Scotland's public sector is still covid-crazy - anywhere else?

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Scotland was slower than the rest of the UK to ditch the remaining Covid restrictions. Masks did not go until Easter Sunday, free testing stopped on 1 May.

Public sector has not moved on. I was in a University library over the weekend - one way systems, sanitising stations, every second desk taped off, capacity limits, big signs up everywhere about masks, even big screens showing the test and protect messages and saying your details may be shared for contact tracing (they won't, because that system has now stopped)

DS, who is an undergrad student at that University has had 6 sessions (2 hours each) of lab work all year, everything else is online. All exams/assessments online. They are "hoping" to get students back on campus in October.

The school at the end of my street are still operating staggered starts/finishes, different playtimes for separate year groups, the big banner about social distancing and face masks on the school run is still pinned to the railings.

Yesterday was in another library/archives in a different part of the country - had to make an appointment in advance, limited capacity, could only have a 2 hour slot, had to wash my hands with soap and water before being allowed in (sanitiser is bad for old paper) windows open wide so it was freezing cold, one way system marked on the door, was told I MUST still wear may mask if not exempt, sit socially distanced from the one other person there at the same time as me.

This seems so extreme to me. Private sector shops etc in Scotland are pretty much back to normal, probably around 10% of people wearing masks as is their right but none of the shouty messages about what you MUST do.

Surely no other place in the UK has a public sector still behaving like it's October 2020?

No masks, staggered starts or partitioned playgrounds in our primary or secondary in Edinburgh. So it’s not across all of Scotland.

Face masks are no longer required at Strath Uni library from this past Monday, according to their Twitter.

In a big library like that it can sometimes take a while to update display screens and things.

There used to be a big notice up on their website directing you to info about covid measures etc in the library, but it's no longer there.

I think they're just taking a very cautious, measured approach. The ventilation in that building is awful, for one thing 😄

Hush - before you make an even bigger tit of yourself.

That's not to say they aren't providing a shit service, obviously, but it's just just the normal level of shit service rather than anything to do with Covid.
how reassuring

I visited a relative in the hospital last week, I saw lots of people not wearing masks, staff, patients and visitors.

I am in SE England and have an OT assessment booked for my autistic son arranged by the Local Authority for his EHCP. The OT service is still operating virtually here and they want to do it over zoom! I have told them there is no chance my son will engage with this and asked how they can provide a proper OT assessment virtually. No response.

In SE England. Tip operated by private firm. Pretty useless facility. Booking system adopted what looks like permanently.

But considering there was a rise and peak in infection rate in March, and COVID is ripping on through, you would think masks be a no brainer.

Seems countries like Denmark have just given up, as Omicron so transmissible and not as fatal. Which could be the rationale in England for what feels like reckless abandoment.

Feels very at odds with a couple of years back.

The booking facility for the tip by me is one of the best things to come from covid. No turning up and waiting 45 minutes in a queue! In and out in 10.

I had a biopsy last week and was told to expect results in 3 months. Yes MONTHS! WTAF!. I work in a vets, if you bring your pet in for a biopsy we'll have the results in a few days. Something far wrong here.
And yes I had to book a slot for the recycling centre that is round the corner from my house, couldn't get same day so had to put soaking wet rubbish bags in my car and when I arrived for my slot yesterday I was the only person there .

I went for a hospital appointment this week and everyone I saw had a mask on. As you went in the door there were tables sat out with boxes of masks on them to encourage you to wear one. I had mine on anyway

And I've never had to queue for my local tip

Aye totally.

Scotsnet is very boring now, almost every complaint under the sun is Nicola sturgeons fault, or "our lovely First Minister" as the op snidely says. Probably her fault the weather is shit too.
FWIW, I'm in east Renfrewshire. The libraries, shops, gp services all back to normal. Can't comment on schools. But i'm pretty sure we have overhanging trees too, the fucking nerve of them.

My job requires me to source documents from archives, sheriff courts, register offices and the like. Much of it is still fully shut to the public, with 'email only' systems set to remain in perpetuity.

One example is the Edinburgh sheriff court, which I haven't set foot in for over two years. The staff in there always hated dealing with the public and now they don't have to ever again because covid.

I do not anticipate any change this year. It will be well into next year, if ever, that Scottish civil servants who previously dealt directly with the public will be expected to again, and some departments will never reopen.

You'll have had your tea, as they say.

I think you must do similar things to me, Morris Zapp. The Edinburgh city Archives I think is still closed - I had to access papers there in March and all staff were working from home, I had to request in advance, paper quarantined for 72 hours, couldn't get an appointment for 3 weeks, and if you find something in the records which leads you to another record, you have to start the whole process again and it takes another month.

I wanted to access similar records in Inverness - again, archives closed, nobody answering the phone, no response to email.

There's no furlough any more, so basically all these archive and other workers are at home, on full pay. They can't "work from home" as they do not have the records at home.

@dementedpixie we don't have to queue for the tip. You have to have booked your appointment in advance and if you have not reserved a slot they turn you away.

Fife schools are normal.

The tip has been normal for a year.

But my friend had a meeting in a council building last week and it was masks and 2m social distancing throughput.

And yes to the courts system - DS is looking for a summer job, and saw one the other day for a Jury Assistant, based at X-Scape in Braehead. Juries sat in the cinema on a live link to the court during Covid, there are obviously no plans to change this if they are recruiting NEW staff to manage the process. The cost of it all too.... paying for the court building in Glasgow or Dumbarton or whatever, and paying again for extra staff at cinemas or other sites too.

The frontline services (the ones who empty the bins and cut the overhanging trees) in my department are fully operational and pretty much have been throughout

Yes I think right at the beginning we had a message about bins - something about not collecting garden waste or something but that didn't last long and the bins have been picked up throughout. Our Christmas decoration lights were put up in November 2020 as usual, switched on until 6th Jan, then remained up throughout 2021 "because Covid". Very surreal walking through the town centre in August 2021 with the Merry CHristmas holly leaves and Santas all over the place.

Both my brothers are in the civil service and both still working from home. Think they may have both gone in once a week in the last couple of weeks

To be fair, lots of people who work in the private sector are still working from home too. DH is in a company which is transport based (not Calmac!) and has worked throughout the pandemic from home. He's now back to 2 days a week in the office which suits him - but he's not customer facing and does not deal with members of the public. He's just doing what he's always done, but over zoom rather than face to face.

If there is no impact on the service you are providing, then I can see why people and companies want to embrace the home working.

I taught glasgow uni f2f before xmas. And my dds Edinburgh primary invited parents into the classroom last week to visit. although this is the first time.

I actually love pre-booked tip slots instead of random queueing.

My experience is that everywhere is short staffed so getting “back to normal” is more a logistical challenge than a policy choice.

The approach in Scottish unis is madness at this stage as the students can mix freely anywhere else. I think it’s because some staff prefer and are allowed to work from home still so it all goes together.

That's not to say they aren't providing a shit service, obviously, but it's just just the normal level of shit service rather than anything to do with Covid

Sounds about right, but then as I said any excuse will do and Covid's as good as any

I had to smile about the "tip" thing though; round here they insist that bookings are being continued because they're massively popular with the public, which from long experience translates to yet another committee meeting, two messages from those who did support it (probably council employees) and a decision to do what they fully intended to do anyway

I work for a kind of public sector (weird set up) and our restrictions are all gone now. It's just on personal preference and don't bully anyone who wants to wear a mask. But we don't deal with the general public.

Our local library has been open with no masks, I've been able to get a doctor's appointment throughout except for the very very locked down time. I can even just pop in to ask a question (which I did about my prescription). So maybe it depends on the individual senior managers of the service.

I've heard that part of the issue with higher education is that they grabbed the opportunity with both hands to make extra money and have massively oversubscribed courses so that they don't have the capacity to teach face to face. They also have offered classes that used to be face to face as opportunities for distance learning so students might not even be in the UK.

Its very refreshing to find the restrictions have finally been lifted in schools and it seems to be pretty much back to normal. Lovely to be getting messages about school discos, school trips, sports days and school open days rather than another case of covid in primary 5y.

Not so sure about universities profiting from the pandemic. They have invested heavily in student accommodation. And this wasn't utilised at the start of the pandemic. Foreign students pay higher rates, and they went home. There is a huge dependency on these students. Many staff are still very vulnerable comparatively to students. But some universities have sold off property with an aim to going more virtual. This is England. I don't know how Scotish universities are funded.