That's part of the problem - what may be OK in Little England may not be quite so OK in Scotland, or Wales, or Northern Ireland...
ION, I had an unsolicited ad (not Spam) in my email this morning for Facemasks. I checked it out, only to find that a single mask costs £17.95...
My osteopath mentioned the other day that the masks they're using cost 66p each, and even that is a hefty mark up from what they cost a few months ago...6p...
In these days when clear regulations (such as if you, or someone in your household, show symptoms then you should self-isolate and not leave home for any reason) are open to personal re-interpretation to suit your own needs then it's questionable whether the regulations mean anything at all. Either that, or the regulations are important and anyone who breaks them should be brought to task - especially someone in public office.
Which means some clarification never hurts.
The law is there in black and white, the only people who can further clarify it other than by revising it are in the courts.
Yes, I'd agree with that. I await the day that someone who was self-isolating yet considered it OK to break the rules by driving to his parents gets his day in court to argue that what he did was within the clearly defined rules.
In these days when clear regulations (such as if you, or someone in your household, show symptoms then you should self-isolate and not leave home for any reason) are open to personal re-interpretation to suit your own needs then it's questionable whether the regulations mean anything at all. Either that, or the regulations are important and anyone who breaks them should be brought to task - especially someone in public office.
Which means some clarification never hurts.
The law is there in black and white, the only people who can further clarify it other than by revising it are in the courts.
Yes, I'd agree with that. I await the day that someone who was self-isolating yet considered it OK to break the rules by driving to his parents gets his day in court to argue that what he did was within the clearly defined rules.
That's part of the problem - what may be OK in Little England may not be quite so OK in Scotland, or Wales, or Northern Ireland...
ION, I had an unsolicited ad (not Spam) in my email this morning for Facemasks. I checked it out, only to find that a single mask costs £17.95...
My osteopath mentioned the other day that the masks they're using cost 66p each, and even that is a hefty mark up from what they cost a few months ago...6p...
The Guardian had a lengthy article on this a few weeks ago. Face masks are made from a particular kind of plastic, and unsurprisingly demand for it has gone absolutely through the roof. It's the difficulty in sourcing the plastic that has led to the massive price jump.
If you're making the general masks for wearing out and about, quilting cotton costs around £3 a fat quarter, cheaper if you buy packs. It is mostly sold by the fat quarter. If I'm self-binding the mask to make the ties†, I can only get a couple of shaped masks out of a fat quarter*, without counting in my time, thread for sewing, electricity, wear and tear on the machine ... and that's before considering adding filters and/or metal ties to go around the nose.
The people who've been making a lot have struggled to make more than 10-20 in a day of sewing, and for the larger amount they've been following simpler patterns.
† and if I'm not making self-ties, then I need to buy ties or elastic;
* one if I'm making a bag to carry the masks and to put it in after wear - a fat quarter is a quarter of a yard of fabric, cut into quarters for quilting, usually 112cm/44" wide fabric, so the quarter arrives roughly square (22" x 18") I used three fat quarters to make four masks with fabric self-ties and two bags (one for clean, one for dirty masks).
I'm guessing those are the official masks (N-whatever) that medical folk have been so desperate to get? 'Cause there are lots of other kinds and grades of masks of various materials, and I don't just mean bandanas or other home-grown varieties.
The pandemic has brought on a global shortage of masks, which is really a global shortage of one particular plastic inside the masks – a type of non-woven polypropylene that acts as a filter. In casual conversation, people in the mask business call the plastic “meltblown”, referring to how its plastic filaments are made. Meltblown goes into many things: jackets, nappies, filters in water purifiers and air conditioners. Masks are in short supply not because they’re difficult to produce, but because the meltblown industry is used to stable, long-term demand. It churns out just enough for its customers and no more. To install an assembly line of meltblown takes many months, even at the calmest of times; with demand now soaring, some companies supplying meltblown equipment are quoting timelines of up to two years to even deliver a new machine.
We only had 4 cases in our county for weeks and weeks. As we have started opening up and people are traveling in and out of the area we now have 20. I can only guess it is going to keep going up. There is some anger about being required to wear a mask. I plan to try and just stay home.
I had a bit of a viral scare. I ticked most of the boxes for C-19, and a few novel items for good measure, like loss of balance and mental acuity. It got so bad so quickly that I registered online for the test. That was about 7.30pm Friday of the long weekend. At 8.45am Saturday I received a call from a doctor who did an assessment on the phone. She was sufficiently concerned that she assigned me my file number and told me to get to the hospital's C-19 centre then, that she was fast tracking me. I was in and out of the hospital in about 20 minutes. I received a call just after dinner Sunday with my result. I was rather impressed by their efficiency. It was negative for C-19, but whichever virus, it has certainly taken a bite out of my ass. I'm still not 100%. Once upon I time I would bounce back quickly from these things, but I still fatigue really easily, and my appetite still hasn't returned to its robust self.
Edit: I should add that this was an entirely free service.
Excitement reached a high pitch here today with a message from our peripatetic hairdresser that she feels OK to visit next Wednesday! She's been isolated at a cottage for the last month or so, and we are fairly isolated here, observing distancing within a social 'bubble'. Things are generally not tense and people are being careful, so if we do the right things when she visits, the risk level should be low.
Since my health dramas at New Year, I've had two cuts from my wife's hairdresser, one at home and one at her home-based salon. Now that restrictions are lifted here and we have no active cases in our neighbouring towns, I've been able to return to my long-patronised barber. Was a little concerned about distancing but it turned out I was the only one in a chair.
We’re a family of 4; I don’t work, my husband has worked from home since March 14th, my son has been off school since March the 23rd and my daughter hasn’t been to a playgroup etc since mid-March. I shop (alone) once or twice a week (was strictly once, but I relaxed things a couple of weeks ago). The children and I go for a walk every day, but nothing else.
School is re-opening for my son from the 8th June. I’m thrilled. I read the letter from the head teacher and I’m happy with the measures being put into place. I do feel I’m being judged by others (Some family, some friends etc - not all) for making this decision.
Similarly, we’ve agreed to visit one set of parents in their garden now that it’s allowed. We’re doing this before my son goes back to school to minimize infection risk. We will, obviously, keep distanced. Again, I feel seriously judged by all for doing this.
There is a lot of social judgement going on, which I tend to interpret as people's way of projecting their fears and somehow giving themselves an illusion of control in a frightening situation, where our awareness of our vulnerability to the actions of others has become very heightened. Panic is making people angry, rigid and illogical. I've seen on social media a lot of people posting pics in local groups of small groups of three or four people sitting together, to shame them, when for all anyone knows, they may be a family who lives together. People ranting that when they went for a walk, they saw lots of other people out for walks, and how terrible it is that all those people were so selfish - as if it's okay for them personally to go for a walk, but no one else can! And plenty of people calling the police over small groups, or neighbours who they've seen doing something which they think has broken a rule. And of course the police have been busy breaking up big groups in public spaces - they aren't going to investigate small groups when no one knows if they are a family or not. I do wonder about the longterm psychological impact of all this.
Indeed. A scarily unknown (as yet) aspect of The Plague Year.
I tend to look at groups on the pavement whilst I'm out (essential trip for shopping, Officer!), and like to give them the benefit of the doubt - many are, quite clearly, families, or households, or couples out for their daily walk...
BTW, does anyone else find the continuing dry, sunny weather a bit surreal? YMMV, of course, depending on which part of the British Federation you happen to live in, but down here in the bottom right-hand corner, it seems as though TPTB have turned the Earth to rotate the other way.
Instead of the formerly prevailing south-westerly wind, we now have a constant easterly/north-easterly breeze, with clear skies, and bright sunshine EVERY DAY. This is Not Like Wot England Is Used To, and I demand an explanation.
Not that I dislike the bright sunshine, though. Dries my socks nice and quick!
I met a member of the congregation it walking today. This was the first time she has ventured out of her sheltered housing for 10 weeks and she was very nervous and jumpy, and said she didn’t even feel she was able to walk in a straight line. I encouraged her to get out , if only briefly, every day, but was not surprised that 10 weeks of isolation has done this to her. There will be a lot of this.
I was talking (on the phone) to a member of our congregation yesterday, and she said much the same thing. She hasn't been out of the house for 10 weeks (though her husband has), and, although she is reasonably fit for 70+, is reluctant to even think about returning to church...
OTOH, another lady (80+, and our second-oldest member) is itching to get back! She had a very successful knee operation (not a replacement, but fairly complex) on Ash Wednesday, and she is walking well, with no pain, and her leg is much straighter than it was before the op (the straightening was a welcome, if unexpected, side effect).
Fortunately, she lives only a few streets from the church, though I have counselled her not to try to do too much just yet.
There is a lot of social judgement going on, which I tend to interpret as people's way of projecting their fears and somehow giving themselves an illusion of control in a frightening situation, where our awareness of our vulnerability to the actions of others has become very heightened. Panic is making people angry, rigid and illogical.
Many people, as you say, are well aware that the actions of others will determine how the virus continues to spread. If other people are sensible, the virus will be controlled faster, and they have a chance to get back to some semblance of normality faster. If other people are stupid, the timescale gets prolonged. They are aware that asymptomatic people spread the virus, and so consider the people that act in a risky way because they feel fine, or they think it's a lot of fuss about nothing and just a bit of 'flu, or they're young so they'll probably be OK, to be irredeemably selfish.
If you're in the middle of the Blitz, and you judge your neighbour for not having blackouts up, and perhaps turn him in to the authorities, I'd not call that seeking an illusion of control, nor being angry, rigid, or illogical. I'd call it a perfectly rational act in support of public safety. (To be fair, I'd tell my idiot neighbour he'd forgotten his blackouts first, because the odds are it's an oversight, and it's best if he just quietly fixes it.)
Blackouts might actually be a pretty good analogy here, because the benefits of blackouts as an anti-bomber precaution are somewhat debatable, and cooperating with the blackout was more about doing the right thing than its actual effectiveness.
I think it doesn't help people's views of the random strangers that they encounter that the press has been full of reports of "Covidiots" engaging in blatantly irresponsible actions (including but not limited to Mr. Cummings, morons who think that the requirement to wear a mask is an assault on their civil liberties, but that it's completely fine to require people to wear shirts and pants, etc.). This sets people up to assume that anyone they meet is the sort of irresponsible idiot they see in the press.
For what it's worth, my observations to date are that the vast majority of people around me are being sensible. Now the weather has turned nice, I see plenty of people outside, but they're all keeping their distance from other people.
@Leorning Cniht - You seem to have misunderstood my post. I'm not suggesting people shouldn't be calling the police or being angry about genuine breaking of the rules. Maybe reread my post.
As I live alone I have had to go out for grocery shopping and to pick up medications etc. On the first day allowed I went into town on the bus, but a couple of weeks later I recognise I 'm not as relaxed in town and suddenly I will think "I need to go home now even if I haven't done what I had intended. I also panicked a bit when an old bloke sneezed behind me in the bus and wanted to yell at him (I didn't).
I've decided I need to be kinder, to other people and to myself. We are all in this together and most of us are doing the best we can. (Just caught myself sounding like my late mother. I used to hate it as a teenager when she said things like that).
I had to go for a blood test today, line up outside, have your temperature taken, go in sit 6ish feet apart, wear a mask. Interesting note, always before people in the waiting area for tests did not talk to each other, most were on cell phones. This time everyone was wanting to engage each other in conversation. As a new person entered the waiting area they were at once included in the conversation. I guess we are all hungry to interact with others.
I reckon you're right, especially for people living alone who've maybe had very little contact with anyone for a while.
Because the restrictions have been lifted here a bit, we took advantage of the glorious weather, and had (suitably-distanced) visits in the garden from several of the family (with dogs, who cheerfully ignored any rules).
Have any of you caught up with the ISO comedy of The Pin? They are a comedy duo from the UK. I don't recognise them, but British shipmates may know more about it. Here is a short relaxation exercise.
Our small town had a 3 hour protest organized by a local high school student. I decided not to attend as I was very sure that not all would be wearing masks or keeping 6 feet apart. I later saw pictures posted on Facebook and I was correct. So instead I went to town and took some flowers to a small family run local business who have been expressing worry about people coming from out of the area to loot. I felt that would be a more positive act for me personally then standing with 50 or so people on a street corner in a small town with a Sheriff who is appalled by what happened.
Our small town had a 3 hour protest organized by a local high school student. I decided not to attend as I was very sure that not all would be wearing masks or keeping 6 feet apart. I later saw pictures posted on Facebook and I was correct. So instead I went to town and took some flowers to a small family run local business who have been expressing worry about people coming from out of the area to loot. I felt that would be a more positive act for me personally then standing with 50 or so people on a street corner in a small town with a Sheriff who is appalled by what happened.
I notice most of the people demonstrating are young. I very much hope the demos don’t lead to a new spike. It’s the last thing anyone needs.
We are going to Germany for the whole of July. Things are much easier there just now. We have medical grade masks we can wear for the flight, and alcohol hand gel.
The quarantine on return doesn’t worry us - we’ll employ a dog walker for Tatze for the two weeks and exercise ourselves in the garden. Most of our shopping is online anyway.
Our recycling centres partially reopened on Monday, for garden waste, general waste and electrical items only. Slots have to be booked in advance. I've just got back from getting rid of half of our garden waste. The whole process was extremely efficiently run. I now have to wait 7 days before I can get another slot to get rid of the remainder of our garden rubbish. By then, hopefully, they'll be accepting glass and cardboard too, so that I can get rid of that the week after.
Our partial reopening has been for general waste and cardboard (ie: pointless as these can already go in kerbside bins, and the bin collection schedule has been running as normal), and garden waste which is needed as that won't go in any of our kerbside bins (though, a lot of people could have been getting home composting going ... which is OK until you get a lot of grass cuttings or trim the hedge). What we need is for the dump to take things we can't put in our regular bins - small electrical items, white goods, wood/laminate, etc.
My sister had a garageful of assorted cardboard boxes (too big to go in the kerb-side bin); my nephew brought his kids round at the weekend, and S. got them to break up the boxes in the garden (which they thoroughly enjoyed), and we packed the bits up inside the biggest box, ready to take to the recycling place once it's a bit less busy (I understand that now they're allowed to open, they're taking bookings for people to leave recycling to avoid crowding).
The kerb-side collection never stopped here (apart from glass, which was stopped for a couple of weeks but has started again).
It's three weeks since I tested negative for C-19. I'm starting to think that it was a false negative. I fatigue so easily, and my concentration isn't what it should be. At least I have my balance and breath back.
It's three weeks since I tested negative for C-19. I'm starting to think that it was a false negative. I fatigue so easily, and my concentration isn't what it should be. At least I have my balance and breath back.
One of these days you might get an antibody test to be sure. I hope you feel better soon.
The following thought occurred to me the other day and this website is probably the only place anybody might appreciate it:
* Downside of being raised by conservative evangelical Christians - you don't get to watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a teen in the 1990s when all your peers are watching it
* Upside of being raised by conservative evangelical Christians - when you have to stay at home all the time in your 30s because of a pandemic, and your boyfriend is enjoying re-watching Buffy, it is enjoyably new to you and the two of you can watch it together - we've still got 5 1/2 seasons of it to go. I might suggest we move on to the X-files after that (another programme I heard much about as a teenager but have never actually watched).
FWIW, there is Christian-related material in Buffy, though it isn't necessarily labeled. I won't say further; but if you *want* to know some possible spoilers, feel free to PM me.
If you get around to X-Files, I suggest also eventually watching the two mini-series sequels that came out in the last several years.
Ah, Buffy! One of my favorite shows ever. I watched the first few seasons, plus “Hush” (S4E10) and “Once More, With Feeling” (S6E7), pre-COVID, while I was home for recuperation from surgery.
The following thought occurred to me the other day and this website is probably the only place anybody might appreciate it:
* Downside of being raised by conservative evangelical Christians - you don't get to watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a teen in the 1990s when all your peers are watching it
* Upside of being raised by conservative evangelical Christians - when you have to stay at home all the time in your 30s because of a pandemic, and your boyfriend is enjoying re-watching Buffy, it is enjoyably new to you and the two of you can watch it together - we've still got 5 1/2 seasons of it to go. I might suggest we move on to the X-files after that (another programme I heard much about as a teenager but have never actually watched).
We're being told this morning that the timeframe for lifting of all restrictions is June 2021. It's when they anticipate probable vaccines. Vaccines in plural. Because of the hundred of so teams in the world working on them and the several dozen testing right now, it is likely that some won't be safe, some won't work, and the actual released vaccine for general use will contain 3 to 5 different contributions. The few hopeful news stories about one team here are there don't actually tell the story.
Watching the first episode of Buffy again (despite owning the DVDs) I was reminded that being the same age as Sarah Michelle Gellar, I was a teenager the first time around, and am now a couple of years off Buffy's mother
I spent considerable time trying to access All4 before finding out when it was on E4. One of the missed episodes was "Once More with Feeling" mentioned above, so I shall be looking out for it.
I don't think they finished Angel well, and as for what happened to Cordelia, it was irritating.
Heard from our travel insurance company yesterday that they are adding three extra months for this year's premium because nobody is travelling, or at least, they won't cover them if they do. For us, that means we can't get to the family in Scotland or even New York, which is just down the road from here.
O rats. Can't you get some sort of 'local' policy to allow you at least to get to NY?
It seems that we can't - it's still a plague zone as far as the insurance company is concerned. If there's an emergency I think we can cross the border (my wife can - not sure about me), but without insurance and 14 days self-quarantine when we return.
Comments
If @North East Quine wants to make sure of her position, then checking it with officialdom (no pun intended) seems like a sensible idea.
ION, I had an unsolicited ad (not Spam) in my email this morning for Facemasks. I checked it out, only to find that a single mask costs £17.95...
My osteopath mentioned the other day that the masks they're using cost 66p each, and even that is a hefty mark up from what they cost a few months ago...6p...
Absolutely this!
The Guardian had a lengthy article on this a few weeks ago. Face masks are made from a particular kind of plastic, and unsurprisingly demand for it has gone absolutely through the roof. It's the difficulty in sourcing the plastic that has led to the massive price jump.
The people who've been making a lot have struggled to make more than 10-20 in a day of sewing, and for the larger amount they've been following simpler patterns.
† and if I'm not making self-ties, then I need to buy ties or elastic;
* one if I'm making a bag to carry the masks and to put it in after wear - a fat quarter is a quarter of a yard of fabric, cut into quarters for quilting, usually 112cm/44" wide fabric, so the quarter arrives roughly square (22" x 18") I used three fat quarters to make four masks with fabric self-ties and two bags (one for clean, one for dirty masks).
I'm guessing those are the official masks (N-whatever) that medical folk have been so desperate to get? 'Cause there are lots of other kinds and grades of masks of various materials, and I don't just mean bandanas or other home-grown varieties.
Wishing her, her flatmates and the NE Man all the best, whichever way they resolve things!
Edit: I should add that this was an entirely free service.
We’re a family of 4; I don’t work, my husband has worked from home since March 14th, my son has been off school since March the 23rd and my daughter hasn’t been to a playgroup etc since mid-March. I shop (alone) once or twice a week (was strictly once, but I relaxed things a couple of weeks ago). The children and I go for a walk every day, but nothing else.
School is re-opening for my son from the 8th June. I’m thrilled. I read the letter from the head teacher and I’m happy with the measures being put into place. I do feel I’m being judged by others (Some family, some friends etc - not all) for making this decision.
Similarly, we’ve agreed to visit one set of parents in their garden now that it’s allowed. We’re doing this before my son goes back to school to minimize infection risk. We will, obviously, keep distanced. Again, I feel seriously judged by all for doing this.
I tend to look at groups on the pavement whilst I'm out (essential trip for shopping, Officer!), and like to give them the benefit of the doubt - many are, quite clearly, families, or households, or couples out for their daily walk...
BTW, does anyone else find the continuing dry, sunny weather a bit surreal? YMMV, of course, depending on which part of the British Federation you happen to live in, but down here in the bottom right-hand corner, it seems as though TPTB have turned the Earth to rotate the other way.
Instead of the formerly prevailing south-westerly wind, we now have a constant easterly/north-easterly breeze, with clear skies, and bright sunshine EVERY DAY. This is Not Like Wot England Is Used To, and I demand an explanation.
Not that I dislike the bright sunshine, though. Dries my socks nice and quick!
I was talking (on the phone) to a member of our congregation yesterday, and she said much the same thing. She hasn't been out of the house for 10 weeks (though her husband has), and, although she is reasonably fit for 70+, is reluctant to even think about returning to church...
OTOH, another lady (80+, and our second-oldest member) is itching to get back! She had a very successful knee operation (not a replacement, but fairly complex) on Ash Wednesday, and she is walking well, with no pain, and her leg is much straighter than it was before the op (the straightening was a welcome, if unexpected, side effect).
Fortunately, she lives only a few streets from the church, though I have counselled her not to try to do too much just yet.
It takes all sorts...
Many people, as you say, are well aware that the actions of others will determine how the virus continues to spread. If other people are sensible, the virus will be controlled faster, and they have a chance to get back to some semblance of normality faster. If other people are stupid, the timescale gets prolonged. They are aware that asymptomatic people spread the virus, and so consider the people that act in a risky way because they feel fine, or they think it's a lot of fuss about nothing and just a bit of 'flu, or they're young so they'll probably be OK, to be irredeemably selfish.
If you're in the middle of the Blitz, and you judge your neighbour for not having blackouts up, and perhaps turn him in to the authorities, I'd not call that seeking an illusion of control, nor being angry, rigid, or illogical. I'd call it a perfectly rational act in support of public safety. (To be fair, I'd tell my idiot neighbour he'd forgotten his blackouts first, because the odds are it's an oversight, and it's best if he just quietly fixes it.)
Blackouts might actually be a pretty good analogy here, because the benefits of blackouts as an anti-bomber precaution are somewhat debatable, and cooperating with the blackout was more about doing the right thing than its actual effectiveness.
I think it doesn't help people's views of the random strangers that they encounter that the press has been full of reports of "Covidiots" engaging in blatantly irresponsible actions (including but not limited to Mr. Cummings, morons who think that the requirement to wear a mask is an assault on their civil liberties, but that it's completely fine to require people to wear shirts and pants, etc.). This sets people up to assume that anyone they meet is the sort of irresponsible idiot they see in the press.
For what it's worth, my observations to date are that the vast majority of people around me are being sensible. Now the weather has turned nice, I see plenty of people outside, but they're all keeping their distance from other people.
I've decided I need to be kinder, to other people and to myself. We are all in this together and most of us are doing the best we can. (Just caught myself sounding like my late mother. I used to hate it as a teenager when she said things like that).
Because the restrictions have been lifted here a bit, we took advantage of the glorious weather, and had (suitably-distanced) visits in the garden from several of the family (with dogs, who cheerfully ignored any rules).
A lovely gesture, @Graven Image!
I notice most of the people demonstrating are young. I very much hope the demos don’t lead to a new spike. It’s the last thing anyone needs.
We are going to Germany for the whole of July. Things are much easier there just now. We have medical grade masks we can wear for the flight, and alcohol hand gel.
The quarantine on return doesn’t worry us - we’ll employ a dog walker for Tatze for the two weeks and exercise ourselves in the garden. Most of our shopping is online anyway.
The kerb-side collection never stopped here (apart from glass, which was stopped for a couple of weeks but has started again).
One of these days you might get an antibody test to be sure. I hope you feel better soon.
* Downside of being raised by conservative evangelical Christians - you don't get to watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a teen in the 1990s when all your peers are watching it
* Upside of being raised by conservative evangelical Christians - when you have to stay at home all the time in your 30s because of a pandemic, and your boyfriend is enjoying re-watching Buffy, it is enjoyably new to you and the two of you can watch it together - we've still got 5 1/2 seasons of it to go. I might suggest we move on to the X-files after that (another programme I heard much about as a teenager but have never actually watched).
FWIW, there is Christian-related material in Buffy, though it isn't necessarily labeled. I won't say further; but if you *want* to know some possible spoilers, feel free to PM me.
If you get around to X-Files, I suggest also eventually watching the two mini-series sequels that came out in the last several years.
Enjoy Zoe!
Then there's always Angel, the spin-off...
This made me sad.
I don't think they finished Angel well, and as for what happened to Cordelia, it was irritating.
It seems that we can't - it's still a plague zone as far as the insurance company is concerned. If there's an emergency I think we can cross the border (my wife can - not sure about me), but without insurance and 14 days self-quarantine when we return.