(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Kevin Thurlow]

A family member was delighted to receive this toy for Christmas https://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/produc ... virus.html

At least they're donating some of the proceeds to charity and we do need a laugh. We read the label and it said at the end, "Made in China"...

[Tim Spanton]

From BBC News:

Asked about whether there will have to be vaccination programmes in the future, Prof Whitty says that there may be a need for further immunisation if the virus "escapes" - that is, mutates so that the vaccine does not affect it.

[Matt Bridgeman]

I wonder if mooted ideas like having the London Chess Festival outside this year are really good ideas. A bit on outdoor risk today on Sky News. (Being sat for prolonged periods less than 2 metres apart in stagnant air, would obviously be even worse than queuing);

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald FREng, Royal Academy of Engineering visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, agrees with wearing face masks outdoors in certain circumstances.

"The risk outdoors is much lower than indoors. However, if you are outdoors and there are other people around, then if the air is relatively stagnant the risk will be higher especially if you are stationary. I absolutely agree with the suggestion of wearing face coverings outdoors in environments where the air is relatively stagnant and where queues form."

[Roger de Coverly]

I wonder if mooted ideas like having the London Chess Festival outside this year are really good ideas. A bit on outdoor risk today on Sky News. (Being sat for prolonged periods less than 2 metres apart in stagnant air, would obviously be even worse than queuing);

It's not going to happen anyway unless the regulations prohibiting assembly of more than six people are revoked or chess tournaments become an allowed exception.

[Matt Bridgeman]

I wonder if mooted ideas like having the London Chess Festival outside this year are really good ideas. A bit on outdoor risk today on Sky News. (Being sat for prolonged periods less than 2 metres apart in stagnant air, would obviously be even worse than queuing);

It's not going to happen anyway unless the regulations prohibiting assembly of more than six people are revoked or chess tournaments become an allowed exception.

It looks like the rule about meeting people outside for exercise is about to be tightened again.

[Chris Rice]

New Zealand Chess Championships
Open Section
Round 9 Pairings
Points in brackets
1. FM Nicholas Croad (6.5) v (5) CM David Cilia Vincenti
2. Felix Xie (5.5) v (6) FM Ben Hague
3. IM Anthony Ker (5.5) v (5) FM Robert Smith
4. Sashikumar (4.5) v (5) FM Leonard McLaren
5. IM Russell Dive (4.5) v (4.5) Dylan Tama Piwari
9. Patrick Cunningham (2) v (3.5) CM Helen Milligan

Nic Croad won with 7.5/9. You can't see it in the photo but his little son Arthur on his left is holding a miniature of the winning trophy which Nic gets to keep.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Nice trophy - was it made by Thomas Fattorini, I wonder?

[Simon Rogers]

The United Arab Emirates has been removed from the UK list of travel corridors amid a spike in Covid cases.

[Paul Cooksey]

Nice trophy

The only known picture of a Reading player with the Silver Rook Trophy

[Tim Spanton]

A different approach to getting life back to normal (from BBC News):

Indonesia has rolled out a mass free Covid-19 vaccination programme in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus and get its economy going again.
But the country is taking a markedly different approach to others. Instead of vaccinating elderly people in the first phase, after frontline workers, it will target younger working people aged 18 to 59.
President Joko Widodo, 59, was the first person in the country to receive the vaccine shot on Wednesday.
Professor Amin Soebandrio, who has advised the government on its "youth first" strategy, argues that it makes sense to prioritise immunising working people - those "who go out of the house and all over the place and then at night come back home to their families".
"We are targeting those that are likely to spread the virus," he told BBC Indonesia.
He argues this approach will give the country the best chance of achieving herd immunity.

[Ian Thompson]

A different approach to getting life back to normal (from BBC News):

Indonesia has rolled out a mass free Covid-19 vaccination programme in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus and get its economy going again.
But the country is taking a markedly different approach to others. Instead of vaccinating elderly people in the first phase, after frontline workers, it will target younger working people aged 18 to 59.
President Joko Widodo, 59, was the first person in the country to receive the vaccine shot on Wednesday.
Professor Amin Soebandrio, who has advised the government on its "youth first" strategy, argues that it makes sense to prioritise immunising working people - those "who go out of the house and all over the place and then at night come back home to their families".
"We are targeting those that are likely to spread the virus," he told BBC Indonesia.
He argues this approach will give the country the best chance of achieving herd immunity.

I thought the vaccine did not prevent you getting covid-19 or passing it on to other people. I thought it reduced the chances of you becoming seriously ill if you did catch it. If that's right, the Indonesian approach won't work.

[Tim Spanton]

A different approach to getting life back to normal (from BBC News):

Indonesia has rolled out a mass free Covid-19 vaccination programme in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus and get its economy going again.
But the country is taking a markedly different approach to others. Instead of vaccinating elderly people in the first phase, after frontline workers, it will target younger working people aged 18 to 59.
President Joko Widodo, 59, was the first person in the country to receive the vaccine shot on Wednesday.
Professor Amin Soebandrio, who has advised the government on its "youth first" strategy, argues that it makes sense to prioritise immunising working people - those "who go out of the house and all over the place and then at night come back home to their families".
"We are targeting those that are likely to spread the virus," he told BBC Indonesia.
He argues this approach will give the country the best chance of achieving herd immunity.

I thought the vaccine did not prevent you getting covid-19 or passing it on to other people. I thought it reduced the chances of you becoming seriously ill if you did catch it. If that's right, the Indonesian approach won't work.

Maybe. I thought they don't know yet whether you can pass it on after being vaccinated, but the point of the vaccine is to stop you getting it.

[Matt Bridgeman]

Sky News this morning;

Professor Anthony Harnden, the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, tells Sky News that "vaccination is our way out".

However, he said those who are immunised may still be able to transmit COVID-19.

"I must be clear that vaccination will prevent disease but will not protect people transmitting – so we'll be practising social distancing and wearing masks for a while yet," he said.

Prof Harnden added that the next two or three weeks "will be a bumpy ride", but once the most vulnerable groups are vaccinated, then "we will prevent 88% of hospitalisations of deaths".

[NickFaulks]

Prof Harnden added that the next two or three weeks "will be a bumpy ride", but once the most vulnerable groups are vaccinated, then "we will prevent 88% of hospitalisations of deaths".

It is unclear to me what the final comment is a misprint of.

[Matt Bridgeman]

Prof Harnden added that the next two or three weeks "will be a bumpy ride", but once the most vulnerable groups are vaccinated, then "we will prevent 88% of hospitalisations of deaths".

It is unclear to me what the final comment is a misprint of.

It’s 7.43am on the Sky News feed; https://news.sky.com/story/covid-live-n ... s-12184764