Premier Football to restart?

[Mystic Force]

IF you want to restart a sport the only way I could see you do it with out risk, would be to find a relatively isolated spot with enough capacity for all the participants and support with appropriate training facility and playing area. Bring everyone and everything in that is needed. Test everyone and quarantine all until such time as it is known that no one has the virus. Do not allow anyone in and out for any reason and if they leave they can not come back in. Basically a big shut in. Then after X weeks of training they would play all their games at this facility till the seasons done with all games being televised.

 

I doubt there are many places in the UK which could hold this many people in enough comfort and with some open playing area and be secured (HMP ?). Might be easier in the US in more sparsely populated states.

[aintforever]

Healthy people in their 20s are not immune from this seriously affecting them, let alone those around them...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-52572794

 

 

Young people can get seriously effected but they can also die from flu. With the amount of testing they are doing, the relatively few people involved and the hysteria from the public, the likelihood of more than a few people being effected has to be close to zero. Which means the chances of someone dying has to be remote.

 

There was some medical expert on radio 5 yesterday who has actually seen the plans, they said because of the amount of testing and precautions in place the footballers will probably be among the safest and fittest people in the country.

[aintforever]

South Korea’s league gets underway today, from the bbc:

 

“All 1,142 K-League players, coaches and club staff were tested for Covid-19 last week. All the tests were negative.

 

Players will use personal water bottles during the match. Each bottle has a label with their name on it.

 

All staff will wear masks on the bench. And all players will get temperature checks to enter the stadium.

 

This will not happen today but some K League clubs will use the stadium sound speaker to cheer on players. Recorded sound effects will be played during the match. Players can hear fans cheering if they score.”

 

Probably less risky than a bunch of fat middle aged people wandering around BnQ touching stuff IMO.

[Delmary]

I can’t see crowds returning to EPL matches until we have a vaccine. This will take time. Will be a greater leveller in terms of income.

[davefoggy]

The worst thing that can happen is some 20 somethings mother or grandmother will die, one of the 200 or so support staff may die, a neighbour or agent. Some people may decide that if footballs back on, social distancing isn’t as important as before, potentially spreading the thing. Those are the worst that will happen, I’d say the best thing that will happen is a couple of 20 somethings get a cough. One thing for sure, if something does happen you’ll be first in the queue criticising Boris for allowing it to happen.

 

One or two people may well die as a result of football matches restating , the question is whether stopping all football is proportionate to the risk. One or two people probably die driving to games each season, yet we don’t ban driving. People have died fly helicopters to & from games, including a friend of mines brother many years ago. Yet we still allow it.

 

Society needs to get back to normal ASAP, otherwise the damage will be felt for years to come. Playing football again will send out a signal we’re going to have to live with this thing. The Government have scared people half to death and boxed themselves into a corner. We can’t go on like this until a vaccine is found, and we can’t stop playing football until then either.

 

 

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Great post, well said

[Matthew Le God]

The worst thing that can happen is some 20 somethings mother or grandmother will die, one of the 200 or so support staff may die, a neighbour or agent.

 

Great post, well said

 

Do you two not have empathy for other humans? One person dying is one person too many.

 

[Window Cleaner]

S. We can’t go on like this until a vaccine is found, and we can’t stop playing football until then either.

 

 

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Why not ? Don't see anyone seeking desperately to get County Crcket started up or cycle racing. What makes football the exception, wasn't any professional football in the war years. PL football is about money, most of them don't probably want to finish the season but they're in so deep for money that they think they have to.

[Whitey Grandad]

Do you two not have empathy for other humans? One person dying is one person too many.

 

If you use that argument the. You’d wrap yourself in cotton wool and never do anything.

[Whitey Grandad]

Do you two not have empathy for other humans? One person dying is one person too many.

 

If you use that argument then you’d wrap yourself in cotton wool and never do anything.

Edited 9 May, 2020 by Whitey Grandad

[Matthew Le God]

If you use that argument the. You’d wrap yourself in cotton wool and never do anything.

 

The post I was replying to used this...

 

"One or two people probably die driving to games each season, yet we don’t ban driving. People have died fly helicopters to & from games, including a friend of mines brother many years ago. Yet we still allow it."

 

That is a flawed argument, as fatal car & helicopter accidents are not contagious.

[Lighthouse]

South Korea’s league gets underway today, from the bbc:

 

“All 1,142 K-League players, coaches and club staff were tested for Covid-19 last week. All the tests were negative.

 

Players will use personal water bottles during the match. Each bottle has a label with their name on it.

 

All staff will wear masks on the bench. And all players will get temperature checks to enter the stadium.

 

This will not happen today but some K League clubs will use the stadium sound speaker to cheer on players. Recorded sound effects will be played during the match. Players can hear fans cheering if they score.”

 

Probably less risky than a bunch of fat middle aged people wandering around BnQ touching stuff IMO.

 

New cases of Covid 19 registered yesterday:

 

UK - 4,600

S. Korea - 12

 

I agree it’s definitely the way forward with football but it’s something to consider next season, in 3 months. Not this season in 3 weeks.

[Window Cleaner]

New cases of Covid 19 registered yesterday:

 

UK - 4,600

S. Korea - 12

 

I agree it’s definitely the way forward with football but it’s something to consider next season, in 3 months. Not this season in 3 weeks.

 

Absolutely; Even the Spanish and Italians have got their new cases down to somewhere around 1000 a day, the Brits are still gaily passing the virus around amongst themselves. When the UK is down to 1000 or so daily new cases and a couple of hundred deaths you can be thinking about football and cricket etc but now is not the time or anywhere near it.

Treatments are beginning to show up but none of them are totally efficient ad most of them are complicated and no doubt expensive but sooner or later an efficient one will be found.

Edited 9 May, 2020 by Window Cleaner

[Matthew Le God]

the Brits are still gaily passing the virus around amongst themselves

 

 

[benjii]

South Korea’s league gets underway today, from the bbc:

 

“All 1,142 K-League players, coaches and club staff were tested for Covid-19 last week. All the tests were negative.

 

Players will use personal water bottles during the match. Each bottle has a label with their name on it.

 

All staff will wear masks on the bench. And all players will get temperature checks to enter the stadium.

 

This will not happen today but some K League clubs will use the stadium sound speaker to cheer on players. Recorded sound effects will be played during the match. Players can hear fans cheering if they score.”

 

Probably less risky than a bunch of fat middle aged people wandering around BnQ touching stuff IMO.

 

It's a country of over 50,000,000 people with approximately one twentieth of the number of recorded cases the UK has and less than one hundredth of the number of deaths so, yeah, I'd say it's much safer than Kev, Wayne and Trev waddling round B&Q

[waylander]

Absolutely; Even the Spanish and Italians have got their new cases down to somewhere around 1000 a day, the Brits are still gaily passing the virus around amongst themselves. When the UK is down to 1000 or so daily new cases and a couple of hundred deaths you can be thinking about football and cricket etc but now is not the time or anywhere near it.

Treatments are beginning to show up but none of them are totally efficient ad most of them are complicated and no doubt expensive but sooner or later an efficient one will be found.

 

A sizable proportion of those new cases are associated with care homes. I think that new cases "out in the community" are likely to be lower.

[Trout-Tickler]

Do you two not have empathy for other humans? One person dying is one person too many.

 

 

Whilst I agree with the sentiment I do find the reaction to the deaths from COVID19 slightly hypocritical. The honest truth is people don't care about people dying in their hundreds of thousands from diseases in far of lands. Take malaria for example, the WHO published their 2019 World Malaria Report at the end of last year (https://www.who.int/publications-det...ia-report-2019). In 2018 there were an estimated 228 million cases with an estimated 405,000 deaths and in 2017 there were an estimated 213 million cases with an estimated 416,000 deaths. Moreover, in 2018, 67% of all deaths were children under the age of 5. Whilst there are of course charities raising money to help research new treatments most people in the UK don't care about those dying of malaria, out of sight out of mind I guess.

 

So yes, one person dying is too many but let's face it people generally only care when the dying is occurring on their own door step.

[Matthew Le God]

Whilst I agree with the sentiment I do find the reaction to the deaths from COVID19 slightly hypocritical. The honest truth is people don't care about people dying in their hundreds of thousands from diseases in far of lands. Take malaria for example, the WHO published their 2019 World Malaria Report at the end of last year (https://www.who.int/publications-det...ia-report-2019). In 2018 there were an estimated 228 million cases with an estimated 405,000 deaths and in 2017 there were an estimated 213 million cases with an estimated 416,000 deaths. Moreover, in 2018, 67% of all deaths were children under the age of 5. Whilst there are of course charities raising money to help research new treatments most people in the UK don't care about those dying of malaria, out of sight out of mind I guess.

 

So yes, one person dying is too many but let's face it people generally only care when the dying is occurring on their own door step.

 

Hardly surprising or unreasonable to be more concerned about the health of the society you live in than one you don't.

[Window Cleaner]

Whilst I agree with the sentiment I do find the reaction to the deaths from COVID19 slightly hypocritical. The honest truth is people don't care about people dying in their hundreds of thousands from diseases in far of lands. Take malaria for example, the WHO published their 2019 World Malaria Report at the end of last year (https://www.who.int/publications-det...ia-report-2019). In 2018 there were an estimated 228 million cases with an estimated 405,000 deaths and in 2017 there were an estimated 213 million cases with an estimated 416,000 deaths. Moreover, in 2018, 67% of all deaths were children under the age of 5. Whilst there are of course charities raising money to help research new treatments most people in the UK don't care about those dying of malaria, out of sight out of mind I guess.

 

So yes, one person dying is too many but let's face it people generally only care when the dying is occurring on their own door step.

 

405,000 deaths for 228 million cases doesn't really compare with 31000 deaths for 200,000 cases does it. What is so alarming about the UK's figures is the death/case ratio. If you had 228 million cases of Covid 19 in the UK (well not actually possible because there are only 68 million people) you'd have 35,000000 deaths. Covid 19 is a mean disease, well especially to the fragile population of the UK.

Edited 9 May, 2020 by Window Cleaner

[Ted Bates Statue]

The notion that the players feel less comfortable at home has come up a few times from different sources (e.g. the topic of walk-on music) although I'm inclined to agree with the points that Noodles makes. I could see Nathan Redmond being less relaxed about playing at home as he had a lot of pressure on him when he joined the club. Possibly the St Mary's crowd on a whole is being compared to our away contingent, which is much better, but that's no different to other clubs.

 

As far as I'm aware there only needs to be a majority of 14 required for a decision to proceed with games at neutral venues so the bottom six can moan all they want but presumably all the other clubs have an interest in finishing the season, whether it be for prize money or European qualification. Therefore we can expect the Premier League to finish.

[Matthew Le God]

Solution...

 

[aintforever]

New cases of Covid 19 registered yesterday:

 

UK - 4,600

S. Korea - 12

 

I agree it’s definitely the way forward with football but it’s something to consider next season, in 3 months. Not this season in 3 weeks.

 

But if the people involved are tested negative and isolate between matches the risk is surely not as high as thousands of fat middle aged people wandering around B&Q.

[Window Cleaner]

But if the people involved are tested negative and isolate between matches the risk is surely not as high as thousands of fat middle aged people wandering around B&Q.

 

It's not the players, it's the groups of people that will agglomerate to watch the games.

[Lord Duckhunter]

It's not the players, it's the groups of people that will agglomerate to watch the games.

 

So you’re going to stop millions watching a game because a few half wits wont obey the rules.

 

Get a grip man. If football, cricket or any pastime can be played in relative safety, you can’t stop it because of what other people might do. People might drink too much & drive home, you don’t ban alcohol because of it.

 

 

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[Window Cleaner]

So you’re going to stop millions watching a game because a few half wits wont obey the rules.

 

Get a grip man. If football, cricket or any pastime can be played in relative safety, you can’t stop it because of what other people might do. People might drink too much & drive home, you don’t ban alcohol because of it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

It won't be just a few half-wits; It will be all those who don't have access to whatever channel the game is on. Live quality streaming might cut that down a bit but there will always be people who can't watch games without all of their mates around them supping beer. Look at the photos that are everywhere on the internet today, beaches overrun, parks full of groups with beer, wine and pizza. Anyway it doesn't concern me at all so do whatever you like but don't eventually blame the government for letting you do it.

 

NB In the protest photos we see a fat tosser with a Liverpool polo taking selfie.

Edited 9 May, 2020 by Window Cleaner

[egg]

So you’re going to stop millions watching a game because a few half wits wont obey the rules.

 

Get a grip man. If football, cricket or any pastime can be played in relative safety, you can’t stop it because of what other people might do. People might drink too much & drive home, you don’t ban alcohol because of it.

 

 

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Poor analogy Duck. Too many people are seeking to make comparisons with irrelevant scenarios. Covid 19 is a hideous virus. It's not remotely comparable to drink driving.

 

The British populous have shown themselves to be idiots. Businesses have shown themselves to be willing to stretch rules for their own benefit. If footy comes back, fans will show up, Bazza will park his burger van up, etc.

 

The bottom line Is that other countries are able to open up as they have slowed the spread. We haven't. Until we do, life must remain very different and football will have to wait.

 

The masses don't need to be hearing "we'll be back to the old way soon". They need to hear "the longer you carry on stretching and breaking the rules, the longer we'll need the rules". Alas that message has never been given by the dopey government and media.

[Window Cleaner]

Poor analogy Duck. Too many people are seeking to make comparisons with irrelevant scenarios. Covid 19 is a hideous virus. It's not remotely comparable to drink driving.

 

The British populous have shown themselves to be idiots. Businesses have shown themselves to be willing to stretch rules for their own benefit. If footy comes back, fans will show up, Bazza will park his burger van up, etc.

 

The bottom line Is that other countries are able to open up as they have slowed the spread. We haven't. Until we do, life must remain very different and football will have to wait.

 

The masses don't need to be hearing "we'll be back to the old way soon". They need to hear "the longer you carry on stretching and breaking the rules, the longer we'll need the rules". Alas that message has never been given by the dopey government and media.

 

Macron (not that I'm a fan) was perfectly clear about it the other day. Le temps d'avant était le temps d'avant and will not return at any time in the near future.

[Lord Duckhunter]

Poor analogy Duck. Too many people are seeking to make comparisons with irrelevant scenarios. Covid 19 is a hideous virus. It's not remotely comparable to drink driving.

 

 

Just as well that I wasn’t t comparing drink driving to the virus then. The comparison I made was between banning something because others might abuse it.

 

If you deem football safe to play & the players, officials & assorted staff safe to do their jobs, banning it because other people may not behave properly, is like banning drinking because some may do so & then drive. Would you ban Southampton V Portsmouth because people may not behave properly whilst the game was going on. Of course not. It’s either safe to play or it isn’t. How people may or may not behave because of it should be irrelevant.

 

 

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[Window Cleaner]

Just as well that I wasn’t t comparing drink driving to the virus then. The comparison I made was between banning something because others might abuse it.

 

If you deem football safe to play & the players, officials & assorted staff safe to do their jobs, banning it because other people may not behave properly, is like banning drinking because some may do so & then drive. Would you ban Southampton V Portsmouth because people may not behave properly whilst the game was going on. Of course not. It’s either safe to play or it isn’t. How people may or may not behave because of it should be irrelevant.

 

 

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I seem to remember that the Portsmouth -Saints game in the Championship had very strict rules applied to it, bubble bus and all that. They couldn't ban the game but they certainly made it difficult enough to go there to watch it.

Edited 9 May, 2020 by Window Cleaner

[egg]

The Southampton v Portsmouth comment is as daft as the drink driving point. We're taking about a pandemic virus. We need to take appropriate steps to reduce the spread of it. It's not complicated, or Comparable to anything else as it isn't anything else.

[Lighthouse]

But if the people involved are tested negative and isolate between matches the risk is surely not as high as thousands of fat middle aged people wandering around B&Q.

 

Isolated between matches.

 

Even with our supposed lockdown, there’s a list as long as my arm of players ignoring it. Grealish crashing his car at a mates house, players hanging out in parks, multiple offences by Arsenal players (despite Arteta having it), Kyle Walker is supposedly a repeat offender - having sex parties and visiting a variety of relatives.

 

This is just the stuff papers know about, there’s probably five times as much we haven’t heard. You can test them as much as you want, it doesn’t mean jack if 10 minutes later they’re all round Vardy’s brother’s mate place, playing XBox and sh*gging hairdressers they’ve met on tinder.

 

If you really want to compare it to B&Q, it is way, way more beneficial to society to open that than to play a few games of football. Not so much for the shoppers but the thousands of people they employ, who are currently being propped up by the tax payer. Football isn’t doing that, it provides light entertainment to a small minority. There is no need for any of their players or staff to be laid off.

[aintforever]

Isolated between matches.

 

Even with our supposed lockdown, there’s a list as long as my arm of players ignoring it. Grealish crashing his car at a mates house, players hanging out in parks, multiple offences by Arsenal players (despite Arteta having it), Kyle Walker is supposedly a repeat offender - having sex parties and visiting a variety of relatives.

 

This is just the stuff papers know about, there’s probably five times as much we haven’t heard. You can test them as much as you want, it doesn’t mean jack if 10 minutes later they’re all round Vardy’s brother’s mate place, playing XBox and sh*gging hairdressers they’ve met on tinder.

 

If you really want to compare it to B&Q, it is way, way more beneficial to society to open that than to play a few games of football. Not so much for the shoppers but the thousands of people they employ, who are currently being propped up by the tax payer. Football isn’t doing that, it provides light entertainment to a small minority. There is no need for any of their players or staff to be laid off.

 

So you don’t want football to start in case they spread the virus yet instead of getting the players back to work and be regularly tested you would rather they had time off to go to parties and gang bang prostitutes.

[Lighthouse]

So you don’t want football to start in case they spread the virus yet instead of getting the players back to work and be regularly tested you would rather they had time off to go to parties and gang bang prostitutes.

 

What do you mean, "You would rather"? There is no rather, they are going to do both.

 

Just to be clear, I don’t want any unnecessary social contact until we’ve got the rates of infections and deaths significantly lower. Be that footballers, people in parks or otherwise.

 

We are going to be forced to increase the risk in order to keep the country running. We will NEED to allow businesses to open sooner rather than later and that will increase infections. If anything that means we need to be even tighter in other areas and tougher on those breaking the rules.

[aintforever]

What do you mean, "You would rather"? There is no rather, they are going to do both.

 

Just to be clear, I don’t want any unnecessary social contact until we’ve got the rates of infections and deaths significantly lower. Be that footballers, people in parks or otherwise.

 

We are going to be forced to increase the risk in order to keep the country running. We will NEED to allow businesses to open sooner rather than later and that will increase infections. If anything that means we need to be even tighter in other areas and tougher on those breaking the rules.

 

9 games in a month with regular testing would definitely cut down their partying, you’re going to be reluctant to organise that gang bang if you know a positive test could **** up your club’s season.

[Lord Duckhunter]

The Southampton v Portsmouth comment is as daft as the drink driving point. We're taking about a pandemic virus. We need to take appropriate steps to reduce the spread of it. It's not complicated, or Comparable to anything else as it isn't anything else.

 

The reaction to it is comparable to lots of things. You’re saying that although The Government, The PFA, the Premier league believe it’s safe to play behind closed doors, we can’t because a few chumps might watch it with their mates, or god forbid turn up outside the ground to listen to the players shouts. By that logic you wouldn’t open B&Q, not because they haven’t got safe practises in store or in their car park, but because some random people may not adhere to them.

 

If you don’t think it’s self to play yet, fine, that’s a legitimate view. But once it is, it shouldn’t be subject to an idiots test. It’ll never start again.

 

 

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Edited 9 May, 2020 by Lord Duckhunter

[Lighthouse]

9 games in a month with regular testing would definitely cut down their partying, you’re going to be reluctant to organise that gang bang if you know a positive test could **** up your club’s season.

 

There's a whole bunch of players who obviously aren't that bothered if they kill someone, so why they would be bothered if a bunch of fixtures are postponed for a club they're only at for the money, I don't know.

[Lord Duckhunter]

There's a whole bunch of players who obviously aren't that bothered if they kill someone

 

 

What the hells the matter with you people, Covid deranged syndrome?

[skintsaint]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52601471

[alehouseboys]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52601471

Bundesliga: Dynamo Dresden's entire squad in isolation just a week before restart

 

It will be interesting to see how this now develops during the week, if the same occurs a few weeks in it could cause even more problems.

 

And there's always the possibility that if the final few fixtures and results aren't going their way, some more unscrupulous clubs could suddenly start 'showing symptons' somewhere among the 300 present on a matchday and need to isolate the squad and throw a bit of chaos into the mix. But I am a cynical old git.

[aintforever]

There's a whole bunch of players who obviously aren't that bothered if they kill someone.

 

Think being in lockdown has ****ed your head fella.

[Lighthouse]

Think being in lockdown has ****ed your head fella.

 

Does this virus not kill people, or does social contact not spread it around? I’m sorry, I genuinely don’t understand where I’m going wrong.

[alehouseboys]

Andrew Marr interviewed Steve Parish earlier about the PL restarting, he’s realistic weighing up the financial implications to clubs against health. They also mentioned Agüero’s comments that a number of players are reluctant and “scared” to play, this is going to have a significant effect on sides if it goes ahead. You could have previously good sides brought down to ‘our’ level if there’s players not wanting to get close or ‘going in’ half-hearted.

 

 

In an ideal world, imagine if half the Liverpool squad weren’t really up for this and ended up blowing it from here, the scallies would go into meltdown blaming all and sundry!

[aintforever]

Does this virus not kill people, or does social contact not spread it around? I’m sorry, I genuinely don’t understand where I’m going wrong.

 

Just because some people are ignorant of the risks doesn’t mean they are not bothered if they cause a death. I don’t think your head works properly if that’s what you think.

[CB Fry]

There's a whole bunch of players who obviously aren't that bothered if they kill someone, so why they would be bothered if a bunch of fixtures are postponed for a club they're only at for the money, I don't know.

I do agree that the Premier League really need to drop their demands that the final matches of the season are played in the courtyards of retirement homes. Despicable.

[Lighthouse]

Just because some people are ignorant of the risks doesn’t mean they are not bothered if they cause a death. I don’t think your head works properly if that’s what you think.

 

You believe after the last four months of all this, some players are unaware that the virus is contagious and can be deadly? However you do trust them to have a sudden epiphany and comply with a total isolation policy, if we let them play football again.

 

I disagree.

[Lord Duckhunter]

You believe after the last four months of all this, some players are unaware that the virus is contagious and can be deadly? However you do trust them to have a sudden epiphany and comply with a total isolation policy, if we let them play football again.

 

I disagree.

 

Here’s a thought . Maybe some people think it’s safe to play, that playing or not playing won’t make a blind bit of difference in the grand scheme of things. Some people even believe that life is risky & whilst not unaware of the potency of the virus, believe staying in doors & hiding under our beds isn’t going to make it go away. These people aren’t murderers or killers, or even selfish, they just have a different opinion than you.

 

 

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[BARCELONASAINT]

Sky are reporting a third Brighton player has now tested positive for COVID-19......I really can not see players wanting to resume this season anytime soon!

[Ted Bates Statue]

Interesting how players at relegation-threatened clubs seem to have a much greater risk of contracting coronavirus.

[Badger]

Starting the season up again is probably the easy bit. Finishing it will prove far more problematic, if not impossible without a major fixture pile up. In the event of one or more clubs having a few players test postive, what happens, do they look to cram four or five fixtures into the last week or so ? At some point the PL might accept the inevitable and admit the season won't finish.

[benjii]

Starting the season up again is probably the easy bit. Finishing it will prove far more problematic, if not impossible without a major fixture pile up. In the event of one or more clubs having a few players test postive, what happens, do they look to cram four or five fixtures into the last week or so ? At some point the PL might accept the inevitable and admit the season won't finish.

 

I can't see any way it finishes by the end of June. There's 51 days (fewer by the time it starts) to play something like 90 matches. Isn't going to happen.

 

So they need to settle the contract issue in a fair way as well.

[Whitey Grandad]

Here’s a thought . Maybe some people think it’s safe to play, that playing or not playing won’t make a blind bit of difference in the grand scheme of things. Some people even believe that life is risky & whilst not unaware of the potency of the virus, believe staying in doors & hiding under our beds isn’t going to make it go away. These people aren’t murderers or killers, or even selfish, they just have a different opinion than you.

 

 

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I’m with you all the way, Ducky.