Coronavirus outbreak

[stowie]

Wasn't TfL basically forced into furloughing a lot of staff a few weeks ago by central government refusing to help sort out the funding of the reduced-income services?

Yes, although I think the furloughed employees were generally back office staff instead of front line drivers and so on. The biggest issue with drivers seemed to be that a lot of them fell ill with COVID reducing the number of people available to run services.

 

[matticus]

It shows the world Boris lives in "Avoid public transport" - not everyone has a choice.

But those who do should avoid it. Simple message. Easy to understand.

Not easy to follow though.

My wife works 9 miles away. She doesn't have a car and generally gets the bus to work.

I'm not seeing the problem here.

 

[vickster]

Not easy to follow though.

My wife works 9 miles away. She doesn't have a car and generally gets the bus to work.

How has she been getting to work for the last 8 weeks? Public transport has still been running for essential workers, those who can''t wfh etc

 

[mjr]

Yes, although I think the furloughed employees were generally back office staff instead of front line drivers and so on. The biggest issue with drivers seemed to be that a lot of them fell ill with COVID reducing the number of people available to run services.

I wonder how many of the furloughed "back office staff" were the staff who would manage things like high illness absences by coming up with new service plans and rotas. I doubt there was that much non-core activity going on after 2 terms of Boris and Sadiq hasn't had that long to change things.

 

[kingrollo]

How has she been getting to work for the last 8 weeks? Public transport has still been running for essential workers, those who can''t wfh etc

Furloughed.

 

[mjr]

Just on appearances, I think the A10 past my office window was at about 80-90% of usual first thing this morning, then it continued at about 100% (usual traffic level but maybe 70% of rush hour) for most of this morning and has fallen back this afternoon to the 40-50% that's been normal through lockdown.

I wonder just how many people tried to go back to work this morning and were sent home - I suspect it could be quite a lot. I wait to see whether we get a near-full rush hour this evening, or a half-strength lockdown one.

 

[vickster]

Furloughed.

And still presumably as scheme extended until end June?

 

[kingrollo]

And still presumably as scheme extended until end June?

Good question.

Was told not to go in today.

Was then told to go in next Monday - then tWednesday, then Monday again...and just now they will contact her !!!

 

[kingrollo]

Just on appearances, I think the A10 past my office window was at about 80-90% of usual first thing this morning, then it continued at about 100% (usual traffic level but maybe 70% of rush hour) for most of this morning and has fallen back this afternoon to the 40-50% that's been normal through lockdown.

I wonder just how many people tried to go back to work this morning and were sent home - I suspect it could be quite a lot. I wait to see whether we get a near-full rush hour this evening, or a half-strength lockdown one.

I think it's the insurance, safe workplace thing - it was on the radio that people turned up for work - only to be sent home - with employers waiting for confirmation on insurance.

 

[vickster]

Good question.

Was told not to go in today.

Was then told to go in next Monday - then tWednesday, then Monday again...and just now they will contact her !!!

Then she doesn’t need to use public transport until clarified Was she furloughed because she can't work from home?
Do you have a car? If you're wfh, can't you drive her?

 

[PK99]

Maybe "most" of it was straightforward, but almost half wasn't? The COVID alert level formula is totally spherical danglies:
View attachment 521553
(from AAV on facebook)

Would you have preferred the more rigorous, but to most meaningless :
AL = f(Ri,Ni) ?

The simply understood non formula was a simple visual way of expressing a quite complex idea.

 

[mjr]

The simply understood non formula was a simple visual way of expressing a quite complex idea.

For every problem, there is an answer that's simple, obvious and wrong (paraphrasing).

The less meaningful one would have been better than using something simpler but with the wrong meaning. Actually, I posted some time ago a two dimensional graph of safe zones and action zones, with cases on one axis and infection rate on the other, roughly equivalent to the UK alert levels, as used by another country. But it seems our government considers us too thick to cope with a graph, so we get simple but misleading pseudomaths.

 

[kingrollo]

Then she doesn’t need to use public transport until clarified Was she furloughed because she can't work from home?
Do you have a car? If you're wfh, can't you drive her?

Yes - I was thinking more of going forward - she doesn't like driving to work (health reasons) TBF employer have always been pretty good with her over the years.

My point was more a general one - that for a lot of people not using public transport isn't an option - hence this morning's pictures from London underground.

 

[theclaud]

And still presumably as scheme extended until end June?

Employers choose who to furlough and can review it throughout the eligible period. The announcement last night is about forcing people back into work, whether it's safe or not.

 

[kingrollo]

Employers choose who to furlough and can review it throughout the eligible period. The announcement last night is about forcing people back into work, whether it's safe or not.

The ultimate irony is that insurance companies are reluctant to say ok - until they have more guidance !