Flights Cancelled Because Of Perfect Storm

[Gromit]

EasyJet and BA have cancelled hundreds of flights.

// EasyJet expects to cancel hundreds more flights this week due to high levels of Covid-19 among its crew, amid wider disruption at airports and Channel ports at the start of the Easter holidays.

The removal of virtually all coronavirus restrictions has brought a surge in passengers wishing to travel – but exacerbated staff shortages in the aviation industry through rising sickness. //

So much for saving the economy by pretending the pandemic is over.

[ichkeria]

Thank goodness we have moved on though.

Look at Shanghai now ...

[wolf63]

I have been working on my laptop all morning, at some point, I saw a link to a newspaper article.

It said that newspapers had sent journalists to Manchester Airport to see if it was as chaotic as they had heard.

I'm sure that the wandering journalists didn't add to the size of the crowd and increase the chaos.

[Gromit]

Andy Burnham is sorting it out/interferring.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-60994073?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Keep calm and carry on.

[New Judge]

The pandemic in the UK is over. The virus is now endemic and everybody will be exposed to it, probably multiple times. If you believe that continued restrictions would have brought about a different result, as Ikky has mentioned, have a read up about how life currently is in Shanghai (population: more than 26m - about half that of England). The city is now under an indefinite lockdown. That is, a proper lockdown, not like the half-baked versions we had here. A few features of life under those circumstances:

• People are not allowed out of their homes.

• Power to lifts in high rise tenements (of which there are millions) has been switched off to help preserve the lockdown;

• Most public transport has been suspended.

• Food and drinking water (the tap water is unsafe in China) can only be obtained by delivery Households are running low on both.

• People testing positive are removed - forcibly if necessary - to quarantine camps.

• COVID-positive children are being separated from their parents, as part of stated government policy.

All this, and cases are rising faster than ever. Eventually the spread will decline and the lockdown lifted, but as soon as it is cases will rise again. The big problem for the Chinese is that their vaccination programme (the only mitigating measure worth considering) is a complete shambles and the vaccines that have been used are far less effective than those used in the West. An even bigger problem is that the authorities will countenance nothing other than their "zero Covid" policy. This has been an abject failure Wherever it has been attempted and most places which tried it have thrown the towel in and admitted their mistake. The CCP will have none of that.

So, compare that to a few flights to Benidorm cancelled and places being short of staff.

[Gromit]

NJ
Shanghai daily cases are 13,000.
UK daily 30,000 new cases (down from 110,000 new cases on 22 March).

I am not calling for a Chinese style lockdown, but ending all restrictions and discouraging testing will lead to a surge and may damage the economy just as much.

[ladybirder]

Thank goodness we have you to cheer us up every day Gromit. Jeez!!

[New Judge]

//UK daily 30,000 new cases (down from 110,000 new cases on 22 March).//

Almost certainly due to the end of mass testing and reporting. If you test fewer people you get fewer positives.

//I am not calling for a Chinese style lockdown,//

Then just what are you calling for? Two things are abundantly clear: everybody will be exposed to the SARS-Cov-2 virus eventually and I imagine that point will be reached fairly soon; and no amount of "restrictions|" will alter that. So what are you calling for that will materially influence the progression of the virus?

Many of the problems you highlighted are caused by one (or more) of three things:

1. Some companies are still allowing (or insisting) employees who test positive remain at home. There is no justification for this and hopefully when all the free testing kits which people have stored run out, that will see an end to it.

2. Poor management has left some businesses totally unprepared for their trade to pick up. It was obvious it was always going to at some point and they should have made proper preparations.

3. Some industries (notably the airline business) rely on government departments to issue licences and undertake security clearances. Some government departments have seen their Civil servants amongst the worst performers for resuming proper working, with the ridiculous WFH routines and "work life balances" taking precedence over their responsibilities to do their jobs. Security clearances for new airline staff are currently taking twice as long as they did pre-Covid and a large part of this delay is almost certainly die to lax management in government departments.

The country needs to get on. If you feel ill enough that you cannot go out, stay in. If you have no symptoms, or just the sniffles, go out. It's what we do with every other viral infection and Covid is now no different.

[ToraToraTora]

Gromit you've had you jobsworth heaven for 2 years, it's over.

[ToraToraTora]

the problem is that the country is full of people like gromit who absolutely get their rocks off over all these unnecessary restrictions. I've had it, it's no worse than a common cold. The people who are dying are mostly the non vaccinated or those with underlying health conditions and those that die with it, not of it. Covid is not even in the top ten of causes of death any more yet we still act like it is. Stop the cobras and get back to normal.

[ToraToraTora]

....also the country is full of skivers using it as an excuse.

[New Judge]

//....also the country is full of skivers using it as an excuse.//

You might have broken that to us a little more gently, Tora! :-)

[Gromit]

Hundreds of planes grounded and TTT says that’s because ‘the country is full of skivers using it as an excuse’.

Classic denial.

[davebro]

I have a mate who is a part-time pilot for Easyjet. He says most of his workmates have treated Covid as a paid holiday!

[ToraToraTora]

have a day off gromit, skivers are just part of it it's mainly due to the hysterical response to COVID.

[Gromit]

// I have a mate who is a part-time pilot for Easyjet. He says most of his workmates have treated Covid as a paid holiday! //

Well, conclusive proof.

[douglas9401]

In a rare alignment of the solar system, I agree with Tora re skivers.

Lets the rest of us get on a bit easier without them though.

[jno]

the country is full of skivers using it as an excuse

well, the cemeteries are. Sorry, can't come in today, I'm deceased.

[ToraToraTora]

Gromit would love it in China! be like heaven!

[New Judge]

Rather than become involved in a mindless slanging match, why don't you answer the question I posed at 15:21 yesterday. That is, what restrictions or regulations which the government has lifted would you like to see remain? To keep you occupied a little more (and so prevent the insults) what purpose do you think they would serve and what would be the criteria you want to see to have them finally lifted?