If I consider the EU as a ‘nation’ of states, it would be possible to create a super-bubble across much of Europe with limited avenues in and out for the virus. The EU would direct a policy to limit/stop international travel into and out of EU. Countries within the EU would set their own policies for border controls between neighboring countries depending on whether there was a need to stop the spread from another EU country if there was an outbreak.
This wouldn’t be that far removed from the way it works in Australia for example: national leader imposing an international travel ban on everyone, while the state premiers, who hold much of the power in Australia, decide internal border control. Australia is somewhat self contained resource-wise, but still reliant on intra-border crossings for food and resources between states. Not any different to the UK in relation to its EU neighbours…at least at the start of the pandemic.
This is simple fantasy though as we are talking about a union of countries that have a significant level of autonomy and not a nation of states. These countries would never accept a head of the EU making these sorts of decisions for them. But I wanted to point out that crossing borders within the EU is not so much the problem but international flights into the EU introducing the virus and its variants.
Ah, the increasing tension between the Commission and the Council. As from 2013 the Commission now has a lot more influence over whether temporary border controls within the Schengen area are allowed to remain. It removes the right of the member state to act unilaterally in determining whether temporary restrictions (that it can impose unilaterally) are able to remain.
fascinating and in some cases not surprising. Obviously surprising in others.
Also interesting when people were warning that the UK death toll was actually higher when looking at excess deaths this was poo pooed. (not on here so much). Now its a valid metric but at least we’re getting closer to understanding what the real horror of this has been
Yeh, excess deaths isn’t definitive, of course, but it was certainly a better guide early on when we simply weren’t testing enough to have any reliable measure as to which deaths were related to covid in any way. It’s interesting that the UK’s excess deaths do now more or less align with the number for all covid-related UK deaths (ie, not just those within 28 days of a positive test).
Particularly for those countries who don’t test as much as the UK (which is everyone with a population of more than 10 million), excess deaths is a useful metric. The less a country tests, the more useful it is.
I must admit that 6-9 months ago I would have honestly thought the UK government would have made efforts to keep the numbers suppressed but they do deserve credit for being transparent on this issue whether that was what they wanted or otherwise.
The rationale is those in cities are closer to ammenities. If you live in a city ambulance response time is better, more likely to have access to better hospitals. It’s been hypothesised people are more likely to adhere to social distancing. It’s easier for people to stay at home and use online delivery services for food and other things. People can more easily cycle and walk to obtain basics rather than travel.
So now it’s the parents who will be assessing their own children, yet teachers were accused of giving higher grades than their pupils deserved so just to compound that it’s now down to the parents. Have I got that correct?
Is this something other than the jamming a swap down their throat/nose version of the test? Cos I’ve had to do that to my kids, and I’m not doing it again. It’s fucking horrible.
Agree, it’s traumatic for everyone but particularly for the young children involved. I didn’t know there was a mouth one? We had the nose ones…not something that I would want to experience quickly again and certainly not something I’d want to be doing on a twice-weekly basis.
Is there not a less distressing way of testing yet?
The tests we’ve done (Mrs Mascot did another one early this week) have all been a swab on the tonsils, and then up the nose. I didn’t know there was a nose only one.
To be honest, I can’t imagine the arsehole one that was mooted a while ago being more distressing than the throat/nose version.
