Coronavirus Thread

[JonnyBoy]

43 minutes ago, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

Every individual person has different circumstances.

Young, old, or somewhere in between, some of us live alone and need social interaction others have the benefit of

a family environment.

Some of us are retired and own a house, others work and have a mortgage to pay, a job to worry about, 

Youngsters will be wondering what it’s all about, the best years of their lives passing them by.

Some older folk may be living in fear, shutting themselves off and distancing themselves from their family others may crave enjoyment in their twilight years.

 

We all have opinions and our own priorities. 
 

We just need to be sensible in the choices we make, less judgmental on others as we can’t possibly know everyone else’s circumstances.

 

Edited 5 January 2021 by JonnyBoy

[Manini]

12 minutes ago, rachhere said:

Anyone else struggling to concentrate on work/life today following yesterday's announcement?

Yeah everyone at my work seems a bit flat today. It’ll get easier with time it’s just we’re in that “ffs here we go again” mind-set at the minute aren’t we. 

[bovril]

12 minutes ago, rachhere said:

Anyone else struggling to concentrate on work/life today following yesterday's announcement?

Yeah. My girlfriend is abroad and we have no idea how easy she'll be able to come back considering the government have decided that 11 months after the start of the pandemic is a good time to start imposing border controls. 

[Leicester_Loyal]

21 minutes ago, bovril said:

I realise that you are not being 100% literal but I'll take a couple of years of inconvenience over hundreds of thousands of deaths from this thing. 

 

I got out of London last month but friends and colleagues still there say that shops and streets are still busy with people very close to each other. To be honest I don't really like living like that at the best of times, certainly not during a pandemic. 

I'm being deadly serious. Crossing over the road whilst outside to avoid coming within 2 meters of someone is just insane. Not seeing family, friends, grandchildren, godchildren or any others for almost a year? You're insane if you're sticking to the rules 100%. Two people I broke the rules to see are no longer with us (obviously not COVID related), but I'm so glad I got the final chance to see them both and spend some time with them, it's horrible to think they spent the final 6 months of their lives living as we have.

 

 

As most of us have said for months, be sensible and follow most of the rules and you'll be fine

Edited 5 January 2021 by Leicester_Loyal

[Babylon]

1 minute ago, bovril said:

Yeah. My girlfriend is abroad and we have no idea how easy she'll be able to come back considering the government have decided that 11 months after the start of the pandemic is a good time to start imposing border controls. 

Have I got time to get my Mrs OUT of the country before they close the borders?

[ealingfox]

9 minutes ago, bovril said:

Yeah. My girlfriend is abroad and we have no idea how easy she'll be able to come back considering the government have decided that 11 months after the start of the pandemic is a good time to start imposing border controls. 

 

I presume the closure will apply differently to British citizens, at least insofar as they won't lock her out. If she's not one I'm sure they'll still allow people back from trips.

Edited 5 January 2021 by ealingfox

[Mickyblueeyes]

25 minutes ago, rachhere said:

Anyone else struggling to concentrate on work/life today following yesterday's announcement?

Very hard today. Its genuinely a feeling of what is the point. 

[bovril]

Just now, ealingfox said:

 

I presume the closure will apply differently to British citizens, at least insofar as they won't lock her out.

She's not a British citizen. She should be able to come back as she lives here and works here, but we don't really know until they've announced new rules. She can work online so we might just leave it til late February and see what's happening.
Pretty shit really. 

[Benguin]

1 hour ago, Nalis said:

Loving the holier than thou comments on here.

 

There are different scales on breaking on the rules. If having a rave is a 10 and not leaving the house under any circumstances is a 1 then I'd wager most of us are on say, a 3, eg, meeting a group of 7 when the group of 6 rule was in place, or hugging someone back in August.

 

Technically if you are walking on a pavement and you pass someone walking the opposite direction, then it is highly likely you are within 2 metres of that person and therefore breaking the rules so if anyone on here has truly not broken ANY social distancing rules since March then fair play to you.

You are definitely right about the scales. The rules though are the rules and any break, irregardless of severity, will contribute to the spread. I don’t have the right to tell anyone to not break the rules but I don’t think anyone who breaks the rules has the right to point the finger at anyone for this mess without first holding a mirror up to themselves. 

[Heathrow fox]

1 hour ago, Nalis said:

Loving the holier than thou comments on here.

 

There are different scales on breaking on the rules. If having a rave is a 10 and not leaving the house under any circumstances is a 1 then I'd wager most of us are on say, a 3, eg, meeting a group of 7 when the group of 6 rule was in place, or hugging someone back in August.

 

Technically if you are walking on a pavement and you pass someone walking the opposite direction, then it is highly likely you are within 2 metres of that person and therefore breaking the rules so if anyone on here has truly not broken ANY social distancing rules since March then fair play to you.

Back in late March and a large part of April,when we actually had something resembling a lockdown,most did keep their distance.Even walking down the road.We also had the Italian style queues at the supermarkets.The fear factor disappeared after a couple of months and hasn’t come back.

[bovril]

11 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

I'm being deadly serious. Crossing over the road whilst outside to avoid coming within 2 meters of someone is just insane. Not seeing family, friends, grandchildren, godchildren or any others for almost a year? You're insane if you're sticking to the rules 100%. Two people I broke the rules to see are no longer with us (obviously not COVID related), but I'm so glad I got the final chance to see them both and spend some time with them, it's horrible to think they spent the final 6 months of their lives living as we have.

 

 

As most of us have said for months, be sensible and follow most of the rules and you'll be fine

Sorry, I thought you were referring specifically to social distancing when out and about, which I don't see as a big inconvenience. 

[Buce]

40 minutes ago, rachhere said:

Anyone else struggling to concentrate on work/life today following yesterday's announcement?

 

Yep.

 

Thoroughly fed up with the whole never ending nightmare.

[SpacedX]

2 hours ago, rachhere said:

Those who are on campus meet up to study together in the library as well, so there is a definite sense of an on campus learning community.  

It's so important that universities and educational institutions continue to encourage this, beyond covid as the geographies of teaching and learning in HE change and online content becomes increasingly more prevalent. The post graduate experience in particular can lack this - even PGT. The researchers that I work with (both PGR and ECR) often feel particularly marginalised, isolated and overlooked within their respective departments and research centres. 

[DennisNedry]

Why have supermarkets not imposed queueing outside / limiting numbers inside again? Not that I'm asking for it to return.

[Izzy]

47 minutes ago, rachhere said:

Anyone else struggling to concentrate on work/life today following yesterday's announcement?

Yep. It's back to the constant battle over wi-fi bandwidth in our house. Me and the wife trying to do Zoom work calls and the kids trying to have on-line lessons.

 

It's a fvckin nightmare. 

[SpacedX]

1 hour ago, Nalis said:

Loving the holier than thou comments on here.

 

There are different scales on breaking on the rules. If having a rave is a 10 and not leaving the house under any circumstances is a 1 then I'd wager most of us are on say, a 3, eg, meeting a group of 7 when the group of 6 rule was in place, or hugging someone back in August.

 

Technically if you are walking on a pavement and you pass someone walking the opposite direction, then it is highly likely you are within 2 metres of that person and therefore breaking the rules so if anyone on here has truly not broken ANY social distancing rules since March then fair play to you.

Absolutely agree with you - but that's all very different to setting out to flagrantly flout and defy regulations whilst denying the science behind them. 

Edited 5 January 2021 by Line-X

[UniFox21]

7 minutes ago, Line-X said:

It's so important that universities and educational institutions continue to encourage this, beyond covid as the geographies of teaching and learning in HE change and online content becomes increasingly more prevalent. The post graduate experience in particular can lack this - even PGT. The researchers that I work with (both PGR and ECR) often feel particularly marginalised, isolated and overlooked within their respective departments and research centres. 

We have huge amounts of space for students in the building I work in, and it's great seeing groups working things out or planning lab work together, even just sat having a laugh. All were some of the best bits of being a student. But it's a shame the areas have to be regulated and monitored with who sits where etc.

What has continued to make me smile is labs being set up for individual work, and students still wandering around to confer. 

 

But, I'm still in the dark about whether I'll be in work or not, I got an email at 10pm last night saying I was expected in today, and still waiting for any confirmation rather than a "you'll likely be in still". 

[Matt]

54 minutes ago, rachhere said:

Anyone else struggling to concentrate on work/life today following yesterday's announcement?

I was worse with the announcement last week. I was really low and had arguments with family and friends ranting and venting at them.

 

I fail to see what has really changed apart from schools closing after last nights. I don’t get the fuss people are making around this what they are calling ‘lockdown’.
 

Apart from there needs to be stricter, stronger action - the fuss about the none-lockdown itself though? I don’t get, what’s really changed?

 

Nothing will change and we’ll be sat here in mid Feb when nothing has changed or in a worse position.

 

Edited 5 January 2021 by Matt

[rachhere]

Just now, UniFox21 said:

We have huge amounts of space for students in the building I work in, and it's great seeing groups working things out or planning lab work together, even just sat having a laugh. All were some of the best bits of being a student. But it's a shame the areas have to be regulated and monitored with who sits where etc.

What has continued to make me smile is labs being set up for individual work, and students still wandering around to confer. 

 

But, I'm still in the dark about whether I'll be in work or not, I got an email at 10pm last night saying I was expected in today, and still waiting for any confirmation rather than a "you'll likely be in still". 

What are you needed in for at the moment? Preparation work for the labs? I believe we are expecting a general update later today so hopefully there will be more clarity. I only have two modules this term, both Year 1 UGs and low priority for face-to-face so I doubt I will be in for some time. 

[rachhere]

1 minute ago, Matt said:

I was worse with the announcement last week. I was really low and had arguments with family and friends ranting and venting at them.

 

I fail to see what has really changed apart from schools closing after last nights. So don’t really see what all the fuss is about regarding this none-lockdown.

 

Nothing will change and we’ll be sat here in mid Feb when nothing has changed or in a worse position.

I think it's the long period of time which has got to me - mid-February at the earliest is so far away. The longer this goes on for as well, it's the anxiety about what the world will look like when we are out of all of this. I just hope all those businesses can hold on that bit longer. 

[bovril]

On the other hand at least this is happening in January and February when people hibernate anyway. 

[rachhere]

15 minutes ago, Line-X said:

It's so important that universities and educational institutions continue to encourage this, beyond covid as the geographies of teaching and learning in HE change and online content becomes increasingly more prevalent. The post graduate experience in particular can lack this - even PGT. The researchers that I work with (both PGR and ECR) often feel particularly marginalised, isolated and overlooked within their respective departments and research centres. 

Definitely - I hope I never forget how it felt to be an ECR to ensure that I don't treat anyone in the way I was treated. I am mentoring an ECR at the moment and the last zoom I had with her she was in tears at the end about her situation . 

[UniFox21]

1 minute ago, rachhere said:

What are you needed in for at the moment? Preparation work for the labs? I believe we are expecting a general update later today so hopefully there will be more clarity. I only have two modules this term, both Year 1 UGs and low priority for face-to-face so I doubt I will be in for some time. 

Yeah that's it, we're having to currently assume that student labs will begin again in February. We've been told similar things, so I'm hoping for clarification.

Doesn't hugely impact me, as I start my new job in a covid lab in a month so this will impact me for the next couple of weeks. But I'm wanting to get as much organised for whoever is unlucky enough to be given my practical load.

 

[rachhere]

Just now, bovril said:

On the other hand at least this is happening in January and February when people hibernate anyway. 

I am definitely a hibernator. The one positive I am taking from this is that I don't have anywhere I have to be for at least 6 weeks, by which time the threat of snow will hopefully be over. 

[Matt]

Just now, rachhere said:

I think it's the long period of time which has got to me - mid-February at the earliest is so far away. The longer this goes on for as well, it's the anxiety about what the world will look like when we are out of all of this. I just hope all those businesses can hold on that bit longer. 

But what’s changed?

 

Apart from those business that were already shut no more action has been took. Which I’m very sorry.

 

In the main part people are still going to non essential work, non essential businesses are still running. Literally the only thing that changed last night was schools were shut.

 

I just can’t get my head around people genuinely believing this is a lockdown.