Wales 5

[DdraigGoch]

The old one filled up before we could link a new one but here we are.

I drove about 38 miles away today to go to a different M&S shopping. I’m done with these ridiculous rules. The M&S is in the area I work (school) so what’s the difference really.
Next weekend I’m going to the beach regardless and if stopped I’ll take the fine. This has gone too far now.

No, but planning an after work drink with a friend midweek providing the weather is OK (she's working over the weekend hence the delay).

We're also seeing a different friend on Monday but it's work related so I think it would have been legit anyway. (Agriculture & he needs to borrow a piece of machinery for a time-dependent job) But I won't feel bad about taking time for him to be smug at DP about the rugby a catch up!

Drakeford has had supermarkets covering non essential goods up for months, so smaller shops that were closed weren't disadvantaged. Now he has allowed shops already open to sell non essential goods 3 weeks ahead of those that are closed! If people were waiting to buy something, the shops already open will catch the rush. There was no point in covering stuff up if shops didn't start selling non essential goods at the same time!

Case rate down to 41 per 100,000 or 4.1 per 10,000 or 0.41 per 1,000 on a small percentage of cases have become serious and now vaccines should reduce serious cases even more. We have these large buildings called hospitals, what are they for if they cannot cope with such low numbers? We have to still have restrictions for 4.1 cases per 10,000 people? Really? That's only cases! It's ridiculous, far more people will die because of the restrictions!

Somehow Penrhyn Bay has managed to become Wales' most infectious ward overnight. 31 cases (498 per 100k). Where did they come from, was there a party I wasn't invited to?

We had a walk with some friends yesterday , we made it about 100 yards before it poured down ( not just rain , hail was in the mix )
Back in the cars and back to our ( draughty old ) house for a cup of tea and a catch up

Had my Covid jab on Friday , phone call from the surgery telling me my name was top of the list , could I be there in an hour ?
Well , yes I could !
Arms a bit tender now and tiredness kicked in at about 4 pm yesterday and I was in bed for 9 pm
I’m 60 , and in Carmarthenshire

Plan to possibly go to local town and get some sea sea air next weekend, not been outside my rural community since well before xmas. The following week I'm off to England to visit my terminally ill mother in a care home. A long journey and a change of Scenery I guess, but not quite the circumstances. Im hoping it's dry and I can at least go for walk down there.

I also don't understand what the justification is for allowing the non-essential bits of supermarkets to reopen, but not other retail. I haven't even seen an attempted justification, and it certainly doesn't fit with what was said when closing them.

Hope all goes well CeeJay. I think it's been particularly tough for those with elderly or ill family over the border as it feels like the restrictions never line up!

@DdraigGoch

Somehow Penrhyn Bay has managed to become Wales' most infectious ward overnight. 31 cases (498 per 100k). Where did they come from, was there a party I wasn't invited to?

It's a boarding school outbreak

@110APiccadilly

I also don't understand what the justification is for allowing the non-essential bits of supermarkets to reopen, but not other retail. I haven't even seen an attempted justification, and it certainly doesn't fit with what was said when closing them.

Hope all goes well CeeJay. I think it's been particularly tough for those with elderly or ill family over the border as it feels like the restrictions never line up!

It'll be to keep stop people flocking in from over the border.

It's a boarding school outbreak
St David's College?

That's a relief then, the pupils won't be doing much community spreading.

Thanks to those on here who gave advice about unpaid carers and the vaccine. I filled the form and was eligible and I have it Wednesday! [I am sure it was this thread!] Diolch!!

Ooooh @tinytemper66
That’s great news.
I’m still waiting to hear about mine. Hoping it’s soon

Thank you @Daffodil hopefully you will hear soon x

BBC News - Covid hospital admissions hit low in Wales
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56408452
And yet we're still not in "Level One".

Oh.... my..... god.....

Just watched BBC Wales

"ANGLESEY HAS TEN TIMES THE NUMBER OF COVID CASES THAN IN THE REST OF WALES!!"

"OVER 400 CASES PER 100,000 PEOPLE IN SOME AREAS!!"

Then they interview the leader of the council who very solemnly says they have to do something about it to stop the rise in cases. Could be school closures etc etc

The actual facts are that there are 43 cases in a small area of Holyhead but because the population is about 10,000 they multiply the 43 cases by 10 to get it to 400 per 100,000 people. There aren't 400 cases or 100,000 people!

It's 43 cases / 10,000 population = 0.43% of the Holyhead population. Less than half of 1%! It's actually less because I think the population is greater than 10,000. The covid stats show 5% of cases become serious so only 1 in 20, this equates to 2 cases could become serious out of the 43 Holyhead cases.

Is that really worth the way BBC Wales started that program?

I feel so sorry for the people sat gripping their armchairs in fear.

@CassandraKnew

That’s outrageous reporting. The media have been way too sensationalist throughout the whole pandemic though. Some real scaremongering; even some total untruths.
Very distressing for those who don’t understand how the stats are calculated and/or have real anxiety around COVID.

It's absolutely absurd at this point. It should be hospitalisations and deaths only reported now. Whenever positive articles relating to case rates and deaths are reported on BBC, they're pushed to the bottom of the page. They frame "rising" rates as headline news to keep people terrified and compliant.

They wittered on about Conwy being shock horror high, so checked, for heaven's sake it's scare tactics, Holyhead is a port so many transients from the continent who need food, fuel to continue their journey which makes Tesco there a hub of infections. We don't test ferry arrival folk who come in from Europe it's a problem which like hospital infections are in the main not publicised

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-bonus-pay-nhs-covid-20194921?utm_source=upday&utm_medium=referral

Great news for all NHS staff, social and primary care staff.

Figures higher today because they added 99 from January. 48 in my health board so went from 104 to 56. That was in the small print so you needed keen eyes to find it. Sorry but they are barstewards for doing this.

Another confusing message 're tourism. Mr Drakeford hopes to announce opening of self catering accommodation next week- am I right in thinking he pretty much gave the go ahead last week?? I despair.

I’ve just seen a message on SM which says no more vaccinations are being given out to carers as too many people are fibbing about being carers. ( BCUHB)
I know I’ll get mine eventually but I do hope that mum and hubby who are both CEV are still able to get their second doses within the recommended time frame.

About the self catering stuff.

The holiday parks near us are full steam ahead. New mobile homes arriving. The big ones that are in two parts. Grass being cut etc etc.
The poor woodpeckers who have taken up residence are in for a shock. I hope they move somewhere else before they start breeding. Also I hope the free range pheasants realise what is going on and move on. Once the parks open it is manic and any wildlife doesn’t stand a chance

He did this with retail hinted they would open so staff came in to prepare, then totally denied he had approved that

Yes he did. And then acted surprised when everyone queried it? What does he expect to happen in a week? I feel bad for the self catering businesses that will have to rely being told by the '11th hour' by him. He's either enjoying the power or is just totally not understanding how fed up people are with his vague statements. He's starting to give me the rage to be honest.