British Comedy Guide

Coronavirus Page 83

Just looked at gov.uk for coronavirus cases in my area.
0 in July.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 5th August 2023, 4:11 PM

Just looked at gov.uk for coronavirus cases in my area.
0 in July.

The Midlands seeing a bit of action.
Just three in our neck of the woods, thankfully.

Sorry, I'm currently doing all my worrying about the heating up of the oceans. Might have a slot in a fortnight or so unless something else comes along.

There's been a recent tendency to criticise the overuse of lockdowns to control the spread of covid and by some to question seriousness of the disease. Lots of Brits died, quite a few young and apparently fit & healthy but mainly more vulnerable people. It was a new disease and it was killing people. I've met several people with the ongoing effects of long covid, breathing difficulties, ME type fatigue and brain fog, kidney problems and arthritis in one or two, which made me glad I'm socially distant.

Yes the economy took a hit but it saved a lot of lives and the NHS from being crippled even more than it was. I wish the crowd gathering and mask wearing laws were taken a bit more seriously by the police around here, I saw it being flaunted almost every time I ventured out and the police didn't seem the least bit concerned about it.

And although many hospitality businesses and small specialist shops suffered, online shopping retailers gained a huge boost in trade and I think many still are due to the surge of new online shoppers it spawned. But is the ongoing craze of homeworking the biggest problem the Covid measures have led to?

Home working was always going to happen, Covid just got us there faster.

Hmm, 'we' (not me) possibly would have crept to homeworking, not leapt to it, as we seemed to have done, which has caused all the problems. I know there was some talk of it to accommodate parents with kids before Covid struck and some firms already allowed it, but a lot of smaller non corporate co.s didn't want to try it and they seem to be the ones most affected by its extended use now.

I believe the consensus so far on it is it benefits workers much more than businesses and the local economies, which have seen many shop closures due to the sudden lack of daytime trade.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 9th August 2023, 11:12 AM

Hmm, 'we' (not me) possibly would have crept to homeworking, not leapt to it, as we seemed to have done, which has caused all the problems. I know there was some talk of it to accommodate parents with kids before Covid struck and some firms already allowed it, but a lot of smaller non corporate co.s didn't want to try it and they seem to be the ones most affected by its extended use now.

I believe the consensus so far on it is it benefits workers much more than businesses and the local economies, which have seen many shop closures due to the sudden lack of daytime trade.

I agree entirely (not some I do often with you, Kipper!). I think we've lost a lot by going to more home working, both socially and economically. Sadly trying to go back is like trying to get the genie back in the bottle.

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