Coronavirus thread

[Kaga2]

I don't think there's any problem you driving to Ashdown Forest if you can keep your distance from people. Preferably if you can also park well away from other cars, I suspect any large car parks will be at risk of closure.

Some places have gone a bit loco, banning people taking walks entirely. It's not radioactivity in the air.
Here the rules for walks are that if you have tested positive, have symptoms, are under treatment, or are in self isolation you must stay home. Everyone else just has to keep distance.

[vandermolen]

I don't think there's any problem you driving to Ashdown Forest if you can keep your distance from people. Preferably if you can also park well away from other cars, I suspect any large car parks will be at risk of closure.

Thanks. That's what we've been doing. I find the continuous threats of further govt restrictions very unhelpful and passive aggressive.

However, on a brighter note, having not been able to contact my daughter all day and worrying about her I noticed that she was 'online' and therefore presumably conscious! Finally I heard from her that she was feeling 'better' but had experienced difficulties 'charging her phone.' 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

It's not the government, the very quiet woodland park we were going to walk in this morning had been closed as had the car park for a nearby National Trust wood. We could still have used public footpaths through the NT land but we'd already done a decent walk round some nearly empty lanes and fields, just a few cyclists and dog walkers around. We could walk the dogs from the house to a couple of local parks or canal but they and the pavements on the way would have more people on them. Similarly there's a much quieter food shop on the way to that walking area compared to those near home.

I'm sorry for both of you.  I think that it's important to get outside and get a fresh breath of air...hard for those in large cities I'd imagine...unless you have a balcony?

So, Pooh and friends are all by themselves in Ashdown Forest?     Bet that it's a pretty place!  Do you have to stick to the paths on NT land or are you allowed to roam freely?

There was an article a few days ago on the BBC's website (I think that somebody provided a link here?) about problems with tons of people 'invading' a small Welsh town (which I guess is used to a fair bit of traffic during warmer weather?).  What about sheltering in place? 

There are a few paths along a river which I've been enjoying frequenting.  Annoyed at some of the people though as the paths are a bit narrow in some places; I saw a couple of women (on the older side) talking and walking a few feet apart....they couldn't be bothered to have even have one of them drop behind the other to allow more distance from myself (I was walking in the opposite direction).  At a grocery store the other day, probably most of the people were trying to keep some sort of distance from others but some were too lost in their own world grocery shopping as in the days of yore.

If I can get in gear here again, I hope to take a stroll around a local park.  If all else fails, I could resume my workouts with light weights and a bit of exercise in place to get the heart rate up (and those ever important endorphins) and get back to stretching?  Wouldn't be a bad thing!   

Spent the morning making some soup....trying to do something healthy and distract my brain!

EDIT:  So, you are able to go to the forest?  I was typing whilst you were then Jeffrey.

[drogulus]

     Fauci says that lifting lockdowns is 'a matter of weeks' and depends on the availability of 15-minute coronavirus testing

On Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved a new COVID-19 test that delivers positive results in five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.

The new test runs on Abbott Laboratories' ID NOW platform, which is the most common point-of-care test in the US.

After the new ID NOW COVID-19 test received FDA approval, Abbott announced that it would ramp up its production to make 50,000 units per day as early as next week. According to a spokesperson from the medical device company, the tests will be available beginning on April 1.

"When we get those tests out that you can do right away, rapid point-of-care, and do it, then I think we're going to be closer [to lifting restrictions]," Fauci said.

     Let's make it April 2nd, OK?

     

[drogulus]

     

[SimonNZ]

I. You don't have 500 days to come up with a vaccine. Do it in 5!

Sure. Let's give people some untested fingers crossed junk that causes cancers and birth defects and God knows what else.

You go first.

[greg]

Sure. Let's give people some untested fingers crossed junk that causes cancers and birth defects and God knows what else.

You go first.

This could be how zombies are created.

(though some people might actually look forward to living in a survival horror-type world)

[Que]

     Fauci says that lifting lockdowns is 'a matter of weeks' and depends on the availability of 15-minute coronavirus testing

On Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved a new COVID-19 test that delivers positive results in five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.

The new test runs on Abbott Laboratories' ID NOW platform, which is the most common point-of-care test in the US.

After the new ID NOW COVID-19 test received FDA approval, Abbott announced that it would ramp up its production to make 50,000 units per day as early as next week. According to a spokesperson from the medical device company, the tests will be available beginning on April 1.

"When we get those tests out that you can do right away, rapid point-of-care, and do it, then I think we're going to be closer [to lifting restrictions]," Fauci said.

     Let's make it April 2nd, OK?

That's optimistic.... 
Once you can identity the immunised, they could go back to work.
But what about the rest, would they remain voluntarily in quarantine till the epidemic dies down??
And if you use selftesting, you would need a 2nd test to verify the result.

Q

[Que]

That's optimistic.... 
Once you can identity the immunised, they could go back to work.
But what about the rest, would they remain voluntarily in quarantine till the epidemic dies down??
And if you use selftesting, you would need a 2nd test to verify the result.

Q

A different timeline from the UK:

Up to six months to see if measures have 'squashed' virus, says deputy chief medical officer

When asked whether the country would be on lockdown for the next six months, Harries said:

We actually anticipate our numbers will get worse over the next week, possibly two, and then we are looking to see whether we have managed to push that curve down and we start to see a decline.

This is not to say we would be in complete lockdown for six months, but as a nation we have to be really, really responsible and keep doing what we're all doing until we're sure we can gradually start lifting various interventions which are likely to be spaced – based on the science and our data – until we gradually come back to a normal way of living.

She said the government would review lockdown measures in three weeks' time. 

The issue of the three weeks is for us to review where we are and see if we've had an impact jointly on the slope of that curve. But I think to make it clear to the public if we are successful we will have squashed the top of that curve, which is brilliant, but we must not then suddenly revert to our normal way of living that would be quite dangerous.

If we stop then all of our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak. So over time, probably over the next six months, we will have a three-week review.

[drogulus]

This could be how zombies are created.

     I think David Chalmers did it.

That's optimistic.... 
Once you can identity the immunised, they could go back to work.
But what about the rest, would they remain voluntarily in quarantine till the epidemic dies down??
And if you use selftesting, you would need a 2nd test to verify the result.

Q

     It's point of care, with rapid results and more widely available soon. So, it's rationally optimistic.

[vandermolen]

I wish all of you the best... we can only hope that scientists and politicians come up with the best advices and hopefully... solutions, as soon as possible.

Stay safe!

From me too.

[Rinaldo]

On the bright side:

Had to check if those tweets were fake.. What a disgusting psychopath.

Fauci Estimates That 100,000 To 200,000 Americans Could Die From The Coronavirus

The nation's leading expert on infectious diseases and member of the White House's coronavirus task force says the pandemic could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans and infect millions.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said based on modeling of the current pace of the coronavirus' spread in the U.S., "between 100,000 and 200,000" people may die from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Yay, TV ratings!

[Kaga2]

Stay safe.

From me too.

Why? Are you a danger?

[Karl Henning]

Why? Are you a danger?

If you only knew, . . .

[Ratliff]

It's point of care, with rapid results and more widely available soon. So, it's rationally optimistic.

To a point. Mostly I read about manufacturers making a Covid-19 kit for their installed base machines, which involves either PCR or some sort of RNA hybridization assay.  Expanding the base of test machines won't be fast. Ultimately we need to test what, 200 million people?

[steve ridgway]

Do you have to stick to the paths on NT land or are you allowed to roam freely?

The National Trust charity own a load of historic houses and land like the estates around them, plus some beauty spots. It costs a fortune to maintain the buildings so they charge steeply for car parking, admission to the houses and gardens, and food and drink. A lot have public footpaths through the land which are free rights of way. In general it's possible to find somewhere to park for free further away than the vast majority would care to walk (probably about 1/4 mile) and wander about anywhere on the big estates apart from the buildings and gardens but some of the smaller places are entrance fee only.

Their website https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ now says " From end of Tuesday 24 March, we closed all our car parks to further restrict the spread of coronavirus. This followed the decision to close our parks and gardens in addition to our houses, shops and cafes". We'll try a path through a distant, quiet part of one of their properties today and do a walk from the same parking place in the opposite direction if they've blocked it off.

[Irons]

Thanks so much for the kind wishes about my daughter - which mean a lot to me. 
She said that she felt 'blocked up' today but was otherwise ok and last night she said that she felt better although I'm aware that the virus can appear to come and go. She said that she had all the symptoms other than a fever.

On a separate note I find the govt's resrictions on driving to a place of exercise both counter-productive and unnecessarily repressive. I'm far more likely to spread the virus to someone else or contract it by walking around the village for exercise than by getting into the car for a ten minute drive to a very large area of open space called Ashdown Forest (Christo has been to a nice pub there!) where I can walk for ages without seeing anyone or easily take steps to distance myself from other walkers, joggers or horse riders. I think this is as important for mental health as for physical health.

On a lighter note, a friend of mine phoned me yesterday (Saturday) afternoon and started the conversation by saying:

'I'm very sorry to interrupt you during the football results.'

I don't blame the Government, Jeffrey. I blame the selfish idiots who think it OK to drive to Brighton at the first sign of a summer's day. Yesterday the police broke up a bunch of lads playing football in a park! We have draconian laws for the minuscule few who flout them and we all suffer.

Trust your daughter is getting through this OK - the vast majority of youngsters do.   

[steve ridgway]

We'll try a path through a distant, quiet part of one of their properties today and do a walk from the same parking place in the opposite direction if they've blocked it off.

Fortunately the path through the woods was still open. We only had to step aside for 4 (separate) joggers in there. Then bought some food from a quiet shop on the way back.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

The National Trust charity own a load of historic houses and land like the estates around them, plus some beauty spots. It costs a fortune to maintain the buildings so they charge steeply for car parking, admission to the houses and gardens, and food and drink. A lot have public footpaths through the land which are free rights of way. In general it's possible to find somewhere to park for free further away than the vast majority would care to walk (probably about 1/4 mile) and wander about anywhere on the big estates apart from the buildings and gardens but some of the smaller places are entrance fee only.

Their website https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ now says " From end of Tuesday 24 March, we closed all our car parks to further restrict the spread of coronavirus. This followed the decision to close our parks and gardens in addition to our houses, shops and cafes". We'll try a path through a distant, quiet part of one of their properties today and do a walk from the same parking place in the opposite direction if they've blocked it off.

Thank you for the info.   

PD

[Karl Henning]

Thank you for the info.   

PD

How are you doing? PD?