Coronavirus.

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
Also omicron cases in Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Israel & Hong Kong, so why isn't travel from those countries restricted? And what happened to all the variants between Delta & Omicron?
 

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
Also omicron cases in Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Israel & Hong Kong, so why isn't travel from those countries restricted? And what happened to all the variants between Delta & Omicron?
Common thought is they skipped them so they wouldn't have to name a variant "Xi", which is the name of the Chinese president, for obvious reasons. Should have thought of that at the start, like. I guess they skipped Nu as well so that it would be less obvious.

That does seem fairly plausible to me as the whole point of this naming system was to avoid unfair associations between the virus and points of origin (ala "The Spanish Flu" or, you know, "the South Africa variant"...)
 
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SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
The #DoNotComply crowd are out in force, I see, now that masks are mandatory again. I'd find them far less infuriating if it made a lick of sense. The argument appears to be that the government want to make us subservient by making us wear masks, this being the same government that has rejected every call for masks to be reinstated for the past 4 months.

What?!
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Common thought is they skipped them so they wouldn't have to name a variant "Xi", which is the name of the Chinese president, for obvious reasons. Should have thought of that at the start, like. I guess they skipped Nu as well so that it would be less obvious.

That does seem fairly plausible to me as the whole point of this naming system was to avoid unfair associations between the virus and points of origin (ala "The Spanish Flu" or, you know, "the South Africa variant"...)
There's likely to have been named variants in between but they won't have been of concern, surely?
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
No, they straight up skipped two.
They may feel that there are potential confusion issues with those two, should they enter the public domain?

Nu will sound like 'new' to many people hearing it in an English language context.

Pronunciation of Xi will be problematic, also.
 

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
They may feel that there are potential confusion issues with those two, should they enter the public domain?

Nu will sound like 'new' to many people hearing it in an English language context.

Pronunciation of Xi will be problematic, also.
Either way, you'd think they'd have foreseen this issue when they chose this naming protocol.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Either way, you'd think they'd have foreseen this issue when they chose this naming protocol.
It's really just a way for 'them' to talk to each other - whatever they do, "internet experts" will "do their own research" and find 'evidence' of whatever they've already chosen to believe.

"It seems clear now that Mr Xi personally created then nu/new variant and released it himself - they're just trying to mislead us into the slavery of mask-wearing"
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
The rate of masks being worn in Sainsburys today was very high, only saw one person without who may of course have been exempt. I do, however visit at a time (9am-ish) when it is always well observed. Probably a different story around midday.
Not really sure why we have to wait until tomorrow for it to become compulsory. Do we need to give the virus a sporting chance or something?
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
I'm on a train in Wales and nobody is wearing a mask and I believe its a legal requirement here.

Ticket inspector didn't bother saying anything to other passengers and there were no announcements advising passengers to wear masks as we crossed the border.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I was in our Woolworths/Wilkinson's-type shop here* on Saturday. It attracts a lot of primary school age children. Even they had masks on. Although it is not a legal requirement for them to do so, people do recognise that they can be a significant vector in the current circumstances and, I suspect, the kids see it is being 'grown up'.

I've been on the next island for nearly a month now and have not seen a single instance of non-mask wearing in circumstances where you must or should wear one. I'm told that it does actually happen on rare occasions, but I have yet to witness it.

There is a small vociferous anti-mask campaign here, but the rest of the population are becoming steadily less tolerant of their 'alternative' views.


* 220 miles west of Stafford.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Not really sure why we have to wait until tomorrow for it to become compulsory. Do we need to give the virus a sporting chance or something?
262694241_1896262580558176_158283000358875353_n.jpg
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Looks like we're all getting boosted.

It'sa bit early to say whether the vaccine will definitely be effective to a meaningful degree against the new variant, so that seems a little premature. If it isn't effective and people end up thinking they've had the vaccine under false pretences, that risks building up a bigger problem in the future.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
PM's approach to masks is 'proportionate' - Number 10
Boris Johnson's approach to mask-wearing in public spaces was "proportionate", according to his official spokesman.

Asked why the government had not decided to make masks mandatory in pubs and restaurants, he said: "We believe that this is a measured and proportionate approach based on the evidence that we have so far.

"It appears likely but not certain this variant is more transmissible than previous variants, but we don't have any hard evidence and indeed no one has any hard evidence on its impact on things like hospitalisations and deaths and individuals that are vaccinated.

"So we think that this is the proportionate approach to take in the current circumstances."
Translation:. We haven't got a bloody clue what were doing and are just making it up as we go along, with no consistency, so we can piss off the maximum number of people.

Also, we will abide by a different set of rules to you plebs, so feck off.
 
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