Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Herself was ill, worse than she'd been since pneumonia many years earlier, throughout December. We'd just got back from Japan and South Korea.

The Gang of Four guitarist, Andy Gill, reportedly succumbed in the December in China to the virus. Late the following January, we were penned in to exit control at Bangkok airport, masked up as recommended by an old mate who lives there and has seen these viruses "spread like a Khmer hooker", as he put it.

His Khmer wife was less than impressed but passed us a fist full of masks for the journey back to Europe, nonetheless.

Even if it did only get to Britain in March, it was known at the beginning of the year that this was a virus unlike anything witnessed in a century. We had two months and a 21 mile moat advantage and one man - because whatever he says, it was ultimately down to him - wasted it , not because he was incompetent (although he undoubtedly was, and is), but because of sheer idleness.

Mrs A and I had it in late January - we had been in contact with Chinese tourists.

Later research (analysis of sewage samples in the UK and France) showed that it had been present in late 2019.

We just thought we were experiencing the worst flu ever, which I suppose we were.

davidjay wrote: ↑Mon Nov 24, 2025 11:50 pm Even if it did only get to Britain in March, it was known at the beginning of the year that this was a virus unlike anything witnessed in a century. We had two months and a 21 mile moat advantage and one man - because whatever he says, it was ultimately down to him - wasted it , not because he was incompetent (although he undoubtedly was, and is), but because of sheer idleness.

I remember viewing what was going on in Italy with increasing alarm and I would sit in the social club at work at lunchtime, a pint and a meal in front of me, doom-scrolling and trying to reassure myself (my anxiety was much worse back then) that the Government would learn from Italy and we wouldn't be as bad.

But I forgot we had a lazy and incompetent product of Eton and Oxford in charge.

Yeah our workplace being a University acted about 2-3 weeks before the government, well the place in the Students’ Union went even sooner. I do always praise my boss at the time for doing that.

Did someone drop out at the last minute? Only Johnson and Christopher Biggins were available at short notice. Sakur must be cringing for his country.