Rain and Roadworks

Yet more rain today, I think it's rained mostly every day for two and a half weeks! A quieter day today as I'm a bit sore as yesterday I tripped over my feet, then a footstool and into a side table - doh! This afternoon I drove over to Carl Bird to get rid of another boot plus full of stones / flints / rubble - I think I've now got rid of 2 to 3 cubic metres. Cometh October, cometh roadworks in North Norfolk as it's off-season, two lots today (I was stationary when I took the photo at just after 4pm). 

Day 212 / Day 30 of Rule of Six (for my record only)
UK deaths up 143 to 43,018 (revised basis), with a 17,234 rise in new daily cases, 4,367 patients in hospital and 507 in ventilator beds. A big rise in deaths and patients in hospital today. Globally cases to date passed 38m last night, up 1m in 3 days. The IMF says that more than 90m could be forced into 'extreme deprivation' this year as developing and emerging economies are hit hardest by the pandemic. The ONS now reports deaths with Covid-19 on the certificate as 58,500. 2.2m people on the shielding list are to be written to with advice linked to the Covid alert level for their postcode, the lowest level saying 'meet others outside where possible', to the highest level 'ask people in your household, support bubble or volunteers to collect food and medicines'. A trial has started to see if Vitamin D boosts the immune system to fight Covid (I've been using a Vitamin D spray for months now). Good news that Facebook has donated £1m to Bletchley Park to save it from closure and it's also being given £447k fro the Govt Covid-19 recovery fund. 

The Govt seems under attack for their handling of the crisis from all directions. Sir Keir Starmer called for a 2-3 week circuit breaker which is England wide and more restrictive than the Very High restrictions - I think there's merit in this to break transmission and from a psychological re-set perspective to get people to take the virus seriously. However, I don't understand how 5 labour MPs can simultaneously say the Govt's restrictions are too tough in Greater Manchester which is in the High level and that they should be loosened??? Documents published after the PM spoke last night showed that SAGE recommended a circuit breaker 3 weeks ago. A YouGov poll last night found the majority of the public thought the PM didn't go far enough and another poll today showed 2 to 1 thought a national lockdown should have been introduced in Sept. The CMO said last night that the Govt restrictions at Level 3 aren't sufficient in themselves, which is why local councils can take more action. One MP resigned as a junior ministerial aide saying 'the cure is worse than the disease'. The Govt won the vote on the curfew tonight, but 42 Tory MPs rebel as do 23 Labour MPs including Corbyn, Diane Abbott and Rebecca Long-Bailey. There are similar debates and disputes going on across Europe.