(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Kevin Thurlow]

"I hope everyone has a safe and peaceful New Year."

Agreed, but apologies to our Scottish friends who wait until midnight before saying that!

A member of the family is a doctor in a London hospital, and is on duty 8 am tomorrow for an expected minimum of 13 hours...

So at midnight I'll be raising a glass to him and all his colleagues and to Pfizer, Astra Zeneca etc.

[Paul Robert Jackson]

Any Organisers, Arbiters, or Players
.....aware of any plans to try to organise OTB events in the UK, during latter half of this year (2021)?

[John Upham]

Any Organisers, Arbiters, or Players
.....aware of any plans to try to organise OTB events in the UK, during latter half of this year (2021)?

I'm pretty confident that Camberley Chess Club will be keen to run its Keith Richardson Memorial as an OTB event in September 2021.

Hampshire Junior Chess Association likewise will want to run the Hampshire Junior Congress in October 2021 at Winchester College.

Is there a reliable method of discovering the number of vaccines administered to date?

[Tim Spanton]

Any Organisers, Arbiters, or Players
.....aware of any plans to try to organise OTB events in the UK, during latter half of this year (2021)?

I'm pretty confident that Camberley Chess Club will be keen to run its Keith Richardson Memorial as an OTB event in September 2021.

Hampshire Junior Chess Association likewise will want to run the Hampshire Junior Congress in October 2021 at Winchester College.

Is there a reliable method of discovering the number of vaccines administered to date?

Total number of vaccination doses administered per 100 people in the total population. This is counted as a single dose,
and does not measure the number of people vaccinated (which usually requires two doses).
Israel
11.55
Bahrain
3.49
United Kingdom
1.47
United States
0.84 (Dec 30, 2020)
Denmark
0.51 (Dec 31, 2020)
China
0.31 (Dec 31, 2020)
Canada
0.29
Germany
0.2 (Dec 31, 2020)
Croatia
0.19 (Dec 30, 2020)
Portugal
0.16 (Dec 29, 2020)
World
0.13
Poland
0.13 (Dec 31, 2020)
Oman
0.13
Italy
0.08
Argentina
0.07 (Dec 31, 2020)
Austria
0.07 (Dec 30, 2020)
Kuwait
0.06 (Dec 28, 2020)
Chile
0.05 (Dec 27, 2020)
Russia
0.04 (Dec 22, 2020)
Finland
0.03 (Dec 31, 2020)
Mexico
0.02 (Dec 30, 2020)
Greece
0.02 (Dec 30, 2020)
France
0 (Dec 30, 2020)
Source: Our World In Data up to Jan 1 (or earlier if stated)

[Adam Raoof]

It should soon be possible to run an event where all particpants, and officials, have either proof of vaccination or a recent (48hrs?) negative test.

[Tim Spanton]

It should soon be possible to run an event where all particpants, and officials, have either proof of vaccination or a recent (48hrs?) negative test.

But how will people get proof of vaccination?

[John McKenna]

Like this?

"07/12/2020 · The credit card-sized certificates will be offered to every single person who receives the coronavirus jab. There are sections on the cards to record the date of the vaccination and the batch number. The Daily Mail reports that the cards are not yet thought to be mandatory, but a message on the front of the mini certificates of proof says 'make sure you keep this record card in your purse or wallet'... "

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/hea ... y-19411491

[Tim Spanton]

That seems v promising - certainly makes me more inclined to be vaxed

[Paul Robert Jackson]

It should soon be possible to run an event where all participant's, and officials, have either proof of vaccination or a recent (48hrs?) negative test.

But how will people get proof of vaccination?

Spain plans to have a register of people who refuse the vaccine, although the vaccine is not mandatory.
In the UK Coronavirus (COVID-19) is listed as a notifiable disease - so the law requires GPs to report all cases of COVID-19 to Public Health England.
Therefore I expect by default, organisations (work. travel companies, hotels etc. etc.) will be asking for individuals for evidence of vaccination or a recent negative test.
I will be very surprised if we don't eventually end up with some form of Vaccination Certificate.

[Tim Spanton]

Then again (from Full Fact):

While we can’t say definitively whether “immunity passports” will be introduced, the government says it currently has no plans to do so, and it is not the purpose of this card, which could not be used in that way.
Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed to Full Fact that this is simply a printed card with space for someone’s name and vaccination details (shown above) to be written by hand. (This has already been confirmed publicly by the Welsh government for similar cards in Wales.) Many people who have been vaccinated will therefore have a card like this, but there is nothing to stop someone altering or adding to what is written on it. This makes it very unreliable evidence that someone has been vaccinated, and certainly not proof.

[Nick Grey]

I will be surprised if we don't eventually end up with a 3rd WAVE. Hope we get some chess in 6 months.

[Paul Robert Jackson]

No Idea how a certificate could be validated
............but I expect a "Vaccination Certificate" will be needed to fly, enter foreign countries, book into hotels, etc. etc.
Tampering with it may be seen as fraudulent & criminal - & trying to enter foreign countries in this way is obviously foolish.

[Tim Spanton]

No Idea how a certificate could be validated
............but I expect a "Vaccination Certificate" will be needed to fly, enter foreign countries, book into hotels, etc. etc.
Tampering with it may be seen as fraudulent & criminal - & trying to enter foreign countries in this way is obviously foolish.

Yes, but it seems after all there is no plan for such a certificate - just an easily alterable next-appointment card

[John McKenna]

And easily cancellable next-appointment...

[Roger de Coverly]

Yes, but it seems after all there is no plan for such a certificate - just an easily alterable next-appointment card

Setting aside the powers of lawyers to make things complex, having an electronic image of what's supposed to be on the card would not on the face of it appear difficult.

But having tasted the god-like powers of imposing restrictions, will politicians and "advisers" be willing to give them up sooner rather than later?