Aberdeen ...

[noisaidellobuthatscloseenough]

So that’s us back in a local lockdown it seems with all travel to Aberdeen advised against - not sure about the shire ... Anyone else feeling thoroughly pissed off at the behaviour seen over the weekend that’s led to this? Seems half the pubs in the city, plus golf and football clubs are affected ... for those of us who have followed every rule to the letter it’s such a kick in the teeth and so frustrating ...

GetOffYourHighHorse
I suppose it depends on your personal views. I don't feel she has politicised it much compared to other parties, but obviously you do. I feel confident in her message that it has been clear and consistant and expectations are well understood. If all other countries feel the same then great. Even my inlaws who are staunchly conservative, unionists and have been for over 60 years and hate the snp and Nicola, have said they are impressed and have been grateful for the clear message.
The good news for all living in Scotland is there is an election due in the not to distant future so if people are unhappy with how it has been handled they can easily make their voice heard and vote the snp out.
The UK has 4 countries that are demographically very different so shouldn't all follow the same get out if lockdown rules. We have devolved governments to allow for these differences. Perainally I support the slower more cautious approacg but I know others like the faster open up approach as well.
However we all approach it hopefully we will get through winter without any out of control spreads.

The South West which has a population virtually the same as Scotland has performed ‘better. Maybe Sturgeon should take a leaf out of their books?

I know I've said it a million times but there were supposed to be strict rules in place for pubs and if they were followed we wouldn't be in this mess.

One household per table only.

Tables.

You sit down and stay there.

Table service only.

Masks on to go the loo.

No hanging around at the bar.

Two hour limit to stop people getting (too) drunk.

No queues outside, if it's full you go away. Some sort of prior reservation would work, just like when you want a table to eat.

I think the Irish had it right by opening pubs that serve food but not those which don't.

@AlecTrevelyan006

The South West which has a population virtually the same as Scotland has performed ‘better. Maybe Sturgeon should take a leaf out of their books?

I would be wary of that and see how things develop in the south WSest after holiday season. I wonder whether the SW may just have been lucky in locking down very early in the outbreak and being protected because of holiday lets etc being closed.

With wholesale population movement into and around the SW for the holiday - already reflected in an increase in R - it may well be that they see the type of outbreak seen in e.g. Japan or Vietnam, where an initial tiny spike seems to have been controlled but then be followed by significantly larger outbreaks once things start to open up again.

EachDubh you know those parents will be the first to loudly kick off when their kids contract it at school and we all know whose fault that will be...

Morfin
Yes, school staff will be to blame. It will never be wee Johnny who came is with symptoms but wasn't collected until the end of the day. And remember, if staff are off ill or isolating it should be unpaid, at least that was one suggestion on the parent group that has pushed for this version of reopening.
However for the sake of my kids and my class I truly hope it all goes well and they don't need to close ir change again.

Now those parents who demanded this must make sure they do their bit to reduce chance of any infections entering schools.

Yes this. They should not be sending their children to the grandparents for the weekend so they can go on the sesh and cover their facebook in photos of them hugging their pals

I don't know what we actually need to do to get people to act in a socially responsible manner, and not just think about their own good time/#YOLO.

I myself was a supporter of sturgeon throughout lockdown and felt she was doing a good job, Not anymore.

She has sacrificed and caused unprecedented harm to our school children from less affluent areas with her shambolic exams fiasco. Of course those who got what they wanted, especially those whose grades were better are not going to complain but we now have hundreds maybe thousands of kids With their dreams and self esteem shattered. Furthermore she has hung our school children out to dry by bowing to schoolS returning with no adequate precautions in place. I agree schools need to be back that is no longer an argument but it needs to be done safely.

Lost my vote

We should have stayed with the blended learning philosophy. I know everyone would prefer full time education for kids but some things just aren’t possible in a pandemic.

Also should have kept pubs closed til Schools had a chance to go back.

@Blueberryham i agree. The last 5 months should have been spent planning and investing in a blended learning model as at the very least a back up plan. Instead pubs were opened and everyone was offered half price meals at the cost of the tax payer. I know we need to get the economy going but Aberdeens economy isnt going to be growing very fast now.

@Blueberryham

We should have stayed with the blended learning philosophy. I know everyone would prefer full time education for kids but some things just aren’t possible in a pandemic.

I just didn't understand why this was dropped. The school/parents/work places could have planned for this and really have had a chance at a full school year of blended learning.

I think it was just dropped cos there was so much backlash. Everybody saying this is ridiculous what about the children they need to be educated get them back to school. Which of course is true but it needs to be done in a way that is sustainable in a pandemic and with a fair amount of plans in place to protect the teachers.

Jerome this is what worries me. Kids comes down with a fever and are just dosed with calpol and sent to school.

@Blueberryham I was one of those parents who was against a default plan of blended learning.

My concern was that as a default plan it suggested that not a lot of effort would be put into actually getting DCs back into school in any meaningful capacity. My DS is going into S3 if blended learning is what he received last term, then he will never pass any of his Nat 5s.

That's not even to mention parents of younger DCs who are likely to lose their jobs if DCs unable to go into school.

If pubs had not been reopened inside we'd still be looking at extremely low numbers - perhaps less than 10 a day and no one has died for more than 2 weeks.But government has to try to balance economy versus coronavirus so they have to try things and then pull back if it doesn't woek.

@Blueberryham - I have the opposite concern. DC at school sneezes and will instantly be sent home for 2 weeks along with anyone who has been in the same room as them.

@Blueberryham

I think it was just dropped cos there was so much backlash. Everybody saying this is ridiculous what about the children they need to be educated get them back to school. Which of course is true but it needs to be done in a way that is sustainable in a pandemic and with a fair amount of plans in place to protect the teachers.

Back then the covid situation was also different. Children couldn’t even meet up / play with their friends so parents were panicking on multiple fronts regarding lockdown, including about their children’s socialisation and mental health. Now that particular imperative has decreased, and so to the panic for full time (in person) education with it:

Yes rookie all those concerns are very real and absolutely a worry. There is not an easy answer I suppose.

@Blueberryham

I think it was just dropped cos there was so much backlash. Everybody saying this is ridiculous what about the children they need to be educated get them back to school. Which of course is true but it needs to be done in a way that is sustainable in a pandemic and with a fair amount of plans in place to protect the teachers.

Yes that makes sense, let's not govern, let's kowtow to the loudest on social media. This isn't the only area NS has done this tho.

I think opening schools should have been prioritised over pubs, but i also think a good blended model should have been put in place so that education would continue if schools had to close. However one makes money, the other costs money.

I am ok about my children going back to school, I have concerns but do think they need to be back, but the exam fiasco this year was bad enough given that most young people were technically in the same boat, with lockdown and no exams, how is this ever going to work with constant disruptions across different areas and schools. Those poor kids this year are now facing worse come this time next year.

@rookiemere i agree that last terms blended learning was not great, but that was a rushed job, with no planning etc. The teachers were given 48 hours notice of lockdown. Education scotland have had 5 months nearly 6 to put something more fair and sustainable in place.

The backlash was hardly surprising when some councils offered less than 30% time in school. If they started with a more reasonable plan and promises to review regularly then parents wouldn't have gotten so angry!

It's ridiculous to open up all the shops, pubs and restaurants and then give kids one day of school a week...

Nicole sturgeon has went against boris every step of the way and sometimes rightly so, others just to make a point before very quickly following his lead a week or less later.

Before the scottish summer holidays, boris was talking about english schools going back, so nicola jumped in, promising schools back here in full come august. Boris backtracks to september. He now has plenty time to watch and see what happens north of the border.

Today’s announcement made me want to cry. Having passed through town at the weekend, I’m not surprised tbf. People were falling all over one another, just so fucking fed up of individuals thinking their need to hang out with their mates is greater then getting us all back to some form of normality. As for the likes of the pubs that have been splashed all over the news with the queues outside, are they surprised when no booking system has been in place since they opened. If people were forced to book, then there would be no need for these queues. Most places on the list that has circulated in Aberdeen have had zero booking requirements.

@Callisto1 but look what has happened across england and now in aberdeen because we opened shops, restaurants and pubs. The numbers are rising.

Its not working