I bet that's put a dampener on National Pie Week.

https://pieminister.co.uk/category/even ... -pie-week/

Stronger gravy is the answer.

As I speak, shelves in all WN postcodes are being cleared of Bisto ready mix

I bet that's put a dampener on National Pie Week.

https://pieminister.co.uk/category/even ... -pie-week/

Stronger gravy is the answer.

As I speak, shelves in all WN postcodes are being cleared of Bisto ready mix

16 million people quarantined in Northern Italy. Are the Italians 'panicking' ?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51787238

16 million people quarantined in Northern Italy. Are the Italians 'panicking' ?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51787238

They usually do run stories about flu every year, eg: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/arti ... inter.html

Most of the media is privately owned so its incentives are to get people to buy a newspaper, click on a website or watch a channel. It's not there to provide measured analysis of risk. The tabloid-style media sources try to balance pandering to their target audience with content that agrees with them whilst also dropping in stuff that makes them concerned enough to want to consume it. They will run stories saying 'climate change is a myth' but at the same time, hype up short-term weather forecasts so you always get these stories of the 'big freeze' coming in the next few months, with much of the UK to be encased in snow and ice.

You've had the same with coronavirus, with tabloids running commentary pieces saying "we're British, this is just a fuss over nothing" but in the same papers, reporting URGENT SHORTAGES of everything. Their typical reader will sit around discussing it over their bacon sarnies at lunch and agree that everyone has gone crazy and they won't be getting stressed about some virus, but then text their missus to get her to pick up toilet paper on the way home just in case.

With the broadsheets its a different approach but similar result. They will have some 'keep calm and carry on' commentary, but they will also have some political commentary along the lines of 'austerity has pushed the NHS to the brink, now coronavirus will push it to collapse'. So their typical reader will pick that up over their matcha latte and then text their partner to say they'll be late because they need to stock up on Waitrose hand sanitiser before picking Tabatha up from school.

On top of the media you have 'fake news' on social media and lots of people fall for that as well.

If it means people are actually worried about the virus and so start behaving in ways that reduce transmission, more rigorous hand washing and cleaning and keeping social distance then some herd behaviour like this is good because it increases the chance that the virus won't be able to infect enough people and will die out like SARS did.

The panic buying behaviour though is a problem, it's the same thing that drove Northern Rock to collapse when everybody wanted to withdraw their money. Coronavirus will burn itself out over time and any impact on supply chains and goods in shops will be time-limited but this is a dry rehearsal for no deal with the EU at the end of the transition period, which is quite likely given how far away both sides are. That would mean long-term disruption to supply chains and if people are going to behave like this we'll have a problem.

The attitude towards no deal last year was "we're British, we got through the war, we'll rally together and deal with it", well coronavirus and potential no-deal will test whether we're willing to help our neighbours or are going to be brawling on the supermarket floor over the last roll of own brand bog roll.

They usually do run stories about flu every year, eg: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/arti ... inter.html

Most of the media is privately owned so its incentives are to get people to buy a newspaper, click on a website or watch a channel. It's not there to provide measured analysis of risk. The tabloid-style media sources try to balance pandering to their target audience with content that agrees with them whilst also dropping in stuff that makes them concerned enough to want to consume it. They will run stories saying 'climate change is a myth' but at the same time, hype up short-term weather forecasts so you always get these stories of the 'big freeze' coming in the next few months, with much of the UK to be encased in snow and ice.

You've had the same with coronavirus, with tabloids running commentary pieces saying "we're British, this is just a fuss over nothing" but in the same papers, reporting URGENT SHORTAGES of everything. Their typical reader will sit around discussing it over their bacon sarnies at lunch and agree that everyone has gone crazy and they won't be getting stressed about some virus, but then text their missus to get her to pick up toilet paper on the way home just in case.

With the broadsheets its a different approach but similar result. They will have some 'keep calm and carry on' commentary, but they will also have some political commentary along the lines of 'austerity has pushed the NHS to the brink, now coronavirus will push it to collapse'. So their typical reader will pick that up over their matcha latte and then text their partner to say they'll be late because they need to stock up on Waitrose hand sanitiser before picking Tabatha up from school.

On top of the media you have 'fake news' on social media and lots of people fall for that as well.

If it means people are actually worried about the virus and so start behaving in ways that reduce transmission, more rigorous hand washing and cleaning and keeping social distance then some herd behaviour like this is good because it increases the chance that the virus won't be able to infect enough people and will die out like SARS did.

The panic buying behaviour though is a problem, it's the same thing that drove Northern Rock to collapse when everybody wanted to withdraw their money. Coronavirus will burn itself out over time and any impact on supply chains and goods in shops will be time-limited but this is a dry rehearsal for no deal with the EU at the end of the transition period, which is quite likely given how far away both sides are. That would mean long-term disruption to supply chains and if people are going to behave like this we'll have a problem.

The attitude towards no deal last year was "we're British, we got through the war, we'll rally together and deal with it", well coronavirus and potential no-deal will test whether we're willing to help our neighbours or are going to be brawling on the supermarket floor over the last roll of own brand bog roll.