FelicityR

When I read Ken's header "Chatting in the time of covid" I also immediately thought of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera, too. Though I personally found the book a bit sexist for my liking. 100 Years of Solitude is, in my opinion, a better book. Though 100 days of isolation, or lockdown, is a distinct possibility given our current circumstances :( Some major stores in the UK are also operating a shopping hour for elderly and disabled or key workers, and limiting the number of people in the store at any one time. About time too. As for chatting in the time of covid, well that's a good start as in this age of all these communicative mediums that we can use, people seem, to me, less interested in chatting generally, but maybe a positive factor about the current pandemic is that people will actually start to communicate with each other more. Time will tell...

Yes, he, or for that matter any other Prime Minster, is in a no-win situation. The first thing that greeted me on my online read of the news this morning was (yet again) packed London Underground Carriages. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-london-tube-passengers-still-cramming-into-busy-trains-despite-uk-lockdown/ar-BB11CzB4?li=BBoPRmx I can't blame the people who cannot use any other form of transport to get to work, and you can't blame Transport for London for having a reduced service due to the virus. Medical facemasks are not so easy to get hold of: nothing locally and I'm still awaiting for mine in the post. Difficult times.

I agree with what you are saying. But there must be some mechanism that makes covid-19 more virulent, more dangerous for certain people. Why is covid-19 asymptomatic for some, and deadly for others? Or are there two 'isomers' of the virus, where one produces mild infection, and the other chronic infection, and the virologists haven't been able to identify them so far? Possibly, and this is only a theory, people who have travelled and had vaccines for other illnesses like dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, etc. have some advantage of fighting this illness than people who haven't. The reason I say this is that I now know of one person (a friend) who has had coronavirus, but only very mild symptoms, after returning from Asia. He is over 60, not 100% healthy, but he has travelled the world extensively, especially in Asia. The brilliant minds of the medical statisticians, biologists and virologists could possibly find some explanation in the raw data of people's medical files, plus other factors. And whilst, as I have said previously, I am not a fan of our Prime Minster, Boris Johnson, I have admiration for the speech he gave last night outlining the lockdown in the UK. It was truly statesmanlike. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/video/other/boris-johnson-british-public-must-stay-at-home/vi-BB11BmnU

The medical statisticians dealing with epidemiology are excellent at what they do, but instead of making projections - we all know how bad this pandemic is, and how much worse it can get - they should be using their brilliant minds to work out why some people have mild symptoms, and other die of covid-19. Underlying health problems is not the only cause as younger people are dying now, even healthy ones, but there's a whole mass of data that can be analysed about blood types - it has already been suggested that people with blood group A may get worse symptoms - to diet, alcohol intake and type, smoker/non-smoker, genetics, occupations, location, age, family history, and how people tried at home to tackle the virus and medications used, etc., etc. To me, analysing this data makes sense, because covid-19 is randomly killing some people whereas with others they have some inbuilt immunity to see off the virus. If they can unlock the 'mystery' factor in all this, then they will have a platform possibly to change the course of the illness beyond social distancing measures. Which everyone must do now.

3NT now. It probably depends on a finesse or a 2-2 break in ♦s but, for me, there's more chance you can scramble 9 tricks in NTs than 10 in ♠, or 11 in ♦s. The hand is a very poor 14 count but opposite the right 11 from partner (with a bit of luck) the NT game will probably make.

This news item was one of the first that greeted me first thing this morning as I caught up on the overnight news. I can only describe it as utterly moronic. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-riot-van-swoops-pub-21732667 The last sentence in this statement just doesn't make sense either: Several people criticised the pub on social media for staying open even though health officials advised all public venues to close to prevent further spread of the virus. DCC Malcolm Graham [of the Scottish Police] told the Daily Record that officers, at this time, cannot enforce the closure of any premises. Why can't they enforce a closedown? Take away their drinks licence immediately? If a licensed premises is deemed a danger to the public I would have thought it could have been closed down with immediate effect? And where are the Health and Safety council officers who probably have separate powers to enforce closure? Whilst people still act as irresponsibly as this, then is there any hope for the world?

Yes that seems a possible, even logical, explanation. And Germany, like Japan, testing for covid-19 far more comprehensively than other countries, and then isolating the carriers. The statistics for Italy make for contemplative reading. It's a very age discriminatory illness. 95% of the deaths have occurred in the 60+ age group (as per Wikipedia data) and whilst those people are more likely to have age-related health problems, it's a sobering fact that many Italians in that age group also have good health too due to their diets.

Finally, the UK government has taken drastic measures and closed bars and public houses tonight. Thankfully. Pescetom's previous post about air particle quality (pollution) and covid-19 distribution in Italy is an interesting hypothesis that rings true. It is another factor that must be taken into consideration. Lombardy is extremely polluted [i checked the air quality index for the last few days] Whilst looking into this, I wondered why we haven't heard much about covid-19 infection in Japan. Not so many years ago, air pollution in Japan was at dangerous levels. It was not uncommon for Japanese people to wear face masks in the larger cities. However, what impressed me was how Japan have dealt with covid-19. The Wikipedia entry makes interesting reading. Less than 1000 infected, and just over 30 deaths as of today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_Japan Face masks and testing for covid-19 were high priority in the early stages of the covid-19 outbreak. And, yes, Japan is a first world country with good resources to deal with this pandemic, but you have to admire the ruthless efficiency of the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government.

I still feel that in the UK not enough is being done to promote the logic of social distancing to try to keep the numbers getting this virus under control. Public Houses and Clubs have not been told to shut - why? - when every other event is being cancelled or postponed even when the event is months in advance. Panic shoppers, due to their co-mingling, have probably caused many more coronavirus germs to be passed on. As a nursing friend said on the telephone, "If you're ill with any type of flu, then you're appetite disappears" so it might be poetic justice that many of the greedy panic buyers, who have left nothing on the shops' shelves for the elderly and vulnerable members of society, will get coronavirus and see most of their shopping go to waste. So it will be interesting to see what happens this weekend, compared to the last when it appears that people were still going out socialising. The weather isn't going to help to keep people indoors as it looks to be sunny in most parts of the country. Will people ignore the government's advice and still think they are invincible to this illness? I hope not. Social responsibility has to come to the fore at some point, though many will still remain irresponsible whatever happens. Sadly. Later edit (after reading Cyberyeti's post below): Been for a walk this morning in the open air and it's not just the supermarkets that are getting emptied. Seen queues outside smaller shops (butcher, delicatessen, general grocer, etc) and people in very close contact inside the shop. At least one smaller shop owner was socially responsible and was only allowing two people in at a time. I now know of a few pubs and restaurants that have closed their doors 'until further notice', but the majority remain open. Some shop owners are taking advantage of the situation, too, as bad as the locusts who have left the shelves empty. Bread at £5.75 per loaf, Children's paracetamol (Calpol) at £19.99, 32 tablets of paracetamol at £9.99 (the normal price for generic paracetamol is £0.80 per 32 tablets.)

4NT is the unusual no-trump suggesting both minor suits. The opponents having bid both major suits, 4NT after the 2♥ bid vulnerable shows a big hand with good shape, 6-5 or better. When South jumps to 6♦, showing extras, North with controls in all suits and a solid ♣ suit bids the grand slam. btw It could be the wrong contract as there is no guarantee that the ♦A is missing.

That would be a difficult one to judge given the timeframe. Whilst Britain formally left the EU on 31st January 2020, the virus outbreak started late last year. I would guess - and this is only a guess - that the British government could still be taken to the European Court. As far I am aware, in the UK the time limit to sue for medical negligence is still three years I believe, and that you can sue either an individual or an institution (National Health Service). Given the potential large sum compensation claims, most lawyers probably work on a no-win no-fee basis, especially if they represent 100s of people at a time with the same or a similar grievance.

Double seems too obvious. 1♥ is nonsense, 2♣ is foolish, pass isn't an option with your shape though I am slightly concerned why partner hasn't bid over 1♦. As a balancing double you are right at the bottom end of the point range, vulnerable too. But X it is.

The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is among the world's oldest, most prestigious, and best known general medical journals. This is what the editor-in-chief had to say about how the UK handled the covid-19 outbreak today. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/uk-failures-over-covid-19-will-increase-death-toll-says-leading-doctor/ar-BB11mTqs?ocid=spartandhp I suppose what will happen next is that the people who have been hospitalised, and the relatives of the dead, will seek legal redress against the government.

Oh dear! What I don't particularly like is Boris Johnson's slide into Winston Churchill (his hero) mode that has happened in the last few days. "We will act like [the] wartime Government and beat this enemy." Whilst other commentators on this forum have detailed at length - thank you - how the scientific community were up-to-speed on strategy on tackling this virus, the government should have brought in more draconian measures earlier. I feel the panic buying in the shops has been caused due to the ill-thought out statement that a household will have to isolate for 14 days. Whilst the time period is correct to make sure that no-one spreads the virus into the wider community, he never explained how everyone was going to get basic provisions whilst under this 'viral house arrest'. No statement that the army or social services were going to be involved, etc. And it says a lot for the Sikh community in this country that there are prepared to deliver groceries to families and individuals who are under this self-isolation. How has this government handled the crisis so far? My opinion: badly. Containing this virus and keeping the vast majority of people safe is a logistical nightmare, I admit Jobs, schools, children, working parents, the ill and the elderly all have to be all accounted for. But Winston Churchill and the wartime cabinet wouldn't have been so casual and indecisive as this government have been. What was needed was decisiveness from the beginning, real strategies that inspired confidence and set out what was going to happen, instead of trying to 'wing' their way through this crisis. Winston Churchill made his mistakes during WWII, but the British public generally had confidence as him as a leader. Boris Johnston as Winston Churchill (the second)? Delusions of self-grandeur.

Double allows partner to pass whereas 4♣ doesn't. If you X and partner bids 3♠ then I'm passing that, too. Partner wasn't able to bid 2♠ over 2♥. Partner realises that you are vulnerable and have chosen to X 3♥. If they have extra values where they are unable to bid over 2♥, they should make announce them not give simple preference.

Yes, maybe the Dutch government was better prepared than the one in the UK. I agree, Rik. But surely all governments should had had some contingency plan in place just in case the virus couldn't be contained. It's as though (especially in this country) there are reacting to each and every event as it happens. A case of locking the stable door after the horse has bolted (gone).

Hubris might be the right way to describe it, but it's also a case of 'Nimbyism' too. (Not in My Back Yard). All first world countries are just as guilty, Britain, the USA, the countries of the EU, etc. as the recent viral diseases, covid-19, SARS, MERS, Ebola have happened primarily in China and third world countries. We look from afar thinking it's not going to happen here. As a first world country we should have learnt the lessons of the SARS (another type of coronavirus) outbreak in Canada. The unpreparedness is shocking, but perhaps more accurately described as 'fatally flawed'. Because nothing of this nature has happened here in the UK, the government has been running around like headless chickens, or ostriches with their heads in the sand, trying to fathom the response. I'm not blaming the current government, because I don't think Labour or a hung parliament would have dealt with it any better. The problem as you rightly say is this country, and many other western countries, were 'unprepared'. The seriousness of the covid-19 outbreak is now top of the agenda. And whilst we haven't gone into total lockdown in the UK unlike other countries, that may happen quite soon. It's easy to point the blame with hindsight, but we must also take into consideration that there is probably no easy way to contain both the virus and keep a degree of normality that doesn't impact on a human level. Shutting the schools will mean parents will have to look after children than go to work. Asking people to work from home is just a soundbite as many people cannot work from home. Asking people to stop going to work wholesale will just impact on their financial lives. Etc. Etc. There is not an easy solution... Edit: I was a passenger in a car and we passed a large supermarket this morning 9am (Tesco) and the car park was full of vehicles, and people were leaving with trolleys rammed full of groceries and essentials. Goodness knows what it was actually like in the supermarket. From what I could see, nearly every till was open with lines of shoppers queueing. So much for social distancing... What people forget is that shop assistants (bar people, waiters and waitresses, too) are probably one of the most lowly-paid workers in this country but they have to carry on serving the general public as if nothing has happened, but they are probably at the greatest risk of contracting the virus, and maybe passing the virus on. And if they don't come into work they probably will lose their jobs.

I believe a lot of the problem with the Stock Market (as my husband keeps telling me) is that there are so many platforms for trading money that it has become more volatile in recent times with corporate greed. Add to that algorithmic trading and anything can happen. A small OEIC/Unit Trust portfolio that has returned approximately 7.5% yearly income has seen its profit almost wiped out. So much for the years of careful investing. It's always the small investors who get hit the hardest. That's just my opinion. I'm not going to jump out of a high window just yet, not that's realistically possible as I live in a bungalow :) Anyway, as I always say you can't take it with you, and people's lives are infinitely more important than money. Although this stock market crash will impact on many people's lives.

I, too, thank you for your Italian updates, pescetom. It is surprising how many in the UK are still in denial about covid-19: panic buy essential goods in the shops, then go to crowded pubs and restaurants on Sunday (yesterday). If this online article in the Daily Mirror about what is happening in Italy doesn't make an impact on the British population, then nothing will. I have to say that I do find many of the British population nowadays, selfish, greedy, hypocritical, and so out-of-touch with what's happening in the rest of the world. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/coronavirus-pope-hits-empty-streets-21698823 The measures that have been brought into other countries will definitely happen here, too, I feel, within the next few days. If not, then there will be just more unnecessary deaths.

Watched recently Carol Reed's (The Third Man, Oliver!) British made film noir 'Odd Man Out' starring James Mason as an IRA terrorist on the run in Belfast shortly after the Second World War. It might have been made way back in 1947 in black and white, but it's still gripping and atmospheric.

Just read that the British government is going to ask people over 70 to self-isolate for up to four months. [Four months!] Whether that is logistically possible is another matter. But if that is the case, then bridge in clubs is probably going to come to a grinding halt. And so are plenty of other businesses.

South Korea is a unique case study. The coronavirus is centred around a South Korean church that has similarities with Jehovah's Witnesses insomuch 144,000 followers are promised that they will go to heaven come the Judgement Day. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/20/south-korean-city-daegu-lockdown-coronavirus-outbreak-cases-soar-at-church-cult-cluster So the statistics for covid-19 are very much skewed in this country. The grim reality is that covid-19, and newer coronavirus variants will always be there, in the same way that SARS, MERS and Ebola keep reappearing from time to time. The medical community eradicated the smallpox virus through immunisation, but the newer viruses will keep evolving and more vaccines will have to be found. I am very much into herbal medicine these days, so I will share my thoughts about tackling coronavirus if you should get it. (Please do not take this advice in preference to experienced medical advice offered from a doctor or consultant.) But I have made a list of easily available natural remedies that possibly could help you should you develop coronavirus symptoms. Turmeric, specifically Curcumin; Elderberry; Barberry; Vitamins D,C and Zinc, Garlic; Oregano Oil. Most of these herbs, spices, vitamins and fruit extracts are already well-known for their effectiveness against influenza, and all have been clinically-tested against various contagions. There are not a cure, but maybe a way of lessening the effects of the virus. My household has stocked up just in case we are unlucky enough to get covid-19 and have to self-isolate.

Thank you for that, cherdano. I am neither a genius or experienced in zoology, but I do think the press purposely 'sex up' - an expression used about certain aspects of the evidence of the Iraq War - articles to make them more controversial, therefore more likely to be read by the general public. Nowhere in that article does it state something along the lines "A scientist (who wishes not to named) who works for ZSL says that the next pandemic could or will be 'even worse'." Actually, the reply by the Director General of ZSL, is an even-handed factual statement about 'zoonotic diseases' and the possibility of further pandemics. The word 'possibly (even worse)' is used in the text of the original ZSL article, and that's how the Independent should have reported it, in my opinion. Maybe the one thing I have become is cynical in my later years because I know that advertising space and enabling cookies are connected to articles read online, and by making articles more controversial that they actually are will generate more 'hits' thus generating more income to the source provider. That's why I have an ad-blocker on my computer - though that doesn't stop the functionality of the 'cookies' - so that I am not bombarded with lots more dross online, from selling me funeral plans to organic cat food and everything in between.

Technically, with old-fashioned (purist) Acol bidding rules - assuming Acol is what you play - partner can play you for six ♠s as with 5♣/5♠ the correct opening is 1♣. But... ...many players now open 1♠ with 5-5 black suit hands, especially using 5M systems like 2/1, SAYC and even Acol.

I now appreciate the severity of this illness, and openly admit I was unaware of the aetiology of covid-19 and the impact it is having on all nations, however, I have just read this article and, yes, it is another sensationalised piece of hyped scaremongering that we are being fed with on a daily basis. Please bring back journalists who tell the truth! Does a member of London Zoo use the words "even worse" when speaking with The Independent. Not from what I can see. But the journalist from The Independent puts that into the header. That, for me, is why I get so livid with some sections of the press. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/coronavirus-london-zoo-warns-even-worse-pandemics-than-covid-19-could-arrive-without-research/ar-BB116ZEi?ocid=spartandhp