Owl’s earlier post on this subject has received a lot of interest.

Here is new attempt at discussing possible explanations

Philip Oltermann  www.theguardian.com

Germany’s relatively low mortality rate continues to intrigue experts as Covid-19 spreads across Europe, with some questioning the methodology behind its data gathering while others argue the country’s high testing rates allow a more accurate approximation of the threat posed by the novel coronavirus.

While the pandemic has hit Germany with full force, with Johns Hopkins University noting 22,364 confirmed infections by Sunday morning, only 84 people are so far reported to have died.

This means Germany currently has the lowest mortality rate of the 10 countries most severely hit by the pandemic: 0.3% compared with 9% in Italy and 4.6% in the UK.

The contrast with Italy is especially surprising because the two countries have the highest percentage of citizens aged 65 or over in Europe. If anything, the Bloomberg Global Health Index would suggest Italians have a healthier lifestyle than Germans.

German politicians and senior health officials have been reluctant to comment on the low mortality rate while the situation is developing so rapidly. Lothar Wieler, the president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the government’s central public health body, has said he does not expect there to be a significant difference in mortality rates between Italy and Germany in the long run.

“It’s too early to say whether Germany is better medically prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic than other countries,” said Marylyn Addo, who heads the infectiology department at Hamburg’s University Medical Centre.

One likely explanation for the discrepancy in figures, Addo suggested, was that while northern Italy’s hospitals are being overrun with new patients, Germany’s are not yet at full capacity and have had more time to clear beds, stock up on equipment and redistribute personnel.

“One advantage Germany has is that we started doing professional contact tracing when the first cases were reported,” Addo said. “It bought us some time to prepare our clinics for the coming storm.”

Crucially, Germany started testing people even with milder symptoms relatively early on, meaning the total number of confirmed cases may give a more accurate picture of the virus’s spread than in other states.

According to Germany’s National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, the country has capacity for about 12,000 Covid-19 tests per day, while Wieler has claimed it has capacity for 160,000 tests per week.

While Germany has not tested its citizens at the same high rate practised in South Korea, guidelines have been in place for more than a month for people to be tested even if they have early-stage symptoms but have either had contact with an infected person or recently visited a “high-risk area” such as Lombardy in Italy or Wuhan in China.

The age profile of those affected in the first few weeks has also been younger than in other countries, many of them fit and healthy people returning from skiing resorts in Austria or Italy, which would also help explain the low mortality rate.

“I assume that many young Italians are or were infected without ever being detected,” Christian Drosten, a virologist at Berlin’s Charité hospital, told the newspaper Die Zeit. “This also explains the virus’s supposedly higher mortality rate there.”

Drosten, who has been advising the German health ministry, has also warned that Germany’s mortality rate is likely to rise in the coming weeks as high-risk areas become harder to identify and testing capacity becomes stretched.

“It will appear that the virus has become more dangerous, but this will be a statistical artefact, a distortion. It will simply reflect what’s already starting to happen: we’re missing more and more infections.”

The methodology behind Germany’s data gathering could also play into the discrepancy between Italian and German figures.

If a patient is tested positive for Covid-19 in Germany, the doctor will notify the local health authority, which will then digitally transfer the data to the Robert Koch Institute. The lag in this process explains why the RKI’s daily figures have been consistently lower than those from Johns Hopkins University, which updates its data tables more frequently. By 10am on Sunday morning, for example, the RKI only notes 55 fatalities in Germany.

Unlike in Italy, there is currently no widespread postmortem testing for the novel coronavirus in Germany. The RKI says those who were not tested for Covid-19 in their lifetime but are suspected to have been infected with the virus “can” be tested after death, but in Germany’s decentralised health system this is not yet a routine practice.

As a result, it is theoretically possible that there could be people who may have died in their homes before being tested and who do not show up in the statistics.

Practising medical specialists such as Addo do not believe this number of unreported cases to be statistically significant. “I have yet to see any data that would suggest a large number of untested corona-related deaths that don’t show up in the statistics,” she said.

“Clinics dealing with respiratory illnesses have been on high alert about the virus for weeks, so I would be very surprised if there was a significant figure of uncharted deaths.”

The RKI’s official mortality figures include both people who have died of the virus as well as those infected and with underlying health problems, where the precise cause of death could not be determined.

Yesterday, Owl posted a compelling, but long, account of the screeching U-Turn performed by No 10 last week, from the Sunday Times. It gave an “insight” into the role played by Boris Johnson’s DiC (Disruptor in Chief). 

Now Downing Street has rejected as “a highly defamatory fabrication” a claim that Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, initially argued against strict measures to contain coronavirus in a view summarised as “if that means some pensioners die, too bad”.

Peter Walker  www.theguardian.com

In an unusual on-the-record denunciation, a Downing Street spokesman said the claims about Cummings’ viewpoint, made in a Sunday Times article, had not been put to No 10 in advance and contained “invented” quotes.

The report claimed that at one private event at the end of February, Cummings outlined then government’s strategy at the time in a way that was summarised by some present as “herd immunity, protect the economy, and if that means some pensioners die, too bad.”

The allegations, which have been widely shared online, connect with wider criticisms that the government response to the virus was initially too weak, based on a notion that rather than limiting its spread, enough people could be allowed to contract it to give population-wide “herd immunity”.

While the phrase “herd immunity” was used by government figures such as Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, No 10 has denied it was ever a tactic. However, the use of the phrase illustrated initial tensions within government over how to balance the economic impact of a full national lockdown against the potential number of deaths from the virus.

According to the Sunday Times report, the key moment came on 12 March when a group of government experts gathered to examine modelling of the spread of the virus carried out by academics at Imperial College London and elsewhere.

This predicted that if no action was taken more than half a million people would die, and that even some limited mitigation efforts would only halve this. The Sunday Times report said this changed the mind of Cummings, who before had been an adherent of the herd immunity idea.

After the 12 March meeting, Cummings changed his view and became one of the strongest advocates in government for tough restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, the Sunday Times said. It quoted one anonymous senior Conservative as saying: “He’s gone from ‘herd immunity and let the old people die’ to ‘let’s shut down the country and the economy’.”

The Downing Street spokesman said: “This is a highly defamatory fabrication which was not put to No 10 by the Sunday Times before publication. The article also includes a series of apparent quotes from meetings which are invented.”

Cummings is already a controversial figure within government. The former Vote Leave strategist is regularly portrayed as an ideologue and hidden power over Johnson.

In January, Cummings’ call for “misfits and weirdos” to work in No 10 led to the appointment of Andrew Sabisky, who soon had to step down because of previously stated views on subjects ranging from black people’s IQs to whether benefits claimants should be encouraged to have fewer children.

It later emerged that in his own prior writings, Cummings had suggested that the NHS should cover the cost of selecting babies to have higher IQs.

Following the government’s new measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, pubs, restaurants, cafes and gyms have closed their doors.

With almost everyone working from home, it really feels like the country has ground to a halt, as the need to “flatten the curve” of new infections becomes even more urgent.

From health to the food industry, these workers are on the front lines to keep Britain working in these incredibly challenging times.

www.indy100.com 

But many of these jobs weren’t considered valuable just a few weeks ago. Remember when home secretary Priti Patel unveiled those shiny new post-Brexit immigration controls in February?

Patel’s new guidelines were modelled on the “Australian points-based” system and unsurprisingly, it was awful. Under the proposed new rules, those earning under £25,000 per year were not be allowed entry to the UK unless the government deems there to be a shortage in the particular sector.

But others earning under the £25,000 benchmark were deemed “low-skilled” (this is how Patel described them during an interview with BBC Breakfast). She even admitted, in a later chat with LBC Radio, that her own parents – who migrated to the UK in the 1960s – would not have been able to move here under the new rules. 

It turns out that many of the workers deemed “key” during the coronavirus pandemic were also deemed “low-skilled” just a few weeks ago.

“Low-waged” doesn’t equal “low skilled” at any time. But there’s a significant correlation between jobs on the Department of Education’s new list of essential “key” workers (whose children can still be educated because they’ll still have to work) and jobs that wouldn’t meet the government’s salary threshold according to February’s guidelines.

As Britain embraces this new way of life it’s important to remember that many of the “key” workers on the front lines were deemed too “low skilled” to be allowed into the UK to work just a few weeks ago.

Here’s a list of 10 “key” jobs that wouldn’t have made the cut…

Supermarket worker

Coronavirus had made people behave completely irrationally in supermarkets, snapping up essential items with little regard for anyone else. It’s been very, very grim. But who is on the frontline of this daily battle? Supermarket workers, of course, who don’t even nearly achieve the minimum salary to be considered “skilled” by Priti Patel. If you ask us, keeping Britain fed in a time of national crisis, in hugely stressful conditions, is pretty skilled.

Banking customer service adviser

During this stressful time, people might need advice with money or help sending cash across the world to loved ones who are feeling the pinch. That banking clerk who helps with these things in person on the phone is so valuable that they’ve made it on to the government’s list of “key” workers. But they’re also “unskilled”, according to the immigration guidelines proposed just a few weeks ago.

Midwife

Coronavirus won’t stop people from having babies. And who do we need in this situation? Midwives, of course, which is why they’re very much on the “key” workers list. The midwife starting salary is just £24,000, and according to the government’s estimates this does rise, but who could actually think anyone who helps to deliver a baby is “unskilled” at any time? Let alone in a time of national crisis?

Bus or coach driver

It’s very important for essential workers to get to work, which is why bus drivers are on the “key” workers list. The majority of them would also be “low skilled” salary-wise, though, according to the Home Office.

Carer

Salaries for social carers can start from about £16,000 per year but obviously that doesn’t mean it’s “low-skilled”. On the contrary, social care is a hugely demanding job that involves long hours at unsociable times, massive amounts of empathy and a real nurturing streak. The care sector also has a shortage of around 11,000 staff (that’s one in every 11 posts not filled) so it’s unsurprising they’ve made the government’s list of “key” workers during the Covid-19 oubreak.

Paramedic 

Paramedics. You know them. The people who save lives, particularly in a situation where there’s a global virus that makes people struggle to breathe. They’re considered “essential” workers now, but the starting salary also makes them “low-skilled”, apparently.

Farm workers 

Less than 1 per cent of UK farm workers – that includes roles from fruit pickers to animal herders – are British nationals. Because Brits don’t want to work on farms, apparently. Or perhaps wages are just so low, they refused to. Either way, these people make our agricultural industry go round, even in this time of crisis, which makes them “key” workers. We think anyone who thinks this is “low-skilled” should spend a day outside on a farm, to be honest.

Nursery teacher

Most nurseries, like schools, will be closed for the foreseeable future. But some will remain open to look after the children of the people on this list and other occupations which are deemed “essential”. But most of the teachers (especially young ones) in these nurseries? “Low-skilled”, apparently.

Social worker

Children don’t stop being vulnerable because of a pandemic, which is why social workers are on the governments “essential” list. Sometimes the right interventions from a social worker can be life-changing, but this isn’t enough to make new social workers count as “high-skilled”, according to Patel’s logic.

Nurse

Nurses are key workers at any time, but particularly during a pandemic. Patel’s guidelines do state that jobs where there’s a shortage of workers will have a reduced minimum salary threshold. Given there’s a shortage of nurses, it’s likely this job (like care workers) would qualify for that. But that still, it’s obviously ridiculous that, if there were not a national shortage of nurses, new nurses wouldn’t meet the salary threshold to be considered “high-skilled”. Particularly when nurses (both new and experienced) will be on the front lines of fighting coronavirus in the coming weeks.

As Britain continues to fight Covid-19, it’s important to remember that we should value the people who do these jobs all the time, and compensate them accordingly. Because if the pandemic hadn’t happened, many of the people who are keeping our country moving, often risking their own health and not seeing their families, would have been turned away if they’d tried to move to the UK from abroad.

Let’s maybe​ re​-think that?

Concerted action across parties from Devon and Cornwall MP today- However, Neil Parish appears to be missing.

Simon Jupp East Devon MP: “I’m proud to represent a popular holiday destination but it is completely irresponsible and against government guidelines to come to holiday parks and second homes in East Devon.

“For the sake of yourself, friends, family and our NHS, social isolation is the only responsible course of action.”

Owl can’t find a corresponding statement from Neil Parish

Ben Bradshaw’s, longer, comment below.

Richard Booth  www.devonlive.com

MPs across the region have backed the call for tourists and second home owners in Devon and Cornwall to ‘Come back later’ in a bid to save the lives of those who live here during the coronavirus virus.

“Devon and Cornwall understandably proud it’s renowned stunning coastlines, wide open spaces and gallons of fresh air and thrive from the millions of visitors who come to enjoy our part of the world each year.

However, the outbreak of coronavirus in the UK has changed our day to day lives while the government is calling for the nation to stop all non essential travel in a bid to stop the spread of the disease that has so tragically already claimed 240 lives in the UK, four in Cornwall and two in Devon.

In the South West we not only do we have a proportion of elderly people living here, those who are some of the most vulnerable to coronavirus, but we also have NHS trusts that are stretched to capacity without any extra pressure.

We want to help saves lives and help bring an end to the outbreak as soon as we possibly can.

Therefore we are aiming to spread the message of come back later as far and as wide as possible through a campaign launching today – #comebacklater.”

Earlier this week Cornwall became the first major UK tourism destination to tell visitors to stay away until the coronavirus crisis is over. This message has been echoed by Cherilyn Mackrory MP for Truro and Falmouth who simply said “do not come” in a message in full below.

It came as reports suggested that ministers’ pleas for Britons to avoid non-essential travel and practise social distancing were being widely ignored, with people heading outdoors to enjoy sunny weather.

It is feared tourists will put unnecessary strain on the NHS and other emergency services amid the coronavirus crisis.

“The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented situation and as a nation we must take the strongest measures to slow its spread and support our NHS.”

“With schools now closed and Easter approaching I have been working with my Cornish MP colleagues to ensure the voice of Cornwall is heard during this crisis.”

“The Government has responded with huge and sweeping changes across our society to help us deal with this outbreak. More announcements will come in the coming days. The Government’s advice on movement during this time is very clear: Do not travel unnecessarily.”

“Coming on holiday during this time to Cornwall or anywhere else is not necessary travel. My message to anyone considering travelling to Cornwall for a holiday at this time is simple:”

“Do not come.”

“We are always happy to welcome visitors during normal times. But these are not normal times.”

Cornish MP, Steve Double, said he had received reports of Cornwall’s roads flooded with tourists since travel bans to Spain, Italy and the US were announced.

He said: “The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sees us in unprecedented times for both Cornwall and the UK. This is likely to be the greatest challenge any of us will have faced in our lifetimes, and it is crucial we take it seriously.

“It is important everyone follows the advice laid out by the Government to slow and stop the spread of this virus and do everything we can to support our essential public services, especially our NHS.

“That includes avoiding non-essential travel. By anyone’s assessment a holiday at this time is not essential.

“So therefore, regrettably we are asking people not to come on holiday to Cornwall at this time.

“We need to stop the spread of this virus and also need to protect our NHS and keep our supermarket shelves stocked. An influx of thousands of tourists in the coming weeks will put unnecessary pressure on our services.

“As a supporter of the tourism and hospitality industry we fully understand the huge and grave challenges facing the sector at this time and why some businesses may want to take this opportunity to bring visitors to Cornwall.

“However, this is first and foremost a medical and health crisis. We must not underestimate how serious this is and our first priority has to be to protect the public from this dangerous virus.

“We continue to press the Government for more measures to support all businesses affected by this crisis but the overriding concern has to be to keep people safe and well.”

“Please take all the appropriate steps to keep you and your family safe, and help Cornwall stay safe and well by avoid coming here on holiday at this time.”

North Devon MP Selaine Saxby

MP for North Devon Selaine Saxby posted on social media: “These are uncertain times which are difficult for us all to deal with.  Yesterday I spoke to many businesses who were grappling with balancing the best for their customers, staff and business. 

 “Following the Chancellor’s announcement many of our best-known hotels and holiday parks took the difficult to decision to close last night.  I very much hope that other tourist and leisure businesses will follow their lead and not encourage more visitors to North Devon at this difficult time.

“Whilst pubs, restaurants, leisure centres and cafes were left with no option but to close, I recognise it is difficult for businesses that have to take the decision themselves.  We must “Stay at Home … Protect the NHS … Save Lives” and this should influence your decision. This does not mean stay in a holiday home or indulge in non-essential travel with your motorhome or caravan.

“Our fantastic North Devon District Hospital simply does not have sufficient critical care facilities to deal with any significant changes in population numbers.

“I would like to reassure everyone here in North Devon that I am working tirelessly to address this.  In the past 24 hours I have been in touch with our Council Leaders, Ministers and Number Ten to see what can be done to stop visitors to us at this time.

“I very much hope anyone even thinking about coming to North Devon makes the right decision and doesn’t.  Right now I urge you to #StaySafeStayHome. I also hope that holiday parks and campsites that are still open use the extensive new support detailed by the Chancellor last night to enable them to take the right decision and close their doors to protect our NHS and Save Lives.

“These are unprecedented times, and I know we will welcome our visitors with open arms as soon as we can, but unfortunately, that time is not now.”

Ben Bradshaw

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw said: “When this nightmare is over we will welcome visitors to the South West with open arms, but, at the moment, please stay away.

“The last things our already stretched health and social care services need is an influx of second home owners or others from Covid19 hotspots in and around London coming “on holiday” to our region.

“The Government must make absolutely clear that avoiding non essential travel means exactly that and follow the leads of other European countries, which have told people not to visit or move to traditional holiday destinations.”

Simon Jupp 

Simon Jupp East Devon MP: “I’m proud to represent a popular holiday destination but it is completely irresponsible and against government guidelines to come to holiday parks and second homes in East Devon.

“For the sake of yourself, friends, family and our NHS, social isolation is the only responsible course of action.”

Anthony Mangnall

Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall, whose Totnes constituency includes South Hams, tweeted: “Lets be clear ‘non-essential travel’ does not mean you can undertake leisure travel. This could have a huge impact on frontline services.

“Please don’t travel across the country. Remain at home and self isolate and think of others.”

Sheryll Murray

Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, Sheryll Murray added: “Some Holiday cottages are saying to come here because it’s safer than London. Please emphasise you cannot escape to the South West to avoid the virus -stay home Stay safe.”

Luke Pollard

Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, added: “For the past year we have all been promoting Plymouth as the centre of Mayflower 400 commemorations.

“We need to postpone those events. Plymouth will remain one of the nation’s best places to visit in 2021 but for now please stay home with your family, avoid travelling and make a plan to come back later.”

Comment received from Old Owl:

“The NHS is not being “overwhelmed”.  It is paying the price for 10 years of austerity and Tory policy – bed cuts, local authority cuts, reliance on unpaid volunteers and food banks for the poor.  Tories believe in “small (microscopic) state” and “free markets” with minimal social security so people are “encouraged” to work, even if they can’t.

Unfortunately Coronavirus needs a large, well-resourced state and a suspension of greedy free markets.  Oh look – that’s what Sunak is now trying desperately to create – socialism!

Now lets see: requisition of mega-mansions for nursing homes, cuts to salaries for useless CEOs and re-nationalisation of public utilities.

Come on, Tories – you know you have to!”

What chance the owners of: Devon Cliffs (Sandy Bay) and Ladram Bay, Otterton, stepping up to the plate? Or are they just going to add to the problem with Easter Offers? 

Steve Bagnall  www.dailypost.co.uk

Two North Wales holiday parks, with more than 250 beds, have been handed over to the NHS to help with the coronavirus outbreak.

Tan Rallt Holiday Home Park and Spa in Abergele   and Marine Holiday Park in Rhyl, are just a 10-minute drive away from Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, in Bodelwyddan.

North Wales-based Pario Leisure Group took the decision to hand them over after the parks were closed to guests following Government advice.

Park owner, Wyn Williams and his family, has handed the parks and all of their caravans, free of charge to the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and NHS staff.

Mr Williams said: “It is so important for us to all help each other at this time, to ensure spirits are kept high and the NHS staff feel cared about.

“We are all in this together and showing love for one another is of paramount importance – now more than ever. We all need to play our part.

“Both of our parks are just 10 minutes away from Glan Clwyd Hospital and while we follow Government guidelines and close our parks to the public, it seemed the obvious solution to myself, my family and all of my staff, to now offer these beds to our loyal NHS workers who are really feeling the strain.”

Wyn added: “The health and wellbeing of all of our visitors and staff is paramount and our number one priority. Considering the rate at which covid-19 is spreading we feel we owe it to all of our loyal customers and the community to take this action.

“It is the right thing to do in the war against coronavirus.”

A lot of news is the same old story cropping up again. Owl has lost track of how often poor Broadband in rural areas has been the subject of previous posts. Do we have to have a national emergency every time we need something done?

The Sunday Times  www.thetimes.co.uk (need to scroll down)

Internet providers are under pressure to increase capacity in suburban and rural areas as staff are forced to desert their offices and stay at home.

Demand for video- conferencing services such as Zoom has risen sharply as workers rush to find alternatives to face-to-face meetings. Home internet connections are slowing as more people log on, with parents working from home and most children unable to attend school after Friday’s forced closure.

Britain lags behind other developed nations in the rollout of high-speed internet. Ofcom, the communications regulator, reported in December that about three million homes and businesses — 10% of UK users — have access to ultra-fast, full-fibre broadband.

This compares with more than 80% in South Korea.

The shutdown of much of the country could accelerate the rollout of full-fibre broadband, however.

Steve Holliday, the former boss of National Grid who heads the challenger broadband network CityFibre, said that, with the roads less busy, the start-up was able to lay more cables.

The upshot of millions working from home is that “more and more people will realise . . . they don’t have full-fibre”, he said.

Boris Johnson has pledged to ensure that all homes have access to full-fibre broadband by 2025.

Could be about who should take over from LINO (Leader in name only) Ben Ingham in case of sickness or self-isolation. In fact those “wrestling like cats in a sack”  are government ministers.

Coronavirus update: cabinet squabble over who is to be Boris Johnson’s ‘designated survivor’

The Sunday Times  www.thetimes.co.uk 

Downing Street has drawn up a “designated survivor” plan to ensure the continuity of the government if Boris Johnson or his top aides fall sick, after a host of senior officials were forced to self-isolate last week. Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary who is also first secretary of state, will stand in for the prime minister if he contracts the coronavirus — but the decision has unleashed acidic exchanges among ministers jostling to be next in line.

Johnson has no virus symptoms but has not been tested. Raab has twice tested negative after contracting a cough.

The “designated survivor” plan, which echoes the plot of a television series in which Kiefer Sutherland’s character becomes president after the rest of the cabinet is killed in a terrorist attack, has unleashed a bout of infighting among cabinet ministers over the chain of command.

Raab, Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, and Matt Hancock, the health secretary, all chair cabinet committees co-ordinating the response. But Gove and Hancock are engaged in a turf war over who is in charge of the domestic strategy.

Gove is accused of “sniping” at Hancock in meetings of the Cobra emergency committee. “Michael thinks the Cabinet Office [which he runs] should be co-ordinating everything,” said a minister.

“Matt thinks that since he’s running the lead department he should be allowed to get on with it.”

Both rank lower on the cabinet hierarchy than Sunak, who has won plaudits for his handling of the economic response to the crisis.

A fellow minister said: “If Boris can’t do his job because he is incapacitated, a lot of people think that Michael should be running the show, not Raab. One of these people is Michael, of course.”

Another source accused ministers of “wrestling like cats in a sack”.

The succession plan has become more pressing after two senior civil servants were forced to self-isolate last week. Helen MacNamara, head of propriety and ethics, was off all week. She was joined by Mark Sweeney, an official who at the start of the week was chairing the main morning meeting of senior officials in Downing Street alongside Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s most senior aide.

“There is a serious concern that a lot of people could end up getting the virus,” said a government source.

By Tuesday, key figures, including the communications team under Lee Cain, were using the Zoom video conferencing app to dial in to key meetings in a bid to minimise unnecessary contact — with even officials physically in Downing Street joining meetings from different rooms to minimise the potential for infection. “We have to practise what we preach,” a No 10 source said.

This Tuesday’s cabinet meeting will also be conducted via a video call.

Under the survival plan every key player has emergency replacements. If Cummings, Cain or other senior staff are unable to work, they will be replaced by Isaac Levido, the Tory campaign director during the general election, or Paul Stephenson, the communications director for Vote Leave.

A special adviser at the department of health is also self-isolating. He shares a flat with a senior aide to Sunak, forcing the Treasury official to move into a hotel.

Life has to go on.

 Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

SEATON TRAMWAY

A new tramstop that provides a direct link to Seaton Wetlands is set to open later this year.

Plans for a new station on the Seaton Tramway have been given the go ahead by East Devon District Council planners.

Currently the Tramway, which runs between Seaton and Colyton, only stops off at Colyford, but soon, a new stop at the Seaton Wetlands will be created.

The current Tramway arrangement does not allow for trams to stop at proposed location of the halt, and so a new timetable tramstop is to be created at the existing Swan’s Nest ‘passing loop’.

The new tramstop would allow passengers to alight from the tram and access directly onto the Wetlands and enable visitors, including people with physical disabilities, to get off the trams and explore this stunning natural environment.

A moment of light relief!

Tianna Corbin  www.devonlive.com

Holy smoke! A Plymouth vicar whose niece is a ‘mermaid’ in Cornwall got a bit hot under the (dog) collar – when he accidentally set fire to himself during an online sermon.

Reverend Stephen Beach, of St Budeaux Parish Church, was preparing the church’s online Sunday Service, which featured five candles lit on a Christian Cross in the background. After leaning in a bit too close one of the candles caught his jumper which then caught on fire.

Sharing the video on Twitter, Laura Evans – St Ives Mermaid – said: “My uncle is the vicar of St Budeaux Parish. Last night he gave his online sermon and things got a bit hot under the (dog) collar.”

In the video, Rev Beach,says: “Well, welcome back to our last part of our online worship experience from St Budeaux Parish Church.

“The last section we call waiting and it’s a great thing to pause in the presence of God and ask the question ‘God what are you saying to us’ and then, of course, to wait for the answer.”

 “I’ve just been pausing between these… Oh dear I’ve just caught fire. Oh my word. Ha.”

The video was also shared on the church’s Facebook page. It has been watched 3,400 times, retweeted 24 and liked 106 times.

One user said: “This has made my day. Possibly my year. Please send my best wishes to your Uncle.”

Another added: “Thank you for lightening my life tonight, simply wonderful”

His niece reassured viewers that her uncle was ok and the only thing that was harmed was his jumper.

“A hole in his favourite sermon jumper but unharmed otherwise”

The video comes after the Church of England asked for all public worship to be suspended until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a way to allow people to still worship St Budeaux Parish will be giving sermons virtually.

 A few days ago, niece Laura Evans took to social media to express her concerns over tourists who are planning to ignore the government’s travel advice amid the coronavirus crisis and come to Cornwall.

She’s become well-known in Cornwall as the St Ives Mermaid and even started a campaign to be the first contestant on Strictly Come Dancing with a tail.

She made her name around four years ago, when she started washing up on West Cornwall beaches. She then  made her hobby into a business and has been delighting young and old alike at beaches and venues all across Cornwall.

Laura quickly gathered a lot of attention when she was spotted frolicking in St Ives harbour.

As time progressed her special appearances gained popularity, with hundreds heading to the beach to watch as she “washed up” and posed for photographs with excited children.

She also made a splash in the business world, with people now able to pay for special appearances at children’s parties, events or even hen dos.

A compelling, but long, account of the screeching U-Turn performed by No 10 last week. 

Learn what part Boris Johnson’s DiC (Disruptor in Chief) played. 

Tim Shipman and Caroline Wheeler  www.thetimes.co.uk 

“There was a moment, when the decisions were made, when they wondered what on earth they had done, how far they had been forced to go. A moment when they sat “shellshocked”, reflecting on choices that will change Britain for the rest of our lives. “It took us the weekend to get ourselves into the emotional position where we were comfortable taking the decisions we took,” a minister said. “They were massive.”

In politics, there is so much overstatement. Not this time. Ten days ago the government was slowly gearing up its response to the coronavirus crisis, downplaying the need for drastic measures. By Monday, Boris Johnson had ordered an expansion of the state not seen since the Second World War to save the National Health Service, an institution formed in the cauldron of that conflict. A wartime-style lockdown of the capital was under active consideration.

This weekend, the events of the last week have already changed health policy, changed the economy and are already changing the people involved.

The last time the British state began a multiple service attack on a lurking enemy — D-Day in 1944 — it became known as The Longest Day. On Thursday one cabinet minister reflected: “It feels like the longest week. It felt like Brexit was going to change the country but it is the coronavirus that will do that now.”

Senior figures in government are insistent that the changes they made to the virus clampdown were not “a U-turn” but a vehicle accelerating faster along a track already laid. In truth, they no more resemble what went before than the space shuttle did a Citroën 2CV.

Conversations with more than a dozen ministers and cabinet ministers, special advisers, Downing Street staff and civil servants reveal a human drama, of leaders tested as never before and of the single most frightening warning a British prime minister has received in eight decades.

A shock to the system

The meeting that will change British society for a generation took place on the evening of Thursday, March 12. That was when the strategic advisory group of experts (Sage in Whitehall parlance), the government’s committee of scientists and medics, gathered to examine modelling from experts at Imperial College London and other institutions.

The results were shattering. A week earlier, councils had been warned to expect about 100,000 deaths from Covid-19. Now Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, realised the estimates were wrong.

“Unmitigated, the death number was 510,000,” a senior figure said. “Mitigated we were told it was going to be 250,000. Once you see a figure of take no further action and a quarter of a million people die, the question you ask is, ‘What action?’” Another insider said: “There was a collision between the science and reality.”

Ministers had been on notice that drastic action might be needed since the virus first emerged in China’s Wuhan province in December. In January, Whitty told the cabinet: “It either stays in China or it will get everywhere.” For two months the government had time to prepare, but Johnson’s instincts were to resist a life-changing crackdown. “There was a lot of talk about how this was just a bit of flu,” one senior Tory recalled.

Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s senior aide, became convinced that Britain would be better able to resist a lethal second wave of the disease next winter if Whitty’s prediction that 60% to 80% of the population became infected was right and the UK developed “herd immunity”.

At a private engagement at the end of February, Cummings outlined the government’s strategy. Those present say it was “herd immunity, protect the economy and if that means some pensioners die, too bad”.

At the Sage meeting on March 12, a moment now dubbed the “Domoscene conversion”, Cummings changed his mind. In this “penny-drop moment”, he realised he had helped set a course for catastrophe. Until this point, the rise in British infections had been below the European average. Now they were above it and on course to emulate Italy, where the picture was bleak. A minister said: “Seeing what was happening in Italy was the galvanising force across government.”

By Friday, March 13, Cummings had become the most outspoken advocate of a tough crackdown. “Dominic himself had a conversion,” a senior Tory said. “He’s gone from ‘herd immunity and let the old people die’, to ‘let’s shut down the country and the economy.’”

Cummings had a “meeting of minds” with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, who wanted stronger action to prevent NHS hospitals being swamped. Department of Health officials had impressed on Hancock that the death rate in Wuhan province was 3.4% when the hospitals were overrun and 0.7% elsewhere in China.

Johnson had also been queasy about the previous original approach. “Boris hated the language of ‘herd immunity’ because it implied that it was OK for people to die,” a senior source said. “Matt hated the language because it implied we had given up. You’ve got to fight.”

Herd immunity

The problem for the government was that at the moment herd immunity was being banished from policy, it had become the focus of publicity. That Wednesday, David Halpern of the Whitehall “nudge unit” put the phrase in the public domain. Two days later, Vallance repeated the idea on Radio 4. With Italy, France and Spain going into lockdown, the government’s critics accused Johnson of refusing to act because he wanted people to get ill.

Insiders say it was “very bumpy” that Friday. “The meetings were very messy,” said one source. But when Johnson gathered his key advisers in the cabinet room at 9.15am last Saturday there was unanimity. Whitty and Vallance explained that Britain had been four weeks behind Italy “and now we are closer”.

The two experts, together with Hancock and Cummings, all delivered to Johnson one message: “Now is the moment to act.” The prime minister agreed: “We must work around the clock and take all necessary measures.” One of those present said: “The mood in the room was astonishing. You could tell that something very significant had shifted.”

Flesh was added to the bones in another crunch meeting in Downing Street on Sunday night and again in the 9.15am meetings and bilaterals between Johnson and key cabinet ministers throughout last week.

The media was briefed that elderly and vulnerable people might have to self-isolate for a period of months and that everyone else would have to engage in “social distancing” — working from home, avoiding groups and unnecessary outings. Most significantly, without a gargantuan package of support for businesses, renters and the self-employed, millions of jobs would be lost and the economy would collapse.

The economic response

On Tuesday morning, as he prepared to unveil details of Britain’s biggest peacetime financial package, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, gathered his closest aides and officials in his book-lined study in 11 Downing Street. “The scale of what is required is beyond anyone’s current imagination,” he said. “We have to remove all limiting assumptions.”

Over the weekend, Treasury officials worked through the night to prepare a package for business as if planning a full budget. “They did three months’ work in 48 hours,” a Treasury source said. It helped that Charles Roxburgh, the second permanent secretary, and Andrew Bailey, the new governor of the Bank of England, were both veterans of the response to the 2008 financial crash.

When he walked out with Johnson for a Downing Street news conference on Tuesday afternoon, aides were still finalising Sunak’s comments as the statement came off the printer. The chancellor had no time to rehearse or to prepare for questions but gave an assured performance as he outlined plans for £350bn of government-backed loans and cash grants for business. “We will do whatever it takes,” he repeatedly intoned.

Colleagues say Sunak’s confidence came because he is deeply engaged “in the weeds” of the policy. “Some ministers set the broad parameters for 15 minutes and the officials go away and do the work,” said one source. “He’s more hands-on. He prefers a 30 to 40-minute meeting where he can properly kick the tyres and help solve the problems. He’s across the detail.”

Measures to help save jobs took longer, with a plan for the government to pay a high percentage of wages in cash-strapped firms finally being announced on Friday afternoon. Sunak agreed the package in a meeting with Johnson on Thursday night in which the pair shared a vegetarian takeaway pizza. The prime minister said: “In 2008, the government looked after the bankers. Now we must make sure we look after the people first.”

At 11.30pm the chancellor was sending messages to his permanent secretary thanking him for the “superb” work of some officials. A colleague said: “He’s got the brainpower. More importantly, he’s got the character for this moment.”

Sunak will need it because the risks are immense. One friend said: “Rishi is very acutely aware that we are in danger of driving the economy off a cliff by shutting everything up. All this talk of bouncing straight back . . . we will have no airlines to bounce straight back with if we’re not careful.”

The prime minister’s big decision on Wednesday was that schools would close on Friday, a decision arrived at with Gavin Williamson, the education secretary. They decided to act as many schools took matters into their own hands, to try to ensure childcare for key workers.

It was another decision Johnson had resisted the week before, but cabinet ministers are clear that behind the scenes he has been far more decisive at crunch moments than his predecessor. “He’s been absolutely brilliant,” said one. “He makes decisions fast.” Another said: “If Theresa May was still be in charge we would, by now, have just about signed off a request that people wash their hands.” Another cabinet source added: “And if Philip Hammond was still chancellor he would have refused even to pay for that.”

Nonetheless, even admirers admit that Johnson is not finding it easy to project the same decisiveness in his somewhat hesitant public appearances. “He’s a naturally cheerful person,” one colleague said. “He finds it difficult to deliver bad news.” Business leaders were surprised during a conference call on Monday, when he was trying to persuade them to build ventilators, to hear him describe the effort as “Operation Last Gasp”.

Whitty and Vallance began their own press conferences at the end of the week amid concern that some of Johnson’s pronouncements — including a claim that they could “turn the tide” within 12 weeks — were not grounded in evidence. “Some of the experts are appalled by some of his claims,” a Whitehall source said. A Tory aide said: “Boris looks haunted. It’s like when George W Bush came in thinking he was going to be the education-reforming president and had to deal with the war on terror.” Another senior Tory said: “Boris is shellshocked.”

Lockdown

Johnson, who is a civil libertarian at heart, spent the week resisting Cummings’s demands for a full-blown lockdown of London — banning inhabitants from travelling outside the city.

Discussions about a shutdown were first aired at Cobra on Friday, March 13. By Tuesday the news was leaking after a Cabinet Office official emailed other departments to ask how a curfew might work. A Whitehall insider said: “It was quickly established that the Paris model — with people being issued paperwork and allowed out of the family home one at a time would not work.”

A senior Tory said: “Boris really doesn’t want to shut stuff down. He is more worried than most about the economic impact but also the social impact of locking people up in their homes for months. Fundamentally there is a Boris-Dom cleavage. First Boris bottled herd immunity. Now he’s bottling lockdown.”

Nonetheless, Johnson managed to fuel speculation that there would be troops on the streets and a travel ban by telling Wednesday’s press conference that the government “will not hesitate” to take further steps. “We live in a land of liberty,” he said. “But we will rule nothing out.”

On Thursday the PM’s spokesman was forced to say there were “no plans” to close down London transport and “zero prospect” of restrictions on travel. On Friday less draconian restrictions, closing pubs, clubs and restaurants nationwide, were unveiled. “Whoever was briefing details of the full lockdown is bordering on a national security threat,” said one Tory with links at the top of Whitehall. “They are promulgating misinformation and spreading alarm.”

Another source said the loose talk could have seen wealthy “superspreaders” flee London to infect people elsewhere: “If you’re going to do a lockdown you don’t tell people first or you find they are all on the roof getting the last helicopter out of Saigon.”

Nonetheless, Whitehall officials are quietly drawing up lists of key workers who would be issued with a travel permit if a full crackdown follows. Officials have also been working on a “lockdown list” of products that must be manufactured by law. They may yet be necessary. A minister said: “We won’t know for two weeks if the current measures are enough.”

Communication problems

On Thursday, after criticism from ministers and MPs that No 10 had failed to provide clear messages to the public, Cummings and the communications director, Lee Cain, summoned the team who won the general election.

Isaac Levido, the Tory campaign director, went to No 10, with former Vote Leave hands Paul Stephenson and Henry de Zoete on a video conference call. Together they devised a slogan “Stay home. Save lives. Protect our NHS,” which was rolled out on Friday.

The No 10 morning meeting is now held on the Zoom video app to allow more home working. To try to raise morale, Johnson has also sent video messages thanking civil servants for their hard work. On Tuesday he returned from a morning run with his dog Dilyn to find his spokesman, James Slack, at the back of No 10 wishing his mother a happy birthday. Johnson took the phone and spoke to her for 10 minutes.

However, many sources report that the Downing Street machine is fast running out of steam. “Everyone is working to capacity and is absolutely exhausted,” said one insider. “It’s utter chaos and there is no end in sight.”

Businesses phoning up to offer help say Downing Street seems “swamped”. One ventilator manufacturer claimed on Newsnight that the government had not put in any orders — though sources say 1,400 firms are offering to build them and by Friday morning eight companies who have never made a ventilator were turning them out.

Some in Downing Street are turning to drink. An aide joked on Thursday that they had run out of hand sanitiser and were “using the contents of a vodka miniature” instead. Others are recruiting old friends. Gabriel Milland, a former head of press to Michael Gove, was drafted into No 10 last week. Tom Shinner, the civil servant who did the most to prepare Britain for a no-deal Brexit, who left the government last year, has also been rehired.

Ministerial infighting

The toll is telling on ministers and tensions between them have bubbled over. “It’s miserable and horrible and you just have to get on with it,” a cabinet minister said.

The “core four” in all the key meetings are the chairmen of four inter-ministerial committees: Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, who chairs the international committee; Sunak, who chairs the economic committee; Hancock, who chairs the health committee; and Gove, who chairs the other public sector committee.

Numerous sources say Gove has repeatedly sniped at Hancock. “There have been tensions over where responsibilities begin and end,” one observed. Some ministers are lobbying to see Gove take charge if Johnson is incapacitated with Covid-19 or if he takes paternity leave, though Sunak ranks higher in the cabinet rankings on the gov.uk website and the job is likely to be Raab’s, since he is officially “first secretary of state”.

But a minister said: “Considering the scale of the massive decisions we have been making it has been remarkably collegiate.”

Ministers hope the dramatic events of the last week will reduce the likely death toll from Covid-19 to “a bad seasonal flu”, which means tens, not hundreds, of thousands of deaths. The worst recent year was 2014-15 when 28,000 people died.

But there are perils ahead. “Boris and his team are absolutely terrified because it will not be the NHS by end of this,” a Whitehall source said. “It will be the corona health service and will just be there to pump oxygen into patients.”

MPs speculate that there will be two big inquiries — an international one into the origins of the virus in China’s live animal “wet markets”; and a second into the government’s preparations and policy decisions. “If we end up like Italy in two weeks’ time and 30-year-old doctors are dropping dead, the government is going to be in big trouble,” a Labour MP said.

Shaking the world

Amid the frenzy of events, more thoughtful Tories have concluded that the decisions taken last week will change three key aspects of the way the world works. One said: “One is the debate around globalisation. Is Trump right that we just need to build bigger walls, or is Gordon Brown right that global problems need global solutions? The second is Socialism v The Free Market. Large parts of the economy are going to be socialised after this. I fear it leads to nationalists and socialists winning, to national socialism.”

The third fissure may yet be the worst. “It’s the intergenerational question. It is unsustainable to have people in their youth put their whole life on hold for months while the economy tanks to save a 91-year-old who would have died six months later anyway.”

Whatever the outcome, ministers have little doubt about the significance of the virus. “It’s shaking the world,” one said. Another, who has been up to his neck in the dramas of the past three years, was more prosaic: “My obituary gets more interesting every week.”

The sadness is that there will be many other obituaries to be written too.”

No it’s not EDDC – far too tricky for them.

North Devon Council has joined Cornwall in asking the Government for guidance.

Where is  County Leader John Hart and when will he start to lead?

Remember  what he said about flooding? “Self-help is going to be the order of the day.”

Joel Cooper  www.devonlive.com 

(Raised with Secretary of State 20 March)

A Devon council says it is asking Central Government for clear guidance about the status of holiday parks in Devon.

Several holiday parks across the county say they are remaining open and expecting visitors to arrive.

However, concerns have been raised about people travelling to the area from places such as London where the spread of the virus is more developed.

Some people are worried this could cause the virus to spread further in Devon, particularly in areas where there is a vulnerable or aging population.

There are also concerns about how local supermarkets – many of which are already seeing depleted stocks – would cope with increased numbers of customers.

Several holiday accomodation providers in the North Devon area have taken to Facebook to say they are planning to stay open, but have taken Government guidance about coronavirus on board.

Some are still promoting last minute vacancies – which has prompted a backlash from many in local communities.

One person commented on Facebook: “Our local shops are empty already, let alone people travelling here putting peoples lives in danger.  This NEEDS TO STOP.

Another said it felt like some businesses were “putting personal profit before the health of local people”.

As well as holiday parks, there are also concerns about campsites, second homes, Airbnb properties and hotels.

North Devon Council’s chief executive officer, Ken Miles, has told Devon Live he will be raising the subject with the Government this afternoon and asking for “clear advice” on the matter.

Boris Johnson and his Government are currently promoting social distancing  and urging people to avoid places like pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas.

Several businesses across Devon have already announced their closures for the foreseeable future.  This includes hotels, restaurants, pubs and attractions.

Numerous events have also been cancelled including music festivals, literary events, theatrical performances and school events.

Owl believes we have a complex attitude in relation to our armed forces, and governments have been reluctant to use them in support of home based civil emergencies in the past. (Some trace this back to the Civil War when England first acquired a professional standing army). Other nations are not quite so squeamish, indeed the US has a quasi-military National Guard which is deployed frequently. 

This article discusses the announcement to deploy troops. Certainly they can help logistically, and as Owl has pointed out, there doesn’t seem to be a clear command and control structure to deal with local responses. I.e. who makes decisions and to whom are they accountable running the gamut from operational, tactical and strategic decisions. in a geographic area run by a mix of county, and unitary local authorities with a quite separate health care system superimposed on top of it all.

So far the Police seem to be running the show.

Deploying troops to help fight coronavirus is the right move.

 Mary Dejevsky @IndyVoices  www.independent.co.uk 

It was a low-key announcement that was rather drowned out by the decision to close all schools forthwith. But its significance was at least as great. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has doubled the number of troops on standby to help respond to the coronavirus emergency in Britain and issued a call to reservists.

There is now a 20,000-strong special “Covid Support Force” on stand-by – quite a commitment for a country whose combined armed force strength is less than 150,000.

Such a decision is surely wise. France is already using its military to airlift acutely-ill patients from areas of the country where medical facilities are stretched to others where there is still capacity. In Italy, military vehicles are transporting coffins from hospitals to crematoriums. Soldiers on patrol are in any case a regular sight at main stations and airports across Italy, as they are in Belgium and some other European countries. In Spain, the military is being deployed to patrol some cities to enforce the lockdown.  

But UK governments have generally seemed reluctant to deploy the military in civilian situations, preferring to rely on the police and other emergency services. Small numbers assisted during recent floods, and in August RAF helicopters were sent to help reinforce a Derbyshire dam. The military was mobilised, too, during the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease. They were not called, though, to the Grenfell Tower fire, where their expertise and equipment might have usefully supplemented that of the London Fire Brigade.

After Donald Trump ordered a hospital ship to New York City harbour to address a shortage of hospital beds because of coronavirus and there were suggestions that something similar might be tried here, the British attitude was well summed up by the comment of a military official said: “Why would you put patients on a draughty, remote ship when there are hotel rooms lying empty? … It would be better to book up the Holiday Inn next to the hospital.”

Given this background, the defence secretary’s announcement has to be a gauge of how seriously the current emergency is seen from Whitehall. But why the relative unwillingness of UK governments to call upon the military, compared with governments elsewhere in Europe and even the United States?

One reason might be the now largely folk memory of the rejoicing that greeted the end of Second World War conscription. For many, the end of conscription signified the real end of the war, and there has been almost no appetite to revive compulsory military service since – even though some countries, such as Sweden, have recently done so. The UK prides itself on having an entirely professional military, keeps the armed forces and civilians in quite separate boxes and shies away from anything that might mix the two.

Another might be a prevalent view at the top of the armed services that the job of the military is to fight wars, or at very least contribute to international peace-keeping. This attitude is encapsulated in the well-known quip by the then US national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to the effect that it was no business of the 82nd Airborne to “escort kids to kindergarten”. She was talking about the aftermath of the Bosnian war at the time, but you can see her point. The training and sophisticated equipment of an elite parachute regiment officer could be seen as squandered on largely civilian operations.

In today’s UK context, these misgivings might be coupled with two further concerns. One – that the diversion of precious troops to supposedly “softer” civilian tasks could leave the already depleted armed forces unequal to their prime purpose of defending the nation. The second – less noble, perhaps – that any acceptance of an enhanced civilian role for the armed forces could undermine their claims for expensive new military hardware at a time when security policy is under review.  

As of now, it not at all clear when, or even whether, the military will be deployed in response to the coronavirus crisis. According to the defence secretary, it will only be mobilised in response to formal requests from government departments. I suspect, though, that many – sensing the doom-laden uncertainty all around them – would find even a limited military presence a good deal more reassuring than alarming.

On the rare occasions when the armed forces have been deployed at home in any numbers, the response is invariably positive. People are grateful when uniformed troops show up in emergencies: they are trusted as the supreme professionals. In 2012, after G4S – the private security company contracted to staff the security checkpoints at the London Olympics, the decision was taken to have the military step in. And their contribution was hailed as a huge success. They were well-trained, efficient and down-to-earth.

So why has no real attempt has been made to replicate or capitalise on this experience, because a more visible role for the military at home could have a potentially beneficial effect on the country at large. It could help to salve a lot of wounds.

The UK’s recent involvement in failed wars has left a legacy of popular mistrust, both towards governments and the military command. From Iraq through Afghanistan to Libya, it has been hard to identify much success. There is little appetite for any new foreign intervention. In 2011, voters lobbied their MPs to prevent a new military intervention in Syria and David Cameron accepted defeat. Trainers and special forces were dispatched nonetheless.

The more realistic among the top brass have acknowledged at various times the regrettable fraying of what is known as the “armed forces covenant” – according to which those who serve in the military should be treated with fairness and respect by the civilian community. A potent symbol of how relations between the armed forces and the people had become fractured was what happened in the Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett, when people flocked to pay their respects to those killed in Afghanistan as their coffins were conveyed to the church from RAF Lineham.

Between 2008 and 2011, this mournful public spectacle became a source not of pride, but of embarrassment, to the military establishment, and the route was changed. It would now appear, from the number of senior military figures decrying the imminent UK withdrawal from Afghanistan that some military leaders and politicians are still in denial about the extent of public support for their ventures.

Deploying a special military contingent to help with the coronavirus crisis could help re-establish the ties that have been lost between the armed forces and civilians in this country. The armed forces have the sort of training, experience and equipment for extreme situations – that, alas, could be sorely needed in the coming weeks.

They have already been involved in evacuations of UK citizens from as far away as Japan and Cuba. Seeing them hard at work at home could help boost not only morale (theirs and ours), but public support for the armed forces covenant and even for a (slightly) enhanced military budget.

Owl could add that whilst flying around Owl’s patch many, many local businesses are offering similar services. The local press doesn’t seem to be taking a consistent approach to publicising this. Hopefully, since these are local services, local people will find out relatively easily.

Other Councils might usefully follow Sidmouth Town Council’s lead on their web site.

Will this bring a welcome renaissance in shopping locally? 

Philippa Davies  www.sidmouthherald.co.uk 

People having to self-isolate in the Sid Vale, because of the coronavirus, are being offered home deliveries by many local shops and businesses.

Food and drink, takeaway meals, household essentials, books, computer supplies and other goods are all available to order.

Some suppliers are providing the delivery service for nothing, others are charging a small fee or specifying a minimum pre-paid order.

In keeping with the guidelines on avoiding social contact, the delivery drivers will leave items in porches or on the doorstep.

Sidmouth Town Council will be distributing leaflets on the local businesses offering home deliveries, and is also keeping a regularly updated list on its website

Among those on board in Sidmouth are Woolbrook News, the Spar supermarket, Drews, The Dairy Shop, Ganesha Wholefoods, Gliddons, Crane and Kind, Sidsoft, the Balfour Arms, The Courtyard and Winstone’s bookshop.

Winstone’s is also offering postal deliveries for customers further afield.

Manager Carl East said he would do his best to keep the shop open, but recognises that many people are no longer able to visit in person.

He said: “If you are in self-isolation you are very welcome to give us a call. We will happily give you recommendations over the phone and place orders. Payments can be made securely by phone, and a member of the team will be out making local deliveries in in the afternoons.”

Fields department store already offered home and mail order deliveries, and has just introduced a new takeaway menu from its coffee shop.

The homewares and DIY store Abbotts, which has branches in Ottery St Mary and Seaton, is offering free deliveries in both towns.

Deliveries will be made for a minimum spend in the wider area.

Manager Chris Abbott said: “A lot of people in self-isolation are worried and scared, and rightly so. You really get a feel for people in that scenario.

“We will provide a ‘yodel’ style delivery, so no handshakes, hugs, or high fives.

“We will pop your delivery on the doorstep, and ring the doorbell, and retreat to a 2m distance.”

The Lamb and Flag pub in Ottery is offering takeaway meals, and the Coldharbour Farm Shop in East Hill is providing home deliveries.

Cornwall has become the first major UK tourism destination to tell visitors to stay away until the coronavirus crisis is over.

Visit Cornwall published a statement saying: “Visitors should not come to Cornwall at this time, in order to slow the spread of the virus, to protect themselves, as well as the communities of Cornwall.”

The organisation is critical of the government’s “lack of clarity” about whether domestic tourism is acceptable.

Simon Calder Travel Correspondent  www.independent.co.uk 

On 16 March, the prime minister said: “Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel.”

But Visit Cornwall says: “At present non-essential travel appears to focus purely on the use of public transport. 

“It does not provide any clarity about whether going for a short break or a holiday in the UK is deemed to be non-essential travel.

“Given the fast escalating situation, Visit Cornwall believes that a holiday or short break should be deemed as non-essential travel.

“This would avoid the confusion that currently exists and mean that customers’ personal travel insurance should reimburse visitors who choose to cancel rather than postpone their holiday.

“We are asking people to postpone visiting Cornwall until a later date, when they will find Cornwall the same beautiful and welcoming place.”

The Cornish attitude is in marked contrast to the other side of the River Tamar. 

Visit Devon is telling prospective tourists: “Devon is very much open to visitors and we invite you to come and walk across our beautiful countryside, get some fresh air on our stunning beaches and enjoy our county by remaining aware of social distancing and protecting yourselves and your family by regularly washing your hands.”

The Plaid Cymru leader in Westminster, Liz Saville Roberts MP, has written to the health secretary urging him “to issue an immediate no-travel directive”. There are concerns that second-home owners are choosing to self-isolate at their properties in Wales, potentially adding to pressures on overstretched rural health services.

Tourist destinations elsewhere in Britain are still seeking to attract visitors. For example, Visit Blackpool says: “The resort remains very much open for business.

“Blackpool’s famed range of free attractions are also open including the beaches, promenade, Comedy Carpet and Stanley Park.”

Visit Scotland says: “In light of Covid-19, it’s unlikely we’ll be welcoming as many visitors as our friendly, passionate and unique country deserves.

“If you are planning a trip to Scotland in the next few months … make sure you check with your travel and accommodation providers before travelling.”

With good weather forecast for Mother’s Day weekend, the National Trust says: “The Trust’s coast and countryside places will be open as usual with any car park charges suspended and the charity is working where it can to keep outdoor spaces open and free to access.”

The charity’s nature expert and writer, Andy Beer, said: “Although our coast and countryside will be open as usual, we’d encourage people to stay local and enjoy the first moments of spring where they are rather than making an unnecessary journey.”

Earlier this week the National Trust announced that it would close its houses, shops and cafes to restrict the spread of coronavirus.

Before we get to that Owl dares to ask the question: Who is in charge, who takes control? 

Clear Command and Control in emergency situations like this is essential to coordinate actions which are likely to be multi-agency  and resource constrained. 

We emerged from WWII with a strong, largely volunteer, civil defence organisation. Facing the prospect of major civil emergencies arising from nuclear war, contingency plans were developed. They were not widely publicised for obvious reasons. In the worst case scenario local administration (i.e.government) devolved to LA Chief Executives, who assumed absolute power, vested through the Home Office. [Think Mark Williams grabbing his chosen few, diving into the secret bunker built under Blackdown House  – No? Well in fact these plans pre-dated district councils so more likely County CE- the bunkers are still out there somewhere.]

For many years Counties used to have a formal emergency planning officer, often retired Army Officers, not taking charge but preparing contingency plans, but these look to be long gone. 

Owl finds a summary of the current situation in a  2017 House of Commons Briefing Paper, written after Grenfell Tower, it’s all very wooly: 

file:///home/chronos/u-06eb1db4f30497d5c37620af3a3a7c864a5d7095/MyFiles/Downloads/CBP-8016.pdf

From (Page 10):

Who leads the emergency response? The emergency response is based around the concepts of command, control and cooperation and operates at three levels – operational, tactical and strategic. …….   

The structure for responding to any emergency will depend on the nature and circumstances of that emergency. Single agency groups will take command of their own personnel and assets, but a multi-agency Strategic Coordinating Group may be convened to provide coordination – but not control – across agencies:

“ 4.2.1. (…) No single responding agency has command authority over any other agencies‘ personnel or assets. Where multi-agency co-ordinating groups are established to define strategy and objectives, it is expected that all involved responder agencies will work in a directed and co-ordinated fashion in pursuit of those objectives.” ref.18

A major incident has been declared by Devon & Cornwall Police in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, (coronavirus).

Richard Booth  www.devonlive.com

The declaration has been made to ensure that all agencies across the Devon & Cornwall Local Resilience Forum are co-ordinated and working as effectively as possible at a time of critical need.

It comes as Boris Johnson said the Government is telling pubs, cafes, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, theatres, leisure centres and gyms to close from tonight to fight coronavirus.

TACC Glen Mayhew, chair of the Devon and Cornwall LRF, said: “We are facing a critical public health situation nationwide and it is vital for blue light responders and partner organisations across our communities to work together and deal with the challenges which lie ahead over the coming days and weeks.

“Declaring this a major incident means we can put in place well-rehearsed structures and mechanisms for multi-agency working. Resilience plans already exist to help us protect and enable us to support our communities in the best way possible – keeping them informed and able to function.

“This has not been caused by a rise in cases of COVID-19, (coronavirus), in our region or because demand has meant agencies are unable to cope – it is a supportive measure to give strength to all agencies and partners and ensure we can assist each other at a time when we are all likely to see an effect on staffing and our respective agency’s resilience.”

Mr Mayhew added: “The public should not be alarmed, but continue to follow guidance from Public Health England and the Government around measures to reduce risk associated with COVID-19, (coronavirus), access to critical health services, social distancing and self-isolation.

“Whether it be police officers, those working in social care or some of the many hundreds of volunteers in our communities, we need to do our absolute utmost to protect and help the elderly and most vulnerable people in our communities.

“We know there are many strong and resilient communities across the peninsula and Isles of Scilly. It is now, at this time of most need, that we must come together as a partnership and support our communities as one.”

Political Editors Letter -The Independent

@andywoodcock  www.independent.co.uk

The past few days in Westminster have been like nothing that anyone in parliament can remember.

The doors are still open and debates still taking place, but the palace has lost its bustle and many MPs think it’s only a matter of time before they will be sent home.

Parliament continued to sit throughout the Second World War. But that was a time when the threat came from outside, from enemy bombing, not from MPs infecting one another – and potentially their constituents – with a deadly virus.

Indications are that the Commons authorities will do everything they can to avoid actually taking the hugely symbolic act of closing the door on the home of the UK’s democracy.

But there are discussions under way at the highest levels on options for reducing the risk of spread, largely by limiting the requirement for MPs and officials to come into close contact.

On Wednesday, MPs were told to enter the chamber for prime minister’s questions only if they were listed to speak, and to maintain their distance from one another on the green benches if they did.

And there are proposals to allow voting by paper slip rather than by walking through the crowded lobbies, allowing votes to go ahead with fewer than 40 MPs present or even permitting party whips to cast a vote on behalf of all members.

While all MPs accept the need to minimise the risk of infection, an increasing number feel uneasy with anything that will limit their ability to scrutinise the government – particularly at a time when a new Coronavirus Bill is granting ministers sweeping new powers to do anything from shutting airports to suspending jury inquests.

Hence the flurry of attempts to restrict the duration of the emergency powers, with Labour insisting they should be renewed every six months, rather than allowed to last for two years as ministers propose.

And hence the increasing chatter in the tearooms about a government of national unity.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly compared his administration’s actions on Covid-19 to those of a wartime government. In both world wars, it was a matter of months before prime ministers formed coalition ministries.

Already MPs are starting to ask: if the country is being asked to pull together in a great national effort, if there is any question of infringing on parliament’s ability to scrutinise the executive; and if ministers are proposing to take on extraordinary powers lasting as long as two years, is it time to invite leading representatives of opposition parties into the government?

It seems improbable to most now. But recently, what seems improbable one day has a habit of coming true two or three days later.

Yours,

Andrew Woodcock Political editor

Our Natural Health Service

In 1945, the nation was promised and needed its new National Parks, described by Ministers at the time as the “Natural Health Service”. These were created to help offer improved health and wellbeing for everyone, alongside the newly created NHS. Today, both the NHS and our National Parks are a cherished national resource and play a vital role in the wellbeing of our communities and society.

A Dorset National Park was recommended in the 1945 first official report on National Parks. The Government has made a commitment to establish new National Parks and we look forward to early action to make this commitment a reality. National Parks help people and nature to thrive. More than ever, Dorset deserves and needs a National Park. It is unfinished business and long overdue.

Some of the building blocks are in place. At this challenging time for us all, we can celebrate the announcement of the UK’s first Super National Nature Reserve here in Dorset: see www.theguardian.com . Seven organisations and landowners have come together to create this Super-NNR. As Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said, this is a landmark project: “Purbeck Heaths is a trailblazing example of how landscape-scale conservation can help wildlife thrive, improve people’s well-being, and build resilience to climate change.” The Super-NNR is a welcome step towards a Dorset National Park. A National Park would bring additional resources and expertise so we can create even more linkages and stronger partnerships across Dorset. “Good things happen when people work together.”

Working through partnerships lies at the heart of the way National Parks operate. A Dorset National Park Partnership should be part of a positive and restorative vision for our future. It would contribute to a successful and sustainable economic recovery and a greener future for farming and the countryside and help ensure a thriving, healthy future for our communities, economy and environment, Dorset-wide. It would work to support and improve physical and mental health and wellbeing for local people and visitors, of all ages. As independent research shows, a National Park can deliver great benefits for Dorset and the nation.

Dorset’s environment is here to inspire and encourage us all, lift our spirits and provide space for us to enjoy a breath of fresh air! With a National Park we can achieve even more for nature and for people. Please enjoy the website, keep in touch with National Park News, join the Facebook group and share your photographs.

Keep safe and best wishes from the Dorset National Park Team.

The coronavirus emergency is often spoken of as a war, as indeed it is. Like all wars, it is asking a lot of people, it is reminding us all of how much we rely on “key workers” and how much we take many of our public services and our way of life for granted. When we emerge from this crisis, the world will feel very different and there will be a lasting public impact.

Sean O’Grady @_seanogrady  www.independent.co.uk

Wars leave a lasting social and political legacy. By the looks of it, so will the war against Covid-19. The welfare state is making a bit of a comeback. Frankly, for some time now the social security system was something that most of the population didn’t give much thought to. Now, there is talk of another million on the dole. People are suddenly facing up to being thrown back on their own scant resources. They are realising just how useless the modern welfare safety net can be – the £94 per week for statutory sick pay being the emblem of all the injustices now bundled into the dysfunctional Universal Credit system.

Even those fortunate enough to hang on to their jobs will be having second thoughts about an economic system that can see you go from full time, if precarious, employment – “just about managing” – to eviction and homelessness in a matter of weeks. How many Conservatives can be content to see people who have built up their own successful small business over decades pushed into poverty through no fault of their own? Or “rescued” via another huge debt loaded into their backs? There is a powerful sense of injustice around these shocking events.

The NHS will also come out of this renewed public respect. Even The Sun has got behind NHS staff in the way usually reserved for the armed forces, with an “I heart NHS” poster. I doubt any political party will ever dare to underfund the NHS again under the cover of “austerity” or “reform”. No ifs, no buts, the NHS will get the kit and the staff it needs. Suddenly we realise the inestimable value – and reliability – of a system of social insurance. There is no private insurance-based health system that could ever deal with an epidemic such as this. That is a crucial, abiding lesson of current events. We seem to have had enough of private affluence and public squalor. 

I have to add a note of bitterness. Remember how, not so long ago, the same sections of the media now praising brave NHS medics were publishing all those stories about the inefficient, bloated wasteful health service with its greedy overpaid doctors, waiting lists and dirty wards? Remember the denials and spin during the election about the boy on the floor of a ward?

From some columnists’ half-baked accounts about the superbug and the like, you’d think that anyone was lucky to get out alive from a spell in an NHS hospital. There was lots of talk about reducing it to a “safety net” service for the poor who can’t afford health insurance. It was allowed the bare minimum, if that, to try to keep up with public expectations. Its inevitable failings were used to justify further cuts, thus setting the NHS up for more failure and justifying dismantlement and marketisation. The American system was lauded for its lavish care. The Europeans were set up as a model of competitive efficiency. Not so much now.

Much the same goes for the BBC. All of a sudden, a nation stuck at home worrying is turning to a gold standard, trusted source for facts, guidance and realistic reporting. The BBC will entertain the nation as it grinds through this crisis, with its box sets of brilliance, deprived as we are of sport, cinema, theatre and most firms of culture and diversion. Netflix doesn’t come close. The Beeb is even going to educate the kids. It has been temporarily relieved of its absurd obligation to act as an arm of the DWP, means-testing licences for the over-75s. I suspect that idea may be quietly dropped forever when this lousy war is over. 

So we know now how much we rely on our under-appreciated, neglected public services, the welfare state and key workers. Things will change. Just as the Great War gave us votes for women and council housing, and the Second World War, the Beveridge report and the original welfare state, so now will this “war” yield some unexpected revolutions in attitudes and our way of life. 

The British people aren’t turning socialist as such, but there will be some hard thinking. We see all too clearly there is such a thing as society and no substitute for bold state action. As people asked in 1945, if we can do all these things in War time, and borrow such huge sums, why not in peacetime? It’s all a bit too late for Jeremy Corbyn though. 

Owl understands the desperate state of the hospitality industry facing confused messages coming from the government.  On the one hand we are , for very good reasons, being told to avoid cafes, restaurants and pubs but on the other they haven’t been ordered to close.

Devon Coastal Cottages has come up with this innovative idea (see below).

However, self-isolate means just that. It doesn’t mean jump into a car and bomb down to Devon. Nor is it helpful in terms of epidemic control to encourage a mass exodus from the country’s hotspot – London – to  dispersal within the country.

Devon, as previous articles have shown, is potentially very vulnerable and needs cocooning.

Our two MP’s (and County leaders) have been silent on this legitimate, but sensitive, issue.

How Are We Doing Our Bit To Help Others During COVID19? www.stoneleigh-holiday-park.com

Are you worried about your loved ones and looking for a remote place to self-isolate and protect your friends and family. 

We are now offering self-isolation zero contact packages safe and remote cottages.

According to the latest news and figures from our government, to date 19th March 953 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in London. London and possibly other cities and other built-up areas could soon go into lockdown, to toughen measures on the coronavirus. As the disease is spreading rapidly through the capital, Boris Johnson has stated he will not hesitate to roll out this tougher action when necessary to protect people’s health.

Sidmouth Cottages are now offering an ideal opportunity for individuals and family’s to self-isolate in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the countryside of Devon by the sea and to leave the city behind and protect yourself and your family…….

​

​