Corona Virus and The Simpsons

[CloudMaker]

Attachment 4733

I guess Christmas is cancelled in the UK

[Cuchculan]

New Years Eve will be even more fun. Think of the thousands who gather each year. I can see most still trying to gather. In the normal places they gather around the world.

Christmas is a bloody boring time of year. Will be another one to look out for. As people like to drink a lot during the whole Christmas period. Still have Halloween to come first though. Over here we are locked down at the moment. Will be for Halloween. Telling parents to keep their kids in the house. No going door to door.

The police will only enter a house if a large crowd has gathered. Few home made pubs have popped up here in Ireland. Police found one last week. Some set up. Working beer taps and everything. Shows the lengths some people are willing to go to.

[Otherside]

Police go in if theres huge gatherings, been a few cases of students throwing house parties of 30+. Not allowed more than 6 people in a group here. So, no huge family gatherings. Most of mine are in Scotland though, and I'm in the South of England. Dont have a car, so would have to take a plane. Which I really dont want to do. Potentially being sat on the same plane as a super-spreader with recirculated air, and having to wear a mask for an hour and a half? No thanks.

The problem I think will happen it the North of England is in lockdown and has restrictions on having Christmas celebrations, whilst the South does not. Quite a few places in the North have restrictions, whilst its life as normal really here in the South. North has long felt like it's been "left behind" by the South, now feels like decisions are being made about Lockdowns happening in the North by London politicians who havent got much of a clue about them, who are refusing to provide any funding and financial support for to businesses and people who are made unemployed by the lockdowns.

Colleague of mine living in the North said to me "The South better not be allowed to have Christmas whilst we are not, a lot of anger here if that happens."

[Cuchculan]

Rules of 6 here too. Police will have new powers next week to fine people on the spot. We await to see what happens. On the radio there was a member of the travelling community talking. He said his own people are spreading it more than anybody else in Ireland. They like to move around in large numbers. Now if we had of said that we would have gotten into trouble. They are saying it themselves.

Still the border counties have it worse here. Dublin is bad. If you take how many people live in a county. Cavan is the worst now. If we use this figure the medical people have used since day 1. You know, they want to get it down to 1. That would flatten their curve. Cavan is on about 4 or 5 on that scale. Dublin might be around 2 or just under 2. Cavan is a small county.

Did joke today that Chris Rea won't be allowed drive home for Christmas this year. They are stopping people coming home to Ireland for Christmas. Yet tourists can still fly into the country? We did hear of one tourist who they called a super spreader. Flew in and infected up to 50 people. Still they allow them to come. Stupid really. Shops can only sell food. That is shops that might sell clothes as well. Out of fairness to clothes shops. I did ask why drink was still been sold in shops when pubs are closed, out of fairness to pubs. That got some reaction on a radio show page. Government makes money off of alcohol. Not off of clothes.

[Otherside]

Thought there was a two week quarantine when you enter ROI, unless its from NI? Or is it like how ours work, where they tell you to isolate and then don't really check to see if you're doing it? Pisses me off all these people travelling around on holiday and ignoring it. What, you think you're the only one who wants a holiday? Haven't seen quite a few people now in nine months that I'd like to see because of travel restrictions.

Shops can only sell food. That is shops that might sell clothes as well. Out of fairness to clothes shops. I did ask why drink was still been sold in shops when pubs are closed, out of fairness to pubs.

Wales has pretty much done the exact same thing. Keep seeing pictures of Tescos having cordoned off everything thats not food. They've really screwed it up. Clothes? Nope. Books? Nope. Kitchenware? Not getting those either. One shop has declared that Toothpaste and Toothbrushes are not essential, and cordoned those off. Welshgov have had to step in and inform Tesco that hygeine products and babymik were essential and needed tp be sold. It's madness.

[Cuchculan]

Biggest problem here is people not staying in who tested positive and are not as bad as others. So they assume they can go out. Plus others who don't show up for their tests. They have the virus but refuse to be tested. Those are the ones who should be fined. You are right. 2 week isolation. Had one tourist caught in the local town doing shopping. That was one they caught. But no like they check up on everybody.

The whole story done the rounds about the woman been refused rampons over there. Non essential item? What a farce that was. Though the shop made some excuse up. A bad excuse.

[Otherside]

Rumours England is about to go back into lockdown again today, and so the hoarders are back at it. Huge line at the store today, stretching right around the carpark, and there is once again, an exodus of people fleeing London.

Going to be interesting to see if this is followed. Dont think theres the same level of goodwill here as there was before. Then theres halloween tonight and Guy Fawkes Night/firework night coming up. Nothing public happening on Guy Fawkes, but I suspect we're going to see quite a few garden parties. Don't even know if they're selling fireworks this year, but I hope not.

[Cuchculan]

They can always get fireworks. Bloody things have been going off here for a few months now. Nothing planned in Ireland too. But that won't stop people from doing their thing. We all know what people are like. Lockdown is not been followed much here this time around. Think people are fed up at this stage. Older people dying again by the day. That had all stopped. That is something new again.

Be curious to see how your second lockdown works out. Not exactly going down well over here with a lot of people. Think I said months ago that there is only so much people will be willing to take.

[Otherside]

Had fireworks here last night, terrified the dog. Wish people wouldn't do them for days on end.

Think people are fed up at this stage.

Thats it, really. We all want to go back to normal here. Lockdown starts on Thursday in England, its going to be interesting to see if Boris can get the legislation through parliment for that - a lot of his party seem to be anti-lockdown this time round, and he did say that a "second lockdown would be height of absurdity" a week ago. We all knew it was coming, regardless.

It was an intersting speech. It was supposed to happen at 4, he eventually turns up for it three hours late. They were probably having to stick his head in ice cold water to sober him up. They then show a bunch of slides that didnt quite fit the screen. So we only really saw half of the slides. Someone really needs to teach them how to use Microsoft Powerpoint.

My gut feeling is no, it won't go so well this time. Guess we'll see.

[Cuchculan]

Not as many kids out yesterday evening. But there were still some knocking on doors. Fireworks going off all night. I am sure lots of house parties too. Simply because people have had enough. You can still go out and be cautious. But others go out and don't care what they do.

They were talking about England on the radio here today. Explaining how it all works. Having to vote on it. Not having a full house in favour of it. Be an interesting vote. See if his own party goes against him. He might be forced to do a few deals with other parties. Just to have it passed.

Another thing mentioned was long term effects of having Covid. May take many years to get an answer to that one. Anti-bodies not working for those who have had it. But doing damage to the body instead. No idea how true any of this is. Or maybe just more scare mongering?

[sunrise]

Surprised there were trick or treaters during a pandemic, though not a lot. Good thing we had some candy. We ended up just putting it on a table and leaving it on our porch. The kids were good about only taking one each. Makes me wonder what the parents were thinking though.

[Cuchculan]

I do believe things can still be done in a safe way. But that is the problem. People are not doing things in a safe way. You could live day to day with the virus out there if you took care. Didn't be silly. But people are been silly. Seems they like large gatherings. Can't do things without a crowd of others with them. That is the main problem. Another anti-mask protest here yesterday. Those idiots just annoy me. They took over a tram service we have. With people wearing masks on it. Telling them all to take their masks off. Actually trying to take the masks off of some. One thing protesting. But another when you start this crazy crap off. If others want to wear masks they are entitled to do so. Not to be in fear of these clowns trying to rip their masks off their faces. More videos of raves and parties appearing too. The rave was said to have been organized by a health care worker. Who was arrested. That is Ireland for you at the present time.

[sunrise]

Didn't know you also had the same whackadoos in Ireland. I thought it was an American-specific blight.

[Cuchculan]

It can get big time crazy here too. You have your anti maskers. Don't want to be told to wear a mask. Big protests by them. Loads of arrests. They tend to take over narrow streets. Smart move on their part. Imagine even a few thousand people on a narrow street? That is the whole street taken over. These streets have well known shops on them. Then they sit down and block traffic on busier roads in Dublin. Nobody ever said a mask would stop you getting the virus. Whole idea of a mask is to stop you spreading the virus. They don't believe in either.

[Cuchculan]

This new vaccine seems nearly OK. Not perfect. But a promsing start. Different in that it is a two dose vaccine. 90% success rate so far. Bit more testing still needed. Like how long it keeps the virus away from people for. Long term effects will never be known until 10 or 20 years down the line. Dare I say the makers of Viagra have never let us down so far. Going to be a lot of those jokes doing the rounds.