(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Kevin Thurlow]

"It looks like *different strains... " may have already developed -"

I think that was suspected fairly early on. With a fairly nasty flu one year, it quickly mutated into one that was much more easy to catch, but happily was less dangerous. Of course, any of them can turn into something worse...

[Simon Rogers]

Just been announced on BBC news that all of Nottinghamshire is to go into Tier 3 from Friday.
Also they said a vaccine might start to roll out before Christmas.

[Matt Bridgeman]

I suspect things are going badly enough that the invention of Tier 4 can’t be very far away.

[Simon Rogers]

Yeah you could be right Matt. I think Tier 3 has different stages.
Scotland has a Tier 4 with North and South Lanarkshire possibly going in.
Its not looking good in our county Matt. Blackburn had the highest cases in England yesterday with 778. I think Rossendale and Hyndburn were next.

[Simon Rogers]

Speaking of Blackburn, I still need to post this game I played a number of years ago there against some bloke called Nigel Short.
I have some other interesting games against very strong opposition which I'll gradually post in Chess Questions between now and Christmas, for your entertainment.

[NickFaulks]

I suspect things are going badly enough that the invention of Tier 4 can’t be very far away.

On the basis that if a policy is proven to be a total failure, the only possible course of action is to double down...

[Mick Norris]

I suspect things are going badly enough that the invention of Tier 4 can’t be very far away.

Funnily enough, I was told only this morning that Bolton might be going into Tier 4; I refrained from pointing out the England only has 3 tiers in case I'd missed an announcement

Bolton currently has an estimated 5542 cases; in the town centre this lunchtime, no clear evidence of people being able to follow clearly marked one-way systems, wear masks which cover their nose (and sometimes not even their mouth), or at all in some cases, indoors, in shops

[Reg Clucas]

Scotland has a Tier 4

A few weeks ago there was a letter in Private Eye from a Scottish reader, saying that a joke doing the rounds up there was that if Boris Johnson declared a travel ban on Tenerife, Sturgeon would immediately declare one on Elevenerife. This seems to prove the point!

[JustinHorton]

Was it signed Mike Giggler?

[NickFaulks]

no clear evidence of people being able to follow clearly marked one-way systems, wear masks which cover their nose (and sometimes not even their mouth), or at all in some cases, indoors, in shops

I'm sure they are perfectly able to do so, but have formed the view that any "scientific" recommendations that come from this Government are likely to be rubbish.

Six months ago the official science was that simple masks offered no protection whatsoever against the spread of this virus, now they are deemed absolutely vital. The only change in the facts seems to be that China now has ten billion of the things in inventory and needs to shift them.

[JustinHorton]

It is intrinsically unlikely that science is driven by the commercial requirements of Chinese manufacturers.

[NickFaulks]

It is highly likely that WHO are.

[JustinHorton]

No, it isn't. WHO like any other international organisation have political influences and the weight of the Chinese state is among these. This is a very long way away from their scientists being in the pockets on Chinese manufacturing, and if this were not so their recommendations would be way out of line with those of health professionals elsewhere.

[Simon Rogers]

Scotland has a Tier 4

A few weeks ago there was a letter in Private Eye from a Scottish reader, saying that a joke doing the rounds up there was that if Boris Johnson declared a travel ban on Tenerife, Sturgeon would immediately declare one on Elevenerife. This seems to prove the point!

Nicola Sturgeon scares me.
For some reason, when I see her on TV, I think of a John Williams score from Star Wars called "Duel of the Fates".

[Roger de Coverly]

Six months ago the official science was that simple masks offered no protection whatsoever against the spread of this virus, now they are deemed absolutely vital. The only change in the facts seems to be that China now has ten billion of the things in inventory and needs to shift them.

They weren't in the UK supermarket supply chain either, so not readily available, although wrapping a scarf around the face could have been advised.