Coronavirus (OLD)

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Mick

Education secretary has basically rubbished that Sunday Times report about Schools. They will open when the science says they should open, he says.

will parents rush to send the kids back to school when they reopen?

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by nomadking

A Cobra meeting is just a meeting coordinating different departments. If an issue is raised then it has to be investigated by the department(s) and a potential response can then be decided. If is becomes apparent during the course of a meeting that a particular thing needs doing immediately, then that can be reported to the PM immediately. The different ministers and departments would go away and formulate plans. That is THEIR job. The PM wouldn't need to be there for those stages.

Which country that has been affected in a major way has had enough PPE?
Japan has had only 200+ deaths so far, yet....
Link
Just more of the never-ending nonsense.

A Cobra meeting is not simply a meeting co-ordinating different departments. Nor is it a meeting for people to take away woolly investigations and consider potential decisions.

It's about reacting quickly by having all the key decision-makers together.
"The point is to have the important officials in the same place, so quick, decisive action can be taken."
https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/cobra-me...t-stand-508755

They're usually chaired by the PM:
"The Prime Minister will usually chair Cobra meetings, and tends to always do so if the crisis at hand is more severe. https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/07/cobra...9/?ito=cbshare
Just to make that clear "The Prime Minister will usually chair the meetings."
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/316037...cobra-meaning/

---------- Post added at 09:31 ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 ----------

Originally Posted by papa smurf

will parents rush to send the kids back to school when they reopen?

At the drop of a hat in many cases. But if the Education Secretary has said they won't re-open soon, then it's all a bit, uhm, academic.

[Rexz]

Originally Posted by Damien

I think they've done well in some aspects as the disaster took hold but those missing months will be the focus of that investigation when things settle down. It appears the Government did little until Italy raised alarm bells. The article is especially damning of Johnson's many absences from meetings where this was discussed as well.

I mean, it wasn't actually classed as a pandemic until march 11th, two weeks before the UK went into lockdown. At that point, china was reporting a pause in infections, and Italy had 10000 cases. I think those 2 weeks where we appeared to not do much (who know what was going on behind the scenes) will be at question. Also I suspect as this country is mainly focused on the financial sector and relies on importing manufactured goods, those products became increasingly difficult to acquire as each country either went into lockdown or used up all their own manufacturing lines to produce equipment for themselves.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Damien

I think they've done well in some aspects as the disaster took hold but those missing months will be the focus of that investigation when things settle down. It appears the Government did little until Italy raised alarm bells. The article is especially damning of Johnson's many absences from meetings where this was discussed as well.

As I understand it, there has been an ICU bed and ventilation for everyone that has needed it.

The only meaningful thing they could have done was introduce lockdown/ social distancing earlier, let’s not forget when social distancing was first requested the great British public ignored them.

---------- Post added at 10:02 ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 ----------

Originally Posted by papa smurf

will parents rush to send the kids back to school when they reopen?

I will.

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

A Cobra meeting is not simply a meeting co-ordinating different departments. Nor is it a meeting for people to take away woolly investigations and consider potential decisions.

It's about reacting quickly by having all the key decision-makers together.
"The point is to have the important officials in the same place, so quick, decisive action can be taken."
https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/cobra-me...t-stand-508755

They're usually chaired by the PM:
"The Prime Minister will usually chair Cobra meetings, and tends to always do so if the crisis at hand is more severe. https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/07/cobra...9/?ito=cbshare
Just to make that clear "The Prime Minister will usually chair the meetings."
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/316037...cobra-meaning/

---------- Post added at 09:31 ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 ----------


At the drop of a hat in many cases. But if the Education Secretary has said they won't re-open soon, then it's all a bit, uhm, academic.

Usually = not always..
Key decision makers = different departments.
9th March, ie before nonsense agenda.

To the public, a Cobra meeting is generally when members of the government meet to discuss the response to a given issue.
...

Who attends Cobra meetings?

Unlike a Cabinet meeting - where frontbenchers meet the prime minister - there is no rigid register for who should attend a Cobra meeting and not even Boris Johnson has to attend.
The composition of any Cobra meeting depends on the issue that is to be discussed.
According to the Institute for Government, it's usually made up of officials and agency personnel, alongside ministers, from relevant departments and agencies.

After any discussion the different departments would then go off and draw up plans and proposals. This situation is very different from many others in that any response takes a bit of planning.

The purpose of a Cobra meeting is to discuss high-level coordination and decision-making in the face of a crisis, according to the Institute for Government. The crisis could be a range of things, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, major industrial accidents, and as coronavirus has demonstrated, threats to public health.

There is more of an immediacy and simple types of response to those other things. Eg the Financial package of support won't have been quick and easy to sort out.

Michael Gove strenuously defending BJ on the Andrew Marr Show this morning.

“There are one or two aspects of the Sunday Times report that are slightly off-beam”.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Michael Gove strenuously defending BJ on the Andrew Marr Show this morning.

Ah well, BJ is 'taking back control' yet again, so we're all saved. Praise the Lord. Maybe he'll turn up to the meetings this time.

[pip08456]

Originally Posted by Mr K

Ah well, BJ is 'taking back control' yet again, so we're all saved. Praise the Lord. Maybe he'll turn up to the meetings this time.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Mr K

Ah well, BJ is 'taking back control' yet again, so we're all saved. Praise the Lord. Maybe he'll turn up to the meetings this time.

Absolutely acceptable for him to spend his time recovering now and not attend. But surely unacceptable to avoid chairing FIVE Cobra meeting earlier in the year?

[Angua]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Absolutely acceptable for him to spend his time recovering now and not attend. But surely unacceptable to avoid chairing FIVE Cobra meeting earlier in the year?

Wasn't it May who kept Johnson out of her Cobra meetings as she did not trust him to keep them confidential?

[nomadking]

A meeting to discuss something that requires an IMMEDIATE response and decisions to an event such as a terrorist threat or attack, is VERY different to something to which requires more planning and forethought before any final decision can be made. The more normal reasons for COBRA meetings will have ready-made plans and options all set up, ready for a final decision and authorisation to be made that very moment. No quick decisions would've been made on the nature of any lockdown. Different countries have had different types of lockdown.

Little danger of anybody (else) in this country not simply swallowing the garbage from the media, and thinking the situation through for themselves, is there.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Absolutely acceptable for him to spend his time recovering now and not attend. But surely unacceptable to avoid chairing FIVE Cobra meeting earlier in the year?

tbf he was too busy obsessing with pointless crap like Brexit, than deal with real actual threats facing the country.

As ever politicians only ever deal with the here and now rather than tomorrow. Their re-election is the only issue. That's why we're in such a mess with climate change, which is a much bigger threat to humanity than this pandemic.

[denphone]

Care home deaths 'far higher' than stated in official figures.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52341403

The National Care Forum (NCF) estimates that more than 4,000 elderly and disabled people have died across all residential and nursing homes.

The NCF, which represents not-for-profit care providers, said its findings highlight significant flaws in the official reporting of coronavirus-related death statistics.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Michael Gove strenuously defending BJ on the Andrew Marr Show this morning.

I don't think even Hotpoint can produce as much spin as Michael Gove has just done!

[denphone]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

I don't think even Hotpoint can produce as much spin as Michael Gove has just done!

It would help if Michael Gove actually answered some of Sophy Ridge's questions instead of the usual spin and obfuscating but alas as usual that is too much to ask..