Corona Virus Treatment

£1000 fine for not isolating with a positive test.

Sounds like the best way of cutting down how many people want tests ,to me

 

Getting a bit strict there ...

Daily coronavirus briefing: Maryland man sentenced to 1 year in jail for breaking COVID-19 orders.

Hosting a large party in Maryland against the governor’s orders could put you behind bars for one year as well as unsupervised probation for three years once you are released.

 

I've got a feeling that more than usual will drop out around Xmas this year (especially if their grades have been 'boosted' by teachers, leaving them with a load of debt for nothing.

No cash handouts for students, unlike the furloughed, self employed, businesses, etc. Got another feeling that students and pensioners will be paying more than many others for the cost of this pandemic.

 

Two reasons really. One, because it seems that everything is gradually moving to smartphones, and I get the sense this pandemic is going to be with us a lot longer than I initially feared, so it may be wise to get in on the act sooner rather than later; secondly because, although it isn't good to succumb to hysteria, I keep seeing people saying that if you're using public transport etc its basically a public duty to get the app even if it only helps a bit.

 

Is it possible to get a smartphone that does not have internet connection, and if so is it possible to run the app on such a phone?

 

?
Is that “no”, you can’t have a smartphone without internet connection?
Yes you can, you don’t have to sign up with data roaming to have an internet-enabled smartphone. Like @JWK we use smartphones with pay-as-you-go accounts, and struggle to get through the minimum usage (€10 per year). We use free WiFi where it is available. Strange as it may seem, our phones are for us to get help in an emergency. If necessary, we could turn on data-roaming for that time, and see our credit vanish as help arrived.

“No”, you can’t run the app on that sort of phone?
No idea about in the UK, as not much point in us downloading the app, but the Belgian equivalent of the app does work without constant internet connection.

 

Even if you download the app using free WiFi, you'll still need mobile data for it to work, but although most providers do not charge [1], you'll still need at the very least a free [2] non-expiring [3] PAYG SIM in your phone.

Most of these come will a small amount of free data on them, enough to top up and get going, so it might be possible to get a free one sent to you and then only use free Covid app data, but as in [3] you'd need to make chargeable calls every so often and therefore would need to keep changing (free sims).

Alternatively make a one off minimum payment of £5 for some calls/data allowance, and only make a chargeable call every 3 (or 6?) months and that keep you in online with free Covid app mobile data for many years.

[1] "Vodafone, Three, EE, O2, giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and Virgin Mobile have all agreed to zero-rate the app and all in-app activity."
[2] Can be free, or about 10p from ebay/ Amazon.
[3] Best Pay As You Go SIM For Light Users: No Monthly Top-Up & No Expiry

 

Surely if you can't afford to self isolate and you get a cough or similar symptoms the last thing you are going to do is get tested.
Because if you come up positive you're stumped, no money coming in.

 

I
It is the university that has imposed this (under the threat of expulsion). A crass over-reaction in my opinion.

I've had to bring my girlfriend back to her parents this weekend. All the media hype, the governments refusal to rule out stopping Christmas return and a verbal assault about dirty disease carrying students by someone in our apartment block (a notorious covid nazi) was all getting on top of her mental health and the quality of her work.