Have no idea.
We don't want to go this route though.
Zig Heil

"As such, this constitutes one of the most dangerous policy proposals ever to be made in the history of British politics."

Yep, very dangerous indeed.

It's the weekend, it's sunny, and the crowds have been told they can go out to play:


Pub and shop staff: 'Please be nice to us this weekend'
wrote:

"It's going to be a couple of manic days."

That's what [store] worker Hannah is expecting as pubs, shops and restaurants in England gear up for their first weekend since restrictions were eased...

... "Before the store reopened, we were going round making sure everything looked perfect," she says. "The state of the store after, it looked like there was a war in there. You just want to cry." She's hoping this weekend, her customers will be less "blunt" and "rude"...

Reopening verdict: 'It was 'buzzing, chaotic and crazy'
wrote:

On Monday morning, many business owners across the country nervously flipped signs from 'closed' to 'open'.

Non-essential shops in England and Wales, as well as gyms, theme parks and hairdressers, were allowed to welcome customers again, more than three months after being forced to shut...

... Michael says customers have been like "children getting to go outside for playtime", favouring traditional Greek dishes such as moussaka or souvlaki.

He adds it's been a "pleasure" to see the return of the four members of staff who spent 12 months on furlough. "We have missed seeing our staff and our customers' faces - that's why we're in the hospitality business."

Covid: Canada sounds the alarm as cases overtake US
wrote:

The rate of coronavirus infections in Canada's biggest province has reached an all-time high as hospitals warn they are close to being overwhelmed.

A panel of experts say infections in Ontario could increase by 600% by June if public health measures are weak and vaccination rates do not pick up...

... Ontario is now introducing strict new public measures, including:

• a six-week stay-at-home order;
  
• restrictions on non-essential travel, including checkpoints at the borders...
  

... Last week the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario warned doctors that they might have to start making decisions about who to admit to intensive care, because units were stretched almost to capacity. The co-chairman of Ontario's expert panel, Adalsteinn Brown, said Ontario's hospitals could no longer function normally.

"Our children's hospitals are admitting adults. This has never happened in Ontario before. It's never happened in Canada before."

A field hospital is now being set up in the car park of one of Toronto's main hospitals...

Here's hoping that the UK COVID infection rate really is low enough to allow such enthusiastic playtime without the repeat spike as was seen from the Christmas shopping spree.

Truly a game of shopping vs deaths?

More caution needd for a more cautious opening up?... We'll have to watch the numbers carefully. The real killer still, is the 3 or 4 week delay before any increase in infections is noticed...


Good luck for Canada to reverse their deadly infection surge...

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Well India didn't hang around to welcome Brazil into the 14 million case clubhouse as they're already in the 15 million clubhouse clearing out the over 4 months of cobwebs and dust build up from it, but it doesn't look like that they'll spend much time in there as their daily case numbers continue to grow towards 300,000. :-O

Meanwhile Honduras became the 71st member of the 200,000+ club as Azerbaijan became the 51st to join the 300,000+ club and Sweden is still collapsed in the doorway of the 900,000+ clubhouse, but they should recover soon enough to make it up to the bar eventually.

... it's sunny, and the crowds have been told they can go out to play:

[...]

Here's hoping that the UK COVID infection rate really is low enough to allow such enthusiastic playtime without the repeat spike as was seen from the Christmas shopping spree.

Truly a game of shopping vs deaths?

More caution needed for a more cautious opening up?... We'll have to watch the numbers carefully. The real killer still, is the 3 or 4 week delay before any increase in infections is noticed...

What is that fabled story about Cassandra?

And also Einstein's quote about repeating the same actions yet expecting/hoping for a different outcome?


Yet we have developing:

Covid-19: How India failed to prevent a deadly second wave
wrote:

In early March, India's health minister Harsh Vardhan declared the country was "in the endgame" of the Covid-19 pandemic...

Mr Vardhan's unbridled optimism was based on a sharp drop in reported infections. Since a peak of more than 93,000 cases per day on average in mid-September, infections had steadily declined. By mid-February, India was counting an average of 11,000 cases a day. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths from the disease had slid to below 100.

The euphoria at beating the virus had been building since late last year. Politicians, policy makers and parts of the media believed that India was truly ['cured']... Campaigning [for elections] had begun in full swing, with no safety protocols and social distancing. In mid-March, the cricket board allowed more than 130,000 fans, mostly unmasked, to watch two international cricket games...

... In less than a month, things began to unravel. India was in the grips of a devastating second wave of the virus ... Experts now say that crowing about India's exceptionalism in "beating" the epidemic ... and declaring victory on the virus turned out to be cruelly premature...

... India's second wave was fuelled by people letting their guard down, attending weddings and social gatherings, and by mixed messaging from the government, allowing political rallies and religious gatherings...

India coronavirus: Delhi announces lockdown as Covid cases surge
wrote:

... a week-long lockdown after a record spike in cases overwhelmed the city's healthcare system...

... India has been reporting more than 200,000 cases daily since 15 April - this is well past its peak last year, when it was averaging around 93,000 cases a day...

... Experts say the Indian government ignored warnings of a second wave and did little to prevent it or even contain it - they point to cricket matches attended by unmasked crowds, massive election rallies that appeared to flout basic Covid safety rules and a huge Hindu festival where millions congregated...

... Within weeks, India shot to the top of the world's Covid chart, recording more cases daily than any other country.

And now we have over here in the UK:

Shoppers making 'revenge purchases' flock back to High Street
wrote:

Shoppers flocked back to the High Street last week to treat themselves after non-essential stores reopened in England and Wales...

... people were making so called revenge purchases - splashing out after months of being unable to go shopping...

... "The reopening of indoor hospitality on 17 May will provide a further boost to retail destinations as many indoor venues are located in High Streets and shopping centres," she added...

And as we've repeatedly seen for this worldwide pandemic, the real killer is that the reported increases in infection rates only become apparent three or more weeks after the real world increase in the spreading of infections, with the politics then responding weeks later and deadly woefully too late...

More caution needed?

More gradual 'opening up' with smaller more cautious steps?...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

The world's total case tally has now passed 142.7 million as deaths passed 3,043,200. :-(

By the end of the last reporting period the only change at the upper end of the death list was Hungary replacing Chile in 22nd place so let's get onto the case list.

P.N.G. has rocketed up to 150th place now (has anyone heard anything about those 1st million doses of that Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that we redirected there yet? Me either), Mongolia has also been on a charge flying up to 122nd while Madagascar replaced Sudan in 114th, Thailand sprinted past Senegal and Uganda into 109th as Kyrgyzstan claimed 92nd from Ghana, but not before Cuba took 91st from them, Bahrain passed Nigeria and then Uruguay came along to snatch 77th from them both.

Ethiopia took 63rd spot from Denmark and now have Ireland within their sights, Paraguay relieved Moldova of 60th as even though Tunisia passed Nepal they remain in 55th because Kazakhstan passed both including Bolivia to take over 53rd, Malaysia dumped Slovakia from 44th while Canada swept past Chile into 22nd, Indonesia deprived Czechia of 18th and Argentina blew Poland out of 11th place.

Meanwhile things are doing ok here down under so far with quarantine free travel now happening both ways with our Kiwi cousins across the ditch and there's some more good news.

Australia's COVID-19 win to help fuel economic growth this year: Reuters poll.

... it's sunny, and the crowds have been told they can go out to play:

[...]

Here's hoping that the UK COVID infection rate really is low enough to allow such enthusiastic playtime without the repeat spike as was seen from the Christmas shopping spree.

Truly a game of shopping vs deaths?

More caution needed for a more cautious opening up?... We'll have to watch the numbers carefully. The real killer still, is the 3 or 4 week delay before any increase in infections is noticed...

What is that fabled story about Cassandra?
And also Einstein's quote about repeating the same actions yet expecting/hoping for a different outcome?

Yet we have developing: ...

How many 'Cassandras' are going to be ignored?...

Covid: Government scientist warns of summer surge in cases
wrote:

The UK is likely to see a "summer surge" in Covid cases as lockdown is relaxed, a government scientist says.

Prof Adam Finn, of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, says modelling points to a rise in cases, as many adults are not immunised. He said the UK was still "vulnerable" and the dates for easing restrictions may need adjusting.

The PM has said there is nothing in the data to suggest the next step in easing lockdown cannot go ahead as planned.

But Boris Johnson said that most scientists were "firmly of the view" that there would be a third wave of the virus at some point this year...

So the UK politics are that we are going to blunder into another deadly surge/wave of our own making regardless?...

Except this time round, we have more than enough experience to know how to avoid any such further deadly 'surges'...


Instead, and far more healthy, go for a more gradual 'opening up' with smaller more cautious steps?...

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Well India has set a new daily case record of 315,728 as they're about to transition from the 15 million clubhouse to the 16 million job while Brazil has entered the 14 million club as Iraq became the 25th member 1 million club, Austria became the 37th to join the 600,000+ club and the U.A.E. was the 41st to enter the 500,000+ clubhouse.

Even though this reporting period isn't over as yet the world itself has now set a new daily case record of at least 854,030. :-O

Well India has set a new daily case record ...

And still developing deadly badly:

Covid: India sees world's highest daily cases amid oxygen shortage
wrote:

India has recorded the highest one-day tally of new Covid-19 cases anywhere in the world - and the country's highest number of deaths over 24 hours.

It has close to 16 million confirmed cases, second only to the US.

The country is in the grip of a second wave, raising more fears about its overwhelmed health care system. Crowds have formed outside hospitals in major cities which are filled to capacity. A number of people have died while waiting for oxygen...

... Delhi's highest court on Wednesday publicly criticised the central government for its handling of the oxygen crisis in the city. "This is ridiculous. We want to know what the centre is doing with regard to oxygen supply across India," the judges said while reading out the verdict in a petition by the owner of six private hospitals. It ordered the government to ensure safe passage of oxygen supplies from factories to hospitals across India. Delhi state government approached the high court again on Thursday when two of the city's hospitals reported they had only a few hours' oxygen supply left...

... Unlike last year, no national lockdown has been announced. Instead, regions are implementing their own rules...

... India has seen a rapid rise in case numbers over the past month driven by lax safety protocols, a Hindu festival attended by millions and variants of the virus, including a "double mutant" strain...

Huge election rallies - including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - were also not halted in the state of West Bengal which has been holding elections in phases in recent weeks. Voters will be casting ballots on Thursday as well...

How can politics be pushed so rabidly when so deadly to healthy good sense?!


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Will the politics and the ignorant take heed?


Vaccines alone will not stop Covid spreading - here's why
wrote:

... scientists say jabs alone will not currently be enough and other measures are still needed.

Scroll down to find out why...

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

India has yet again set another new daily case record with 332,503 this time as they charged into 16 million clubhouse. :-O

Ouch, mega ouch :-(

Edit to add:
I caught something on the radio today where a person working in India thought that the figures, bad as they are, are actually below the real situation as so many people in India are not actually registered, so they can't be ill or die because officially they haven't been born.

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

The world's total case tally has now passed 146.2 million as deaths pass 3.1 million. :-(

At the end of the last reporting period India had set a new daily case record of 345,147 and when Sweden wakes up to get their numbers in could see the world's daily case numbers pass 900,000 for the 1st time. :-O

The only change at the top end of the death list was the Netherlands replacing Portugal in 27th place so it's onto the case list.

Mongolia flew over Rwanda, Angola and the Maldives to land in 119th place, Madagascar nudged Malawi out of the way to claim 113th while Thailand put in a mighty leap to pass Jamaica, the Ivory Coast, Botswana and Namibia to take over 105th, Cyprus took 103rd from Afghanistan as Cuba knocked Montenegro out of 90th, Uruguay blasted Libya from 76th and Costa Rica replaced Slovenia in 66th spot.

Denmark passed Ireland to claim 63rd spot after Ethiopia jumped over Ireland and Moldova to take over 61st, Kuwait shoved the Dominican Republic out of 58th as Tunisia and Nepal both passed Bolivia to claim 54th and 55th respectively, Ecuador took 46th from Panama while the Philippines kicked Belgium from 26th, Iran took 14th from Mexico and Turkey blew the U.K. out of 6th place.

Meanwhile here down under we've cut back on the number of Australians returning from India by 30% due to the high numbers of them coming back infected with the virus and creating problems with our quarantine services. So much for our P.M.'s promise on having everyone home by last Xmas, but you can't expect much from a man who continually sits on his hands while towing the right wing line. :-(

India has done it yet again at recording another record breaking daily case count of 349,313. :-O

Meanwhile P.N.G. became the 150th country to pass 10,000 cases (that we know of) and the 154th to pass 100 deaths (again that we know of) as Australia urges AstraZeneca to send 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to PNG after EU clearance yet again.

But then again there are still Covidiots out there and this lot should be locked up to protect others from their dangerous stupidity, Florida family indicted for selling toxic bleach as fake Covid ‘cure’, obviously these idiots must still be listening to that crazy sicko Donny. :-(

A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted a Florida man and his three sons for fraudulently marketing and selling a toxic industrial bleach as a supposed cure for Covid-19, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, autism, malaria, hepatitis, Parkinson’s, herpes, HIV/Aids, and a range of other medical disorders.

Good news on disease that kills 400,000 people each year.

Malaria vaccine from Oxford covid-19 team is most effective ever made

A malaria vaccine shown to be 77 per cent effective in trials – the highest level ever achieved – offers hope of controlling a disease that kills an estimated 400,000 people each year, many of them children.

Adrian Hill at the University of Oxford and his colleagues hope it can be approved for use within the next two years, building on the speed and lessons learned through the rapid development of covid-19 vaccines – the researchers also work on the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

“With the commitment by our commercial partner, the Serum Institute of India, to manufacture at least 200 million doses annually in the coming years, the vaccine has the potential to have a major public health impact if licensure is achieved,” he told the PA news agency.

Hill hopes the vaccine will be swiftly approved following final trial results, which he expects the team to report next year.

“Malaria killed at least four times as many more people in Africa last year as covid did,” he said. “Nobody for a moment questioned whether covid should have an emergency use review and authorisation in Africa – of course it did, very quickly. So why shouldn’t a disease that firstly kills children rather than older people, certainly killed an awful lot more, be prioritised for emergency use authorisation in Africa?”

Very good news!

For the next developments:

Do we next see a new Industrial Revolution across Africa and positive development onwards to leave behind in history the old deadly ways of tribalism and corruption?

Might this be a new dawn for Africa?

Add some Edinburgh doctors?...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

ps: Or was it Birmingham doctors that introduced cleanliness during childbirth?...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Add some Edinburgh doctors?...
ps: Or was it Birmingham doctors that introduced cleanliness during childbirth?...

...Psst...so much for tribalism. :-)

...Psst...so much for tribalism. :-)

And that is an unfortunate ambiguity of English...

For this example, the intended meaning is that of medical doctors that happened to operate in a particular hospital who gained good results that they publicised to other medics.

And the rest is history...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

The fun starts
Someone should tell the EU that AstraZeneca is not IKEA in disguise.