coronavirus

[Damien]

Good news:

The NHS has struck a deal with private hospitals to acquire thousands of extra beds, ventilators and medical staff to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

An extra 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1,200 ventilators and almost 20,000 fully qualified staff will be available from next week.

The agreement will see the private sector reallocate almost its entire national hospital capacity to the NHS.

The extra resources will also help the NHS deliver other urgent treatments.

In London, this includes more than 2,000 hospital beds and more than 250 operating theatres and critical beds.

The additional staff includes 10,000 nurses, more than 700 doctors and more than 8,000 other clinical staff, who will be joining the health service to help manage an expected surge in cases, said NHS England.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51989183

[ckn]

A clip from one of England’s best GP practice areas on this. Good to watch if you don’t know what to look for in symptoms  

 

[LeeF]

1 hour ago, redjonn said:

well yes is my immediate thought.. then I think most of the shareholders will be pension funds of all types including private pension funds via whatever investment.

So whilst some individual like the Stelios its one matter but for future pensions of non public sector dividends has a massive impact on their future pensions.... so if all companies didn't pay those dividends we will, that is the government, be bailing out pension funds to a greater extent.....  

I understand what you are saying but this is one dividend out of how many.

Some companies have, quite correctly, cut their dividends (or will be doing) to preserve cash which is the key thing needed at the moment for most if not all businesses. 

To pay out the amount Easy Jet are proposing and then to virtually demand public funds to reimburse is out of order and completely the wrong thing to do imo.

Also when this all passes hopefully people will have long memories and companies who do the right thing will prosper whilst those that don’t may find it more difficult to win public support

[Robin Evans]

24 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

Owt he can do to sell stock? Our local are offering delivery takeout at £2 a pint, and have 3 x 9 gallon barrels at £50, delivered and tapped.... 

He's opening as a takeaway at weekends so far. Card only payments. No-one allowed in the shop. Social distancing respected

Business has been brisk this afternoon.

[ckn]

Each day I think we must be near the peak. Each day makes me more sad. And this is just Italy. 

 

[Damien]

1 minute ago, ckn said:

Each day I think we must be near the peak. Each day makes me more sad. And this is just Italy. 

 

Its just a bad cold though 

[Smudger06]

Critical condition unfortunately back up to 5% of current cases. 

Closed cases; 

Recovered 88%

Deaths 12% 

[Bleep1673]

Is food being diverted to London, Birmingham, Manchester Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh,  while lesser places are being starved of supplies?

[Bedford Roughyed]

For those in Rochdale, Oldham or Manchester area...

 

[Smudger06]

7 minutes ago, Bleep1673 said:

Is food being diverted to London, Birmingham, Manchester Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh,  while lesser places are being starved of supplies?

No.

Not intentionally at least. 

Companies will be resupplying based on the stock exhaustion levels & rates of purchase of their various retail locations. 

[Bleep1673]

That's why Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys etc have huge empty shelves in Hastings, but major cities are asked not to Panic buy.

[Trojan]

4 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

My lad has a tap micropub.

He closed his doors at 7pm last night. Some regulars were close to tears. He will write off about £500's worth of stock in the short term. Possibly much more if it keeps closed. Naturally he's cacking himself.

BUT, he believes it's the right thing to do. Small breweries like chantry that supply him are in the same boat. Knock that back to their suppliers like hop producers, yeast and sugar suppliers and it's a much wider band of business affected.

I'm emotionally torn. All the research.... all the evidence says isolate. It's the correct thing to do. But its heartbreaking to see the impact this is having on business. The stress. The uncertainty etc.

I just wonder if shutting everything down is the correct response. At the beginning of WWII the government shut down sport. theatres, the cinema, and then realised it was doing more harm than good. And the "it'll last twelve weeks" statement.  What is this based on?  Again at the start of WWI and WWII the belief was "it'll be over by Christmas"    It wasn't.  The flu epidemic immediately post WWI killed more people than the war, possibly partly because they were so worn down by the privations of the war.  I just think we should be asking these questions that's all.  

[Bleep1673]

Close 

[Trojan]

Just now, Bleep1673 said:

That's why Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys etc have huge empty shelves in Hastings, but major cities are asked not to Panic buy.

Lidl in Ossett yesterday was ok. There were gaps on the shelves, but there was still plenty of stuff available.

[fairfolly]

And yet by the crowds just seen on T.V. in Newcastle today nothing to be bothered about.I expect next week to bring the same rules as Spain and most of Europe. You must stay in your homes,one person only allowed out for emergency shopping only. All shops closing except supermarkets and Chemists.The armed forces on the streets. anybody caught ignoring the orders hit by massive fines. No walks in the Parks or the streets,only one person in the car.Once again huge fines for ignorant t**** who think they can do what they want and b******* to anybody else.

[fairfolly]

My son has just phoned me to say Sainsburys in Harrogate this morning was completely out of fresh meat and fruit and veg.Only tinned food was what nobody else wants. No eggs either.Also no Toilet Rolls.

He decided to go to York to see if he could get anything there. He was a bit more successful there but still short of the fresh produce he wanted.He never mentioned toilet rolls so I assume he managed to get some there.The problem he has that he works away from home,he lives outside of Harrogate and his wife does not drive.I actually forgot to tell him to try Ripon,there is a few supermarkets there.

[gingerjon]

17 minutes ago, Bleep1673 said:

That's why Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys etc have huge empty shelves in Hastings, but major cities are asked not to Panic buy.

Hastings Sainsbury’s was okay this morning. Not perfect but enough on the shelves to mean there was choice.

[gazza77]

9 minutes ago, fairfolly said:

My son has just phoned me to say Sainsburys in Harrogate this morning was completely out of fresh meat and fruit and veg.Only tinned food was what nobody else wants. No eggs either.Also no Toilet Rolls.

He decided to go to York to see if he could get anything there. He was a bit more successful there but still short of the fresh produce he wanted.He never mentioned toilet rolls so I assume he managed to get some there.The problem he has that he works away from home,he lives outside of Harrogate and his wife does not drive.I actually forgot to tell him to try Ripon,there is a few supermarkets there.

Have you suggested he tries local markets for fruit and veg? Might be worth a try. 

Edit: might be worth looking to local butchers for meat too. 

[gingerjon]

233 confirmed UK dead.

That's some cold.

[Padge]

8 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Hastings Sainsbury’s was okay this morning. Not perfect but enough on the shelves to mean there was choice.

Wigan was pretty good, a bit thin on tins, bread ok(ish), no eggs, lots of meat and veg but strangely no cauliflowers (cauliflower rice maybe?)

Beer seemed to have had a big hit but I am using a local pub and brewery who are shifting stock.

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Padge said:

Wigan was pretty good, a bit thin on tins, bread ok(ish), no eggs, lots of meat and veg but strangely no cauliflowers (cauliflower rice maybe?)

Beer seemed to have had a big hit but I am using a local pub and brewery who are shifting stock.

Yes, tins were ... mostly absent but if you weren't being fussy (or have a restricted diet) you could fill up for several meals.

That's the first time that's been true since we got back on Monday.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

Just been looking on the BBC news site 'Live Feed', not sure what to say about the picture of those queuing outside the Glasgow Costco....

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

5 minutes ago, Padge said:

Wigan was pretty good, a bit thin on tins, bread ok(ish), no eggs, lots of meat and veg but strangely no cauliflowers (cauliflower rice maybe?)

Beer seemed to have had a big hit but I am using a local pub and brewery who are shifting stock.

You can roast them and serve as you would a joint of meat. I've got one winter cauli left at the allotment so might give it a go if meat is still as hard to come by as hen's teeth round here when it heads up.

[Padge]

2 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Just been looking on the BBC news site 'Live Feed', not sure what to say about the picture of those queuing outside the Glasgow Costco....

We went to Costco this morning and abandoned it, the queue was enormous, what I think they were doing was restricting numbers inside the warehouse, so they had a one in one out policy running.

We'd gone to get some items we were struggling to get elsewhere but abandoned it as they were not that essential.

[Padge]

Just now, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

You can roast them and serve as you would a joint of meat. I've got one winter cauli left at the allotment so might give it a go if meat is still as hard to come by as hen's teeth round here when it heads up.

Meat wasn't a problem, chicken was low but available, local butcher is well stocked.