Needless to say there are still some clown car opinions by SAGE-advising scientists being put out in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...sage-committee
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In the short term, we face a trade-off. The longer the government keeps current restrictions in place, the faster we will drive down case numbers and be able to lift restrictions. There is still much room for improvement in the current lockdown.
Wait. The longer we keep restrictions in place, the faster we will be able to lift restrictions? I know that scientists can't write, but that's a concerning sentence.
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According to polling by the Trades Union Congress, one in five employees are going into workplaces unnecessarily when they could be working from home.
Well, yeah, I'm that one in five - but wait, are you saying that instead of easing restrictions we should be locking down harder?
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The consensus is that schools should be one of the first settings to have restrictions eased, but recent modelling suggests this will need to be done very carefully if the R value is not to be increased.
OK, let's hear more.
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One way of doing this would be repurposing unused spaces to create “Nightingale” schools where children are able to learn in a safe and socially distant way, reducing crowding in existing classrooms, and calling on former teachers who have left the profession to help.
:henn0rz:
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The UK will need the capacity to undertake widespread testing, assimilated into a functioning test, trace and isolate system.
Right, you've been saying this for a year. But how?
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This system should be based in local public health organisations and primary care, and coordinated by the NHS – which has had huge success in organising the vaccination programme.
OK, that's 'where' covered. But how?
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Doing this will mean diverting resources away from failed commercial contracts and towards local authorities and those with the expertise and trust to deliver a comprehensive system.
OK, assuming these people do indeed exist, HOW? Never mind, she clearly doesn't know. Still, at least we all share the same goal of being back to normal after the vaccines have taken effect, right?
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In the longer term, we should establish “green zones” – areas where the virus has been judged to be under control, where there is no danger of infection and thus no need for restrictions. We’ll need a new system for accrediting Covid-safe environments, from workplaces to schools, shops, hospitality and transport, as we do with hygiene ratings for restaurants. This will require robust guidance, support, regulations and inspections to ensure that all public spaces meet agreed safety standards, with publicly displayed certificates and a hotline for reporting breaches.
Oh.
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Finally, as the UK slowly recovers from Covid-19, one of politicians’ chief priorities should be to address the inequalities that helped the virus to spread.
Ah yes. The inequalities. Of course.