Most pointless covid restrictions you’ve seen by an organisation or workplace?

[Lucidas]

Cordoning off every other toilet and sink in an attempt to enforce social distancing...meaning people are clustered tightly in a queue, chatting for longer

@MedSchoolRat

Work said we can't fill up our own water bottles from mains water tap.

Coz you know, the chlorine in the tap water isn't good enough to kill covid germs. #sarcasm

Most the staff are microbiologists with infectious disease expertise (!!) 🤷

I'm fairly sure that the chlorine in tap water isn't good enough to kill sars-cov-2 germs - if it was then there'd be no need for soap, or alcohol handwashes - we could all just use water. Swimming pool water kills it, but that's chlorinated at a MUCH higher level than tap water.

But that's an aside - if you're filling your own bottles, then what's the issue?

Incidentally, the reason for all these weird and dumb rules is that businesses aren't being TOLD what to do. They simply have to create a covid safety plan and have it approved.

Guidelines exist for writing such plans that encourage people to think through every kind of conceivable risk - this prompts the writers to come up with answers for each, even when in that particular business, the given scenario was never a problem in the first place.

The whole thing is a box-ticking exercise. This is why things like Park Run are struggling. A normal person can objectively look at the whole thing and say, "this is very low risk", but they're up against council employees with set forms to complete....

@strangeshapedpotato

Incidentally, the reason for all these weird and dumb rules is that businesses aren't being TOLD what to do. They simply have to create a covid safety plan and have it approved.

Guidelines exist for writing such plans that encourage people to think through every kind of conceivable risk - this prompts the writers to come up with answers for each, even when in that particular business, the given scenario was never a problem in the first place.

The whole thing is a box-ticking exercise. This is why things like Park Run are struggling. A normal person can objectively look at the whole thing and say, "this is very low risk", but they're up against council employees with set forms to complete....

I wondered if this was the case as all the eating places I've been into have their own variations on the roolz, ranging from actually quite handy to completely barmy. They really need some clearer guidelines.

I think the logic is that someone will put the bottle mouth right on the tap, creating contact and saliva transfer.

This never mattered before when we might have had noro brewing, or flu, or colds, or dental caries or any other mouth transferable germ on our grotty saliva-ridden bottle necks. But now covid exists, when we are legally required to stay home at any sign of exposure or possible symptoms, the germ transfer risk has become intolerable.

We can definitely fill kettle & pour freshly boiled water into a mug, at least. I'm fuzzy about whether putting cold water into your own mug might be banned. Coz you know, saliva might splash up from mug rim onto the tap and then someone else might run the tap before chlorine residue on the tap zapped the (environmentally fragile enveloped virus that is) SARs-CoV-2. Not that we worried when the potential virus was persists-for-days noro, of course.

There's washing up liquid but no sponge to apply it with -- did I mention that? I wonder if people are using their own washing up implements or just rinsing out.

We had multiple microwaves but now There's one microwave in whole huge building in tiny far away kitchen, afaik.

ps: tap water chlorine does kill SARS-CoV-2, or tap water couldn't be safe. Just not as quickly as swimming pool concentrations kill it.

I wondered if this was the case as all the eating places I've been into have their own variations on the roolz, ranging from actually quite handy to completely barmy. They really need some clearer guidelines.

What annoys me about eating places is how they seem to use Covid as an excuse. So, reducing the menu options because you aren't serving as many people so you have to manage volumes/supplies etc seems perfectly reasonable. But then not being able to manage even those? Drives me mad.

thisisnotwhatisignedupfor

My work has removed the kettle from our staffroom the fridge, microwave, vending machines and pool table have been allowed to stay but apparently the kettle is just too dangerous!

Haha, that’s the best. Utterly ridiculous.

My favourite one recently was when I went to a cafe and the staff at the counter were stood behind Perspex screens, with face masks and visors taking orders but there was a big uncovered display of pastries in front of the screen nicely positioned for everyone to breathe all over them.

@MedSchoolRat

ps: tap water chlorine does kill SARS-CoV-2, or tap water couldn't be safe. Just not as quickly as swimming pool concentrations kill it.

Tap water is safe because of the extensive cleaning it goes through! The chlorine left in it by the time it reaches your tap, is just the residue from the much higher level used to disinfect it! If it was strong enough to kill a virus, I hate to think what it would do to your gut microbiota!

Also the virus is limited to a few days in water anyway.

Finally the dilution effect - i.e. in order to deliver a dose sufficient to create an infection, you'd need an ENORMOUS amount of virus dumped into the clean-water reservoir!

Not that any of this is relevant to whether or not bottle-saliva transfers constitute a real and present danger . Personally I always consider it a matter of common sense that when filling a container from a communal tap, I avoid the container touching the tap. You'd have thought suggesting this to people more sensible than banning bottles :)

During the last lockdown our local drive in cinema had to close. Despite the fact that everyone was contained within their car and didn't come into contact with anyone else at any point.

At a holiday resort last week, we had to queue with masks on for the indoor pool and not allowed to shower or use the changing rooms afterwards.

We were however, all packed into the pool like sardines at the end of the queue, no masks! It was like a COVID-free world in that pool. It was strangely wonderful.

But didn’t make any sense.

A taped off box less than 2m from the nearest desks protects everyone from covid because everyone knows Coronvirus knows that it shouldn't cross the taped line.

Pump top sanitiser gel dispensers at every entrance everywhere. Let's all touch that same square centimetre of push down plastic before we put the gel on, eh? You have to hope the gel will do its job ....

At my kids high school they can't sit anywhere near eachother at lunch

Despite the fact they're all in classes sat in close proximity together 😫🤣

My work wouldn't let more than 1 person use the kitchen at a time.

So I could sit next to my coworker in an office smaller than the kitchen for 8 hours a day but God forbid i stand and make a brew while she's microwaving her lunch

@Reallybadidea

At the dentist they have a raft of pointless measures including taking your temp when you arrive (so the receptionist has to get close to you), closing the toilets, making you put your coat and bag in a plastic box (presumably in case somebody feels compelled to lick them), forbid you from rinsing and spitting and yet.... the dentist sits within a few centimetres of your open mouth with only a surgical mask. I don't get it!

We used the same dentist...

What annoys me about eating places is how they seem to use Covid as an excuse. So, reducing the menu options because you aren't serving as many people so you have to manage volumes/supplies etc seems perfectly reasonable. But then not being able to manage even those? Drives me mad.

The problem we had is that suppliers were limiting delivery because of 'covid safety' at their end staff on furlough when they needed them meaning they had less people to stack vans etc.
One of the EOTHO weeks, we were limited to two deliveries from our regular suppliers. Half the stuff had to come off the menu because we couldn't get the ingredients.
And don't get me started on the brewery drays....... Having to order 10 days in advance, refusing to take uplifts and no emergency delivery if you've run out of something after a busy weekend.

We also had a tiny kitchen, that would normally have 5 chefs and two pot wash on a busy day, plus waiting staff in and out, that was reduced to one waitress at a time, 2 chefs and 1 potwash. Big service time impact.

Ultimately, the rules that businesses had to try and stick to weren't clear to start with, came with a lovely fine and being closed if you got it wrong, and they are just not compatible with hospitality as we know it - the people within hospitality know that better than anyone else.

Add to that customers shouting at you all day because you're a jobsworth, because the rules make no sense, because you are enjoying the power, because you are only following the rules because of your political leanings, because you don't like them, because you can't think for yourself, because you should do it their way as you've just had 4 months off at tax payers expense....... Not at all possible you're trying to help save the business you rely on, make sure that the authorities have no reason to close you down and ensure you continue to earn a living.

Sounds like a really good job for minimum wage doesn't it?

@itsgettingwierd

Kids wearing masks outside to wait for pool to open fire door to enter.

To them walk poolside in masks to stand poolside and change - including taking off masks.

To them swim and breathe on each other for 2 hours to get out and stand together to put dry robes on.

Then put masks in to leave pool again!

I'm very pro mask but I do think at times you have to accept you are taking an element of risk and the mask wearing is only limiting that risk for the time you're wearing them - and when that's 2-3 minutes of 2 hours in a space together it seems like it won't prevent anything spreading if someone is asymptomatic!

I agree seems daft . It’s like we have to wear masks walking around office/ building but I can sit with my colleagues at desk without mask . I’m not near anyone when I walk around but I am sat near someone all day I don’t see the point .

I am going to a mental health calming café this weekend. I have been a few times before, pre-Covid. It has sofas, blankets, cuddly cushions etc. Board games to play with other service users, things like colouring, puzzle books etc to do, and they have a list of 14 different hot drinks they serve.

Now, due to Covid, all soft furnishings have been removed, there will be no board games or activities. Instead of just dropping in whenever, it is now a strict 2 hour booked slot only... that they dictate. Only one service user can attend at a time. You can't take your own activities either. Have to wear a mask or shield to go from the front door to a table (remember no one else will be there).

The real clincher is no hot drinks. Been told to take a bottle of water because they can't provide anything like that either. This one makes no sense whatsoever.

I honestly am thinking of giving my slot up.

Shopping centre one way system cut off my friends business as no one was allowed to walk past hiim anymore (food retail). The way the system was laid out meant anyone who strayed into his area was made to walk around a huge one way system before being allowed access and he still has to pay the rent, his sales went down 90%, he has lost thousands.

I have to put a mask on the second I enter hospital premises which is the car park which is outside and a 20 min walk away from the hospital entrance..

All mugs and cutlery have been removed from the work kitchen, due to covid. The hospital rewarded our hard work over covid with free coffee. We were told not to bring our own mugs in so now we have polystyrene ones.

I stayed overnight in a hotel a couple of weeks ago where the buffet breakfast had been replaced with table service only. Fair enough. The bowls of cereal were brought to us and the waitress had to pour the milk on for us but then brought a smaller jug of milk for us to use on our own hot drinks. Not exactly logical and wasted the waitress's time as well.

Work. A hospital. I spend 11.5 hours sitting 15" away from 3 other colleagues in a 2m x 3m room with no windows and with a bit of paper around our mouths.

We head to the canteen where we have to stand on painted circles 2m apart when queueing, then have to sit two to a 2m long table.

At our dentist's the receptionists are in full PPE, behind desktop to ceiling plastic barriers.

I imagine the dentist must be in a space suit...

@Ilovelblue

I stayed overnight in a hotel a couple of weeks ago where the buffet breakfast had been replaced with table service only. Fair enough. The bowls of cereal were brought to us and the waitress had to pour the milk on for us but then brought a smaller jug of milk for us to use on our own hot drinks. Not exactly logical and wasted the waitress's time as well.

We stopped at a Premier Inn over the weekend, cereal milk came in little milk bottles.