ADs and the hardon colanders

[CruCru]

Here’s the new thread.

I'm sure the government will try to make the public U-turn happen, when it suits them when they realise there's no money left. They saw how quickly the public succumbed to the doom and gloom agenda, so they'll think the reverse is true: crank the well-oiled spin machine to make it happen; show us graphs of falling rates (whether they're true or not), show us graphs of how bad the economy will be if we don't go out and do stuff, blah blah blah, "save your pub", "save your shops", "save your holidays", "let's make this year different", "Vitamin D gives you better immunity than any vaccine would", piffle waffle piffle waffle.

I've been for a run this morning, lots of paths flooded here from yesterday's rain. Friends got an evacuation warning at midnight, but seem to be okay.

Here's the latest ONS stats around proportion of people testing positive, very different picture in different parts of the country.

Just think how much money the Government could have saved if they had taken this approach with the testing and doled out fruit gums and red wine!

@Lostinacloud

I’ve just been wandering about on the active board and read a bit of the ‘no more school bubbles’ thread written by an anxious teacher.

I’m not an unfeeling monster and do appreciate that lots of people have anxious moments, not helped by the media and government fear factory, but am I alone in wondering why so many teachers seem to be terrified?

When it comes down to it, covid is a coronavirus which causes most people (especially one could argue, the demographic of a typical school) little to no problems. Since forever, surely teachers have gone to school through every winter season of coronaviruses, noroviruses, flu, nits, impetigo, hand foot and mouth, chickenpox, worms etc. All contagious illnesses and some more dangerous than others to pregnant, vulnerable or elderly people. Yet never before have teachers demanded masks, screens, excessive cleaning, bubbles, the quarantining of healthy kids who sat next to someone off with one of those illnesses. I just can’t get my head round it. However, I don’t dare to post this on a thread full of teachers

The other thing I don't get is why so many posters are saying that ALL schools should be closed because SOME schools have pupils off isolating. Because otherwise it isn't equal or fair.

But surely that has always be the case? If you live in a nice town with a nice comprehensive grammar with 800 pupils, your child will probably get a better quality of education than the child who lives somewhere out in the sticks or in an inner city, where the catchment schools are shit. If you have the money to pay, you can ensure that your children attend a school you approve of, because you can pay fees for the privilege. It's not like education inequality is a new thing.

DH has some alarmingly Gove-like opinions on the subject. He thinks that pupils from less privileged backgrounds should be held to exactly the same standards as their more wealthy counterparts; because if you lower your expectations and dumb down, you are patronising them.

[Exchange between DH and DD2 over breakfast this morning:
DD2: I think it's not fair that some people have lots of money and others don't have any.
DH: Well, no. (Pause.) But that's what happens when you live in a capitalist society.
DD2: Oh. Right. ]

@Jourdain11
The other thing I don't get is why so many posters are saying that ALL schools should be closed because SOME schools have pupils off isolating
100%
And if you point out your school is doing ok, you get loads of "well, for now" posts.
Okaaaaay then we'll close when it becomes a problem.....

[quote LivinLaVidaLoki]@Jourdain11
The other thing I don't get is why so many posters are saying that ALL schools should be closed because SOME schools have pupils off isolating
100%
And if you point out your school is doing ok, you get loads of "well, for now" posts.
Okaaaaay then we'll close when it becomes a problem.....[/quote]
And then all will be equal! 😃

I'm a horrible person, clearly, but I'd far rather that they just said "ok, so now is your week to get covid class b. Don't visit your granny for 2 weeks and make sure you have lots of paracetamol in case any of you do show symptoms" and let it go through each class. At least then the whole class would only need to be off 2 weeks, and anyone with v vulnerable relatives could choose not to attend. Obviously I'm callous and the worse parent ever

Nah @Clockstop I’d be the same if DS was still at school. It just feels like prolonging the agony at the moment.

We'd tie, @Clockstop. I like your idea.

I'm just back from packing up festive hampers - instead of the large community meal that our town normally does for those who are lonely or disadvantaged. What I like is that although there was a frozen Christmas meal, most of the hamper/box was full of treats - a big chunk of cheese & packet of crackers, a small Christmas pudding or a box of mince pies, (and some custard), some sweets and a cracker. And a hyacinth in a pot. And the people who do it have teamed up with a local befriending charity so the packs are being distributed by people who are happy to have a doorstep chat. I couldn't face doing the chatting thing, due to poor social skills made worse by enforced solitude, but was very happy to fill up boxes for a couple of hours. Although I'm now freezing as we had to fill the boxes outdoors to ensure social distancing was observed.

I think if they close schools it'll be all of them and separate to the tier system. Otherwise if they just close tier 4 schools for example it wouldn't be fair. I don't believe schools will go back in January and I feel really down that I'll have to be furloughed again.

Hope you're daughter's appointment goes ok @Jourdain11

What's happened with the water and your garage @Reedwarbler? I've been reading about the flooding and feel really sorry for those affected especially with it being so close to Christmas.

I'm planning to go to the sales on boxing day (DS hates this idea) because I suspect we'll be tier 4 soon and everything will be shut. I'm debating booking some other stuff for us to do as well while we can.

@ClockStop - I believe some of the "let it rip" people at the start were basically saying that, essentially lockdown only the most vunerable and elderly and then encourage everyone else to get it.

Id be up for that. I made the mistake at work saying that once the big shop was done, that would be the perfect time to get it out of the way, we weren't seeing the in laws anyway now as they decided to just lockdown again, the dcs would only need the first couple of days off school of the new term. Perfect. Apparently this was a sign I didn't love them....

I don't think letting it rip is a good idea but a controlled class by class covid party approach I'd certainly be on board with.

[quote MargosKaftan]@ClockStop - I believe some of the "let it rip" people at the start were basically saying that, essentially lockdown only the most vunerable and elderly and then encourage everyone else to get it.

Id be up for that. I made the mistake at work saying that once the big shop was done, that would be the perfect time to get it out of the way, we weren't seeing the in laws anyway now as they decided to just lockdown again, the dcs would only need the first couple of days off school of the new term. Perfect. Apparently this was a sign I didn't love them.... [/quote]
You should read the great Barrington declaration (and sign it if you agree). I believe it's the only way out of this mess

When DD got it I didn't ask her to lick me, but I didn't stay away from her either as I was quite happy to get it over with. Neither of us were properly ill.

[quote MargosKaftan]@ClockStop - I believe some of the "let it rip" people at the start were basically saying that, essentially lockdown only the most vunerable and elderly and then encourage everyone else to get it.

Id be up for that. I made the mistake at work saying that once the big shop was done, that would be the perfect time to get it out of the way, we weren't seeing the in laws anyway now as they decided to just lockdown again, the dcs would only need the first couple of days off school of the new term. Perfect. Apparently this was a sign I didn't love them.... [/quote]
I may be about to conduct such an experiment myself. Had a cold for a few days, thought nothing of it until a colleague messaged to say she's tested positive with the same symptoms. Have had my first Covid test this morning....

Interesting charts, TabbyStar. I see that positive tests continue to 'increase sharply' in London. From 1% to 2.5%.

And sooooo many people stating the vaccine will not work against the new strain, so will be like this until 2023.....

Seems like many don't want this to end. Why don't they?

Me, I am not asking much. I just want libraries back.

@ISaySteadyOn

Seems like many don't want this to end. Why don't they?

Me, I am not asking much. I just want libraries back.

I wonder if those that don't want restrictions to end just like and want to be told how to live and interact with others.

Let's face it 'adulting' is fucking hard in social and work settings. Being 'told' what to do removes that freedom and whilst lots of us thing WTF I want that freedom lots don't and quite like to give up the responsibility.

God knows why, but it seems to me some people are positively revelling in covid, lockdowns, rules and regs etc, which actually seems highly abnormal behaviour to me. Let's face it, you have got to be a bit strange to accept and believe meekly everything the government is telling you, without question. However, I have to say I only see these sort of comments in the virtual world, everyone I know in real life thinks it's been handled badly and is extremely cynical about it all.
@bakingcupcakes thanks for asking about the flood. We managed to divert the water with sandbags and encourage out of the garage. It's very wet in there though. All the culverts are dropping slowly now. H was up and down all night checking, and we've had to take everything out and re-arrange it on duck boards. There are areas of the village flooded that have never flooded before. It is really strange. Hoping for a dry and peaceful christmas day now.

I hope you have a dry and peaceful Christmas too.

It's funny. I keep going back to a game I was playing. In that game, you are the ruler of a barony and there is an outbreak of a disease that causes people to explode into monsters (It's Dungeons and Dragons, naturally) You have several options as to what to do and they are clearly labelled good, neutral and evil. The good option is to investigate the cause quietly and not panic the population. The evil option is to shout loudly about it and scare your population to death. Interesting.

Think you are right Jam. Lots of people spouting off locally about a proper complete lockdown until June is what we need. When you pull them up on it and say in that case it should be absolutely no leaving your house, just basic food deliveries for all and if your fridge/boiler/TV/ broadband etc packs up then tough you need to make do they very swiftly change their tune! Turns out they only want stuff that they aren’t interested in to close.

Seems to me that lockdown is a totally privileged middle class thing.

They're quite happy to sit in their nice suburban homes "staying safe" on furlough or whatever, as long as the less privileged continue to toil in order to enable them to do so (i.e. the hospital workers, the delivery drivers, the supermarket staff, the NHS track and trace people...).

Even Her Majesty's So-Called Opposition, who are supposed to be socialists!

Saw my sister today for our KGB-style exchange of family presents in an almost empty outdoor car park. We had a good natter and a quick hug. I suspect the risks of this outdoor hug were fairly low. It felt good. I haven't hugged her since February