Is the government going to institute a blanket cancellation of all government-mandated deadlines, for example VAT returns, PAYE deadlines, Companies House deadlines, etc? Because if not, how the hell are businesses and individuals supposed to keep complying?
Even the EU (well, at least one EU body) is advising flexibility:
@kle4 I think Boris prevaricated because at the start because he essentially doesn't believe in the state.....
It would be the same if we had Corbyn in charge if we were attacked by the Russians....
Ultimately they would both do the right thing.....but their political ideology slows them down....
NHS frontline staff are woefully unprotected...this is today....this is due to the Govt not taking the threat seriously enough at the outset (ideological) and not having the organisational ability how to do it (competence)
So does everyone in the NHS need Boris Johnson to tell them to order more PPE ?
Nobody capable of doing so on their own initiative ?
I cannot begin to tell you how woefully unprepared the NHS is in London are today....we had probably 2 months.....at least 2 protective clothing for staff....
ICU beds are another matter and technical equipment....but at least protective equipment....
Other stuff would have been easy too..accommodation nearby for those who can take it....the staff are using public transport...they are not even getting access to use the car parks for free
A few months back I needed some safety shoes for work, I sorted it out myself.
If hospitals are short of PPE they should have ordered more - that could have been prompted from the hospital management, the H&S dept, the purchasing dept, or any front line staff.
This "Boris hasn't provided enough PPE" is bollox.
People have to shown initiative in this world if they want to sort out problems.
My colleagues and I have been buying our own surgical scrubs to change into for work, so we don't contaminate our civilian clothes. Things are that bad, we are taking them home to wash at 60C. Don't believe me? Look at delivery times for scrubs on Amazon.
And don't get me started on masks and gowns.
What do you identify as the reason you haven't been provided with the tools you need?
You cannot expect a decade of penny-pinching to be reversed in a month. Chickens are coming home to roost.
This is not just an issue about staff. Without PPE, resuscitation will not happen. There is no emergency in a pandemic.
Is the government going to institute a blanket cancellation of all government-mandated deadlines, for example VAT returns, PAYE deadlines, Companies House deadlines, etc? Because if not, how the hell are businesses and individuals supposed to keep complying?
You mean with the returns or the payments?
Both. For example, in my small company I've done everything I can to ensure that we can work from home, but there are still some things which cannot be done without going into the office. For example, some suppliers still send invoices by mail, HMRC for some bizarre reason sends PAYE codes by post despite the fact that we are signed up for online PAYE, etc etc. Minor things, but actually essential to comply with our legal obligations.
I'm in the same boat Rich ! Feels just plain odd right now. I'm going to be trying to set up stuff for people to WFH anyway tommorow (At home), so I'll let my colleagues and directors sort it at work. I've told them all under absolubtely no circumstances to head to the large Tesco nearby which I reckon is ground zero up north for Corona.
Which Tesco is that and is there any particular reason why you think its that ?
He's such a 'senior Tory' that I had to google him to find out who he is.
The giveaway is when they use the line "senior Tory".. then you know it isn't a senior Tory.
Boris would be insane to form a National Government. In one stroke it would concede that there are elements of society beyond his reach that only Labour can speak for, which is precisely what the Red Wall thing was supposed to refute. No, Boris. No, no, no, no, no.
Is the government going to institute a blanket cancellation of all government-mandated deadlines, for example VAT returns, PAYE deadlines, Companies House deadlines, etc? Because if not, how the hell are businesses and individuals supposed to keep complying?
You mean with the returns or the payments?
Both. For example, in my small company I've done everything I can to ensure that we can work from home, but there are still some things which cannot be done without going into the office. For example, some suppliers still send invoices by mail, HMRC for some bizarre reason sends PAYE codes by post despite the fact that we are signed up for online PAYE, etc etc. Minor things, but actually essential to comply with our legal obligations.
I'm in the same boat Rich ! Feels just plain odd right now. I'm going to be trying to set up stuff for people to WFH anyway tommorow (At home), so I'll let my colleagues and directors sort it at work. I've told them all under absolubtely no circumstances to head to the large Tesco nearby which I reckon is ground zero up north for Corona.
I am probably going to the Court of Session tomorrow to sign out a process. It has to be done in person. I am going to feel like a criminal driving there and back.
At some point in the next few weeks, we are likely to go further and if someone in a household has those symptoms, we will be asking everyone in the household to stay at home. We are not introducing this yet for reasons Sir Patrick will explain, but I want to signal now that this is coming down the track.
20 days ago Boris was telling us he was shaking hands with everyone in a hospital treating Covid-19 patients.
Are you highlighting that because you feel it's misleading?
Yes, contraversially I am going to go with the premise that less than 2 is not a few.
Also in the same press conference there was the statement about closing schools doing more harm than good, that barely lasted a week.
He's such a 'senior Tory' that I had to google him to find out who he is.
The giveaway is when they use the line "senior Tory".. then you know it isn't a senior Tory.
Boris would be insane to form a National Government. In one stroke it would concede that there are elements of society beyond his reach that only Labour can speak for, which is precisely what the Red Wall thing was supposed to refute. No, Boris. No, no, no, no, no.
I suspect all the leaders of all the other parties (with the exception of Brexit- is Farage still leader?) will be sitting on their hands when volunteers for a National Government are requested.
This concept of an essential service is very crude. Simple example: a family living in a small house, the boiler providing heating and hot water breaks down. Maybe it just needs a simple spare available from a local shop, or maybe it needs someone to come out and repair it. Either is I think forbidden under the new rules, but it's still an essential service from the point of view of that particular family.
This, to be clear, is not a criticism of the government, I think we need to cut them a lot of slack. It's more that this is going to need to be refined quite quickly.
One thing I would have done, make everybody who is in the "essential worker" category do an application online with ID / proof and for instance in London your oyster card won't work without approval and you have a print out which can be checked if asked.
How would you stop people using cashless? Oyster cards have been largely replaced by cashless, so you’d have to stop cashless cards working and then issue (and restrict) Oyster cards. Not easy to do.
The direction of travel is clear, but the restrictions announced by the UK prime minister still fall short of the measures in place in many European countries, where most people can’t now leave their houses without a special permit.
In Italy and Spain even outdoor exercise is banned. Thousands of people who break the rules have already been hit with fines, and in some countries prison sentences can be imposed.
----
Dickhead....still not tough enough for you. We have essentially the same rules as Germany.
There is literally nothing the government can do without somebody going but but but...
Some people won't be satisfied until we have a Stasi-like network of informants ratting on anyone daring to poke their head out the door.
Indeed. These measures should be good enough to get the infection rate right down.
The sad thing is the ill-informed (including plenty of journalists) will shit the bed in less than 72 hours as cases continue to increase not realising it takes 2-3 weeks for the effects of such measures to filter through.
Yes, it’s the next fortnight that’s going to be hardest to manage. The innumeracy of much of the media won’t help matters. But, the challenge is to keep the public hanging in there in lieu of the lockdown biting.
Bosses at Sports Direct have said all stores will remain open because selling sporting and fitness equipment makes the company a vital asset during a national shutdown, according to an email seen by the PA news agency.
I see Hitchens is now referring to Boris as 'Alexander' in the same way that he used to refer to Tony Blair as 'Anthony'. Quite a striking parallel actually - they both use public names that are different from those that their nearest and dearest use to address them.
What’s Delingpole’s problem? The virus is apolitical. That means bringing in the best brains to deal with the crisis. There is an argument for Gordon Brown as well as Sir Keir.
Party politics seems like something from a different age. We’ll go back there for sure - but let’s join forces now.
I think the first few days will be tough until people adjust. There will be a period when people cope. Then it may get more difficult again...
I am concerned about the lack of available food deliveries. I rely on them (cannot get to shops). I fervently hope they are able to open more slots soon.
--AS
Some supermarkets are prioritising vulnerable groups.If you're over 70, or have a disability or serious health condition that stops you going to the shop , Sainsbury's, for instance, will give you priority. After phoning their customer service number on behalf of an elderly relative today and waiting a long time, I was happily surprised to hear they could deliver within two days for this category of person - let's hope so.
Boris Johnson says the Government is "ramping up testing" to attempt to treat a quarter of a million people a day, as he said the UK could "turn the tide" on coronavirus in 12 weeks.
The Prime Minister said the first UK patient had entered a clinical trial for treatment of coronavirus, and the Government was hoping to invest in a new "antibody test" for the disease that would allow it to test more people.
"We're massively increasing the testing to see whether you have it now and ramping up daily testing from 5,000 a day, to 10,000 to 25,000 and then up at 250,000," he said.
Comments
I was quite excited earlier to note that in the event of Boris succumbing, Raab becomes surrogate PM. Oh goody!
https://www.eiopa.europa.eu/content/eiopa-issues-recommendations-supervisory-flexibility-regarding-deadlines-supervisory_en
A seat at the Cabinet table for Eck now his get out of jail free card has been issued?
https://twitter.com/MartynMcL/status/1242212527888650241?s=20
Pathetic. Childish.
Might have been a slightly different picture in the home of Morgan and Connor.
Also in the same press conference there was the statement about closing schools doing more harm than good, that barely lasted a week.
They didn't even cancel sport in that presser.
Labour should have shortened this weeks ago.
This, to be clear, is not a criticism of the government, I think we need to cut them a lot of slack. It's more that this is going to need to be refined quite quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXc0-EME0C8
https://twitter.com/DerWahreErich/status/1241783646719262726?s=20
https://www.city-journal.org/covid-19-our-attitude-toward-vaccines
Bosses at Sports Direct have said all stores will remain open because selling sporting and fitness equipment makes the company a vital asset during a national shutdown, according to an email seen by the PA news agency.
NEW THREAD
Party politics seems like something from a different age. We’ll go back there for sure - but let’s join forces now.
--AS
Boris Johnson says the Government is "ramping up testing" to attempt to treat a quarter of a million people a day, as he said the UK could "turn the tide" on coronavirus in 12 weeks.
The Prime Minister said the first UK patient had entered a clinical trial for treatment of coronavirus, and the Government was hoping to invest in a new "antibody test" for the disease that would allow it to test more people.
"We're massively increasing the testing to see whether you have it now and ramping up daily testing from 5,000 a day, to 10,000 to 25,000 and then up at 250,000," he said.
Link behind paywall but here goes
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/03/19/boris-johnson-news-latest-schools-coronavirus-emergency-bill/