ADs take the National Express when their lives' in a mess, it will make them smile

[BogRollBOGOF]

🎤On the National Express
There’s a jolly hostess
Giving porridge free
She’ll provide you with shots
amaretto or what
You like to seeeeee...

Going out was in style
Now we’re stuck in this aisle
Dream of being free
And it’s hard to get by
When your arse is the size
Of the furlough feeeeeee🎤

Bah ba ba la
Bah ba ba la

Tomorrow belongs to meee...

Welcome to the 17:38 to freedom, stopping at virtual hugs, critical discourse, and random tangents along the way. ETA unknown...

[AcornAutumn]

Has anyone seen that awful HSBC poster about how your DNA will be your data and the future is wonderful?

I’ve seen it on the Tube, I think it was Euston.

[AcornAutumn]

This is from last year

I knew science was going down a sinister road but I didn’t think the results would come in so fast

www.newscientist.com/article/2222754-sequencing-the-genome-of-every-uk-baby-would-be-an-ethical-minefield/#ixzz6eSvu6i23

[Orangeblossom7777]

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/coronavirus-normal-life-will-resume-by-easter-3g9hnjb8c

Says restrictions until the end of March however they hope from Easter things will be back to normal. Going on about those vaccine passports as well

[AcornAutumn]

I just posted a couple of posts on the wrong thread

I was just saying lockdown till end March, partly because

The thing is, compliance has been really high. Protests have been minor - big up to those who go, I’m not brave enough to deal with large crowds and possibly violence so I thank those who do.

But there’s been so little sign of unhappiness, I can’t see what would stop government doing this.

And Johnson has given a huge £ boost to the armed forces, not a coincidence.

[Theluggage15]

Devi Sridhar winds me right up. She has no medical qualifications at all. She’s got a biology degree, that’s it and her only knowledge of health is political.

I read an article where there was outrage that she was arguing with qualified scientists and doctors and making comments on treatments and scientific trials when she has literally no expertise or knowledge in these areas. She never admits of course that she isn’t qualified to talk about these things, has her fan club on Twitter and blocks people who criticise.

Literally can’t stand her and the journalists who fawn over her, they might as well ask for an opinion from Beryl in the library because she looks after medical books.

Always enjoy reading this thread!

[AcornAutumn]

@Theluggage15

Devi Sridhar winds me right up. She has no medical qualifications at all. She’s got a biology degree, that’s it and her only knowledge of health is political.

I read an article where there was outrage that she was arguing with qualified scientists and doctors and making comments on treatments and scientific trials when she has literally no expertise or knowledge in these areas. She never admits of course that she isn’t qualified to talk about these things, has her fan club on Twitter and blocks people who criticise.

Literally can’t stand her and the journalists who fawn over her, they might as well ask for an opinion from Beryl in the library because she looks after medical books.

Always enjoy reading this thread!

Agree.

People have made entire careers out of speculation and modelling but I didn’t think it would ever get used in medical decision making. My dad would be turning in his grave if he had one, if he were still here, I think this would have literally brought on a heart attack!

[bakingcupcakes]

I'm pretty much carrying on as normal as much as possible. I think I must be one of these selfish people other posters speak of! I think it's easier for me because I'm on my own apart from DS. I visit my parents garden and take an excessive amount of time dropping off their shopping. I have a bubble with my friend and her child and I'm still allowed to meet other friends for walks. As all my friends are individual rather than part of a group I feel like I've been really lucky with this lockdown. I miss eating inside places though. I feel really sorry for those who are stuck just within their own family unit like teenagers etc. Humans aren't designed to just be with one small group all the time.

I noticed reporting on anti lockdown protests in Liverpool made the actual news yesterday. It pleases me to see not everyone's just sitting by ideally. I think I'm too old and responsible for marches now but if I was younger or childless I'd join them. It seems mental that the last time I went on a march was over 15 years ago.

@110APiccadilly I'm looking forward to hearing your November baby news!

@Reedwarbler The situation with your FIL is just too awful for words. I've been pressuring my parents to give me POA for health and finance for a while now after we had similar problems trying to help my grandparents. They got the forms but never actually filled them in...

[Orangeblossom7777]

I notice Devi Shrider is always in the Guardian opining...

Another thread saying schools should not open after Christmas - bit strange given that the main worry over the festive period is surely giving it to elderly relatives? Would have thought therefore more concern over closing before Christmas not after. But there we go...

[LivinLaVidaLoki]

@Orangeblossom7777

I notice Devi Shrider is always in the Guardian opining...

Another thread saying schools should not open after Christmas - bit strange given that the main worry over the festive period is surely giving it to elderly relatives? Would have thought therefore more concern over closing before Christmas not after. But there we go...

Maybe they just cba to get up, get everyone ready and get to school when the weathers shit and they are full of turkey, chocolate and wine.
But "I care about others" sounds better than "the Christmas holidays aren't long enough and I want a longer break"

[MargosKaftan]

I love the "just close schools after Christmas" as if that won't cause problems. Many have mocks in January, these mocks are important as are needed if for some reason GCSEs and A levels cant happen again this summer. So the couple of weeks after the students go back before the mocks is important to cement knowledge.

But hey, let's screw over another year of students and destroy their career options to give some 80+ aged people another 6 months.

[WouldBeGood]

@Theluggage15 yes, she’s just awful

[BogRollBOGOF]

@zigaziga

I really don’t understand these extra measures in January because I thought the idea was the be vaccinating people by December? Surely once you’d vaccinated (by mid Jan?) the top 10% at risk population the hospitalisation and death rates will come down a lot..? Then by Feb you’d have vaccinated say the top 15-20% at risk population?
Surely you’d be getting to the point really quickly where immunity from having had it (if 5m of us have it at the moment ... and so many more have had it before...) + those vaccinated starts to naturally reduce the spread and it starts to calm down a lot?

The NHS will struggle I have no doubt because it struggles most winters but I am struggling to comprehend how COVID come mid Jan should still be as big a threat as it is now?

As an aside, I am so sick of people posting “I’ve been following the rules and sanitising everything but selfish people ...”. No rule has ever mandated washing shopping or sanitising yourself constantly or stripping your clothes off in your porch or any of that. If you wanted to do that it’s on you.

Beautifully said.

The point of these late October/ November shut downs was to repress viral growth before mid-winter.

I'm meh about January lockdowns out of resignation, because I don't have the energy to be angry all the time, and because I didn't have enough hope for the new year to be quashed. My hope is around Easter onwards when the respiritory virus season naturally declines.

Speaking of which, surely by the time these "passports" become operable, we're not so far from that point anyway.
I want businesses to survive and thrive, but that's a pretty major social cost to it. And surely the point of the 14 day isolations (which apparently are not very effective when done as a precautionary measure rather than direct contact) was that a negative test is only as good the moment when its taken, hence not negative testing out of isolation.

By the time autumn rates increase again the most vulnerable third of the population should be vaccinated and at substantially lower risk.

Fortunately so far I've not been in the position of needing to test in our family. Given the hell that is trying to make a child with ASD brush his teeth, I'm really not convinced that swabbing his throat is a quick, mildly uncomfortable 30 second procedure on the child who missed most of his brother's trampoline party in a stand-off over toothbrushing... (I'm not doing well on parties for DS2... none this year back in April, turned up very late and frazzled to his 6th, so he was 5 in 2018 last time I made it to a whole birthday party for him!)

[AcornAutumn]

I want businesses to survive

But is anyone else in my boat - can’t go to pub or restaurant due to risk of T&T and two weeks isolating?

[TabbyStar]

Will there be a space to record the developmental achievements of middle age, such as the date we first started making huffing & puffing noises when getting out of a chair, first grey hair, hot flushes & thinking all the doctors & policemen look really young these days?



Most of my friends (middle aged women with teens) are outraged by the whole thing and think it's a massive over-reaction. The young people I know and work with too, so I'm always surprised there are so many people calling for us to stay in our houses alone forever. I was just out with a friend whose DD has started college where she doesn't really know anyone and doesn't have the opportunity to connect with people as their lectures are half online and when they do go in they're encouraged to get straight off the premises again so have little option to make friends, so the usual conversations you'd have with people to settle in aren't happening, and she's now too anxious to go in at all.

[Taswama]

Hi all. Mostly placemarking as you've fallen off my TIO.
But have just read 'Black box thinking' and it talks anout how healthcare does not have a culture of learning from mistakes unlike aviation, which is why so many people die unnecessarily. Your story @LivinLaVidaLoki made me think of this.

[BogRollBOGOF]

Loss of the DCs' sport and my outdoor fitness classes is the real difference in November compared to October, and not having a bar meal in the next village pub which finally managed to reopen in August, delayed from April after a couple of years of closure.

Curiously my 1:1 social life has picked up during this lockdown! My friends are getting fed up and reaching out a bit more. One is on furlough so we're having a Monday morning walk together to start the week and enjoy the DCs being in school. Another who I'd normally see in Brownies and has been very busy with work overload and a young family is twigging that she needs to carve a bit of time to get out when she can, and another friend we now have an agreement to meet monthly to unparkrun at an equidistant point. I found it very hard to connect with people right through the summer because some were being hypercautious (but not dementory) and some just overloaded.

I had a survey from parkrun yesterday about restoring junior parkrun for 4-10yos from January. Normally it's up to 14, but there is a clear case that 4-10 yos running around a park is very low risk, and in January numbers would be low anyway. Our winter numbers last year were typically around 50, but down to 35 in really grim weather. It would get a foothold for parkrun restarting. My real concern is the logistics of restoring the volunteer base after such a long gap.

[WouldBeGood]

@AcornAutumn if it helps, I’ve been out millions of times to hotels, pubs and restaurants and no notified contact. To be honest, you’re never in close contact with anyone in them anyway. Very safe, in my opinion

[WouldBeGood]

@AcornAutumn that was meant to be reassuring, not smug/snarky btw

[JamSarnie]

@AcornAutumn

I want businesses to survive

But is anyone else in my boat - can’t go to pub or restaurant due to risk of T&T and two weeks isolating?

I have been out before this bout of current restrictions with no problems

BUT I don't plan to in the run up to Christmas. Technically speaking no one should be near you but I fear one of the waiting staff to test positive could mean 14 days isolation which, if near to xmas, would mean not being able to pick up the preordered turkey. I really resent the fact that I am going to have to curtail spending in my local struggling restaurants and cafes when they open back up but I just can't face thinking about the impact of a 14 day isolation period for DH and I with no family to help out.

[AcornAutumn]

Jam - I went out twice in summer, once for friends’s 50th after discussion with mum and my sister to cover care. It was early on do a very large restaurant was almost empty.

Another time was with my mum to a place that wasn’t taking details as they were still voluntary.

Now, I think with everyone hysterically testing because they coughed once, the chance of being stuck in are very high so it’s got to be a no from me.

I feel bad because I know my sister and best friend will be upset but it’s just not worth the risk.

Even mum wants to go fir a meal on Xmas week but she lives in a house with a garden so if she’s told to isolate, she’ll have carer allowed and space to roam. I have a tiny flat.

[AcornAutumn]

[quote WouldBeGood]@AcornAutumn that was meant to be reassuring, not smug/snarky btw[/quote]
No, I understand, but fir me the risk assessment is - how do you feel at being stuck in for two weeks?

I do think the risk of that is now much higher than before mass testing began.

I’m still feeling a bit blah with vertigo today and I’m already sick of the 500 sq ft I live in. In fact, I’m going to go for a walk with a long umbrella in case of dizziness!

[WouldBeGood]

@AcornAutumn that sounds horrible, the vertigo.

I guess I don’t cope well with being cooped up- went proper mental in the last lockdown and still in bed on day two of this one.

Getting out and about is really important to me and I’m confident I’ve been I’ve never been in two metre contact with anyone for fifteen minutes. You wouldn’t need to isolate if a waiter or waitress tested positive.

[Orangeblossom7777]

Maybe they will change some of the sports restrictions with these new tiers perhaps (being hopeful)

[WouldBeGood]

@Orangeblossom7777 that would make sense in a public health crisis

[Orangeblossom7777]

Does it make sense that DCs can play football in school but not after?
And the risk / benefit of football is small.