Reflections on current news [7.4.2020]

[whole diary]

[grahame]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) summarises this morning

* UK^▸ (United Kingdom) PM Boris Johnson is moved to intensive care in a London hospital

* He has been suffering from coronavirus symptoms for 10 days, went to hospital on Sunday

* World leaders and British politicians wish him a speedy recovery

* Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise in his absence

* US President Donald Trump wishes his "good friend" Boris Johnson well

* More than 10,000 people have died from coronavirus in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University

* France reports 833 deaths in 24 hours, its highest since the outbreak began.

* New infections have fallen in Spain and Italy in recent days - suggesting lockdowns are working

* Nearly 1.3 million cases have now been confirmed worldwide with deaths over 70,000

I wish every one of those 1,300,000 confirmed cases and all of the many millions more who have an infection but are not at present confirmed all the the best though these times - I hope (but know it is a vane hope) that all those not yet confirmed have it so mildy that they don't even need confirmed.  I pass on my sympathy to family, friends, colleagues of those 70,000 and others who are following; each one of whom is or was an individual, who leaves behind a gap in the lives of many more and - I hope - positive legacies and memories. And I add my huge thanks to everyone who's working, volunteering, or isolating in ways too numerous to detail to tackle, and hopefully reduce, the terrible toll.

Our Prime Minister is in intensive care this morning - and I extend my very best wishes to him for a complete and speedy recovery.  Our news feeds show the 'story' though a filter; there is just too much news for it to be filter free, and data is sieved and polished as it passes through layers towards us.  But whatever the real situation this morning is, I wish him well - the best possible outcome / recovery.  And I extend that wish to everyone caught up.

These are events far, far bigger and beyond our forum, but never the less can, should, need to be addressed. News feeds, politicians and experts tell us that the worst is yet to come - we are not seeing a decrease in numbers at present, just a decrease in the rate of increase.  So we're in the thick of bad news, and not at the end of it. The decrease in the rate of increase gives some hope.  If you take a look in some ways, there is a faint glimmer of light at then end of the tunnel; it flickers a bit but I think it is real light.  What sort of world we find as we emerge from the tunnel, I don't know; we can guess based on what 'was' before, what continues, and human and world nature but at best thats no more than an educated guess, with so much to plan for, pay for and implement. And even in these dark hours, we can think ahead to how we want things to work out, and how we can a work and partner together to work them out and make them happen.

[Marlburian]

Boots store in Reading among 60 to close

It turns out that it's on the deck at Reading Station. TBH^▸ (to be honest) I'm surprised that it's remained open for so long as its footfall must have been down to almost nothing. I don't think that it even had a pharmacist. Even with time to spare, I seldom went in there and preferred the one opposite M & S on the way out to the Heathrow buses.

It's only going to be a matter of time that more of us realise we need items only available at larger pharmacies. It's a pity that Boots in Calcot, close to what we used to call Savacentre, is closed. Apart from driving there, and incidentally keeping the car battery charged, I can walk there with very little need to social-distance  (though my journey would exceed the guideline of "hour's exercise is enough for most people").

The other big Boots are of course in central Reading and, with journeys on public transport being severely restricted, inaccessible.