Scotland update but depressing

[Cafeaulait27]

I found it a bit depressing that Scotland have said they won’t be lifting all restrictions until august, and even then, masks will probably still be required.

Scotland aiming to lift Covid restrictions by 9 August www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57570939

I’m in England but just feel like this is a bit depressing! Sounds like we’ll have some level of restrictions all summer and then god knows what winter holds?

Just wondered what everyone else’s thoughts were.

40% rise in cases, though - that's scary. Edinburgh now has higher case levels than at any other time. I'm not in Edinburgh but the kids' school has had two year groups off now - P7 won't finish school properly because they're now all homeschooling because of an outbreak. We managed Aug-Christmas without a single case in the school but now there have been two outbreaks in the last month.

It is depressing but I can see the reasons for it.

And aren't they aiming to have vaccinated everyone by the end of Aug, with two doses? I'm late 30s and expect to get my second dose in early Aug. So hopefully that'll see it off, with no winter restrictions necessary!

It doesn’t surprise me. Sage etc have been saying that masks would be required for a while. Only Boris ever said that all restrictions might be lifted soon , none of the devolved leaders ever did.

Yeah, I do totally get it ☹️ Just a bit of a bummer isn’t it. It’s all just dragging on and on xx

Yeh it is a bummer but I'm on Scotland and we can actually do a fair amount. It's better than last year and I think once we are all vaccinated that really will be the end of it. Fingers crossed.

It's just the same as it has always been - whatever Boris does, Nicola has to do something different.

Although today it was refreshing to hear that they have abandoned their ridiculous "zero covid" strategy (although she said it was a shift in focus) and have realised what the rest of us realised months ago - that the way forward is to get everyone vaccinated, and that covid cases are irrelevant.

I think she said all over 40s double vaccinated by the beginning of August, all Scottish over 18s will take until September.

Just no point in the vaccinations is there? What a waste of time and money they’ve been! Makes me so angry.

Level zero is still hugely restrictive and is still going to be ruining lives. But this is what we will be loving with.

@Horehound

Yeh it is a bummer but I'm on Scotland and we can actually do a fair amount. It's better than last year and I think once we are all vaccinated that really will be the end of it. Fingers crossed.

And most people I know are completely disregarding the arbitrary rules about numbers anyway - there are 5 of us over the age of 12 in this house, according to Queen Nic's laws that should mean that we are only allowed one visitor at a time because the limit is 6.

Even if the visitors are people who my 16 year old sits in a class all week with.

@SteveArnottsWaistcoat love your name!! I’m sure things would be much worse without the vaccine. I was just hoping things would be back to normal by now and I’m having a hard time accepting that they aren’t, and probably won’t be until next summer 😔

Feel like I should point out my title should say ‘bit’ depressing not but… but you get it

I think there will still be plenty of winter restrictions. My contract on my temporary Covid-related job has been extended to the end of next March.

Not unexpected but extremely depressing

How many businesses will go down in the meantime

Of course the SG don't care about that

Have heard of lots of returning Tartan army people who have tested positive today,but no condemnation from the SG

I'm in Scotland and even after we come out of Level 0 or whatever it is, I feel it's really not going to be any different. Nicola just kept going on and on today about removing the distancing rules. Is anyone actually still abiding by them now anyway? And I think it's really just a way of getting more people into bars and restaurants. I want to social distance forever! I simply cant do facemasks, they cause me so much anxiety and panic, even seeing others with them on, so I've just not been out anywhere except for a walk since last July and I've sat in tears all afternoon. I dont know if I can take it much more. I just want to go and buy a pint of milk or something. I really think masks should be an option thing now. I'm getting fed up of watching everyone on tv, at sports events and the likes parading aroung maskless and I cant even go into my local corner shop! Perhaps there could be a certain time of the day when people who cant wear a mask get a chance to shop whilst quite happily social distancing. I find it very discriminatory in fact. Meanwhile when Boris scraps his rules, Scotland will be overrun by English tourists. That's not fair.

Did she say anything about how the Scottish football team should be self isolating though, or the crowds who came down to London with no ticket? Thought not

Did she buggery.

Just a "best wishes to Scotland for tonight".

Do we think the Edinburgh Fringe will go ahead?

Why would anyone listen to hypocritical Nicola Strurgen 🤷‍♀️

Well The Fringe is due to start 6th August and I'm sure that's aroungdthe date that she was calling for all restrictions (well some of them) to be scrapped. Quite handy that!

Ginandfantalemon I have been seeing adverts from visit Scotland on TV recently encouraging people to plan holidays there now, so yes, probably will be overrun by tourists, I think that is the aim rather than an unhappy side effect of Boris' policies

@SteveArnottsWaistcoat

Just no point in the vaccinations is there? What a waste of time and money they’ve been! Makes me so angry.

Wtf are you going on about @SteveArnottsWaistcoat? Remember daily we were seeing hundreds - thousands of deaths and now we're not?

We need 60% of the population to have both doses of vaccine. We're not quite there yet but soon. Hardly a waste of time. Jesus.

@Ginandfantalemon have you got a sunflower lanyard? I have anxiety attacks and there are times were I really struggle with masks if in finding to hard to regulate my breathing. No one has ever said anything to me when I have my lanyard on.

Obviously this doesn't help with panic around others wearing them but even if they were optional that would be an issue I suppose.

@DoucheCanoe, Yes, I now have an exemption card from the Scottish Government/NHS as advised by someone I am now having to see because of all my anxiety that this has caused. I've been too anxious as of yet to use it though, as I don't want people looking at me and wondering why I'm not wearing a mask. That in itself would set me off into a panic. It's so bloody hard, feel like I'm just existing but certainly not living. I was really hoping that Nicola was going to say today that, come August, masks would not be needed, at least when shops and the likes weren't too busy. I was wrong obviously!!

It still feels like progress that this was the first time since last spring I’ve heard her say the plan is getting back to normality. Not ‘something closer to normal’ or ‘a greater degree of normality’ or all the cautious language she’s used before, but actual normality.

Still, though, fed up with the idea of masks dragging on and on. I can wear one so I do, but I just want to burn the bloody things now. And not to be stuck having to wear them on public transport forever.

It really does seem to be dragging on, it's like the carrot and the donkey, by the time they've vaccinated those who will agree to have it the eldest group will be getting to the stage where they need their boosters, do we then have to wait for all those to be done?