have addressed their gambling habits and obsessions, with some realising their obsession was costing them dearly. Many marriage splits and house losses are linked to compulsive gambling.

 

One Auntie (my mothers sister) married a chronic gambler in the U.K. in 1937. They were divorced within a few short years, because she wasn't aware of his gambling obsession.

Every time he got a handful of money, he blew it instantly on a gamble, and the family all suffered as a result. Auntie never spoke of him, my mother never spoke of him, and it's as if the man never existed.

 

When they split, they had a girl and a boy, so the gambler hubby took the boy, and Auntie took the girl, and she left for Australia after WW2.

I kept in touch with Aunties daughter (my cousin) over the years, being led to believe she was an only child, born out of wedlock.

However, Aunties daughter (who had moved back to the U.K. in the 1970's) found some information that she had a brother she never knew about. She tracked him down in her early 70's, and found they got along famously. He died not long after.

 

My cousin only died recently (aged 78) and I was lucky enough to find out her brothers son had taken control of her funeral and small estate, and it was from him that I received the revelation that Auntie had been married to this gambler bloke.

I was quite amazed when he revealed the full story, and I was even more amazed that Auntie had managed to wipe all traces of this gambler hubby from her life.

 

https://www.michaelwest.com.au/keep-the-pokies-shut-australians-are-saving-38-million-a-day/

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-26/pokies-addicts-kick-habit-during-coronavirus-venues-shutdown/12183018?nw=0

Edited May 7, 2020 by Guest

[spacesailor]

I put that virus app on the phone, and the following day, got a message " your app is not working please check your permissions ".

What does it mean as google didn,t find an answer! .

spacesailor

[octave]

I put that virus app on the phone, and the following day, got a message " your app is not working please check your permissions ".

What does it mean as google didn,t find an answer! .

spacesailor

 

"The app does not track location. The Google version of the app does seek permission for location information but that is due to permissions needed for bluetooth. "

Covidsafe app: how Australia’s coronavirus contact tracing app works, what it does, downloads and problems

 

Did you give permission for location information?

[spacesailor]

NEVER

But it knows my mobile number.

spacesailor

Edited May 7, 2020 by Guest

[octave]

NEVER

But it knows my mobile number.

spacesailor

 

You do need to give permission for the location information, this does not mean that it sends any information but it is required in order to allow bluetooth to work.

[Old Koreelah]

One of the interesting side benefits of the clubs and pubs closing is the massive reduction in gambling losses. It's been estimated Australian gamblers have been saved from losing over AU$1B since the COVID-19 restrictions commenced...

That's great news, OT! It's a national disgrace that this parasitic industry has been allowed to gain so much power over our governments.

 

...One Auntie (my mothers sister) married a chronic gambler in the U.K. in 1937. They were divorced within a few short years, because she wasn't aware of his gambling obsession...I kept in touch with Aunties daughter (my cousin) over the years, being led to believe she was an only child, born out of wedlock...

Crickey! He must have been a rotter if, instead of acknowledging him, she preferred the stigma of being an unmarried mother.

[old man emu]

One of the interesting side benefits of the clubs and pubs closing is the massive reduction in gambling losses.

 

While one cannot but agree that the closure of poker machine venues will restore the lives of so many people who fall addicted to the moving pictures, bells and whistles of these devices, the closures will also have a negative impact on very many small clubs for sporting interests. I'm not talking about the Taj Mahals of the premier football clubs. I'm talking about the little bowls clubs, and lower order sports clubs which rely on poker machine income to maintain club premises and facilities, and to promote their particular sport for the community.

 

Many of these clubs make little money from bar sales, and most have contracted out their food services. Their only big income source is poker machine income, and very often their only big income days are Friday and Saturday. Each club has its inveterate gamblers, so perhaps the only solution would be to set a maximum number of machines a club can have based on membership.

 

Would anyone support that plan? Not likely as you have the machine makers for one, and the voracious appetite of Treasury to satisfy.