Coronavirus

[Graham Breeze]

I and the family saw the new Marvel mutants film at cinemac about a month ago. At the start of the film we were the only people there (a couple came in after about 10 minutes).

After some careful consideration of what opportunity this rare occurrence afforded me, I concluded that shouting something loudly and mildly offensive was something I'd be unlikely to do again. It felt liberating breaking the rules in a way that offended no-one, but I couldn't help feel my imagination was as little limited.

As you may know films are now "projected" digitally by satellite from Sweden(?) and so even Pictureville, which is one of the best cinemas in the UK (being part of the National Museum of Cinema,TV, This and That) does not employ a projectionist - because there is no film to project! And the days of ladies selling Butterkist on trays are long gone so presumably there are CCTV cameras monitoring the auditorium to check the audience is not slashing the seats and dancing in the aisles when Rock Around The Clock is shown.

But perhaps you could test that on your next family excursion?

[Mossdog]

And the days of ladies selling Butterkist on trays are long gone

Well there's still a lady selling ice-creams and such (I think they've stopped the smokes)at the interlude in the Keswick Alhambra Cinema. My local village hall's fortnightly film showing also halts the film midway for a very civilized break of tea and biscuits. We know how to have a wicked, debauched night out in upper Teesdale.

[Mossdog]

https://gbdeclaration.org/

Well spotted Wheeze. There's a change in the air, perhaps?

[Fellbeast]

Slightly both covid and film watching related: I took lockdown as a perfect excuse to upgrade our TV in April and, now with a beautiful Sony 50 incher, we have subsequently watched no end of great films on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Muji (and occasionally on Sky) as well as a whole host of fantastic TV series. You'll hate me for saying it Graham but we're not really missing the cinema at all.

Deadly pandemics do have their plus sides too I guess

[Graham Breeze]

You'll hate me for saying it Graham but we're not really missing the cinema at all.

Yep. You are right!

[Witton Park]

Well spotted Wheeze. There's a change in the air, perhaps?

needs to accelrate a little though - it's actually linked to the unherd piece and video from a few days ago.

[Fellbeast]

needs to accelrate a little though - it's actually linked to the unherd piece and video from a few days ago.

I doubt that this will fly to be honest. Pub and alcohol and students back at uni are now the big covid fire starters and that's where the next changes are likely to fall. So a similar limited period pub/restaurant closure in hot spots, like Scotland, and maybe some sort of students kept on campus (but all campus facilities and student's unions left open) segregation period?

The students thing is really difficult to get right but I bet the track and trace data is pointing massively in the direction of pubs and drinking as being one of the main causes of covid spreading. Thats what Nicola Sturgeon implied in Scotland and that could easily be the Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle etc

[Graham Breeze]

I doubt that this will fly to be honest. Pub and alcohol and students back at uni are now the big covid fire starters and that's where the next changes are likely to fall. So a similar limited period pub/restaurant closure in hot spots, like Scotland, and maybe some sort of students kept on campus (but all campus facilities and student's unions left open) segregation period?

The students thing is really difficult to get right but I bet the track and trace data is pointing massively in the direction of pubs and drinking as being one of the main causes of covid spreading. Thats what Nicola Sturgeon implied in Scotland and that could easily be the Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle etc

I guess virtually every member of the cabinet went to university but they all appear to have amnesia over what it is like to be 18 and free from parents and a school regime and have money to spend and new friends to make...

[Wheeze]

The missing information is how many of those student hotspots are generating serious illness. The concern, of course, is that the hotspots of cases will spread upwards into the vulnerable. This is where individual responsibility for safeguarding comes into play. If I was over 60 living in a student town, I would consider public venues a deathtrap and isolate myself from them. Far from being unfair, I've had 45 years of fun visiting pubs and eateries etc. Staying away now so that the young can have their fun is not too hard to ask is it?
There are many other issues to consider such as multigenerational living and grandparents looking after grandchildren so the parents can work where the chance of transmission exists. But we are not naive about this now. We've had 6 months to understand how to manage things. It may require adjustment and even short term hardship but those things have to be taken on board if we are to avoid blanket shutdown again.

[Dave_Mole]

If I was over 60 living in a student town, I would consider public venues a deathtrap and isolate myself from them.

But it's not just the over 60s, is it?
What about lecturers and staff in the universities? What about staff in public venues? All of whom can either suffer from or spread the virus and have no way of isolating?
What happens when students go home at Christmas, taking infection with them?