AD's off to Confession

[TheGreatWave]

Started a new one.

Need to adhere to guidelines this time though.

I honestly don't think we'll have another full national lockdown whatever happens. Interestingly both the French & Irish governments have explicitly ruled it out. I'm cautiously optimistic that we can keep a lid on it through extensive testing, further developments in treatment & quite moderate measures. I'd love to see the Gov roll out a real mass testing project where they tested a representative sample of people in each community once a fortnight or whatever, so we all knew the risk in our local area & could make sensible judgments. I think something like that would give more vulnerable people especially a sense of security

@SomewhereEast the Southampton project for example?

Looks like I missed some naughtiness.

@MaudesMum, that's my really big worry too. I couldn't cope in the winter. My social life and visiting family is what Iive for between November and March. I also live alone and mostly work from home - at least during winter.

I missed the drama, obvs. What did I miss? Are you all behaving yourselves?

I'm afraid I'm having a day of tipping over to the dark dementory side as I am starting to feel worried seeing the huge crowds out (in the news and also my local area ) over the last couple of days, and the US etc figures and the WHO comments.

I don't really know how to explain it. God knows I am absolutely fucking desperate for my DC to be back at school/college/uni and for them to be able to shop and drink cocktails and generally live and for me to go to the pool (cannot wait for that) but today it seems as though the last three/four months just hasn't happened. It just makes me feel so bitter and horrible that all of the lockdown is going to be even more of a waste. Surely (I won't say second wave!) there must be an increase in cases seeing large numbers of people literally cheek by jowl with zero social distancing at all?

Am I missing something? Won't CV just start recirculating at the same rates as prior to lockdown if people aren't taking any distancing measures at all or even washing their fucking hands? Obviously we wouldn't have a second lockdown (and I wouldn't support it!) but if it just reverts to how it was, the last 3/4 months will been completely pointless and fucked the economy and our DCs lives for absolutely nothing - without even the tiniest residual benefit such as giving people a bit of a wake up call?

I would have thought people would at least realise the value of basic hygiene and washing their fucking hands at a bare minimum so the risk is lessened but it doesn't appear so.

I don't know. It just feels like, for some people the last months have been totally forgotten - as though they didn't happen at all and there is no risk to anyone at all now. But surely there is some some element of risk and even the most non dementory person would wash their hands and at least try and maintain good hygiene and at least try and minimise any unnecessary physical contact with people? It's as though people are denying the existence of CV at all rather than saying the wrong measures have been taken.

I'm sorry. My name is Bubbles and I am a Dementaholic.

News seems gloomier and scarier today doesn't it? ☹

Evening reprobates! Well we'll, you have been naughty little girls haven't you? If we're off to confession does that mean we get an Andrew Scott each?

Waving at you all from the epicentre of the second wave. Bloody hot today and would have loved a dip in the sea but not going anywhere near today. I'm mostly upset about the bastarding litter that will invariably be left behind. Grrrrr.

Alexander Armstrong Bark. Just finished watching his tour of Very Cold Places and enjoyed it very much. He's (almost) everything I want in a man, minus the horse and hound bits.

@BakewellTarts

From the Beeb.

150 (at least) councils are in trouble.

At least five English councils warned they may meet the criteria to issue a section 114 notice at some point without more government support, declaring themselves effectively bankrupt.

They include some of the UK's largest unitary authorities - Leeds, Wiltshire, Trafford, Tameside and Barnet.

Yes there is a lot of debt!

My Council is in that list. The one I work for and have devoted years to, and the place I live. I love my job.

This is not a result of financial mismanagement, or debt, it is a consequence of millions of pounds worth of Covid costs combined with a catastrophic drop in income. In three months. And with little in the way of reserves due to ten years of austerity.

We have to find £40 million to balance the books.

I warned you lot this would happen tonight!

Gin and garden!

Do we really have to socially distance until there's a vaccine? We need to get to Level 2 on the Nandos scale.

Checking in my fellow buffoons.

One question - how did you manage to get a thread deleted?

Surely (I won't say second wave!) there must be an increase in cases seeing large numbers of people literally cheek by jowl with zero social distancing at all?

But are they, or is it camera angles?

Plus if it's beaches you're thinking of, they're outside. It doesn't spread as easy outside. And most importantly, you cannot spread it if you don't have it.

I can't remember the latest figures perhaps someone else can quote it but it's one person in so many thousand that's got it... What's the chances of that person coughing all over the sunbathers on Bournemouth beach?

@MagdaS and these are just the councils that have come out and admitted they have an issue now. I suspect that there are many more...hard times. I think this might look like austerity was a walk in the park.

@MagdaS
We have the same issues, though we are not on that list we will no doubt be added soon....The cost of covid has far outstripped the funding from the govt.

We have years of austerity behind us and cuts from central govt leaving us with barely a pot to piss in and a huge overspend.

Its astounding that the same people who were screeching to stay the fuck at home are now "well, they ain't raising my taxes" like no one saw this coming.

And the worst thing is seeing it happen. We can see what the cuts to our services to our most vulnerable people are likely to be and we are working like hell to try and prevent it. But it's like watching a slow motion crash that you are powerless to stop.

1 in just over 1700 @TrustTheGeneGenie

Thanks Livin

@Spudlet yes, I'm feeling bit weird too, so excite that i might actually get out, but also on edge.

I think I'll be fine when I actually get out rather than thinking about it.

does that mean we get an Andrew Scott each?
You can have mine as a spare, RubberDinghy - wouldn't give you thank-you for him (should I be worried?)

Cheers @theThreeofWeevils, I'd probably need a spare

And that's based on cases in the community, doesnt necessarily mean they are going to be out. You would have to assume a number of those would be isolating. So the number goes up.

I read a while ago that there had been no confirmed cases of outdoor transmission anywhere in the world.

@MagdaS my LA employer is in trouble as well I reckon. My role will be first in line to go I would think. So fuck this shit

@theThreeofWeevils he is gay so would have no use for me!

@BakewellTarts it will be all of them, at some point. Local government was already run on a shoe string. Austerity was terrible but I think this will be worse.

@LivinLaVidaLoki yes, exactly the same. I fear for social care. I’m in Place / Environment but we have no idea how we make any cuts at all without staffing implications, or otherwise literally stopping doing things (which has staffing implications). People need their bins emptied and the construction industry needs to function, but with proper and responsive regulation.

I’ve had to ask for two staff back from redeployment as our service was starting to suffer. A cut of a third would be 15 staff. It’s untenable.

I go off and teach a zoom karate lesson and come back to find you lot have had your knuckles rapped!

I'm so glad its friday tomorrow (although my work day tomorrow is going to be awful) as it's been one heck of a week. DH just built our new lush bed with our new expensive mattress after years and years of a crap one and I'm excited to sleep in it. But also know that I wont sleep well tonight with it feeling "new" if that makes sense.

It is a very worrying time in regards to LA's. I occasionally think about moving but I am always a bit nervous about the longevity of a job.