(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Roger de Coverly]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/eight-key-dat ... 41055.html

In which

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on 5 January about the process of lifting restrictions as more vaccines are delivered, England’s chief medical officer said: “We’ll then get, over time, to a point where people say this level of risk is one that society is prepared to tolerate, and lift right down to almost no restrictions at all. We might have to bring a few in next winter, for example. That is possible because winter will benefit the virus.”

That's a potential bomb ticking away under attempts to organize cultural, social or sporting events involving more than a handful of people.

[Tim Spanton]

We're all in this together, but some are undoubtedly suffering more than others (from BBC News):

Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic and his girlfriend Vanessa Sierra have come under fire after she made a video complaining about the hotel food and that she could not get someone to wash her hair.
“This is the worst part of quarantine: I don’t wash my own hair. I've never washed my own hair. It's just not something I do. I normally have hairdressers do it twice a week for me. This is the situation that we're dealing with,” she says.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"“This is the worst part of quarantine: I don’t wash my own hair. I've never washed my own hair. It's just not something I do. I normally have hairdressers do it twice a week for me. This is the situation that we're dealing with,” she says."

Oh no!

[Tim Spanton]

"“This is the worst part of quarantine: I don’t wash my own hair. I've never washed my own hair. It's just not something I do. I normally have hairdressers do it twice a week for me. This is the situation that we're dealing with,” she says."

Oh no!

The thing that shocks me is she thinks it's OK to have her copious amounts of hair washed just twice a week

[Matt Mackenzie]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/eight-key-dat ... 41055.html

In which

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on 5 January about the process of lifting restrictions as more vaccines are delivered, England’s chief medical officer said: “We’ll then get, over time, to a point where people say this level of risk is one that society is prepared to tolerate, and lift right down to almost no restrictions at all. We might have to bring a few in next winter, for example. That is possible because winter will benefit the virus.”

That's a potential bomb ticking away under attempts to organize cultural, social or sporting events involving more than a handful of people.

Quite possibly, any restrictions then will only apply to those who have not been vaccinated?

[Tim Spanton]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/eight-key-dat ... 41055.html

In which

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on 5 January about the process of lifting restrictions as more vaccines are delivered, England’s chief medical officer said: “We’ll then get, over time, to a point where people say this level of risk is one that society is prepared to tolerate, and lift right down to almost no restrictions at all. We might have to bring a few in next winter, for example. That is possible because winter will benefit the virus.”

That's a potential bomb ticking away under attempts to organize cultural, social or sporting events involving more than a handful of people.

Quite possibly, any restrictions then will only apply to those who have not been vaccinated?

But how will anyone know whether you have been vaccinated? Your doctor will presumably know even if you get the jab elsewhere, but won't such knowledge be covered by doctor-patient confidentiality? Some countries are talking about issuing certificates or something similar, but not the UK.

[Matt Bridgeman]

In which



That's a potential bomb ticking away under attempts to organize cultural, social or sporting events involving more than a handful of people.

Quite possibly, any restrictions then will only apply to those who have not been vaccinated?

But how will anyone know whether you have been vaccinated? Your doctor will presumably know even if you get the jab elsewhere, but won't such knowledge be covered by doctor-patient confidentiality? Some countries are talking about issuing certificates or something similar, but not the UK.

You get given a card when you go for your jab. And the nurse will probably say words to the effect of keep hold of it, as you might need it to get on a plane. But nobody knows if there’s really anything in that, I think they are just covering their bases. My wife had the Pfizer jab the other day as she’s front line NHS.

[Tim Spanton]

Quite possibly, any restrictions then will only apply to those who have not been vaccinated?

But how will anyone know whether you have been vaccinated? Your doctor will presumably know even if you get the jab elsewhere, but won't such knowledge be covered by doctor-patient confidentiality? Some countries are talking about issuing certificates or something similar, but not the UK.

You get given a card when you go for your jab. And the nurse will probably say words to the effect of keep hold of it, as you might need it to get on a plane. But nobody knows if there’s really anything in that, I think they are just covering their bases. My wife had the Pfizer jab the other day as she’s front line NHS.

The card is not proof of vaccination!

[Tim Spanton]

But how will anyone know whether you have been vaccinated? Your doctor will presumably know even if you get the jab elsewhere, but won't such knowledge be covered by doctor-patient confidentiality? Some countries are talking about issuing certificates or something similar, but not the UK.

You get given a card when you go for your jab. And the nurse will probably say words to the effect of keep hold of it, as you might need it to get on a plane. But nobody knows if there’s really anything in that, I think they are just covering their bases. My wife had the Pfizer jab the other day as she’s front line NHS.

The card is not proof of vaccination!

Apologies. What I should have stated is that the card is not proof of being virus-free. Providing you can prove you are the person named on the card, then the card is proof of having been vaccinated.
I was talking to a dentist about this today. He has had the first shot only, but when he gets the second shot he is going to have his second card laminated as he thinks it might prove a useful thing to have. However, because it does not mean you are a non-carrier of the virus, it will not be usable for travel purposes, in his opinion (he wants it to go to the pub!).
He told me he has a colleague whose son at university was in the Pfizer trial (everyone was aged 18-25, according to the dentist). The lad does not know whether he has been vaccinated as he could have been in the group that had the placebo.

[Ian Thompson]

He told me he has a colleague whose son at university was in the Pfizer trial (everyone was aged 18-25, according to the dentist). The lad does not know whether he has been vaccinated as he could have been in the group that had the placebo.

Won't he be told eventually? If he's already had the vaccine, why waste a dose giving it to him again? More importantly, are the consequences of having more than 2 doses known? Presumably not.

[Matt Bridgeman]

The re-scheduled Tokyo Olympics which was to run late July, into August is now looking fairly doubtful; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55722542
Is any summer British Championship looking more likely to be an online event again? As an aside, the article above mentions the difficulty now for organisers to obtain event cancellation insurance. I’d imagine that will be an issue for quite some time.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Though the main doubt about the Olympics seems to be how to cope with all the people who will come from over the world to watch it - some of whom may not be vaccinated. With the best will in the world, I don't see that being a major issue with our own chess championships

Given government assurances (I know) that nearly everybody will have been offered a vaccine by then, I would assume its going ahead for now.

[Mick Norris]

He told me he has a colleague whose son at university was in the Pfizer trial (everyone was aged 18-25, according to the dentist). The lad does not know whether he has been vaccinated as he could have been in the group that had the placebo.

Won't he be told eventually? If he's already had the vaccine, why waste a dose giving it to him again? More importantly, are the consequences of having more than 2 doses known? Presumably not.

My girlfriend is on the Oxford trial; as she is now working some of the time at a vaccination centre, she knew she would be offered the vaccine, and went online to "unblind" herself; she then received a notification that she had already received 2 full doses of the vaccine (which she can keep as proof of vaccination)

It's not complicated or difficult (unlike actually working at the centre, which she has to do tomorrow for 12 hours as they are short staffed)

[David Sedgwick]

The re-scheduled Tokyo Olympics which was to run late July, into August is now looking fairly doubtful; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55722542
Is any summer British Championship looking more likely to be an online event again?

Given government assurances (I know) that nearly everybody will have been offered a vaccine by then, I would assume [that the British Championships in Torquay] are going ahead for now.

I imagine that the ECF Board are currently doing contingency planning for both scenarios.

[Matt Bridgeman]

There seems a real question now as to whether the government has completely cocked things up again spreading out the two doses so widely. Time will tell I suppose!
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uk- ... n-12193205