(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Mick Norris]

The Covid Zoe app is reporting 6,478 estimated daily cases with a total of 69,687; concerns about London, the Midlands and everywhere north, including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

[Matt Bridgeman]

If this website (https://www.ovulation-calculators.com/c ... /pardubice) is to be believed, Pardubice seems to be the safest place in the world to be right now:

Coronavirus Pardubice, Czech Republic
There are no coronavirus cases reported in our system for Pardubice , Česká republika, as of Thursday, 17th of September 2020. Please report a case here
There are no deaths confirmed in Pardubice, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
There are no suspected cases of coronavirus in Pardubice.

It’s taking off in Czech though, and daily cases will probably overtake the UK soon. More yesterday (3130) than the whole or March apparently.

Yes, but the number of cases detected depends on the number of people tested. The x in 100,000 figures give a better view.

In Czech I’m sure I read they were only doing 15,000 tests a day. Is that right? I think conservative estimates are they are heading towards a infection rate of 8,000/day in the next 3 weeks. It might well have been revised to over 10,000 now as it’s really accelerating.

[Tim Spanton]

It’s taking off in Czech though, and daily cases will probably overtake the UK soon. More yesterday (3130) than the whole or March apparently.

Yes, but the number of cases detected depends on the number of people tested. The x in 100,000 figures give a better view.

In Czech I’m sure I read they were only doing 15,000 tests a day. Is that right? I think conservative estimates are they are heading towards a infection rate of 8,000/day in the next 3 weeks. It might well have been revised to over 10,000 now as it’s really accelerating.

It is difficult to find stats comparing covid rates by country.
It is easy to compare total cases by country and death rates by country (UK near the top of both tables) but not infection rates per capita, which is probably the most useful figure for most situations.

[Simon Rogers]

I've just come back from the first part of my travels visiting various websites. Bits and Bobs to share with you all, including some more Event Cancellations in England I'm afraid.
The Harrogate Chess Congress 23rd to 25th October is still going ahead as planned.
However I've not heard from Noel Boustred since the end of last week. So I don't know the exact number of entries.

[Matt Bridgeman]

Simon, is it right that the Harrogate Chess Congress is planned to be held in a hospice for the blind? Cos that sounds a bit mental! Probably we’re all heading towards that don’t mix with other households condition, so it’s probably a moot point anyway.

[Simon Rogers]

I'm not sure to be honest. I don't know Harrogate that well. Been through Harrogate a few times.
The only person who might know is a certain person who posts on the forum, who is Chairman of Harrogate Chess Club. He posts regularly on ECF Matters.

[Mick Norris]

No surprise with the following:

Tighter restrictions will come into force in Lancashire, Merseyside, the Midlands and West Yorkshire after significant increases in Covid-19 cases.
The new rules ban separate households from meeting each other at home or in private gardens.
Pubs and restaurants must also shut early in parts of Lancashire and Merseyside.
The measures will come into force from Tuesday.

[Paul Cooksey]

I'm not sure to be honest. I don't know Harrogate that well. Been through Harrogate a few times.
The only person who might know is a certain person who posts on the forum, who is Chairman of Harrogate Chess Club. He posts regularly on ECF Matters.

I lived in Harrogate as a kid, which is a long time ago now, but made me curious. I assume the care home has a hall suitable for the club or a small congress. I do have an aunt who lives nearby, but given she is elderly and partial sighted, I can't think of a tactful way of asking her to go and check out a hospice for the blind!

I think Northumberland was a template for a relatively large congress working with the local authorities. Unfortunately they were in the wrong part of the country at the wrong time. Maybe if it was say, North Devon, the result would have been different.

If I was doing it I'd want to do it in the way Northumberland did. But I guess Harrogate is a model for a small event trying to be under the radar, which some people think could be ok. I am doubtful, but interesting to see.

[Simon Rogers]

I'm not sure to be honest. I don't know Harrogate that well. Been through Harrogate a few times.
The only person who might know is a certain person who posts on the forum, who is Chairman of Harrogate Chess Club. He posts regularly on ECF Matters.

I lived in Harrogate as a kid, which is a long time ago now, but made me curious. I assume the care home has a hall suitable for the club or a small congress. I do have an aunt who lives nearby, but given she is elderly and partial sighted, I can't think of a tactful way of asking her to go and check out a hospice for the blind!

I think Northumberland was a template for a relatively large congress working with the local authorities. Unfortunately they were in the wrong part of the country at the wrong time. Maybe if it was say, North Devon, the result would have been different.

If I was doing it I'd want to do it in the way Northumberland did. But I guess Harrogate is a model for a small event trying to be under the radar, which some people think could be ok. I am doubtful, but interesting to see.

It wasn't that long ago, you were a kid, Paul.
You're still young now.
I know Harrogate has a problem with traffic. There has been talk of a bypass to the south and west.
A few years ago there was talk of extending the M65 east from Colne to Skipton and north of Harrogate to either join the M1 north east of Leeds or join the A1M north west of York.
There is a very nice Sainsbury's in Harrogate that I have visited a few times.

[NickFaulks]

No surprise with the following:

Tighter restrictions will come into force in Lancashire, Merseyside, the Midlands and West Yorkshire after significant increases in Covid-19 cases.

lockdown.gif

[Paul Cooksey]

There is a very nice Sainsbury's in Harrogate that I have visited a few times.

Which I don't doubt, although I suspect Fountains Abbey might be a better day out for a chess player who found themselves in Harrogate at a loose end!

[Tim Spanton]

Yes, but the number of cases detected depends on the number of people tested. The x in 100,000 figures give a better view.

In Czech I’m sure I read they were only doing 15,000 tests a day. Is that right? I think conservative estimates are they are heading towards a infection rate of 8,000/day in the next 3 weeks. It might well have been revised to over 10,000 now as it’s really accelerating.

It is difficult to find stats comparing covid rates by country.
It is easy to compare total cases by country and death rates by country (UK near the top of both tables) but not infection rates per capita, which is probably the most useful figure for most situations.

This useful info on the BBC today from the ONS is the type of information it is difficult to get on a comparing-country-by-country basis:

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey estimates that 59,800 people in homes in England had coronavirus in the week to 10 September.
This (roughly 1 in 900 people) is up by about half on the figure reported the week before.
They say there is clear evidence of an increase in people under the age of 35 testing positive - particularly those aged two to 11 and 17-34 - and of higher infection rates in the North West and London.
The infection rate they see equates to about 6,000 new cases each day in England.
The figures for Wales are about one in 2,000 people with coronavirus in the week to 10 September.

[Tim Spanton]

Fuller story here with useful graph: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54206705

[Simon Rogers]

There is a very nice Sainsbury's in Harrogate that I have visited a few times.

Which I don't doubt, although I suspect Fountains Abbey might be a better day out for a chess player who found themselves in Harrogate at a loose end!

I've not been to Fountains Abbey before. I've heard good reports about it though.
I've been to Bolton Abbey to the west of Harrogate. There is a nice walk along the River Wharfe along a few miles to the north, it takes you to a hill called Simon's Seat which has great views.
In Harrogate itself there is Betty's Tea Rooms, which I've never been to, I've heard it's very touristy.
Harrogate is now on the map due to its football team, Harrogate Town being promoted to the football league for the first time. They beat Southend United 4-0 last weekend and are top of League 2.

[Tim Spanton]

Sir Van in trouble with the BBC:

Sir Van Morrison refers to a debunked Covid-19 conspiracy theory in one of his new anti-lockdown songs.
The track As I Walked Out includes the lyrics “Well on the government website from the 21 March 2020 / It said Covid-19 was no longer high risk”.
It’s a reference to a UK government page that stated “Covid-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) in the UK".
That much is true - but that doesn’t mean that coronavirus is harmless.
The HCID designation is given for very fatal diseases: for example Ebola, which kills more than 50% of infected people.
Covid-19 was initially classified as HCID in January - when little was known about it.
By March, more information and testing prompted authorities to revise the classification.
It’s now thought the Covid-19 fatality rate is closer to 1%. The danger, scientists say, is that it is also highly infectious, and there is no proven vaccine or treatment.