Notice
Thread ordered by most liked posts - View normal thread.

PineappleQueen19

VIP Member
This from The Times today is interesting on the longer term economic impact of lockdown

+++

What cost the lockdown? They helped economies in 1918, study suggests

Seattle could see the pandemic coming as, to the east, town after town fell. When Spanish flu at last hit the Pacific coast the city was ready. Theatres, saloons, churches and schools were shuttered for five months.

In Saint Paul, Minnesota, the response was different. Worried, perhaps, about the economic effects, the town dithered and reopened after a month. Years later, as Seattle boomed, its economy was still suffering.

Economists believe that the 1918 flu pandemic could offer us a parable. For those countries weighing up the economic cost of intervention versus the lives saved, it is part of growing evidence that suggests the two are not mutually exclusive.

The study, by researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, compared the severity of measures taken a century ago by 43 cities and the subsequent recovery. Their analysis of employment, manufacturing and bank losses implied that the economic costs alone of stopping a pandemic might be less then those of not stopping it.

Although the work has a caveat that Spanish flu had a higher death toll than coronavirus, and killed more people of working age, it is just one of a number of similar analyses being brought out to help governments.

Economists at Chicago University have used standard measures of the monetary value of a life to conclude that, assuming models of the pandemic were correct, the cost in US deaths of not stopping it would be equivalent to $8 trillion, or $60,000 per household.
 

KateESJ

VIP Member
Is the sun just down south as I'm up North and it's cold and dull here?!
I’m in the south too and it’s not sunny here either. Dry and not too cold but I wouldn’t be running to the beach personally 😂
Maybe it’s nicer down south. The daily mail pictures showed London & Brighton.
 

idk2

VIP Member
Not sure if this will just get lost in the thread but I’m really looking for advice on what to do next, I left my job on March 15th and was supposed to be starting a new job on Monday (April 6th) I know that under the furlough scheme my previous employer can rehire and furlough me but they are refusing to do this, can they refuse and is there anything else I can do? My understanding is that universal credit is very hard to get at the moment and I’d hate to take it away from someone else who needs it more.
I think you should go to Citizens Advice, they were very helpful for me! I would recommend Universal Credit for the moment though, you wouldn't be taking it away from anyone as everyone will get what they're entitled to eventually through it. Best of luck x
 

RachyWoo

VIP Member
To be honest you won’t get any. I tried just before lockdown and it’s out of stock in most places and online it’s not available as it’s nonessential. Homebase was the only one with £6 delivery.

I did order one tin from somewhere else over two weeks ago, no sign of it’s dispatch yet 🙈
I saw some months ago for £5, I wish I'd got it now 🙄 Good luck with that dispatch 😂

Homebase has shut near me, it's never busy anyway... I think paint and DIY and wallpaper should still be available, people are board as fuck and need something to do and it could really help peoples mental health if they get stuck into something

If you can get it I'd say go for it, could you order online?😊
I agree re mental health. Our Homebase closed down completely, we only have b&q now. I preferred Homebase 😔 I know a few people who have been doing DIY projects to pass the time. They already had what they needed though. I don't want him to be frowned at for just buying a tub of paint. He is bored, he's used to working 50 odd hours a week and I've run out of things for him to do 🤦‍♀️

To be honest I kind of empathise with this type of covidiocy. Obviously I disagree with breaking the rules but at least people buying home/garden improvement stuff are doing it so they can pass the time at home. Preferable to the covidiots who are heading to the beach/second homes etc
Exactly!! But it's whether the police would see it that way if he was stopped. I'd imagine there's even more of a police presence this weekend.
 

Justhereforbants

Active member
I think you should go to Citizens Advice, they were very helpful for me! I would recommend Universal Credit for the moment though, you wouldn't be taking it away from anyone as everyone will get what they're entitled to eventually through it. Best of luck x
Thank you so much for your help :) x
 

clt1992

Chatty Member
Was it sainsburys? The driver phoned his manager whilst we were bringing the shopping in as we queried it. Then when my husband was speaking to customer services on twitter they said it was now their new policy 🤷🏼‍♀️
Yes was Sainsbury’s how strange maybe it’s different in different areas or mine hadn’t caught up yet
 

Yel

Chatty Member
Moderator
Not sure if this will just get lost in the thread but I’m really looking for advice on what to do next, I left my job on March 15th and was supposed to be starting a new job on Monday (April 6th) I know that under the furlough scheme my previous employer can rehire and furlough me but they are refusing to do this, can they refuse and is there anything else I can do? My understanding is that universal credit is very hard to get at the moment and I’d hate to take it away from someone else who needs it more.
I heard someone call the radio with exactly this case and sadly no there's nothing you can do if your old employer doesn't want to re-employ to help you.

I wouldn't worry about UC, one more person is going to make little difference. It's not difficult to get, there's just a backlog of cases for them to go through.
 

chocolate choux

VIP Member
Exactly!! But it's whether the police would see it that way if he was stopped. I'd imagine there's even more of a police presence this weekend.
Yeah I wouldn’t advise it! Just saying I see where people are coming from, wanting to make the most out of being at home by doing some jobs. The people with shed fulls of paint and DIY kit are probably having a great time