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

63 replies

KnitPurlKnitPurl · 11/05/2022 08:03

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?

OP posts:
Draincover · 12/05/2022 10:58

No particular lessons have been learned though from what I can see. I have teacher friends that have suffered real ill health, from the cold with windows open. Ventilation systems haven't been installed from what I can tell throughout all sectors. The governments could have prioritised this. And acted throughout lockdowns with installations. Another variant could rip through the population tomorrow. I still have to shield as I work with the vulnerable. So I find this business as usual rhetoric total bollocks.

Newgirls · 12/05/2022 11:23

Draincover · 12/05/2022 10:53

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.

I’ve heard lots of unis have used this as a prompt to expand their online course provision. That’s no bad thing in a way.

i have heard some staff have moved abroad and were allowed to teach remotely (tho teaching has finished at the moment) even when students were back on campus. It was down to individual depts with reasons given room size etc. the reality was one was in Spain another in England (not Scotland)

KnitPurlKnitPurl · 12/05/2022 12:41

DS is on one of those courses which has lots of people in some lectures from other courses - so for example he's on a Chemistry degree, one of his electives is on pharmacology which has people in it who are on Biology, Pharmacy or related degrees. Some of the classes are very large indeed, in the hundreds, which is why they have had it all online. But even when things started to relax there has been no push to get them back on campus, and the student union hasn't been pushing it either. He has basically been in his room all year looking at a screen. His appointment with the wellbeing service to discuss the adjustments and arrangements he needs was online. He has struggled so much through this first year with the lack of structure and everything being online and I am so glad he has been here at home where we can keep an eye on him than in some halls somewhere feeling even more miserable.

I started a post-grad almost 2 years ago and have never been issued with a student card, because covid.

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/05/2022 14:30

Maybe it depends on the individual senior managers of the service

Yes, it very often can do, especially as the lack of accountability allows for the unchecked spread of whatever silliness they've thought up that day

Interesting that you mentioned libraries though; I volunteer at ours, and the librarian's still crowing that her manager's said staff are not to come in if they're the slightest bit worried about Covid. Not if they're feeling ill, or even been in contact with someone infected, mind you - just if they're even slightly worried

And then people wonder why it's next to impossible to get anything done if the council are involved ...

SirChenjins · 12/05/2022 15:57

Which council is that where the library staff across the region have been told by the head of the library service that they don’t have to come in @Puzzledandpissedoff ?

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/05/2022 16:43

East Midlands city, SirChenjin - I don't really want to get more specific than that, since with other posts I have on here it could get a bit outing

lurchermummy · 12/05/2022 18:18

You have to wonder whether any of these measures are actually evidence based in terms of reducing transmission. I somehow doubt it.

SirChenjins · 12/05/2022 22:14

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/05/2022 16:43

East Midlands city, SirChenjin - I don't really want to get more specific than that, since with other posts I have on here it could get a bit outing

So not Scotland’s public sector as per the OP. I did wonder - it’s pretty much business as usual here.

Lancslass11 · 13/05/2022 07:44

At least people living in Scotland and attending Scottish Universityenefjt from lower tuition fees. Dd is likely to be in over 60 grands worth of debt for her four year course and her maintenance loans are not full. 37K is tuition fees.

Lancslass11 · 13/05/2022 07:45

University benefit

JustABloodyMinute · 13/05/2022 11:53

Maybe the universities in Scotland need to be seen to be particularly cautious in order to attract overseas students to come back.

The rest of the public sector in Scotland is back to normal in my experience.

Newgirls · 13/05/2022 12:54

JustABloodyMinute · 13/05/2022 11:53

Maybe the universities in Scotland need to be seen to be particularly cautious in order to attract overseas students to come back.

The rest of the public sector in Scotland is back to normal in my experience.

They seem to be ok for international students.

I think it’s more that uni staff are heavily unionised

mmmmmmghturep · 22/05/2022 17:31

@SunshineLane Ask for Ride London to be moved up there You will get your potholes filled.

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