No we should spend that money every year because the health system is underfunded regardless of this pandemic. What makes you think those beds weren’t needed previously? Have you not seen the countless reports such as the one below of the last 5 years, the system is no longer functioning like it should as a result of lack of funds.

[Link]

The pandemic has only demonstrated that more, Germany who have a well functioning healthcare system have a fraction of our deaths.

It’s hardly surprising the ‘idiot’ public aren’t following advice when we have had 4 weeks of mixed messages.

3rd March - PM says ‘I’ve been shaking hands with patients’
12th March - PM announced we are heading for herd immunity, not closing schools
14th March - Actually we’re banning crowds
16th March - Pubs should be avoided... but we’re not closing them... (his own dad then goes on TV and says I would still go to pubs)
19th March - Hopefully we should be out the other end of this in 12 weeks and I’m going to see my mum on Sunday.
20th March - Actually we’re closing the pubs now and schools
21st March - Published an article behind a paywall in the telegraph saying people shouldn’t go and see their mums.

When they have minimised this pandemic at every opportunity no wonder the public think it’s not a big deal.

You can already see them pivoting to shift the blame away from their inaction to blame the general public. Trump is doing the same in the US but blaming China.

Our government had a 3 month head start on this and we failed to prepare, the blame lies with them.

Harvey Weinstein has it now. That might relieve a few folk in Hollywood.

You say it’s standard practice but it hasn’t been here. Our official position since March 11th till this Friday was only test those hospitalised. We have had a week of symptomless people walking within our communities spreading this. Even before that our government weren’t screening that actively, allowed a load of Brits back from their skiing holidays in Italy after half term without any screening at the airports, this was already after clear community spreading was taking place in Italy.

The reason Germany figures are so much higher is because they have been testing aggressively, our cases likely dwarf theirs but we haven’t been checking unless hospitalised. Tokyo in all fairness does seem like an anomaly but I don’t put this down to an homogeneous population and more to cultural aspects of not shaking hands or hugging, also as a population they are much more likely to wear masks as a default.

That's a paradoxical statement.....As for masks, they are of limited use as has been stated many times.

Mmmmm....the number of detected cases can perhaps be argued away....what can't be are the deaths.....and Japan has a higher average age, much higher population than Germany and much lower deaths rates.....As for anomalies, they don't exist when you are talking about populations of tens of millions of people.

While I have little doubt the speed of implementation differed in European countries....indeed even as a layman I and others here criticised it....The reality is that once the elites took it seriously the approaches have been very similar.

What you seem to want to attack here is the video's rather obvious conclusion that a homogeneous population with common conservative cultural practices deal far better with this....the video states them.

I think there there is perhaps a difference between what is real and what you would prefer to believe.

Edited by Stirlingsays (22 Mar 2020 10.04pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

When we come to see the group break downs on the statistics with this disease it will make for fascinating, if not surprising reading.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

You have to ask who is they.

Isn’t it interesting that this comes from a well known Trump supporter. Trump has weaponised this crisis to pursue his own ends. Shame he can’t actually deliver to his people. Should focus on the response not political point scoring.