So now we are allowed to visit second homes.......

[Loadsadosh]

Is this a case of do what I say, not what I do......
“The Chief Medical Officer in Scotland, Catherine Calderwood, 51, was snapped strolling across a golf course with her husband and kids after flouting lockdown advice by heading to her coastal property this weekend.”

The response from the Scottish Government......
”An SNP Government spokesman replied: “Since this start of this epidemic, the CMO has been working seven days a week preparing Scotland’s response.
“She took the opportunity this weekend to check on a family home in Fife as she knows she will not be back again until the crisis is over.
“She stayed overnight before returning to Edinburgh. In line with guidance she stayed within her own household group and observed social distancing with anyone she was in passing in the village.”

I am sure everyone else who has a second home would like to use it, or check on it, as well! Am I being unfair in thinking this is double standards and an absolute disgrace that this has been defended by a Government spokesman.

Fife is 35 minutes drive from Edinburgh. She could have checked and driven back.

Ohdear, that's Scotland. Most people I know who have another home, have one in England or abroad. Abroad is out of the question but the ones here which are visited very often, sometimes every weekend, are definitely homes on equal status to the one in, eg, London. At the moment they are taking a lot of supplies to them and don't use local facilities unless they post something. It's home from home. The only way they would use local facilities (apart from maybe supermarket delivery which we are all allowed and is difficult wherever you are), is if taken ill and had to go to hospital; however if you live there, and people often do consider they live there, why not? It probably wouldn't be necessary anyway.

it's a fucking joke....we had plans in place to go boating, just me and dh. We'd be MORE isolated doing that than here, where we have seen ALL the neighbours at a social distance, the posties, the delivery guys.

But no, NO NON ESSENTIAL JOURNEYS so here we are painting the fecking windows

I hope she is sacked.

It sends a bad message but in general she has been great in the daily briefings.

She should be sacked, it's one rule for everybody and not pick and choose.

She shouldn't have done this, but the people saying she should be sacked are bonkers. If I had a second home I'd go to it. If they stay in isolation and have food delivered I don't see the issue. Yes I do understand it's a strain on services if everyone gets sick and needs to use the hospital.

People are sitting at home fed up looking a witch hunt at the moment!

I don't think she's wrong to focus on the substance of the rule which is "stay away from people outside your household group to the maximum degree possible". Possibly she did that. But the rule has to be expressed more simply than that for the maximum number of people to stick to it.

As others have said, it's a short drive from Edinburgh to Fife so the excuse that's been given is ridiculous. Poor judgement from the doctor.

I don't think she should be sacked but an apology and explanation is needed. The explanation given at the moment is laughable.

Yes and it’s Scotland we’re talking about Lynda. Clear guidance was given - by her! - and she’s ignored it. Now all the less responsible people will be heading off to all the second home hotspots feeling justified in doing so because the face of our country’s medical response, the person who is appearing daily with the First Minister to brief on it, did it so it must be ok. She’s an idiot.

Absolutely no doubt she's in the wrong and the government response is a disgrace. She needs to apologise. Thousands of us should be travelling this weekend for the start of the Easter holidays but can't and won't. The government couldn't have made it any clearer that we are not allowed to.

One rule for one, etc.

What really gets my goat is that she's trusted to make sensible decisions and make the journey while keeping her family safe, but the rest of us must be treated like idiots who can't be allowed the freedom to make the same decisions.

Oh come on, Birkhall is not Charles' residence any more the Windsor is the Queen's. These are their weekend cottages/Summer homes

Where do you think the Queen lives if not Windsor? Certainly not Buckingham Palace!

I am sure the residents of Ballater are happy to have Charles at Birkhall. He has done a lot to support that village.

She didn't go there and stay there to self isolate though, she went because they wanted a break there. If she was just checking on it then one adult would have gone without the dogs and come back the same day.

Oh dear. I cant get my head round why she would do this.

That woman needs a break no doubt.
I have no issue with this whatsoever.

What she is doing for this country compared with, let’s say, the OP...

Me either besom

This just seems like such poor judgement from someone who has come across so well through this crisis

Lynda07 did you miss the detail of the instruction posted above?

Essential travel does not include visits to second homes, camp sites, caravan parks or similar, whether for isolation purposes or holidays. People must remain in their primary residence. Not taking these steps puts additional pressure on communities and services that are already at risk

People are not allowed to travel to second homes. Areas where holiday homes are do not have the medical infrastructure to cope with an influx of second homers. It's just bloody selfish.

JosephinKarlson

To be fair to the Queen and Prince Charles, they aren't visiting their second homes - they are in their third homes.

No excuse for the Cambridges though. I do hope they are managing to log on and get supermarket delivery slots.

@KoalasandRabbit, there's an exception in the Coronavirus legislation for journeys required to carry out a legal obligation. If your insurance policy (a legal document) is being invalidated, I'd have a look at that part of the legislation and maybe take advice.

Losing insurance is a serious business.

As you say, only one of you would go, see no-one else, and come straight back again very quickly. Definitely not the same as a family overnighter.

Not surprising is it? One rule for the elite, another for the plebs.

Hypocrisy at it's finest. And it encourages others to say fuck it, if she doesn't have to follow the rules, why do we?!

Scottish government should have berated her in private and made her issue a public apology, not defended her publicly.

Windsor is hardly rural either!

I hear what you’re saying Bringringbring12 but that isn’t the way the guidance works. It’s blanket. As soon as you start introducing variance like that you’ll have everyone justifying why they should travel. As PP have said, many would like to travel for a variety of reasons and aren’t at the moment.

The Prime Minster's finance appears to have broken the rules too as she have moved out and is living somewhere else.