I have not read 64 pages

This shit is p. crazy though rite

I'm working from home and have been since March. Really not a big deal and I kinda like it now. They reckon we'll be back in the office in August in theory but there's no reason at all we should have to, we're incredibly successful and productive doing what we do without the health risk and piling onto an already incredibly slow and drained public transport system.

I'm hoping we can keep doing it because waiting even longer for trains is going to be a pain, without even factoring in the potential risk of disease/death.

Hello Vern
Are you keeping well

Honestly I thought we were doing a pretty terrible job here, but I've not really talked to many in the States about it. Interesting to see an inside perspective.

Obviously the numbers are horrendous and the walking meme of a man in charge makes the news here periodically, but when it's just raw stats you don't really get a feel for how shitty everything quite is.

We also elected a meme, albeit a slightly less useless one by virtue of the fact that he's too workshy to actually screw anything up. Though will go down as being one of the few world leaders to contract and almost die from the virus after bragging about shaking the hands of patients with it.

Everything is about to open including the pubs. In the eternally valid words of the great Lord Buckethead: "It will be a shit-show"

They're doing a registration system so every drinker will need to put their name down so they can be contacted should an outbreak happen. Because the local boozer is 100% the place I want to give away my private personal details. I'm sure they've got this data security thing sussed.

They'll also be turning away groups from more than two households. A lot of landlords are going to get kicked in the head by a lot of drunks.

Though hotels are open and I have just booked a week away, but only because I can cancel it with a full refund up until the day before (and it's not until the end of August)

As things are right now I hate the idea of it, but I might feel different in two months. Things move pretty quick one way or another.

We'll either be through the looking glass into a controlled covid state where there are a handful of easily terminted outbreaks, or we'll be knee deep in a second wave with no means of locking everybody down again (because there's no way people will be compliant for a second go round). Will see!

wikeyb9m3bek @ 24/6/2020 18:08

I don't think we could lockdown again even if we wanted to Paul. It's the first I'm hearing about the registration system for pubs...sounds really dumb!

I agree. There will either be mass unrest or people will just politely break it. Probably the latter, given it is Britain.

Here's a source:
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/uk-pubs-reopen-register-drinkers-covid-19

The problem once again is that there's this romanticised Euro-centric view of how pubs work. On the continent sitting at a table calmly to drink a beer and be served by a waiter who will take your name and number sounds very civil and reasonable.

Our pubs are largely full to the brim with incredibly pissed up individuals either looking for a fight, a shag or something to throw up on.

It's almost like politicians have no idea how a pub works.

wikeyb9m3bek @ 25/6/2020 8:09

As usual, I'm back to seeing no good options in politics. They're all so useless.

I'm fairly impressed with Keir Starmer so far. Showed even more decisive leadership today. I think he's a force to be reckoned with and will sway a few swing voters back the other way.

And you're not alone in not understanding the one way system apparently, because nobody is doing that in supermarkets when I shop. I would think that the advice being 2 metres apart until now and no aisles being more than 2 metres wide would clue people in, but I genuinely think nobody knows how far 2 metres is because this country is so defiant of the metrics for reasons I can't fathom. Measure it with a tape measure, you'd be pretty shocked.

To avoid the stress and because I generally don't want to brush past people (but have no choice at peak time because everybody does it), I've been going incredibly early. One trip a week at 6 AM. No queues and I can wait for people to finish in the aisle because there are so few of them.

It can be frustrating as people are not decisive like some of you are describing here. We're a nation of faffers. Seen a few struggling with which can of beans to buy, seen one texting for a good five minutes mid-aisle. Seen shop assitants and customers having a great old chin-wag about how all their relatives are sick with covid, all good stuff.

Given that most people don't wear masks, it feels like it's been the safest bet for a long time. Still doesn't stop idiots though. Was stood a couple checkouts down from a red faced man who was literally bent double, facing into the aisles and coughing profusely into the open air for a good minute or two before then going to the checkout assistant and complaning about the location of the bread.

I loathe this country at times!

I'm finally getting the Pfizer jab next Sunday. UK are into the < 40s age group now. It's a little crazy how old our population generally is, considering how fast they're getting through the younger age groups.

Huge relief to finally slowly start to bring this ordeal to an end.

I've heard the first one doesn't have pleasant after-effects. Kind of mentally written off Monday and possibly Tuesday.

On the plus side the side-effects are just your immune system gearing up so it means something is happening, which makes it better.

Had the vaccine. Side effects are a sore arm, and vivid thoughts about a small cartoon paperclip asking me if I need any help with anything.

Don't feel particularly bleh. Hoping for the best!