Coronavirus Pandemic

[Niall_Quinn]

He's just saying what he thinks - people on here do that all the time, don't they?

People on here are private citizens sounding off on a forum to a limited and voluntary audience. He's responsible for a school and all the kids in it and he has a captive audience of parents. Plainly he's a very poorly informed individual in terms of this virus. He should get educated before he speaks. But he's right about the social distancing. It's not possible. Which is fine, because it's not needed. On the contrary, get that virus spread among as many kids as possible, as quickly as possible. If it even spreads among kids. Kids who have any pre-existing conditions, stay home. Kids from families with a family member having potentially susceptible medical conditions, stay at home. The risk is then reduced to around the same level as falling over in the playground and breaking your neck. It was fine shutting down schools when we had no hard data. Now we have the data "the science" says we should get back to normal. If we let fear dictate and we all stay hiding at home then nothing will ever be opened and eventually everybody will be at serious risk.

This guy should be fired for speaking from a position of privilege without knowing the facts. Of course parents supported him, although I bet many didn't. Most parents don't want bad shit to happen to their kids and if the local headmaster is shouting we're all going to die then of course they want Dick and Dora to stay home forever.

[Letters]

Yeah, basically what NQ said.
He has a public platform and he has used it to spout fear-mongering nonsense.
Your kids are not going to die if they go to school. Unless they have some underlying health conditions in which case as NQ said, they can stay home. The mortality rate for this thing is basically 0 for healthy under 18s.
I saw some data from NY, there were 3 deaths of under 18s all of whom had underlying health issues.
It's impossible to socially distance at school but luckily you don't need to.

People shouldn't dismiss this thing, it's clearly serious, spreads quickly and for certain age groups is significantly more deadly than seasonal flu, but for healthy people under 50, maybe even 60, there is pretty low risk. And definitely for kids. He has a right to an opinion but he's just adding to the fear and hand-wringing we could do without.

[Letters]

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...n-spain-march/

Some data from Spain. Annoyingly it doesn't seem to be split between "healthy" and people with "underlying health conditions" but even 50-59 it's 1.4%, I'm going to guess that for under 60s it's overwhelmingly people with such conditions who are dying.

So can I go out to play now?

[Letters]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...its-data-shows

[GP]

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...n-spain-march/

Some data from Spain. Annoyingly it doesn't seem to be split between "healthy" and people with "underlying health conditions" but even 50-59 it's 1.4%, I'm going to guess that for under 60s it's overwhelmingly people with such conditions who are dying.

So can I go out to play now?

You weren't in lockdown for your safety, numbnuts.

[Niall_Quinn]

You weren't in lockdown for your safety, numbnuts.

He was in lockdown to flatten the curve. Curve flattened.

Why is he in lockdown now?

[LDG]

Pour that furlough cash into protecting the vulnerable and let the rest of us rip it up.

It’s a fucking nonsense.

[Letters]

You weren't in lockdown for your safety, numbnuts.

Fine. But why am I still in lockdown? Why can't I see my friends? They've been isolated, we've been isolated, we're all well.
Why can't they come and see us? We don't have underlying health conditions, we aren't in an age range which puts us at risk.
Even if I buy the idea that they needed to do this - and I sort of do - as NQ says the curve has been flattened, the data shows that while this thing is very dangerous for old and/or ill people, for young(ish) healthy people it isn't.

So can I go out to play now? Shield the vulnerable, let the rest of us go out.

[Niall_Quinn]

Pour that furlough cash into protecting the vulnerable and let the rest of us rip it up.

It’s a fucking nonsense.

Agreed. Open the fucking pubs!

[Niall_Quinn]

What happened to Operation Shield btw? Or did I imagine it?

Wasn't there going to be a huge, coordinated effort to get food and medicines to vulnerable people, who were supposed to be totally isolated for the duration? We're still doing that ourselves on our street. Not a sign of any huge operation coming around to help. Maybe they got lost. Maybe we need Operation Map.