please empty your brain below
Very worrying that the 2m distancing rule may be reduced. It seems very reckless, in my opinion, especially as many people on the streets/in shops seem to be totally ignoring social distancing.

Harry Harrison | Homepage | 20.06.20 - 11:27 p.m. | #

Several people in my road had the builders in this week, so they have no long term concerns about the economy.

Still Anon | 20.06.20 - 11:55 p.m. | #

> UK debt now exceeds size of economy

UK debt now exceeds a year’s worth of economic output, maybe, but journalists ought to avoid conflating stocks with flows. There’s nothing magic about a period of 12 months when it comes to judging borrowing levels: a mortgage of more than 1 × annual earnings is not necessarily an onerous mortgage. That said, perhaps we are on the asymptotic path towards government debt increasing by 100% of annual GDP per annum.

Rich G | Homepage | 21.06.20 - 1:33 a.m. | #

City Airport reopens today, with a single arrival from the Isle of Man, followed shortly by a departure back to there.

martin | 21.06.20 - 7:37 a.m. | #

Number of worldwide cases continuing to accelerate which is highly worrying

Kutgw | 21.06.20 - 9:11 a.m. | #

I actually think a reduction to 1m will increase social distancing not reduce it. Part of the reason that most people don't follow 2m is that it's completely unrealistic most of the time, whereas 1m feels much more natural and can be sustained more easily.

RickC | 21.06.20 - 11:29 a.m. | #

• face coverings mandatory on public transport

Currently running at about 40%-60% compliance on the buses I've been on this week. Not to mention those who promptly lower them to their chin the moment they sit down, despite the repeated announcements to wear face coverings at all times!

• UK alert level lowered from 4 to 3

This one annoys me! It smacks purely of wanting to get people into shops again and to heck with the consequences.
When you look at the very stringent rules that allows an outdoor volunteer group I belong to to take place (strict social distancing, separation of touched and untouched tools, no tool-sharing etc) and compare it to what you see in an average supermarket, it makes a mockery of the whole thing.

Cornish Cockney | 21.06.20 - 11:42 a.m. | #

The distancing measure options suffer
from unhelpful units. 1m in public spaces barely feels like being distanced to me, but if it really could be less than 2m, then maybe dropping from 6ft to 4ft might cut it. Sadly, 1.2m (or even 1.5) isn't a nice round figure, not that I'm suggesting we should de-metrify for this purpose.

NickW | 21.06.20 - 12:16 p.m. | #

I heartily applaud reduction of social distancing to 1 metre. While it clearly increases CV19 transmission risk, it also substantially increases recreation and commerce. This is hugely important, as continued suppression of those leads to increased distress and ultimately deaths from recession causing increased unemployment, poverty, depression and consequent ailment and mortality; aversion to medical attention for "conventional" conditions such as cancer and heart stuff; lack of exercise; all leading to increased deaths. It's a hugely complex multi-dimensional balancing act.
As long as R is kept in check, the balance must be restored towards normality, continually checking that increased CV19 mortality is exceeded by reduction in suppression-induced deaths. That's the juggling act government statisticians have to perpetrate and politicians have to interpret.

Strabismus | 21.06.20 - 1:50 p.m. | #

Reducing social distancing from 2m to 1m will kill people. The difficult judgement is whether not reducing it would kill more, long term.

inbrief | 21.06.20 - 2:34 p.m. | #

The Netherlands currently employ a 1.5m social distancing rule.

Harry | Homepage | 21.06.20 - 3:20 p.m. | #











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