Coronavirus My Thoughts 22nd March 2020

[Dave]

Thursday 9th April 2020


I find it almost impossible to watch so many moving stories on the TV all connected to this killer virus and not end up with tears running down my face. I know it will be the same for most of you reading this, we are human and feel others pain and sadness.

But there must be a group of people who either do not watch the news on the TV, or are so heartless that even if they did, it would have no effect on them. I am talking about the selfish people who still think it is just fine to pop down to the beach and have a BBQ. Or meet up with friends in the local park when they know dam well they should not be doing that.

Today the Paignton police following up on information went to Hollicombe Beach and found a number of groups of people there. Some were sunbathing while others were having a BBQ. They were all spoken to and told to leave the beach, but one male ended up being mouthy to the police.

The question being asked by Paignton people to the police was why were these people not given fines, they along with everyone else are well aware of the rules we have to live under for now. Sometime later following fresh information the police went to Fairy Cove which is just behind Paignton harbour. Who was there? More groups and the man they had moved off Hollicombe Beach earlier.

On this occasion he was issued with a fine but he was the only one and if we are not going to see all the beaches and coves filled this weekend, the police really need to be seen taking far more action. A word in the ear clearly is not working and to be honest is the fine really much of a real deterrent when it is as small as it is?

I know some may not want to see the army on our streets, but it is not fair to all the people who are staying at home, missing all their family and friends when others just feel they can go out when and where they want. This lockdown is not going to end for sometime yet, it is no good trying to pretend it will, but it will end up longer than it might have done if people do not follow the rules.

I belong to the Grey Arrows Drone Club; it is made up of fellow members in the UK who take their hobby very seriously. Nearly every member has felt that we should not be out flying our drones due to the current situation. Something I fully agree with as we do not want to give our hobby anymore of a bad name which most of us feel should not be the case anyway.

I did until this morning also belong to five different facebook groups that were all drone groups that had DJI in their title. DJI being the manufacture of the drone I own. I have been disgusted with the number of new drone videos that had been added to those groups, all done here in the UK and all since the lockdown.

As soon as anyone made a post asking should they really be flying right now, that person was subjected to some of the worse online abuse I have ever witnessed. Posted probably by people with the very same attitudes of those who are going to our beaches right now to have a BBQ.

I left all those groups this morning and will just stick using a forum made-up of real enthusiasts that mostly share my values and morals. I think it is just more of a facebook thing to be honest, some of the comments you can read in a number of different groups makes me despair for mankind.

While I have come to accept it is likely something will make me cry everyday right now, I also know there will be plenty of laughter as well. There so many very funny images that get put up on facebook and one thing we must not be afraid of as we go through this is having a good laugh.

Humour as long as it is in good taste, is something we should embrace, but we must never lose sight of all the danger around us and do our best no only to keep ourselves safe, but everyone else as well.

I braved walking up to Asda today, it is only a short distance from my home, everyone following the rules and keeping the correct distance from each other. But I could never get used to people who live here in Paignton with me, keeping their distance due to fear.

That is the way it has to be for now, but we can’t let it be the way we would always have to live, together by our actions and thoughts for others we will beat this and become again the humans we once were.

Happy Easter everyone, I got loads of chocolate in I hope you have as well.

Stay Safe, Stay Indoors, it won’t be forever.

[Dave]

Good Friday 10th April 2020

In my update yesterday I did not include the UK death total which was 881, a bit lower then the 936 on Wednesday. On a day when our beaches would normally be packed along with all our tourist attractions, we have recorded the highest death total to date, a scary 980 lost to this killer virus.

I have got fed up with the people who keep saying more people normally die from flu, or people have not died from the virus just happened to have had it. Maybe early on is was just older people with underlining heath conditions who were dieing, but recently we have seen a number of fit healthy younger people dieing from it.

I have said it before and I will say it again, we are not being told the whole story and why has there been talk about an exit strategy? Why when we learn today two further Nightingale Hospitals are going to be created, one in Sunderland and one in Exeter. Yes the government wants to end any lockdown as soon as it can; the economy will suffer the longer it goes on. But surly life must come first and keeping as many British people alive is far more important than when the pub or cafe etc can open again.

I do not want to see a situation where the government try to kick start the economy far too early with the result we will still be in real danger every time we leave our home. A second wave of this virus could wipe out even more people, we need to deal with this wave fully and clear it from our country.

Far too many arguments still taking place on social media sites, people often being attacked for trying to do the right thing and report anything they think is breaking the rules. Some even try to put up very weak excuses why it should be alright for some to break the rules, I wonder if such posts are from those very people themselves.

It does seem on the whole more people in the Bay have played their part today, but there has been reports that places like St Mary’s Bay have been packed today, I can not confirm if that was the case or not, but beaches like that would be far harder for the police to monitor due to its location.

I saw a number of pictures taken today of an empty M5 motorway and both the A38 and the A30, well once again the road outside my house has been very busy again today. But I do have all the main food outlets up the road from me and it will be interesting to see if the numbers drop considerably on Sunday when they will all be closed.

I know it is hard for people to stay in, before all this I was out seven days a week, six normally working and Sunday off out doing one of my walks and photo shoots. I find it is getting harder to remember what day of the week it is, it seems like a Sunday everyday now, only one I can no longer do the things I really want to be doing.

The man who hates gardening has cut the grass twice in a week, spent so much time cleaning areas that I cleaned only a few days before, but it is best to try and keep busy at least for some part of the day. I like you have had to learn to adapt to the changes we have had to make, but keep the faith it won’t be like this for ever.

Many more people out clapping where I live last night at 8pm for our nurses and all the other key workers, they have proved to be the real heroes and most important people in our lives right now, I hope they do not get forgotten when this is all over.

I consider myself lucky that I am a very strong and positive person, it helps me cope well with this situation, but there are people I know close to me who are now really struggling. Positive hopeful words are not enough for them, the only thing that can help them is for this nightmare to end, and that is why we must all play our part. They may be lucky and not catch the virus, but unrepairable damage might still occur.

There is always a beginning and always an end; we are today another day closer to the end, stay at home, stay safe and enjoy the rest of Easter.

I do not think this is going to work

[Dave]

Easter Monday 13th April 2020


I have decided not to update this thread every single day in fear of it ending up with so many posts on it. I will first just give the figures on lives sadly lost over the last three days. Saturday the total was 917, Sunday 737 and today 717. It should be noted not all deaths get counted over the weekends and the figures are only the deaths that have happened in hospitals.

What wonderful bank holiday weather we have been enjoying and how sad we are closed here to all visitors and holiday makers. You have to feel for every single business that has had to close, but many seaside town business only trade from Easter to the end of the summer and with weather like this, would have had a bumper weekend.

We have heard some stories of people who came here when they knew they were not welcome; a family drove down in the middle of the night from London to come and fish in Torquay. They were fined and escorted back out of Devon. We learned of a few others as well, but make no mistake; there are many people in Devon and Cornwall right now who slipped through the very skimpy net.

I have been reading an increasing number of posts on local facebook pages were people saying that due to the low numbers of cases and deaths in Torbay, we are not in very much danger here. What they fail to understand is if people do not follow the rules, go where ever they want, we will see numbers rising and then we really might be in much bigger trouble.

I have never spend so much time sitting in the garden, but one thing that has happened is I have far more thinking time than I have had all of my life. I have heard it said and you would have too, that just before someone passes away, their whole life flashes before their eyes.

Now I am not going to know if that is true or not until my time comes to an end, but I did think it that was really the case it could only be the highlights. The things that are stuck in our minds because it was an important event, or just something we would never be able to forget.

I have always thought that our brain has every single day we have lived stored away in there somewhere, it just needs to find the right key to unlock it. When we do look back there will always be many happy memories we can relive, but also sad ones and others where we did something we might regret, but could have learned from.

So where do we go from here, well the lockdown is not going to be lifted for a while now and I still feel there are some thing’s that need enforcing better. Take Easter Sunday as an example, all the supermarkets up the road from me closed, so why so many cars were still driving around. Most had two or more people in them and some with children as well, just where were they all going?

We must only start reducing the lockdown when we have got or are well on the way to getting on top of this killer virus. We must stop sending our care homes old people from the hospitals that have not bee tested for the virus. Care England believes at least 1000 people have died in care homes around the UK from the virus. They also state they believe the virus is now in 50% of all care homes, how has that happened and why?

I have kept busy today; I fully serviced my Carrera Crossfire 2 hybrid cycle that I have not ridden for over a year now, but plan to change that very soon when I get up enough courage to go out and ride it. Only problem is far too many hills around here and that is something not really suited to someone my age who is carrying more pounds that he should be.

Easter is now over for this year, we can only look forward to Easter 2021 and hope the weather then is as good has it has been this weekend. We are as I keep saying one more day closer to getting our normal lives back, well it might not be the same, but we will make the best of it.

I can not let this day pass without wishing happy birthday to someone I have known since he was 15 years old, he is 38 today. I first met him way back in 1997. He weighs in at a hefty 190 kilos ( nearly 30 stone - and that weight is pretty much all muscle.

I am talking about Pertinax a male Western lowland gorilla that arrived at Paignton Zoo with his brother. They had big fights every day to be the king, but in the end had to be spit up to prevent one of them killing the other. His brother was sent to Bristol zoo and I did go up a few years later to see him. But when I got there I found he had died from an illness they did not know he had.

Pertinax became the king of the gorillas at our zoo, but sadly due mainly to old age was deposed as the boss in 2018 by the three teenagers in the group and was moved into retirement. And kept separated from the other younger gorillas.

But he was and always will be mine and so many others favourite gorilla at the zoo, He is at a good age now, I just hope he hangs on until we can all go and see him again.

Happy Birthday Pertinax

Picture from the Paington Zoo Facebook Page opening his presents

Stay Safe, Stay At Home

[Dave]

Thursday 16th April 2020

I will put up the figures for the last three days first, but won’t dwell on them too much; I just want to post them so anyone reading this thread in years to come will have some idea of how the figures were going up or down.

Tuesday 14th April Deaths 778, new cases 5252 total UK hospital deaths 12.107

Wednesday 15th April Deaths 761, new cases 4603 Total UK deaths 12.868

Thursday 16th April Deaths 861, new cases 4617, Total UK deaths 13.729

We now know the UK lockdown will continue for a further three weeks at least, I think most people will be happy with that news as we are not in a position to really even start thinking about relaxing the restrictions. There will be some who may even feel some thing’s could have been even tightened further due to some still not following the rules, plus many cars being damaged in the Bay over night by mindless vandals.

There has also been a huge amount of graffiti appearing everywhere and a large increase in fly tipping. While many of us are unable to go out and enjoy our wonderful Bay, others are not only defacing it, but creating areas full of unsightly rubbish

I know it is so very hard right now, in the first few weeks of the lockdown I kept myself very busy, but this last week it has been hard to motivate myself into doing anything, Like many of you my world has become such a very small place, well the size of my garden really and one walk up the road to Asda once a week.

I know I have to change that and I will, but it has meant I have spent a lot more time on line reading so many reports about the virus from the UK and other countries. The way I have always worked in my life was first sort the problem and then when I am able to, go back and take a look at how it became a problem and what action I could take to prevent it happening again.

That can’t be done this time and I have looked at many of the reasons that have been put forward to how this all began. But the problem I have is while most of them were all very possible, none can really be proven and in the end the truth will always be what any given person wants to believe.

The time will come for the UK and the rest of the world to look closely where any blame lies, but for now it has to be all hands to the pump to find a vaccine while trying to keep the death totals as low as possible. I think the message from our government was clear enough today, “We can't have business as usual with China after this”

I fully agree with everything the government is doing right now, but I do get rather angry with our press for the stupid questions they often ask at the daily briefings. Trying to ask questions even they know there is no answer too right now, asking the government to say sorry for this or that.

Once again there will come a time when some of those questions will need to be answered, many around the way this was handled in the early stages. But we can’t go back and change anything that was done then, only look to what is being done now.

We have to be honest and except life is not going to be normal for all us for at least a year and maybe even longer, but if that is what it takes, then so be it. So much for all those who said it was no worse than a normal winter flu.


We have now seen so many heartbreaking news stories of those who have lost their lives to this killer virus, how do you stop any tears running down your face. I find it impossible and I always think to myself I hope those who are still not following the rules are watching what I am watching. If they were then how could they not change their ways which would help save others and maybe even them into the bargain.

But for every heartbreaking story we hear, there will be ones that make us feel proud, people doing all they can to help others in anyway they can. People putting themselves at risk to try and help others come out the other side. People trying to raise money not only for the NHS, but other organisations and charities etc.

One man has won the hearts of our nation is Captain Tom Moore who is 99 years old and will be 100 years old on the 30th April. We decided to walk 100 laps of his garden in the hope of raising £1.000 for the NHS. At the time of writing this the total he has now raised stands at a staggering fifteen million pounds and rising. He has now said as long as the money keeps coming in he will keep walking.

He had a guard of honour from members of his former regiment as he completed the 100 lap this morning. Also members of the NHS, fire service, ambulance service and others stood outside his garden and clapped for him.

One man who has lifted all our spirits, one man we can all learn so much from, people in 53 counties around the world fell in love with Tom and the efforts he went too, they were happy to support him and pledge money.

Stay Safe Please Stay Indoors, Slowly But Surely We Are Winning

[Dave]

Saturday 18th April 2020

Friday UK Deaths 847 new cases 5599 Total UK deaths 14576

Saturday UK deaths 888 new cases 5526 Total UK deaths 15464

It was not that many weeks ago when the government said if the UK death total could be kept below 20000 it would be a success. That to me seemed a frightening high total and one I believed was a far higher total then we would ever reach.

If what Care England believe is true that up to 7500 people have already died in UK care homes from this virus, then we have already passed the 20000 make. We are now fast catching up with Spain, France and Italy and may well end up overtaking them.

After further reading this morning on the possible origins of this virus, I am no closer to knowing what I believe and have decided for now at least to stop reading such articles. The blame game is no longer important to me, only how we finally get out of this mess.

We have far bigger questions we need to be asking here in the UK, such as was enough done in the very beginning when the first case was identified in our country. Why are our hospitals not getting all the PPE they desperately need to keep frontline health staff safe? We keep hearing how things are all in hand, but that is clearly not the case.

But are we really surprised? In the past our armed forces have been sent into battle fields without the correct equipment to protect themselves. Why are the people who are asked to put their own lives on the line, so badly let down. It has to change and as soon as possible or we will find frontline workers ending up deciding the risks to their own heath have become far to high for them to continue in their chosen roles.

Where would we be then? The very thing the government is trying to protect by asking us all to stay at home the NHS, no longer able to function and cope with this outbreak. The thought of that happening is nearly as scary as catching the virus in the first place and if it did far more people would sadly lose their lives.

One question I keep asking is why when Germany has over 30.000 more cases than the UK, their death total is only 4.303 compared to ours at 15.464, what are they doing that we are not? Maybe as we keep being told testing is the answer, well up until yesterday the UK had carried out 460,437 tests, while Germany had carried out 1,728,357 tests.

Over 60 planes a day are still landing at Heathrow and planes also at other UK airports. Planes from Spain, Italy and other countries where there are very high numbers of cases. More worryingly not one single check is made on all these people coming into the UK.

Over 33.000 people in the UK put their name forward to pick the crops that need picking, of these just 129 have so far been given work and why? Well the UK farmers feel it will cost to much to train the rest up and that would put up prices of veg etc. So planes are now bringing in Rumanian workers to pick the crops, once again no checks are being carried out and it is off the plane straight to the farm.

Are we slowly winning? The government would like us all to think that, but we all staying in will not defeat this virus unless further tightening up happens as far as who is coming into the UK. We also have the added problem of all the illegal immigrants who could be walking around spreading the virus.

I fully remain positive, I really am looking so hard for any light at the end of the tunnel, but still into the 4th week of lockdown do not see it yet. We are all in this for the long haul that is for sure, all we can do is do all we can to reduce the risks of catching the virus and then spreading it to others. If we do that, stay safe we will still be here when the virus has gone.

Stay Safe, Stay At Home, Keep The faith

[Dave]

Tuesday 21st April 2020

Sunday UK Deaths 596 New Case 5850 Total UK Deaths 16060

Monday UK Deaths 449 New Cases 4676 Total UK Deaths 16509

Tuesday UK Deaths 823 New Cases 4301 Total UK Deaths 17337

Sadly it is no longer possible to believe the figures we are being given of the total number of people who have died in the UK from this killer virus. I wonder why we are being misled; maybe the government do not want us to know the real truth as they maybe are responsible for more deaths than there should have been by not taking action soon enough.

Up to now I have avoided trying to put blame on anyone from the Chinese to our own government for the way is has handled this terrible crisis our country is in. But that has changed as far as the UK government is concerned and with good reason.

I will admit they have gone to great lengths to try and protect jobs and businesses and I am one benefiting from the furlough scheme. I was paid 80% of my normal wages yesterday, but like everyone else I would rather be working and living my normal life.

You go back to early in March of this year when Sir Patrick Vallance, England’s chief scientific adviser, said that if potentially 60% of the population – 40m people – contracted Covid-19, Britain could generate “herd immunity” to the virus.

He went on to explained that while the “vast majority” of people would suffer only a mild illness and herd immunity could thereby be built, “at the same time we protect those who are most vulnerable”.

That was clearly the early plan, just let as many as possible get the virus and just pray not too many die from it. That is why our borders were not closed, why we let who ever wanted to come to the UK just come in.

Like me you may have watched the news in the second week in March that showed mass crowds at the Cheltenham Festival, there were 251,684 racegoers in attendance across the four days of that Festival, You have to ask why that event was allowed to go ahead when we already had confirmed cases in the UK.

Over 250 people in Liverpool have now died from this virus, so why on the 11th March did the Liverpool V Atlético Madrid go ahead with 54.000 in Anfield?

On the week of the match, Madrid had become the centre for the spread of the coronavirus in Spain, with 782 of 1,646 confirmed cases. Spain closed its schools on Tuesday 10 March, the day before the match. On the same day, following health advice, La Liga announced that all matches would be played behind closed doors.


So why was Madrid supporters allowed to come to the city of Liverpool and mingle in the pubs, restaurants, hotels and on public transport, potentially transmitting the virus to lots of people when their own city was becoming a major European hotspot. So I ask why just 12 days later the government put the UK into lockdown, what changed their minds so quickly.

Is it even really a lockdown? It has been left up to the UK public to just get on and follow the government’s instructions, which many didn’t and are still not doing so. You only need to see the amount of cars that go past my home each day to know far more people are out and about that really should be.

We are in real danger of the lockdown being lifted far too early, even more so in Devon and Cornwall if restrictions are lifted here first. Before any lockdown can even be talked about, we all need to know just how many cases are still active and the real death total.

Keeping as many people alive must surly be the number one priority, the government can’t play monopoly with people’s lives by lifting restrictions if there is still a very real danger they could catch the virus and die. If more action had been taken so much earlier, things might not be as bad as they are right now.

A second wave and winter flu at the same time, would wipe out so many more UK citizens, we need to guard against that happening as the next lockdown would be far harder than this one.

On a bright note today we learned that tests on humans here in the UK with a possible vaccine will start on Thursday, a truly remarkable feat by UK Scientists. But as it was pointed out, it comes with no guarantees and it will be a case of trial and error.

For now playing our part is as important as ever, we can help stop the spread by staying at home.

Take good care, stay safe and stay at home

[Dave]

Saturday 25th April 2020


Wednesday UK Deaths 763 New Cases 4451 Total UK Deaths 18100

Thursday UK Deaths 638 New Cases 4583 Total UK Deaths 18738

Friday UK Deaths 768 New Cases 5386 Total UK Deaths 19506

Saturday UK Deaths 813 New Cases 4913 Total UK Deaths 20319

The figures I use are taken from the Worldmeter website as they are the correct totals supplied by the government and only include all hospital deaths in the UK, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

At the end of another week and I still fail to see any light at the end of this very dark tunnel, I still firmly believe there is still so much we are not being told. Anyone trying to get any answers from our government are having no luck and people are slowing getting frustrated being kept in the dark.

It is very clear people are getting even more frustrated with this half hearted lockdown as more and more people are starting to ignore it and go about their daily lives as normal. Not only are far more cars back on the roads again, but local beaches have seen a great increase in people using them.

B&Q reopening a large number of their shops have greatly added to the people using their cars, I have been shocked to see some of the photos taken of the very long queues of people waiting to get into these stores. Many other companies will soon be flowing suit that will be for sure and we all know what will happen then.

The government want us to believe we are now riding the peak and if we all stick to what we have been asked to do, the number of new cases will come down and so will the number of daily deaths.

But there has been one thing that is worrying me, we are told more and more hospitals beds have become vacant as the numbers with the virus in hospitals keep falling. So why are we still building new Nightingale Hospitals/ why would we need so many extra new beds when we have so many empty?

We know how the British Economy is being badly affected by all of this and make no mistake; the government wants to get it up and running again as soon as possible. I may be well of the mark, but I have a feeling they are going to get everything open as soon as they can and will need all those new beds when they do.

It is OK telling us we need to learn to live beside the killer virus, but we can not be sent back out like lambs to the slaughter surly? Maybe I live in a dream world where I think life is the most important thing, but then are our lives worth that much in the grand scène of things.

On Wednesday we learned that there was an outbreak of the virus at Primley Court Care Home which is just down the road from where I live. The report talked of multiple deaths, but no actual numbers have been confirmed. Why were all care home residents and staff not better protected? I know for a fact a care home in Torquay that had five new residents in one week all sent there from Torquay Hospital and not one single one of them had been tested for the virus.

All the residents and staff in that care home were put at a greater risk than they should have been, but thankfully so far that particular home is still virus free.

ON a brighter note it is good to see our UK hero Captain Tom Moore has become the oldest artist to score a UK number one single, thanks to his rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
The Second World War veteran reached the top of the chart in time for his 100th birthday, which is next Thursday.
Cpt Moore has already helped raise more than £28m for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden. His song, with Michael Ball and The NHS Voices Of Care Choir, is part of his continued fundraising during the coronavirus crisis.

Stay Safe Stay At Home

If this does not bring tears to you eyes nothing will

[Dave]

Friday 1st May 2020

Sunday UK Deaths 413 New Cases 4463 Total UK Deaths 20732

Monday UK Deaths 360 New Cases 4309 Total UK Deaths 21092

Tuesday UK Deaths 586 New Cases 3996 Total UK Deaths 21697

Wednesday UK Deaths 795 ( 4419) New Cases 4429 Total UK Deaths 26097

Thursday UK Deaths 674 New Cases 6032 Total UK Deaths 26711

Friday UK Deaths 739 New Cases 6201 Total UK Deaths 27510

So here we are at the start of a brand new month, all looking for hope and an end to this scary crazy nightmare that we can not wake up from. We saw our Prime Minster on Monday morning giving his first press conference after recovering from the virus; I think it is fair to say it gave us a lift for a short while at least.

This week we saw the focus of the lack of PPE for our frontline careers switch to the hidden truth about what has been going on in our care homes around the country. People who have died in care homes and in the community have never since day one ever been included in the UK death figures, as a result the total of UK deaths have appeared much less than they really were.

That has changed this week and all deaths from the virus will be included in the daily updates, we learned on Wednesday that 4419 care home and community deaths were for the first time added to the UK death totals. There were in fact over 7000 deaths that had covid 19 on the death certificates, but not all of them had been tested for the virus and why the 4419 is lower number than it should be.

Why was our care homes overlooked? I know a number of care home workers personally who all only get the minimum wage, are working 12 hour shifts and looking after some of our most vulnerable people in our country. Carers who see the people they look after as extended family members, now sadly they are seeing them fall to this killer virus.

Far more effort should have been made by our government to try and prevent the virus getting into care homes in the first place, but it is too late now and sadly I fear many more care home residents are going to lose their lives.

I think back to when we were told under 20000 UK deaths will be a success, I think back to when I looked at the huge number of deaths that were happening in Italy and felt so sorry for that country and all the others around the world. But back then I did not think for one second we would be in a place where the UK death total would be the highest in the whole of Europe.

That is very soon going to happen and I fail to understand why that is the case, I think we all have our own ideas on just what has been done wrong from the very first day the UK knew about covid 19. For me one of the main reasons I feel is that actions were not taken soon enough and not strong enough and as a result, the virus took hold and spread like wildfire and out of control.

We did not see our PM on Tuesday or Wednesday which was the day his new son was born, but we did see him lead the daily briefing on Thursday. It was no real surprise he wanted to try and pick the people of the UK up, after all this lockdown has taken its toll on so many lives and businesses. We are past the peak he said, there was light at the end of the tunnel, but I for one do not fully believe that at all.

I really take more notice of the what the scientists say at the briefings than who ever is chairing them, they paint the real picture of where we are and were we might be going. But as the government comes under fire for its handling of this crisis, I have noticed something change at the briefings.

The government has always stated any actions it has taken has been guided by the scientists, with the mentality of do not blame us we can only go by what they say. But lately the scientists have been strongly stating that while they give any scientific evidence to the government, it is the government who make any decisions.

Are we still in a lockdown? A very good question as more and more companies reopen pushing up car use and encouraging far more people to leave their homes. Massive queues at B & Q, Burger king and others and there will be more. This has to greatly increase the risks of new infections and the real risk of a more deadly second peak.

For the last three days the road outside my home has been being resurfaced, I have been shocked and horrified watching up to eight workmen all standing together with hardly a foot between them. On a number of occasions I wanted too shout over to them and remind them about social distancing, but feared the abuse I might get back.

A large number of the British people will not be willing to return to work if they feel the danger is still too high and that is going to be a big problem as the government race to get the economy started again. Would you want too jump straight back on a plane, book a cruise on a luxury liner, or even go to a local pub?

I have never lived in a dream world and I am not going to start doing that anytime soon. I have accepted there are going to be measures in place for a very long time to come, once anyone can come to terms with that, they can then make the best life possible while abiding by the rules set out for us all.

The best day of this week was Thursday, Captain Toms 100th birthday, or should I call him by his new title, Honorary Colonel Tom. A man who has raised well over 30 million pounds for the NHS and also must hold the world record for the greatest amount of birthday cards a person has ever received.

Stay Safe Stay At Home and remember Tom has told us all we will win in the end we always do.

[Dave]

Friday 8th May 2020


Update On UK Figures

Sat 2nd May Deaths 621 New Cases 4806 Total UK Deaths 28131

Sun 3rd May Deaths 315 New Cases 4339 Total UK Deaths 28446

Mon 4th May Deaths 288 New Cases 3980 Total UK Deaths 28734

Tues 5th May Deaths 693 New Cases 4406 Total UK Deaths 29427

Wed 6th May Deaths 649 New Cases 6111 Total UK Deaths 30076

Thurs 7th May Deaths 539 New Cases 5614 Total UK Deaths 30615

Fri 8th May Deaths 626 New Cases 4649 Total UK Deaths 31241


Friday the 8th May 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day, a day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe. A day we remember all those who gave their lives so we can all have the freedom we enjoy.

A freedom right now that is so restrictive due to being in a lockdown due to the coronavirus that sadly is not just going to surrender. This lockdown has meant there are no big celebrations taking place today for VE Day, no street parties, but that will not stop us remembering all those lost lives in the 2nd world war and all other wars for that matter.

The UK death total of the 2nd world war was a staggering 450.900, made up of 67.200 civilians and 383.700 military personal. World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 70–85 million people perished as a result of it.

I like so many have always been glad I have not had to live through a world war in my lifetime, but I also never gave the idea of having to live in a time when there was a world pandemic that world change the life I knew and always enjoyed a single thought.

A pandemic that has seen so many innocent lives lost from an invisible enemy that no one has any defence against other than staying at home as much as possible. A pandemic that sadly is going to continue to carry on taking even more lives until a vaccine can be found.

The day will come when all countries affected by the virus will demand real answers as to its origins, but right now the fight to beat it has to always be the top priority. The questions will also be asked about the UK governments handling of the virus from day one.

Why were only 273 of the 18.1m people who arrived in UK in run-up to lockdown quarantined, the government’s chief scientific adviser revealed the UK received a “big influx of cases from Europe that seeded right the way across the country. We are an island and should have closed down our borders.

A lot of those people who flew into the UK had come from Spain, Italy and other hotspots, why would you let them in? How funny the government now what to talk about how they will find a way tighten up checks at airports.

I firmly believe we are in the big mess we are because the right action was not taken at the right time if at all, the lockdown was far to late , but then would that have made any difference while you were still letting millions of affected people arrive in the UK.

The lockdown rules were never as clear as they should have been and were changed a number of times, this only caused so much confusion as to what was OK or not OK to do.

Even this week Boris was telling the UK some restrictions could be lifted next Monday, some took that to mean the lockdown was about to end, but now we are being told very little will be changing to the current arrangements.

The truth is things just got so out of hand in the UK, the problem our county was in ended up much bigger than the government expected which is why they offered the help to business to try and keep them from going under.

Just one month after the furlough payments were announced to try and keep people in their jobs, the government now are looking at reducing the amounts they pay and also a way to end them full stop.

They want as soon as possible to get everyone back to work, get the schools open, while keep telling us they will do all they can to prevent a second spike of the virus. We all want life back as we knew it, but it can’t be at the cost of even more lives.

But here is the big problem they face, people are still very scared and rightly so, many parents are not willing for their children to be used as guinea pigs, workers will not go back to work if they feel they will be in too much danger, after all we only have the one life.

I have watched every single daily briefing from No 10, I am fed up hearing how much money has been given to this or that, I am fed up with the questions being asked never given a proper answer half of the time. The British people are not stupid and should not be treated as if they are.

We will all have to wait until Sunday to learn of Boris Johnson’s plans to get us out of this mess, but the problem is so much has been damaged already, so many lives lost, jobs gone forever and a new way of life that will be anything like from normal.

[Dave]

Wednesday 13th May 2020

UK Figures Update

Saturday UK Deaths 346 New Cases 3896 Total UK Deaths 31587

Sunday UK Deaths 268 New Cases 3924 Total UK Deaths 31855

Monday UK Deaths 210 New Cases 3877 Total UK Deaths 32065

Tuesday UK Deaths 627 New Cases 3403 Total UK Deaths 32692

Wednesday UK Deaths 494 New Cases 3242 Total UK Deaths 33186

I have been unsure if I should laugh or cry with all that has gone on since my last update on this thread. I am sure like me you all watched the clock tick around to 7pm on Sunday as you waited to here Boris Johnson’s road map for the UK.

He clearly stated if you could not work from home you were to go back to work on Monday morning, only try not to go on public transport. Such was the confusion his message caused I even had a fellow driver from my company who is also furloughed, phone me up and asked if we had to go to work the next day.

We learned on Monday he really meant on Wednesday and also we could go out as much as we liked and drive anywhere we wanted to. We could also meet one family member or friend from another household in a park as long as we kept 2 metres apart.

We also found out the government want to get some children back in school very early next month, but I am not sure that is going to happen as both the teachers and their unions are not all in agreement with that. Also many parents are just not happy to let their children go back to school right now, fearing it is still not safe for them to do so.

The message stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives has been dropped, well here in England anyway, as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have not agreed with the latest moves of the UK government. They have all not changed their message or guidance to the people who live in those parts of the UK.

The new message to the people in England is stay alert, control the virus, save lives, so why the big change and why has these changes been made now? We were told five things needed to be met before any changes to the lockdown could be made, as far as I am concerned only one of those have been met.

We were told deaths had to fall substantially, new cases had to be very much lower, these two alone have not been fulfilled and yet at pace we are opening up our economy again far faster than most of us would like. While I would be the first to agree the economy at some point needs to be started again, it can not be at the cost of even more lives.

How crazy is it to give a licence to anyone in the UK to drive where ever they want, it means anyone living in a virus hotspot can drive and spend time in places where the number of people with the virus is low. We all know the virus can not move on its own, it needs people to move it, so why would you put areas with low numbers of cases at greater risk? Surely it would make more sense to keep people where they live and get all the hotspots under some sort of control, before people can just go where the hell they like.

I tried to come up an answer to that question and this was the best I could come up with. The government want as many people as possible back working, many people drive 50 or more miles to get to work, how could you ask them to do that and then tell them on their day off they could only walk around the block where they lived.

But there could be a more sinister reason, the government can deny it all they want, but they were going to try and get herd immunity in the beginning to beat the virus, some feel all these latest moves are herd immunity by the back door.

I think back to when we had our first case here in Paignton, how at that time I thought the government had things under control, but unaware 18.1 million people were flying into the UK without a single check being made, this fact alone is one of the main reason things got so out of control here in the UK.

I sadly have now lost all faith in the UK government and fear a second spike might be just around the corner due to the changes this week, far to many lives have been lost due to the way this has all been handled. Why has other countries done so much better than we have, how many more are we going to lose?

On a footnote, if you are planning to go to Spain for a two week break, make sure you book six weeks off work. The Spanish government has imposed a 14-day quarantine on all international visitors, so that is two weeks in quarantine when you get there, two weeks holiday and two weeks in quarantine when you get back to the UK.

My message is the same as it has always been

Stay at home, stay safe

[Dave]

Thursday 21st May 2020

UK Figures Update From Thursday 14th May to 21st May

Thursday Deaths 428 New Cases 3446 Total UK Deaths 33614

Friday Deaths 384 New Cases 3560 Total UK Deaths 33998

Saturday Deaths 468 New Cases 3450 Total UK Deaths 34466

Sunday Deaths 170 New Cases 3142 Total UK Deaths 34636

Monday Deaths 160 New Cases 2684 Total UK Deaths 34796

Tuesday Deaths 545 New Cases 2412 Total UK Deaths 35341

Wednesday Deaths 363 New Cases 2472 Total UK Deaths 35704

Thursday Deaths 338 New Cases 2615 Total UK Deaths 36042

It is just over a week since I last did an update on this thread and what a week it has been. There was me thinking we were going to be taking baby steps out of this so called lockdown, but since Boris made the changes he did, it sure does not feel that way to me.

I would be the first to agree we need at some point to get the UK economy going again, but I have always felt that public health had to come first. After all the sacrifices most of us have made to stay at home and stop the spread of the virus, I wonder how much of that was in vain and our good work lost, as things open up at a frightening pace.

Large queues at B&Q stores, people spending over an hour at a KFC drive through and others, the plain facts have always been, the virus does not move, only people move it. Yes if the correct measures are put in place, it might well be reasonably safe for some places to open up again, but there will always be a risk it could see the virus spreading again.

The very biggest mistake this government has made was allowing people to drive as far as they wanted to as long as they went back home to their own house to sleep at night. Over the last few days people have been driving hundreds of miles to go to a beach or a beauty spot.

To places that are not open to tourists right now, places were the public toilets are closed along with many car parks. Places where the locals have played their part in the fight against this killer virus who now are living in fear the virus is being brought to where they live by people coming there from places that are hotspots for the virus.

People who feel the rules do not apply to them, parking on double yellow lines, staying down here in their motor homes and not returning to their home as they are required to do so. It is a true saying if you give some people an inch they will take a mile and there has to be major concerns how the coming bank holiday is going to pan out.

Where do these people relieve themselves after driving for hours to get here? Why do they leave so much mess behind when they leave? Why do they have no concern for the people who do live here and the risks they bring by being here? Many locals have now not wanted to go out in their own areas and exercise as they did before, due to so many people arriving where they live, is that right at the moment?

I live on a busy main road and up until the recent changes were made I could lie in bed and not hear one single car drive past as I gently fell to sleep. Last night at 12am it was like a motorway outside as car after car drove past my home. I heard a group of noisy young girls waking up the road and wondered just where they had been at that time of night.

I hope I am proved wrong and my fears we will see the number of new cases rise in a few weeks do not come true, but one thing I know for sure, I am not alone in thinking this lockdown should have remained how it was and maybe even tighter for a little longer yet.

I think back to the reports our local police made in the first week of lockdown, telling us how they broke up and moved on groups of people, how they stopped motor homes on the motorway and turned them around and sent them back home. We felt we had a police force working for us and playing their part in helping us all stay safe.

But now they have very little power it seems and all they want to tell us about is how they have caught another drug dealer or more speeding motorists, both things very important in their own right, but nothing that will help stop the spread of the virus. Yesterday in many Devon and Cornwall locations the police carried out dawn raids on people who stayed here in their motor homes over night, sending them back home to where they had come from.

Yet here in Paignton a group of travellers were allowed to break open the gates of the Paignton Velopark and set up home for the coming bank holiday, an area which many locals have been using for their daily exercise and won’t be doing so now for the time being. It has always angered me that this group of people are allowed to break the law and get away with it every single time.

Since I started to write this piece I have now found out a limited amount of toilets have just been opened up around Torbay. Most are pay on entry and you can only pay with a contactless card and only the single use DDA toilet will be open for use in each block.

I would imagine huge queues will form outside all the ones that are open, but I am not sure I would want to use any of them. Healthmatic run the toilets on behave of the local council, in the past there has been many photos and posts about how dirty the toilets were and that has to be a major concern with the virus still very much as it is right now.

One final point, I have been very disappointed our PM has seemed to have hid himself away from the UK public recently, the country needs a strong leader right now and one they can see and hear, at times recently I have felt I was on a rudderless ship that was out of control and not knowing where it was heading.

I still tell myself at the end of each day that we are one day closer to the end of this nightmare, but I never kid myself that life for us all will return to normal anytime soon. But I remain strong and positive and hope the day will come when I can go back to work before I am due to retire and walk around and near my fellow human beings without fear of catching anything.

For me one of the hardest things during all of this, is the way we have changed how we interact with each other, it is not the way we have always lived in the past and I pray the day will come when all that changes.

Stay At Home If Possible, Please Stay Safe

A few pictures from around the UK on Wednesday of this week.

[Dave]

Wednesday 3rd June 2020

I no longer have any faith in the numbers of new cases and total UK deaths the government share with us and here is why. My last entry on this thread was on Thursday the 27th May and on that day we were told a total of 36042 people had died from the virus.

On Sunday we were told there were 121 new deaths and given the total of the deaths so far. On Monday 1st June on the day the lockdown was lifted even further, we were told there were only 111 new deaths, the lowest from sometime back in March.

All good news but the total of UK death total figures did not add up from the day before, it was a further 445 deaths higher. There was no mention in the daily briefing about these extra 445 deaths, or the fact that the government had gone back and added them to the total number of deaths the day before, but not the actual number of deaths recorded on that day, that figure remained at 118.

We must no forget we are being told the steps taken to unlock the lockdown are very small and cautious steps backed by scientific evidence, the only problem with that is the fact that a lot of scientists feel the government is moving things on far to fast.

For me personally things do not seem to be moving at a nice slow pace, it is clear the governments main focus right now is too get the economy moving again as fast as possible, but that is a huge gamble being taken by them and I hope for all of us it does not backfire.

One of the main reasons we have got to where we are right now is the fact we played our part and stayed at home and reduced contact with nearly everyone else. Once you start letting people out and about to do just what they like, there is a real danger the number of new cases will rise again. I know most of us will be keeping a close eye on the figures for the next month.

One big problem is the PM did not sack his chief advisor Dominic Cummings who broke the lockdown rules by driving 260 miles to his parents’ home in Durham. While there he drove on his wife’s birthday to Barnard Castle, in his own words only to test his eyesight to see if he was safe to drive back to London.

Many people in the UK saw this as one rule for them (the government) and a rule for everyone else, as a result a great deal of people not only lost faith in the government, but were no longer prepared to follow their guidance. That in itself is very worrying and in danger of undoing all the good we did during the lockdown.

What we have seen happen this last week has been like a scene from a movie where thousands of prisoners who had all been locked inside for a very long time, make a bolt for freedom when someone breaks down the main door. People have been driving hundreds of miles from their homes to beaches and beauty spots.

Driving to places that were not really open and ready to accept visitors, places were there were no public toilets open and not much else for that matter. Places where the numbers of cases were low and the people living there were now afraid to go outside of their own homes due to the number of people invading where they live.

People coming to these places in their motor homes and staying overnight when they knew that was against the rules, people leaving vast amounts of their rubbish on the beaches and at the beauty spots along with human waste due to toilets being closed. We most certainly have seen the best and the very worst of human behaviour during this pandemic.

I came close to moving this whole thread off the main boards into a hidden one, I think I have just been feeling rather angry recently about the whole issue of this virus. From being such a hard worker, I have found my motivation levels had dropped far to low and I know that is something I must address as soon as possible.

I have also been feeling angry about the way people have been behaving and the lack of the police really doing anything about it. Over the weekend a number of motor homes were parked up on and stayed a number of days on Corbyn Head and were not moved on. The fire brigade even had to be called due to a fire there caused by their BBQ.

When they did finally leave they left the site like a rubbish tip, but nothing was done and the locals are rightly upset about it as they know they would have been moved off straight away and even fined. The travellers who have been at the Paignton velopark for nearly three weeks left yesterday and the mess and damage they have left behind is heartbreaking., but we know others will turn up over the coming months.

They say you do not know what the future holds, yes I agree with that, but before all of this we knew were we where and also where we thought we might be going. Now we really do not know and just have to play this very long waiting game.

At least today’s rain has kept people away from the Bay, I just happen to believe we need to keep doing the right things for a bit longer, if not then this could go on for so much longer than we want it to.

[Dave]

Update 30th September 2020

I think back to the days before we had covid 19 when the daily news was just full of brexit and not much else. We were leaving then we were not and then leaving again, it did everyone’s head in and we all just wanted an end to it all. That end finally came and we were all able to get on and have an enjoyable Christmas.

Little did we know what lay ahead of us as we entered 2020, no one gave a thought we would be facing a killer virus that would affect nearly every country and not just ours and one that would claim so many lives. While we had no choice but to sit up and take notice we had to put faith in the government to take the correct action and measures to protect us all.

I have along the way on this thread, given my own thoughts on the way this crisis has been handled, lockdowns brought in far too late. Letting thousands still fly in from other countries were just a few of them. One thing we did learn from the first lockdown when it came was the fact it played a very big part in bringing the numbers down.

I remember well the road outside my home empty of traffic, a car going past was very rare and for the first time I was able to hear birds singing instead of traffic noise. Outside now is just one big traffic jam most of the day everyday of the week, I still often wonder just where all the people are going.

I lost faith in the government looking after us all and protecting us a long time ago, I have always felt we were not told the whole truth as far as numbers of cases and deaths etc was concerned. Over 5000 deaths were removed from the totals due to the fact they did not die from the virus within 28 days, yes if you die on the 29th day after getting this you will not be in the count, just a way to try and keep the numbers down.

The damage the lockdown was causing to the British economy was there for everyone to see, but most people were more concerned about staying alive. No one wanted to end up on a ventilator in a hospital and die alone as was happening to far to may people.

I stopped writing about covid 19 on this thread because just like I grew tired of all the brixit nonsense before Christmas, I grew tired of hearing about covid 19, like so many others I just tried to get on with my life as best I could, doing all I could to make sure I kept myself as safe as possible.

In the beginning we had to put trust in Boris, we wanted to believe all the decisions he was making was based of scientific evidence and advice. But it became clear in his rush to open of the British economy again; he had stopped listening to them.

Small baby steps he told us and the brakes could easily be put back on again, it did not seem like baby steps to me as far to much was opened and far too soon. It is not rocket science as we know the virus can not move on its own, it is people who move it around, that is a fact that was proved during the lockdown.

We are now about to move into the winter months with numbers of new cases vastly increasing, the fear levels will be rising in many people again and rightly so, none of us can really say what is going to happen next. Just how many lives will be traded to keep the economy going while praying and hoping for a vaccine to be found that will really work?

In the parts of Wales that are in lockdown right now, you are not allowed in or out without a very good reason, yet in the UK you could be living in a lockdown area but still allowed to travel to any destination in the UK, how mad is that? Maybe it has been herd immunity all along as allowing people to go wherever they want is not going to help stop the virus spreading around.

We are now seeing the problems in schools and universities as was to be expected, will they have to be closed again? We are not just talking about young lives here, but the people they could pass it on to. People in Exeter for example are very worried now due to students arriving in the city already infected with the virus.

People living in seaside resorts and UK holiday destinations have also had to deal with many concerns after playing their part during the lockdown and then feeling it was unsafe to go outside due to the influx of so many people from other parts of the UK where they lived. It is all about this so called balance between life and the economy, but in my book life must always come first.

My holiday from the virus is over, I have been made to sit up and take more notice again due to the number of new cases that I fear will keep on rising. I am one of the lucky ones, I can pick and choose where I go and what I do based on my own risk assessments. My aim has to be the same as everyone else’s, to still be here when the virus is finally gone and we are back to living a normal life again.

Will life ever be normal again? I have to believe it will be and we all must do that, without hope there is nothing much left, history has shown us the world has faced crisis’s like this before and came out the other side. But for now for me it is back to checking the numbers daily, trying to stay as upbeat as possible and hoping everyone will play their part to rid us all of this nightmare.

[Dave]

Update 7th November 2020

Since my last update I did on the 30th September a lot of things have happened and the virus has been allowed to get out of control. We found out 15.000 cases had not been reported due to a technical issue, they were added to the next days total and over 20.000 cases were then reported. Shock horror but did we expect a few weeks later that number would become the morn? Remember that is only the number of people who have tested positive, the real number of newly infected cases could be between 50.000 to 100.000 a day.

Deaths from covid -19 that were down to single figures are now in their hundreds and rising and that is very concerning as hospitals fill up as more people catch the virus and end up very ill. We are still in the very early part of winter, I fear things are only going to get worse and more people will be taken before their time.

The big question is should we have even been where we are today, Sage were calling for a circuit breaker in early September when the numbers were much lower, but those requests fell on deaf ears and therefore we should not be surprised to see the lack of any meaningful action was going to allow the virus to grow again.

Many people and I am one of them believe this rapid surge in new cases happened when schools and universities were fully opened again, a very large number of new cases were in the young and now we see the cases rising in our older population. Most of the young will be fine and fully recover, but that sadly cannot be said for our older generations.

Back in September Boris was adamant there would be no second lockdown; he said his three tier local lockdown strategy was the way to get the virus back under control. A balancing act to protect the economy, protect the NHS and save lives, but we have seen the scales tip the wrong way and it then comes down to what really is the most important thing.

It must be heartbreaking to see your business that you have put so much into about to fold and collapse, but can that compare with the heartbreak of knowing your loved one is stuck on a ventilator unable to breathe for themselves? Knowing you may never see them again? For me life has to come first everything else can be rebuilt again, but you cannot come back from the dead.

I keep hearing how children need their education, but they do stay in school now until they are eighteen years old, my generation left school when they were fifteen years old. They are young and have plenty of time ahead of them to catch up on their learning. What about all the old people who have worked all of their lives and now being robbed of their retirement?

People who have so looked forward to a time when they no longer had to work and could enjoy their new found free time to do what ever they liked, only to find they are afraid to even go outside their own front door. We may all be in different boats, but we are all in the same storm and can only get through it if we all do the right things and that is the old as well as the young.

As we all know Boris has done yet another major u-turn and put us back into a national lockdown again until the 2nd December at least, only this time he has kept schools etc open, I would have preferred to see them all closed, it is going to take longer to get the numbers down while they remain open. The longer it takes the longer it will be before we can ever get any sort of decent life back and be able to live fear free.

A time when we are no longer afraid to stand next to a stranger, a time when we no longer see that person walking towards us as a possible threat to our own health and well being. We have to hold on and keep believing that day will come; we have to play our part to protect ourselves and others.

I have always felt my whole life I had some sort of control over it, always able to fix and put most things right, but I have no real control now other than keep doing the right things. I do get angry and frustrated by those who keep breaking all the rules, if only they played their part properly, if they did the end to all of this would come sooner.

I think back to March of this year, Boris told the nation it would all be over in twelve weeks, that now seems a very long time ago. It will not be long before we have had to live with this virus for twelve months with still no end in sight. We can only hope this winter will the shortest one on record and we can get some sort of control back.

Mankind will not be wiped of the face of this earth by the virus, a way will be found to either get rid of it or make it less of a threat to us all, but mankind must at some point look at the way it is treating planet earth and every person and creature sharing it.

Stay safe, stay at home and let us all play our part in getting the virus back under some sort of control, let us all look forward to a better 2021 and it can be a better year, we just need to make the sacrifices right now.

[Dave]

Latest Update 19th December 2020

Six more sleeps until Christmas and this year it will be one like no others we have ever known. The so called second lockdown ended on the 2nd December and the country went back to the tier system with Devon ending up in tier two. The second lockdown was a bit of a joke really, schools remained open as did so many shops such as the Range. The road outside my home was just as busy with traffic both day and night.

To be fair the number of new cases came down a bit, but where still far to high and the rising number of deaths continued upwards and now over 500 deaths each day is very much the morn. Yet for the first time football fans were allowed into watch games in much smaller numbers, but you have to question the wisdom of such decisions.

There was some good news this month that a vaccine has been approved for use in the UK and others may not be far behind. The vaccination program has already started, but there are some afraid to have the jab due mainly to the speed it has been produced and approved, It does provide a glimmer of hope that an end could be in sight, but only time will tell.

Since the lockdown ended the virus has seemingly got out of control again, the new cases in some areas of the country doubling in a single week and this has resulted this week into even more areas being moved into tier three. Devon was kept in tier two in the latest review and I think that was a sensible decision with Christmas just around the corner.

This week we also learned of a new strain of coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in the south-east of England, prompting fears of a third lockdown after Christmas. Despite this worrying news the government is still letting its Christmas plans go ahead in full, Up to three houses can mix and stay with each other over the five days of xmas, people will be free to roam all over the country from very hot spots for the virus into areas where case numbers are low.

Scientists called for the plans to be changed but the government would not budge, instead they have simply advised the British public to scale down their plans so they can then blame us all when the cases numbers and deaths go even higher. Why would you want to put your family members at any risk? This is just one Christmas, if we all do the right things there will be plenty more ahead.

I got a bit angry in the week, a facebook friend I know due to local football suggested all people over 60 years old should be locked away and let him and his generation just get on with a normal life. I worked for over fifty one years and was so looking forward to my retirement, I still believe I will at some point, but only when some others stop being so selfish and play their part so we all can get some sort of normal life back.

Young and old we are all in this together and together is the only way we will get beyond this terrible situation we all find ourselves in. I feel very sorry for those who have lost their jobs, the businesses on the point of collapse, the people wandering how they are going to pay the next bill, or put a meal on the table. But we do live in a caring society where people are always willing to help others and help is there for those who need it. But we also need to think about the way we live right now and what impact that might have on others.

I feel I am one of the lucky ones, while I might not be able to use my newly acquired bus pass due to the fear of using public transport, I have no money worries can an only go outside when I need too. I keep away from others as much as possible as I know close contact helps the spread of the virus, plus at my age I do not know what impact it would have on me if I caught it.

Like most people I have had enough of it and just need it all to end, but I do not know when that will be, but have to keep believing it will one day. But as long as people keep breaking the rules, as long as people are allowed to roam around the whole of the UK, as long as we keep our boarders open, then I know that day is further away than it might be.

I would like to wish all Davesworld readers a very happy Christmas and new year, 2020 has been such a hard year for so many, but together we can make 2021 such a better one. Please stay safe, take good care and do all you can to protect yourself and your loved ones.

All the very best Dave R.