Covid-19 explained for bikers

When thinking about these strange times it can be helpful to relate what's going on to things we understand. Here is a Q&A for those of a biker persuasion.

Q: "Covid-19 is just another flu virus, why should I worry about that ?"

In the same way that most bikes have two wheels, an engine and handlebars they are not all the same. Outsiders just see a motorbike, we see a Harley, a Ducatti, a Triumph etc. The internals matter, some bike are screaming two strokes and some big capacity four strokes. This particular virus is a killer and disabler that has a much higher than flu impact on some of those that get it. 

Q: "Is this lockdown is just a way to control us all?"

Sometimes you just have to follow club rules. We all saw the impact of this virus and how it got around the world in a matter of weeks using sneaky tactics of "spreading but not showing" and "jumping on the already weak". Not catching the bug and not passing it on gives us the control over the bug.

Q: "How do masks help ?"

Masks are the new crash helmets.  A bit annoying but reduces the medical impact of an incident. Probably not needed 9/10 times but noone knows when that 1/10 prang is going to happen and when it does it's probably the other persons fault for getting the virus/pulling out of junction.

Q: "This Covid-19 situation is a government conspiracy to control us."

Certainly lots of countries are using the same tactics to reduce the impact of the global virus and they all started doing the similar things within a few weeks in March.  However this is not the first time bugs have traveled round the world think Bubonic plague, "Spanish" flu ( which BTW actually started in Kansas), SARS, MERS, HIV and others. Reaching for the infection prevention playbook is the sensible action that every government should have done. See the extra impact this bug has had on countries that were slow to take avoiding actions reminds us all to "look down the road" and "prepare for the unexpected actions of other road users". We all know some fools that ride like a nutter and are always in scrapes and spills.

March 2020

Q: Why are the restrictions rules always changing ?

There is no doubt that lockdowns and furloughs have a bad impact on the economy whilst reducing the spread of infection. We have seen that more lockdown results in less bugs. Less lockdown means a better economy but more deaths and infections.  There is a slim balance between medical and economic welfare but that balance depends on how the situation is in any country at any time. The ongoing discussion is similar to "Whats the best bike - racer or cruiser ?"  Just sometimes the answers to that question is "Neither - we need a snowmobile this week because there is three feet of snow all over."

Q: How bad has it been ?

That's a complex question that comes down to the excess deaths figures as seen here for the UK  Overall about 12% more people have died than expected. About a 10..15% impact on economic production GDP for 2020 with remanning levels of unemployment not seen since the early 90's. Huge levels of government support spending have pilled trillions £ on the national debt. Yes it has been pretty bad.

Q: I don't know anybody that had Covid-19.

Yes but you live in Devon where the infection rate is lower than most of the rest of the country.  About 1 in 100 people currently have the bug in our region and sometimes that 1 doesn't know they have it. Just 31 people out of 1,200,000 residents across the whole of Devon have passed away directly from the bug ( as at 1st Dec 2020). 

This bug is real, it kills people, you can most likely avoid it.

Thanks to the internet for the insightful memes.