General Chat

Soo as each county records nil new covid cases why can’t people then go out self distancing but not cross into the next county till that is free too

Is this to simplistic?

Would stop people making journeys to beaches outside their area

If they can't keep to the rules now, why would they keep to any new rules?

True

But equally why can’t the police disperse people

There are rather more people living in County Boroughs and Metropolitan Districts than shire counties. I can see the idea as being quite a lot of fun eg Yorkshire would have all of god's own country to roam around in while it would be a bit rough on Rutland. It is not really practical.

Why not just have those making the rules also keeping to them ?
Much easier.

I would not go out here in case I bumped into Dom Cummings on one of his grand northern tours. I'd give him a piece of my mind but, of course, he'd take no notice at all because he does what he wants to do as Boris thinks the sun shines out of him and he'd be sure to get away with things that others have resigned over, been sacked over or been fined over.

OH and I are not going out yet, neither is my brother and his OH and neither are several of our friends - some in the older age category and some shielding. We just don't trust the government's judgment at all so we want to see whether cases rise following the relaxation of rules.

Plenty of scientists have let their views be know but the government is ignoring them - the first to do so on the daily Coronavirus briefing was Jonathan Van-Tam for whom we have some regard. But last week I, and others, detected a certain amount of unease from the medical/scientific bods who share that podium.

Something I heard from a close relly last night stunned me but it shows how figures can be easily manipulated to suit one's requirements - in this case, those of the government:

a Coronavirus test consists of a swab from the nose and a swab from the throat.

Who knew that these were being counted as two tests !!!

Did see on the tv where police were challenging anyone out and for why ,think it was in Spain

Here we didn’t seem to monitor movement at all

Maybe police stopping cars and checking why they were out and where they were going wouid have stopped mass exodus to the beaches

Problem is, we're 20,000 police down!

Also, we're allowed to visit relatives - they may live in a different County.

JoyLouisr
If the test counts as two is disgraceful as there is one swab that you use in your throatAND then your nose. Same swab.

I think it does say on the chart with the test numbers that some people are tested twice.

I thought that meant some people were being retested.

I've heard that the results are also counted as a test :-|
Almost like each procedure is, apparently, a 'test'!!

My daughter is 'vulnerable' - she's on Immunosuppressants - she also works for the NHS, so knows from 'insiders' how the Government wants tests 'counted'.
One of her children showed covid signs, so she made an appointment and she and grandson were tested. Work also wanted them tested - so they went 30 miles away for that one!
The other two children weren't tested.
However, daughter and grandson make up 4, 8 or even 12 tests between them

The results?
Daughter 2 x negative results.
Grandson 2 x 'indecisive' results
So, that was handy - NOT!
Grandson was very ill though - but then, he was this time last year, too!

It's just what I heard last night, names. I have not had a test but I know people who have so I'll ask them - especially because I don't think a swab can be used twice in the way you wrote - only from what I recall seeing in TV news though.

I wonder whether some people are tested twice because (as with the fever) a day makes the difference between pos and neg with throat and nose swabs? I have no idea whether that is the case.

I,ve always had the impression they used the same swab then I read JL,s post. So I watched the governments how to do the test video and it IS the same swab. Yuk!

It is one swab using it first in the throat then in the nostril! That's surprised me. And you really feel it if it's done properly, I am told.

Surely the government can't count that as two tests in order to manipulate the figures, can they?

But you just never know what they're up, I suppose. :-S

If anyone watched BBC news this morning did you spot that the politician would not be pinned down to the number of people tested? He said, repeatedly, that the number for tests carried was available but he could not, as yet, get the numbers for people tested.

It made me suspect that there was a huge difference in number of tests done and number of people tested. I can't believe that the government does not have people numbers as well as test numbers so I am now suspicious that more than just a few of those tests have been repeat tests on people.

I can't help thinking we have been misled and, in fact, fewer people have been tested than we have been conned into believing.

Also they count the number of kits posted on the day as tests carried out, even though some may never be returned. I wouldn't be surprised if they counted returned kits as extra tests.

Maybe they need to count the tests that arrive at the labs. Probably just another way to confuse the issue.

Having watched half the instruction video I think it almost impossible to do it yourself. You have to go right back to your tonsils without touching anything else and then swipe it across 5 times! Then you have to fei it out without touching anything else in your mouth.
I think I would be gagging. Could explain why home tests are’s being sent back.

What do you do if you haven't got any tonsils?

Good point Kense!

My niece lives in Dubai, where they have very easy 'swab' tests, where you just wipe a bud around the inside of the cheek. I can't see why we can't have those here.
Everyone in Dubai is tested once a fortnight, and it's an arrestable offence if you fail to turn up without a reasonable excuse.

Apparently you swipe the swab over where the tonsils would have been :-S