21stcenturywire--2020-03-31--SWEDISH SPRING: No Coronavirus Quarantine or Police State Lockdown

STOCKHOLM SPRING : Swedes opting for sensible measures rather than the popular Western model of triggering mass-panic and imposing a draconian police state ( Image Source : ABC 14 News ) Guy Birchall RT International With most of Europe imposing extraordinary restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus , Sweden has left its citizens surprisingly free .
Are Swedes rolling the dice with their public health , or is everyone else overreacting ?
As most of Europe clamps down in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19 , one country is bucking the trend .
Sweden is taking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
Despite its closest neighbours , Denmark and Norway , shutting down all but essential services , Swedes remain free to socialise as the harsh Scandinavian winter comes to an end .
Although universities and high schools have shut , pre-schools , kindergartens , bars , restaurants , ski resorts , sports clubs and hairdressers have all remained open .
The streets of Stockholm and Malmo are noticeably quieter than usual , but positively bustling compared to those of Copenhagen , Oslo , London , Paris and Rome .
Standing in bars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can find a seat they ’ re free to enjoy a night out .
Other steps taken include gatherings of more than 50 people being banned and the over 70s being urged to self-isolate .
With the exception of Belarus , which hasn ’ t even suspended its football league , Sweden ’ s restrictions amount to the most relaxed out there .
This has prompted observers both in and outside the country to wonder if they are playing fast and loose with the nation ’ s health or taking the most proportionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stefan Lofven has warned that times ahead would be tough but also put the onus on individual Swedes .
He added : “ We all , as individuals , have to take responsibility .
We can ’ t legislate and ban everything.
” This tactic is at odds with the strategy in the UK which has been to tell citizens to stay at home and limit leaving the house to once a day .
Sweden ’ s experts have taken a very different view to the UK ’ s , with their state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Imperial College London modelling , predicting 250,000 deaths and informing Boris Johnson ’ s strategy , is “ pessimistic ” .
The latest numbers in Sweden show nearly 3,500 cases and 105 deaths .
Tengell told The Observer : “ As long as the Swedish epidemic development stays at this level , I don ’ t see any big reason to take measures that you can only keep up for a very limited amount of time.
” Sweden ’ s move has allowed for businesses to stay open , reducing the impact on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approach has been broadly well received by the public , who view it as a more sensible course of action than the draconian steps taken in other countries .
It also places the country in a better position to ramp back up to full capacity after the pandemic subsides .
Lofven ’ s government seems less inclined to be seen to just “ do something ” compared to many in the West .
Swedes have not clamoured for the state to restrict their freedoms in the same way many in other countries appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell what the best response to this year ’ s outbreak turns out to be , but for the moment Sweden ’ s more laissez-faire approach should be heartening to its population .
The government entrusting its citizens to observe advice and adjust their behaviours accordingly without the threat of police intervention is something that should be applauded in a free society .
It also maintains a higher level of trust going in the other direction , from the public to the government .
On a practical level , not employing draconian measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public and allows for a slower escalation of measures should they be needed .
Trust is an important factor in a democracy where a government rules by consent of the people .
Public trust in Sweden is exceptionally high , with citizens having faith that their politicians are acting in the public interest .
Their propensity to treat adults like adults is key to that trust remaining .
Without question , sacrifices will have to be made in the fight against Covid-19 , but it is vital that public trust in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost .
By taking a more measured response and basing their actions of advice rather than enforcement , Sweden ’ s government is taking a gamble but arguably a less risky one than Britain or Germany have .
Sweden is allowing its economy to function at a much more normal level than the rest of Europe , which has effectively almost shut down .
If the pandemic turns out not to be as fatal as , for example , Britain ’ s experts initially feared , then the draconian measures enforced by other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse than the disease .
However , if it does turn out to be as deadly as predicted , but no more so in Sweden than in other countries , the government could still not be accused of having done nothing but would still be in a more economically stable condition .
The only situation that would leave the Swedish government truly open to criticism would be if the mortality rate in Sweden outstrips similar countries , but thus far there seems little indication that that is likely to be the case .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ current affairs , politics and free speech issues .
Recently published in The Sun and Spiked Online .
This article was originally published at RT International .

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STOCKHOLM SPRING: Swedes opting for sensible measures rather than the popular Western model of triggering mass-panic and imposing a draconian police state (Image Source: ABC 14 News)
Guy Birchall
RT International
With most of Europe imposing extraordinary restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus, Sweden has left its citizens surprisingly free. Are Swedes rolling the dice with their public health, or is everyone else overreacting?
As most of Europe clamps down in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19, one country is bucking the trend. Sweden is taking a markedly more liberal approach to combating the virus. Despite its closest neighbours, Denmark and Norway, shutting down all but essential services, Swedes remain free to socialise as the harsh Scandinavian winter comes to an end. Although universities and high schools have shut, pre-schools, kindergartens, bars, restaurants, ski resorts, sports clubs and hairdressers have all remained open.
The streets of Stockholm and Malmo are noticeably quieter than usual, but positively bustling compared to those of Copenhagen, Oslo, London, Paris and Rome. Standing in bars is banned but as long as punters can find a seat they’re free to enjoy a night out. Other steps taken include gatherings of more than 50 people being banned and the over 70s being urged to self-isolate.
With the exception of Belarus, which hasn’t even suspended its football league, Sweden’s restrictions amount to the most relaxed out there. This has prompted observers both in and outside the country to wonder if they are playing fast and loose with the nation’s health or taking the most proportionate response in the West. Prime minister Stefan Lofven has warned that times ahead would be tough but also put the onus on individual Swedes. He added: “We all, as individuals, have to take responsibility. We can’t legislate and ban everything.”
This tactic is at odds with the strategy in the UK which has been to tell citizens to stay at home and limit leaving the house to once a day. Sweden’s experts have taken a very different view to the UK’s, with their state epidemiologist, Anders Tengell, saying the Imperial College London modelling, predicting 250,000 deaths and informing Boris Johnson’s strategy, is “pessimistic”. The latest numbers in Sweden show nearly 3,500 cases and 105 deaths. Tengell told The Observer: “As long as the Swedish epidemic development stays at this level, I don’t see any big reason to take measures that you can only keep up for a very limited amount of time.”
Sweden’s move has allowed for businesses to stay open, reducing the impact on the country’s economy. The approach has been broadly well received by the public, who view it as a more sensible course of action than the draconian steps taken in other countries. It also places the country in a better position to ramp back up to full capacity after the pandemic subsides. Lofven’s government seems less inclined to be seen to just “do something” compared to many in the West. Swedes have not clamoured for the state to restrict their freedoms in the same way many in other countries appear to have done.
Only time will tell what the best response to this year’s outbreak turns out to be, but for the moment Sweden’s more laissez-faire approach should be heartening to its population. The government entrusting its citizens to observe advice and adjust their behaviours accordingly without the threat of police intervention is something that should be applauded in a free society. It also maintains a higher level of trust going in the other direction, from the public to the government. On a practical level, not employing draconian measures immediately prevents hysteria from taking hold amongst the public and allows for a slower escalation of measures should they be needed.
Trust is an important factor in a democracy where a government rules by consent of the people. Public trust in Sweden is exceptionally high, with citizens having faith that their politicians are acting in the public interest. Their propensity to treat adults like adults is key to that trust remaining.
Without question, sacrifices will have to be made in the fight against Covid-19, but it is vital that public trust in the government is not one of the things lost. By taking a more measured response and basing their actions of advice rather than enforcement, Sweden’s government is taking a gamble but arguably a less risky one than Britain or Germany have. Sweden is allowing its economy to function at a much more normal level than the rest of Europe, which has effectively almost shut down.
If the pandemic turns out not to be as fatal as, for example, Britain’s experts initially feared, then the draconian measures enforced by other countries could result in the cure being worse than the disease. However, if it does turn out to be as deadly as predicted, but no more so in Sweden than in other countries, the government could still not be accused of having done nothing but would still be in a more economically stable condition. The only situation that would leave the Swedish government truly open to criticism would be if the mortality rate in Sweden outstrips similar countries, but thus far there seems little indication that that is likely to be the case.
Author Guy Birchall, British journalist covering current affairs, politics and free speech issues. Recently published in The Sun and Spiked Online. This article was originally published at RT International.
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21stcenturywire--2020-04-01--COVID-1984: Rick Hack Reports

COVID-1984: Rick Hack Reports

How is the conronavirus crisis affecting the world ?
If you are relying on the mainstream media to give you @ @ @ @ @ be waiting a very long time .
The REAL NEWS Headlines in brief with your @ @ @ @ @ Hack .
Watch :

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How is the coronavirus crisis affecting the world? If you are relying on the mainstream media to give you answers, you’ll be waiting a very long time.
The REAL NEWS Headlines in brief with your favourite unorthodox anchorman, Rick Hack. Watch:
.
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21stcenturywire--2020-04-01--Coronavirus: It’s Time for Facts Over Fear

“ The media has provided an unrelenting diet of alarming news about the coronavirus .
Get a realistic and balanced @ @ @ @ @ lack there of based on analysis of government data.
” Why aren ’ t people @ @ @ @ @ and opting for fear instead ?
Watch the following video , published on March 24 @ @ @

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Independent analyst Andrew Mather says…
“The media has provided an unrelenting diet of alarming news about the coronavirus. Get a realistic and balanced perspective of the threat or lack there of based on analysis of government data.”
Why aren’t people paying attention to facts, and opting for fear instead?
Watch the following video, published on March 24, 2020:
.
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21stcenturywire--2020-04-01--Saudi Officials Indicate Hajj Pilgrimage May Be Canceled This Year

A Last day of Hajj – all pilgrims in Mecca for farewell circumambulation of Kaaba ( Photo by Omar Chatriwala at Wikicommons ) One unprecedented outcome of the global coronavirus panic , is that for the first time in human history , most of the world ’ s governments have outlawed religious gatherings .
This has included the cancellation of the worshiping services of various faiths , the closure of religious schools and prayer meetings , as well as the cancellation of major pilgrimages .
Most of the world ’ s churches , mosques , temples and synagogues have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead , either via through livestreaming , or on television .
One of the world ’ s largest pilgrimages is The Hajj , the annual Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia .
The Hajj is regarded as a mandatory religious duty for Muslims which must be carried out at least once during their lifetimes .
This year , it may not happen due to public health fears over the coronavirus .
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday laid the ground for this year ’ s Hajj pilgrimage to be cancelled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and travel bookings due to fears of the coronavirus pandemic .
Around two million people visit Mecca to perform the annual pilgrimage , which this year was set to begin in July , but plans have been thrown into doubt as the kingdom has recorded 1,563 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths .
Like many countries , Saudi Arabia has enforced a lockdown and curfew in an attempt to stem the outbreak , and entry to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina has been severely restricted .
Riyadh has already suspended the lesser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Banten , minister of Hajj and Umrah , told a Saudi TV channel that Muslims – who are expected to perform Hajj at least once in their lives – should “ wait before concluding contracts ” .
“ We have asked our Muslim brothers around the world to wait before making contracts until things become clear , ” Banten said .
“ Under the current circumstances , as we are talking about the global pandemic , from which we have asked God to save us , the kingdom is keen to protect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he added .
Banten said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has refunded the fees of Umrah visas to travel agencies after visits to Mecca were suspended late in February .
Though Hajj has been cancelled several times over the centuries , since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ’ s foundation in 1932 it has never missed a year , nor even during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1917-18 that killed millions of people worldwide .
But if Saudi Arabia cancels 2020 ’ s Hajj , it will be added to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first in 629 .
Middle East Eye takes a look at some of the most striking cancellations in history…

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A Last day of Hajj – all pilgrims in Mecca for farewell circumambulation of Kaaba (Photo by Omar Chatriwala at Wikicommons)
One unprecedented outcome of the global coronavirus panic, is that for the first time in human history, most of the world’s governments have outlawed religious gatherings. This has included the cancellation of the worshiping services of various faiths, the closure of religious schools and prayer meetings, as well as the cancellation of major pilgrimages. Most of the world’s churches, mosques, temples and synagogues have been forced to offer ‘virtual’ services instead, via livestreaming, or on television.
One of the world’s largest pilgrimages is The Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Hajj is regarded as a mandatory religious duty for Muslims which must be carried out at least once during their lifetimes. This year, it may not happen due to public health fears over the coronavirus.
Mustafa Abu Sneineh from Middle East Eye reports….
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday laid the ground for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to be cancelled, calling on pilgrims to defer preparations and travel bookings due to fears of the coronavirus pandemic.
Around two million people visit Mecca to perform the annual pilgrimage, which this year was set to begin in July, but plans have been thrown into doubt as the kingdom has recorded 1,563 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths.
Like many countries, Saudi Arabia has enforced a lockdown and curfew in an attempt to stem the outbreak, and entry to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina has been severely restricted. Riyadh has already suspended the lesser Umrah pilgrimage.
Muhammad Salih bin Taher Banten, minister of Hajj and Umrah, told a Saudi TV channel that Muslims – who are expected to perform Hajj at least once in their lives – should “wait before concluding contracts”.
“We have asked our Muslim brothers around the world to wait before making contracts until things become clear,” Banten said.
“Under the current circumstances, as we are talking about the global pandemic, from which we have asked God to save us, the kingdom is keen to protect the health of Muslims and citizens,” he added.
Banten said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has refunded the fees of Umrah visas to travel agencies after visits to Mecca were suspended late in February.
Though Hajj has been cancelled several times over the centuries, since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s foundation in 1932 it has never missed a year, nor even during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1917-18 that killed millions of people worldwide.
But if Saudi Arabia cancels 2020’s Hajj, it will be added to a list of almost 40 dramatic cancellations since the first in 629. Middle East Eye takes a look at some of the most striking cancellations in history…
Continue this story at Middle East Eye
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21stcenturywire--2020-04-02--UK Scientist: ‘Government Has Overreacted to Coronavirus, Lockdown is Overblown

“ We must do something now , we must act to save lives !
” This is the all-too familiar clarion call to action which circulates between the mainstream media , the public , and government , and normally in that order .
Of course , history is replete with examples of gross overreaction in policy by monarchs , dictators and democracies .
It doesn ’ t take much for the government ’ s prescribed course of action to quickly undermine the intended goal .
In the case of the coronavirus outbreak , we ’ re told that the fundamental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ but have Western governments really thought through the full social and economic ramifications of implementing draconian ‘ lockdown ’ measures in order to quarantine their populations ?
Early on , UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ( who recent said he had tested positive to COVID-19 ) spoke about the need to “ strike a balance ” when implementing state measures to contain the contagion , but he quickly backed off this rhetoric after being savaged by a hysterical mainstream corporate media who were railing in fear that not enough was being done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was then made to shutdown the country ’ s real economy and society , and divert most public resources to “ fighting the invisible enemy.
” .
Businesses , schools , gyms , cafes , institutions , parks were all closed by government decree , with subjects now ordered to stay indoors for an indefinite period of time , until the government deems it to be safe to reinstate the public freedoms and rights .
In the end , it was alarmism that won the day , and dictated official government efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real question which should have governed government policy was never really asked : exactly how severe of a threat to public health is the coronavirus ?
Even today , mainstream media and government ‘ experts ’ are drifting out competing doomsday scenarios , each pretending to be able to project the number of dead.
” The whole affair has descended into some bizarre dystopian daily weather report , with endless dashboards , decorated in ever more complex-looking mortality computer models and graphs .
Somewhere along the line , the government and its faithful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainstream media – forgot about the very real dangers of over-reacting to what might turn out to be a marginal threat compared to other seasonal outbreaks and pathogens .
The UK has overrated to the coronavirus outbreak and the current lockdown measures put in place to contain the virus could be less dramatic , according to a former NHS consultant pathologist .
There have been 2,352 deaths in the UK due to Covid-19 , while the total number of confirmed cases is 29,474 .
Strict lockdown rules have been put in place to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and earlier this week , professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London claimed that the rate of hospital admissions suggests social distancing guidelines have made an impact .
But Dr John Lee , a retired professor of pathology , suggests that there has been a worldwide overreaction to coronavirus and a lack of testing means that governments have been unable to get an accurate understanding of the severity of the disease .
Dr Lee also believes that current evidence suggests coronavirus isn ’ t much worse than seasonal flu .
‘ The key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that it ’ s very difficult to interpret any numbers without context for those numbers , ’ Dr Lee told Sky News .
‘ So the numbers we ’ ve been hearing of deaths do indeed sound very alarming and we ’ ve all been seeing very alarming pictures from around the world .
But the question is we can ’ t understand those numbers without knowing how they relate to other numbers related to deaths and disease.
’ ‘ My point is the way we compare diseases is by comparing death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ die of a disease compared to the number of people who got the disease .
And in this case we really have no idea at the moment how many people have actually had the disease because we haven ’ t been testing widely enough to actually understand those numbers.
’ ‘ We don ’ t know those certain yet but certainly there ’ s a growing body of informed opinion that feels the severity of this disease has been overestimated .
Whenever you look at the severity of the disease early in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you see the tip of the iceberg.
’ ‘ What you don ’ t see is all the people with no symptoms or very mild symptoms .
So there is evidence that this disease isn ’ t necessarily much worse than a seasonal flu.
’ ‘ But what we are seeing is a synchronisation of cases , so health services are being put under great pressure , but that doesn ’ t necessarily mean that when we look back on this disease in six months or a year ’ s time it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exceptional or very exceptional .
‘ I think it ’ s very sensible to prepare , I mean obviously health services are under great pressure and we should prepare for being able to being able to deal with as many cases as we possibly can do .
‘ What I ’ m saying is that actions have been taken only looking at one thing .
The advice from the Government has been based only on the Covid figures , we haven ’ t had any assessment whatsoever of the harms being caused by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been taken .
Of course , countries around the world tend to copy each other .
The question is what ’ s proportionate action ?
And proportionate action is quite possibly less than what ’ s being taken at the moment.
’ ‘ In dealing with the Covid cases we ’ ve been taking resources away from other cases that are in the health services , and the impact of that really isn ’ t known at the moment .
‘ When the Prime Minister quite rightly said nine days ago he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would agree with that , it ’ s a very sensible thing to do .
But following the science is different from following one group of scientists.
’ ‘ What you have to try to understand is that science is a discussion .
And the Imperial model is based on a lot of assumptions , and on incomplete data , and it ’ s only one interpretation of the measurements we currently have.
’ ‘ What I ’ m saying is we need to continue to critically evaluate the all data that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the data , and as I said a great body of informed opinions ’ assessment of the data , is that we are , on a global basis , overreacting to the disease.
’ ‘ This is the first pandemic of the media age .
And that has had a big effect on how people perceive the disease .
‘ The numbers do seem very alarming but I think if only the Government spokespeople and the mainstream media could present a more nuanced version of the numbers it would reduce people ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think the numbers do indicate that we could probably contain this disease with a less dramatic form of social isolation that we ’ ve gone into at the moment .
’

By
“We must do something now, we must act to save lives!” This is the all-too familiar clarion call to action which circulates between the mainstream media, the public, and government, and normally in that order.
Of course, history is replete with examples of gross overreaction in state-sanctioned interventions by monarchs, dictators and democracies. It doesn’t take much for the government’s prescribed course of action to quickly undermine its stated goals. In the case of the coronavirus outbreak, we’re told that the fundamental object is to ‘save lives.’ But have Western governments really thought through the full social and economic ramifications of implementing draconian ‘lockdown’ measures in order to quarantine their populations?
Early on, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (who recently said he had tested positive to COVID-19) spoke about the need to “strike a balance” when implementing state measures to contain the contagion, but he quickly backed off this rhetoric after being savaged by a hysterical mainstream corporate media who were railing in fear that not enough was being done to protect the population. A decision was then made to shutdown the country’s real economy and society, and divert most public resources to “fighting the invisible enemy”. Businesses, schools, gyms, cafes, institutions, parks were all closed by government decree, with subjects now ordered to stay indoors for an indefinite period of time, until the government deemed it to be safe to reinstate the public freedoms and rights.
In the end, it was alarmism that won the day, and dictated official government efforts to contain the novel coronavirus.
But the real question which should have governed government policy was never really asked: exactly how severe of a threat to public health is the coronavirus?
Even today, mainstream media and government ‘experts’ are drifting out competing doomsday scenarios, each pretending to be able to project the number of dead.” The whole affair has descended into some bizarre dystopian daily weather report, with endless dashboards, decorated in ever more complex-looking mortality computer models and graphs.
Somewhere along the line, the government and its faithful supporters, egged on by a desperate mainstream media – forgot about the very real dangers of over-reacting to what might turn out to be a marginal threat compared to other seasonal outbreaks and pathogens.
Chris Davie from the UK Metro reports…
The UK has overrated to the coronavirus outbreak and the current lockdown measures put in place to contain the virus could be less dramatic, according to a former NHS consultant pathologist. There have been 2,352 deaths in the UK due to Covid-19, while the total number of confirmed cases is 29,474. Strict lockdown rules have been put in place to stop the spread of the virus, and earlier this week, professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London claimed that the rate of hospital admissions suggests social distancing guidelines have made an impact. But Dr John Lee, a retired professor of pathology, suggests that there has been a worldwide overreaction to coronavirus and a lack of testing means that governments have been unable to get an accurate understanding of the severity of the disease. Dr Lee also believes that current evidence suggests coronavirus isn’t much worse than seasonal flu. ‘The key point I’m trying to make is that it’s very difficult to interpret any numbers without context for those numbers,’ Dr Lee told Sky News.
‘So the numbers we’ve been hearing of deaths do indeed sound very alarming and we’ve all been seeing very alarming pictures from around the world. But the question is we can’t understand those numbers without knowing how they relate to other numbers related to deaths and disease.’ ‘My point is the way we compare diseases is by comparing death rates, the number of people who die of a disease compared to the number of people who got the disease. And in this case we really have no idea at the moment how many people have actually had the disease because we haven’t been testing widely enough to actually understand those numbers.’ ‘We don’t know those certain yet but certainly there’s a growing body of informed opinion that feels the severity of this disease has been overestimated. Whenever you look at the severity of the disease early in an epidemic it tends to overestimate it because you see the tip of the iceberg.’ ‘What you don’t see is all the people with no symptoms or very mild symptoms. So there is evidence that this disease isn’t necessarily much worse than a seasonal flu.’ ‘But what we are seeing is a synchronisation of cases, so health services are being put under great pressure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that when we look back on this disease in six months or a year’s time it would’ve turned out to be particularly exceptional or very exceptional. ‘I think it’s very sensible to prepare, I mean obviously health services are under great pressure and we should prepare for being able to being able to deal with as many cases as we possibly can do. ‘What I’m saying is that actions have been taken only looking at one thing. The advice from the Government has been based only on the Covid figures, we haven’t had any assessment whatsoever of the harms being caused by this really remarkable action that’s been taken. Of course, countries around the world tend to copy each other. The question is what’s proportionate action? And proportionate action is quite possibly less than what’s being taken at the moment.’ ‘In dealing with the Covid cases we’ve been taking resources away from other cases that are in the health services, and the impact of that really isn’t known at the moment. ‘When the Prime Minister quite rightly said nine days ago he would follow the science, I think everybody would agree with that, it’s a very sensible thing to do. But following the science is different from following one group of scientists.’ ‘What you have to try to understand is that science is a discussion. And the Imperial model is based on a lot of assumptions, and on incomplete data, and it’s only one interpretation of the measurements we currently have.’ ‘What I’m saying is we need to continue to critically evaluate the all data that’s already there. My assessment of the data, and as I said a great body of informed opinions’ assessment of the data, is that we are, on a global basis, overreacting to the disease.’ ‘This is the first pandemic of the media age. And that has had a big effect on how people perceive the disease. ‘The numbers do seem very alarming but I think if only the Government spokespeople and the mainstream media could present a more nuanced version of the numbers it would reduce people’s feeling of panic’ ‘And actually I think the numbers do indicate that we could probably contain this disease with a less dramatic form of social isolation that we’ve gone into at the moment.’ ***
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21stcenturywire--2020-04-03--UKC News: How Gov’t, Media Are Misleading Public About Coronavirus and COVID19

As western governments continue their draconian shut-down of economies , societies and democracy , the real numbers continue to surface @ @ @ @ @ the public into ‘ lockdown ’ could have achieved adequate public health precautions without completely @ @ @ @ @ Mike Robinson and Patrick Henningsen , along with special guest is Andrew Mather , a @ @ @ @ @ technology professional – for today ’ s end of week news round-up .
Watch :

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As western governments continue their draconian shut-down of economies, societies and democracy, the real numbers continue to surface which prove that states forcing the public into ‘lockdown’ could have achieved adequate public health precautions without completely imploding their countries.
Co-hosts Mike Robinson and Patrick Henningsen, along with special guest is Andrew Mather, a mathematician and City finance and technology professional – for today’s end of week news round-up. Watch:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5KmyHP5szGY
.
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21stcenturywire--2020-04-03--Netanyahu Shared Fake Video as ‘Proof’ of Iran Coronavirus Cover-up

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem ( Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90 ) Still clinging to power , Israel ’ s embattled prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu really put his foot in it this week after he shared an internet video of bodies being dumped into garbage dumps , claiming it was “ evidence ” of Iran covering-up coronavirus deaths .
Unfortunately for the PM , the penny dropped after Israeli cabinet officials realized that Netanyahu ’ s clip was really from a 2007 Hallmark mini-series .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared with his Cabinet a video he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths by dropping bodies in garbage dumps , two Cabinet ministers tell me .
Behind the scenes : Several hours later , Netanyahu ’ s office realized the video had nothing to do with Iran , or with the coronavirus crisis .
It was a clip from “ Pandemic , ” a 2007 Hallmark Channel mini-series .
The backdrop : Iran has been Netanyahu ’ s top foreign policy focus for 25 years .
Israeli intelligence believes there have been up to five times more coronavirus deaths there than the 3,036 that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tells me .
Netanyahu thought he ’ d seen evidence of a cover-up .
During a conference call with Cabinet ministers on Monday , Netanyahu said he ’ d seen a video of Iranian soldiers loading bodies onto trucks and dropping them at garbage dumps .
• According to two ministers who were on the call , Netanyahu said his national security adviser , Meir Ben-Shabbat , had shown him the video .
• Many of the ministers asked to watch the video , and Netanyahu asked his national security adviser to send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The video had been shared by Iranians on social media over the last week , and it was passed on to Netanyahu without any confirmation of its authenticity .
The prime minister ’ s office didn ’ t deny this account .
It said the video had only been sent to three Cabinet ministers who requested it and were told it came from social media and its authenticity was unclear .

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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem (Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Still clinging to power, Israel’s embattled prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu really put his foot in it this week after he shared an internet video of bodies being dumped into garbage dumps, claiming it was “evidence” of Iran covering-up coronavirus deaths.
Unfortunately for the PM, the penny dropped after Israeli cabinet officials realized that Netanyahu’s clip was really from a 2007 Hallmark mini-series.
Axios reports…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared with his Cabinet a video he claimed was evidence of Iran concealing coronavirus deaths by dropping bodies in garbage dumps, two Cabinet ministers tell me.
Behind the scenes: Several hours later, Netanyahu’s office realized the video had nothing to do with Iran, or with the coronavirus crisis. It was a clip from “Pandemic,” a 2007 Hallmark Channel mini-series.
The backdrop: Iran has been Netanyahu’s top foreign policy focus for 25 years. Israeli intelligence believes there have been up to five times more coronavirus deaths there than the 3,036 that have been officially acknowledged, an Israeli official tells me. Netanyahu thought he’d seen evidence of a cover-up.
During a conference call with Cabinet ministers on Monday, Netanyahu said he’d seen a video of Iranian soldiers loading bodies onto trucks and dropping them at garbage dumps.
According to two ministers who were on the call, Netanyahu said his national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, had shown him the video.
Many of the ministers asked to watch the video, and Netanyahu asked his national security adviser to send it to the entire Cabinet.
The video had been shared by Iranians on social media over the last week, and it was passed on to Netanyahu without any confirmation of its authenticity.
The prime minister’s office didn’t deny this account. It said the video had only been sent to three Cabinet ministers who requested it and were told it came from social media and its authenticity was unclear.
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