Re: Lockdown
 

I've heard the same. The extra nurses is very public information and not a good sign! I've got to go to the hospital this week for something - will be asking lots of questions to valet drivers, cleaners and receptionists... they never lie.

Re: Lockdown
 

So what did you learn?

Re: Lockdown
 

I learnt that my wife was capable of going alone and I stayed at home 😁

She said it was like a ghost town and the doctor was very depressed. She ended up going to a specialise clinic and not a hospital though.

Re: Lockdown
 

Ironically, I've heard that lots of doctors are worried about being laid off, which sounds insane to me. OK, so they might be a podiatric surgeon or whatever, but surely there's some way they can be useful in these times.

Re: Lockdown
 

Most health professionals including doctors aren't trained for the emergency care required for COVID-19. Most have specific training for their specialty. Even GPs require additional training to be able to work with COVID-19. In the US most hospitals have laid off staff because all elective treatment were cancelled starting in March and most American hospitals are now underwhelmed because the surge never materialized. I read recently that the typical US hospital has been operating at 20% capacity since March. Same in UK.

Re: Lockdown
 

The Cubans are just as good and cheaper.

Re: Lockdown
 

Same is true here. Hospitals are really suffering from a total collapse in demand for elective surgery. There is no money to be made in covid treatment really. Hospitals also have to run at reduced levels due to social distancing.

The real economic pain though won’t be seen until 30 June. Almost all corporate debt is payable on 3 or 6 months which means pretty much everyone pays in June. The banks don’t know what is coming down the pipe but are certainly shitting themselves. I know we are.

Re: Lockdown
 

I’m sure that the antics of Finablr and NMC health haven’t helped with the general feeling of wellbeing in certain places.

Re: Lockdown
 

UK COVID deaths - 34,000
UK COVID deaths under the age of 65 - 350
UK annual deaths by drowning - 400

50% of deaths are in care homes
25% of deaths in hospitals are people with diabetes
90% of deaths over the age of 65

My position on this economic insanity hasn't changed. The good news is that the general public and politicians are starting to see it.

We need a new news item and them we can move on. I still think it'll be the US elections in September.

Re: Lockdown
 

I just think it's a time thing. As you suggest, the general public are starting to see or believe or share what you suggest.
They'll grow tired of a second lockdown idea and tired of staying in level 3 or higher when the R doesn't get below 1 much.
But, whilst they're getting furloughed and paid to do **** all, I'd be happily locked down and protecting the NHS in that sort of Churchillian battle mentality BoJo is exuding.

Re: Lockdown
 

I'm not sure the NHS needs protecting. It performed just fine. We didn't even use the field hospitals.

Re: Lockdown
 

That should have been in some sort of 'mark' to show it wasn't my words or thoughts really.

But you're right. None of them have been needed, but I understand why they are/were there though. Flattening the curve etc.

Re: Lockdown
 

34,000 deaths
350 deaths under 65

yet 90% of deaths are over 65.

Surely that would mean 3,400 deaths under 65, not 350? :confused:

Re: Lockdown
 

mafymatics isn't my strong point

Re: Lockdown
 

8pm - 6am again from
Wednesday through Eid.

Re: Lockdown
 

Full 24 Hour 5 Day Lockdown in Saudi from 23rd to 27th May (Eid Vacation Period)

Re: Lockdown
 

https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/ar...eople-in-a-car

Not much change in Qatar till end of May. Contact tracing app mandatory from Friday though.

Re: Lockdown
 

Have they shut down the construction sites yet?
Looking at the global coronavirus statistics

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Qatar seems oddly placed particularly when sorted on the number of cases per 1 million population. Relatively speaking its almost the worst in the world after San Marino and Vatican City whose position should perhaps not be so surprising, but Qatar third! It's not even as if they are testing massively more than others either though certainly relatively high
It seems there is either some bad/wrong/distorted data or...? Perhaps they simply have not taken the steps necessary and I have heard that bus loads of construction workers were still to be seen on the roads still full to the last seat and construction sites working as before. Is that really the case?

Re: Lockdown
 

Think we've got lucky in comparison to KSA when you look at the 'freedom to go about your business meter'.
We're getting more and more bottom-rogered by the numbers on a daily basis though - new cases just keep jumping like the fines.

Either the app will become mandatory or the lockdown will come back I reckon.

Re: Lockdown
 

It's quite interesting really - they just simply haven't been able to push the numbers down. I find the level of non-compliance amazing - even in the UK/US where people have freedoms and much lower levels of fear of the government there seems to be more compliance.

I think government policy has been excellent here - it's the people.

I know of 12 people with covid - all mostly mild, some worse than others - mostly reporting headaches and a bit of a cough... all met for an iftar after work. 7 of the 12 all live in the same (small) house, 4 kids, maid and the parents all sick. rough.

Re: Lockdown
 

You're surprised by non-compliance? In a region where "if it benefits me, then who cares if it hurts someone else" is the default attitude (as seen daily on the roads). It certainly didn't help that they eased measures way before there was any sign of a reduction in net cases. Even I, Mr Paranoid, felt a "relaxation" which I knew was completely illusory when they reduced the lockdown.

Re: Lockdown
 

There is very likely another reason in Saudi for a full lockdown during Eid - the sentiment among many in the local populace isn't actually positive because of the jump in taxes and multi family or tribal gatherings are a huge source of individuals grudges simmering and morphing into a collective grudge.
The main source of anger there is why they are the only one out of the 6 neighbors to have to take such drastic measures

Re: Lockdown
 

For sure there was a relaxation, it was quite amazing to see - and oddly the longer it when on, the more people were getting more relaxed.

I'm surprised by the non-compliance as for the most part, expats are pretty compliant on all other things given the constant fear of deportation / losing jobs / visas etc.

Re: Lockdown
 

But presumably these expats are still from the "if god wills it, then who am I to take personal action, particularly if it's a bit of a bother" region?

Re: Lockdown
 

Yeah, I think the last month has been poor with people just not paying any attention to it. If we'd been locked down longer it might have been more sustainable and a better path to reopening. We're now just continuing this fairly relaxed lockdown and increasing the fines. I haven't seen a copper on my morning walk/jogs yet though.

Re: Lockdown
 

Unless they get a handle on it, they're going to find that European (and possibly other) countries are going to put an embargo on tourists visiting here. Not such a problem now, but it will become a major issue in the autumn.

Re: Lockdown
 

Lots of ‘staycations’ being advertised, presumably guests will now have to be confined to the room between 8pm-6am...sounds fantastic.

Re: Lockdown
 

Yes and no. Construction sites are still open and Ashok Leyland Executive/Tata Limo are still running services, but bus loading is being strictly enforced at 50% capacity with socially-distant seating. What the guys do on site and in the camps is a different matter of course, and hence the number of cases. Also, Qatar is doing a lot of testing. The Industrial Area was on full lockdown for weeks and they've been testing there massively. It is a precondition to being allowed out. They've also been setting up roadside random testing stations and flagging down drivers for a swab, so Qatar's data will be better than most.

A trickle of expats are now being let back in to Doha, depending on how critical they are to business continuity on national projects. A couple of our client's guys who got caught stuck on the outside have been given the nod. At the same time, their organisation culled a lot of staff in-country this week, so there's definitely a focus on who's needed and who can be chopped. I'm still working remotely from the UK till I can get back in (or get the bullet), which is probably the best of both worlds as long as HMRC give us 60 days extra due to "exceptional circumstances". I suspect that folk will continue to be brought back gradually for now rather than a general reopening of the border. How soon depends on how important they are to the organisation and wider national interest. It's ripe for a spread bet and there could be a bit of face lost for some: how many places in the queue in front of or behind Bilal from IT?

I hear from a couple of inside sources that hotel bars and restaurants in Doha will be reopening mid-June.

Re: Lockdown
 

Nope, hotel pools in Dubai are closed ( Open in Ajman and Rak) however you can use the beach at the staycation places

Re: Lockdown
 

Regarding random testing, once they are tested do they let them go on their merry way before they get their results? I often wondered about this as they could get infected whilst waiting on results

Re: Lockdown
 

Not sure where you got that breakdown as it's completely wrong, aside from the awful arithmetic.

And surprise, surprise, as thoughtful observers have been anticipating, it turns out that the headline death number is also a massive under-count. Around 55,000 "excess deaths" have occurred in the UK during the period of the covid pandemic, possibly as high as 61,000.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulat...ending8may2020

All six of the deaths I know about personally were of people under the age of 60, some considerably below, and none with serious health conditions. Not representative, of course, but not reassuring either.

Even if we accept your dodgy data and the premise that we should just re-open and get on with things, what's the real option? Isolate a fifth of the population (those over 65 accounting for 90% of your reported deaths plus other high risk groups, which may end up including people with darker skin who can't produce much vitamin D in less sunny climates, by the way)?

Despite attempts to portray Sweden as some libertarian trend-setter, they have been encouraging practice of social distancing just not legally enforcing it. And, as well as the significantly higher death rate than their neighbours, they have suffered a slightly greater economic contraction. If "herd immunity" is supposed to be their ultimate prize, then that's one hell of a gamble based on some highly questionable assumptions. Aside from the fact that herd immunity from a given disease among a large population (such as that of a big city or country) has never before been achieved without vaccines, a corona-virus is a most unsuitable candidate for such an experiment. This was already known. The emerging evidence from people that recovered from SARS seems to confirm the concern that surviving a corona virus may not, in fact, make you immune from re-infection in the long term as the antibodies gradually but fairly quickly disappear from your system.

And if there are US elections in September then that will be a major news item, regardless.

Re: Lockdown
 

To be let out of the Industrial Area you need to confirm you've tested negative and install the Ehteraz app for contact tracing. For the drive-through testing I don't know, but in Qatar, the authorities can always find you if they need to.

Re: Lockdown
 

I always felt I needed my passport anytime I had to go in there, what a zoo, in pretty much every sense of that word.

Re: Lockdown
 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, our favourite Guardian/NYTimes/CNN poster is back with his deep belief in the sanctity of the guesswork and projection and faulty modeling of epidemiology and confusing it as factual science. But but but healthy young people are dying! Gotta blow up the entire global economy! Who cares about the hundreds of thousands if not millions of poor kiddies in Africa who'll die from being plunged into poverty. Hey, it's not like anyone really does even in the best of times.

I sat back and thought of all the young people I knew who died over the years. I'm just 40 and of those in my age cohort from school and university and life in general, we've had brain tumour, drug overdose, heart attack (a fitness freak who used to scold me for being unhealthy when I used to subsist on coffee and cigs), brain aneurysm, at least two car accident fatalities, broken neck from falling out a window. A kid with leukemia from way back, although he doesn't quite count as healthy I guess. And those are just the ones I had first degree of connections with.

In short, the function of life is to die. Thanks to Chinese ineptitude and botched cover up, we're blessed with a pandemic. But I must admit, as pandemic goes, this one isn't particularly too bad. It kills off the unhealthy old while sparing the healthy young (sorry to break this to you, healthy young people are not dying from COVID-19 in meaningful numbers). But an entire generation of young people are going to be paying the economic toll for many years of trying to prolong the lives of primarily unhealthy older people another year. Perhaps this was the right thing to do. Who knows.

Re: Lockdown
 

The only number that was wrong was the 90pct of people dying are over 65. In fact it should have been 99pct. Thanks for highlighting my mistake and reinforcing my point.

Re: Lockdown
 

Man, you've got a high risk cohort. I'm 44 and to my knowledge only two people (schoolfriends) of my age have died. Both died when they were in their late teens, early twenties. Oh, and there was the guy who fell off a ferry. Again, in his teens.

Re: Lockdown
 

He hasn't got a high risk cohort, it's all made up.

Re: Lockdown
 

No, it should have been 89%.
The UK death data is available from the ONS: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulat...nglandandwales
Total covid deaths for people aged 65 or older = 36,423 (up to 8th May)
Total covid deaths = 41,020
Deaths for people aged 65 or older as % of total = 89%

Re: Lockdown
 

I find it strange that I am on the side of the lockdown, it feels to me like the right thing to do. Anyhow let's play devil's advocate and see it from the other side.

So putting aside the deaths and sacrifice of older people to the great euthanasia project of 2020, (except my family and friends and maybe some random 'cool' older people), and run the scythe through the common or garden OAPs. The concern now is purely economic, the release of lockdown is to save the world from the next great recession.

We have the general projections and current reality of economic doom, but what is the expected economic outcome for a scenario where we just lock up the older people or in a more extreme scenario just a lassez faire policy of take your own chances. To date I'm only seeing arguments pointing out how bad things will be but nothing of note demonstrating how much better off we will be adopting a different policy. As Miss Ann points out above, Sweden seems to be facing a bigger economic downtown despite not enforcing a lockdown.?

Re: Lockdown
 

Back to bean counter school Millhouse, though in your defence plus or minus 10% is probably well within allowable error tolerance.