IOM Covid removing restrictions

[Lagman]

Some very strange things involved in this -

Stopped updating website, seemed to be a delay in announcing it (people could have made alternate decisons about going out if they had known), the venue only finding out about it on social media, no clean up, the helpline not exactly being helpful etc etc.

Here's a conspiracy theory for you -

The UK first to vaccinate - a mystery new strain turns up a few days later

America starts to vaccinate - the new strain starts turning up shortly after - must have come from the UK they say.

I believe Ireland only just started to vaccinate and the new strain turned up a few days before,

Also I think the same thing happened in France with the new strain just beforehand.

It always seems to turn up a few days before or after the vaccinations starts in various places.

We're just about to start to vaccinate but lots of people might not want to due to health concerns about it being rushed etc. and why would there be any rush with only a few isolated cases? - unless there was say an outbreak of a more infectious strain convincing people there is an immediate need to get it now.

Anyway, the information as they have presented to us, if something does come from it is entirely down to the government and them letting in countless "essential" roofers and railway workers and letting people move here, taking risk after needless risk in the current evironment they tell us is life and death.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Lagman

[Roger Mexico]

31 minutes ago, Kopek said:

Altho 'deep cleaning' is often mentioned in news reports, I don't think it is an officially sanctioned procedure . The life span of the virus is fairly low, soft furnishings should be clear the next morning, anti viral spray cleaning, after closing or more likely, the next morning will render the hard surfaces, the tables and chairs, the bit of the Bar we all lean on should make that 'safe'?

The greatest danger is from the droplet transmission on the night, who doesn't speak to the person next to you at the bar?

I think this is true and if you look at the early days of the pandemic it's clear that the chances of passing Covid on via fomites (ie contaminated surfaces) was over-estimated while transmission via droplets was not considered the overwhelming route for transmission, which it clearly is.  This is the probable reason why there was so much downplaying of the use of masks (especially in the UK) in the first months of the outbreak, which those responsible are now pretending didn't happen.

I actually think all this deep-cleaning stuff is as much about the businesses showing willing as anything else.  What else can they do to reassure customers?  And it can't do any harm and higher standards of hygiene may help reduce the risks of other diseases which can be passed on that way.

[Kopek]

The 'other diseases' are dealt with by our normal cleaning procedures, way in advance of domestic procedures or even understanding from the average householder or even EHO official~!

We now use anti-viral sprays rather than the previous anti-bac cleaners and yet the public do not see the difference!!!

We can only do 'our' bit, the main response has to come from the wider public, remain socially distanced, even in our Islands position, take precautions to protect one self?

But in a selfish society that parks half way across the road at Mc Donalds can we ever expect a consideration of risk over responsibility???

[Roger Mexico]

48 minutes ago, Kopek said:

The usual distrust of the HQ/DA pronouncement of everything is under control is that they are not saying if the person at the centre of this was positive when he arrived on the Island or whether he was infected after coming out of quarantine, in which case it is the community.

Actually there's a fairly strong suspicions that the 'index' case wasn't infected when they[1] arrived on the Island.  If their itinerary is to be believed they finished 14 day quarantine on (at the latest) Wednesday 23 December, but didn't presumably have any symptoms until (at the earliest) the afternoon of Tuesday 29 December.  Like wrighty, my immediate assumption was that the companion had actually been the one originally infected and passed it on fairly late during their co-isolation.

Once again this shows the weakness of the DHSC refusal to test people unless they are effectively forced to.  3 and 13 day testing (as in New Zealand) would have picked this up earlier and prevented all this panic.

 

[1]  Howie's Midnight Missive doesn't actually mention their gender or that of the person who travelled and self-isolated with them or the relationship between them and who is presumably relocating with them under the 'compassionate' route..  We're assuming that it's a partner, but it could be a dependant child for instance.

[Kopek]

If it were a child, then the only saving grace would be that the schools were on holiday??? Tho, if they were mixing with other household children then! What spread?

Without wider covid testing, the exact spread of the virus cannot be known? This allows out Govt to say, ''not in the community''!"

As referred to above this may be to avoid panic but we, generally, are still exercising caution so do we need to avoid 'panic' ?

[Apple]

7 hours ago, Neil Down said:

Wonder if you can sue the government for total incompetence...

If that were possible it would have happened a long time ago, and more than once I suspect.....

[Banker]

The reality is we have 7 cases reported, 2 were caught by testing on arrival just introduced, 2 were patient transfers, 2 were thus new case & partner & 1 other from contact. It’s now 7 days after 1886 incidents &10 days after some other venues so we would have had at least 1:2 by now if there was a major risk .

everyone just needs to calm down & not panic over nothing definite 

[Nom de plume]

Morning,

Have the bed wetters changed their sheets?

[Nom de plume]

38 minutes ago, Roxanne said:

People are scared. A bombshell was dropped and since then they’ve been kept in the dark.

Shame on you for making fun of them. 

Listen,

We (my family) are affected but it is not for the public to call this.

The Government have loved the limelight of success & courted publicity over their policies.

It’s time for some leadership. They dictate what happens next, not Quilt & Pingu from MF.

People need to take a chill pill. If the genie is out of the bottle, it’s everywhere. Too late I’m afraid.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Nom de plume

[NoTail]

37 minutes ago, Nom de plume said:

Listen,

We (my family) are affected but it is not for the public to call this.

The Government have loved the limelight of success & courted publicity over their policies.

It’s time for some leadership. They dictate what happens next, not Quilt & Pingu from MF.

People need to take a chill pill. If the genie is out of the bottle, it’s everywhere. Too late I’m afraid.

Not quite true. We can all take some personal responsibility.  Keep you distance, avoid crowds, stay home if possible.  The virus needs people to move around. 

[Nom de plume]

3 minutes ago, NoTail said:

Not quite true. We can all take some personal responsibility.  Keep you distance, avoid crowds, stay home if possible.  The virus needs people to move around. 

You’re being pedantic. You know what I was trying to say.

Good practice is good practice.

I’m hopeful this is not the doomsday scenario that some seemingly think it is.

[John Wright]

The last 3 weeks have seen repeated, and hysterical, calls, for earlier, faster, vaccination. The mess the UK and the EU are in over vaccinations, availability of vaccine, absolute numbers and gap between dosage, may just mean, that by design or by accident, IOM got it right.

UK has lots of supply, despite Hancock claiming otherwise, it seems to be a supply chain logistics issue within NHS Procurement. They’ve only managed an average below 250,000 per week. Uk has also sufficient on order. 

EU only has Pfizer approved. There’s a huge supply issue. Not enough to go round. Not at the delivery rate they planned for. Obviously things will improve as other vaccines are approved. US isn’t much different.

I suspect, hope,  that the same will be true, with hindsight, over the current cases. Looking at the timeline I’m still confused by the two arrivals both still being positive after gold standard 14 day isolation. Did one bring it and give it to the other? Still, we now have it covered with day 1 or 2 and day 13. Shame we didn’t have arrival and end isolation testing sooner, but it worked well for 6 months, or more.

I suspect the New Year’s Eve tweet/FB postings were the soonest they could have been got out, with when the index case probably presented for testing, was tested, results obtained and then track and trace could be conducted. I don’t think anyone could have got through to 1886 on the phone that late on New Year’s Eve, even if they did, to what end? Panic as they closed and threw people on the streets? Public disorder?

The same with closing. That’s a decision by individual businesses, especially days later. It’s responsible, if staff may have been exposed to test and clean. But cleaning should be being done every day, anyway.

The up to date info for r transmission rate is that with the variant Covid it’s .4 to .7 higher than other Covid.  But transmission is still low. Schools and nursing homes apart, there’s little evidence of super-spreading. 

Hopefully we will be ok. There’s no need for panic, no need for borders level 5 and lockdown. It’s all a balancing act. Slow and steady will probably win the race, with less damage economically,  better than violent swings on a seesaw.

[AcousticallyChallenged]

1 hour ago, Nom de plume said:

Listen,

We (my family) are affected but it is not for the public to call this.

The Government have loved the limelight of success & courted publicity over their policies.

It’s time for some leadership. They dictate what happens next, not Quilt & Pingu from MF.

People need to take a chill pill. If the genie is out of the bottle, it’s everywhere. Too late I’m afraid.

People aren’t just worried by the virus or potential of spread. What they’re worried about is the lack of clear, concise communication. 
 

Given the absolute passion for snap press briefings, it’s a surprise there hasn’t been one yet. Usually it’d be a fantastic time to pontificate about how the fohteen day gold standard is usually enough and how we’re testing to make sure this doesn’t happen again etc. 
 

When your CM tweets at a quarter to midnight, then radio silence, and the health minister’s sister is being tagged to try and resolve debates over who should call who, there’s a clear breakdown in communication. 

If you do the maths on asymptomatic spread, there’s fair chance it could be bubbling over. But. People haven’t been told how the government have come in, put their plans into place, advised businesses etc. 
 

Instead, businesses potentially impacted have taken it upon themselves to close out of choice and a feeling of community responsibility. 

[Banker]

Anyway the government posted on Facebook an hour ago , it says the pandemic is ongoing, practice good hygiene and ring 111 if you have symptoms. So good clear communication & don’t panic😂

[Kipper99]

1 minute ago, Banker said:

Anyway the government posted on Facebook an hour ago , it says the pandemic is ongoing, practice good hygiene and ring 111 if you have symptoms. So good clear communication & don’t panic😂

What other advice could they give