Coronavirus in ROI/NI part 2

[Zantedeschia]

Following on from the other thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/craicnet/3834552-Coronavirus-in-Ireland-N-Ireland?pg=40&order=

Smurf123 Looks positive for family gatherings in Phase 1. Copied from the Irish Times cos I'm too lazy to type: Groups of four to six people can meet outdoors subject to social distancing and, with the exception of people who are shielding, visits to immediate family will be allowed indoors, again where distancing is being followed.

I'm delighted about this as it means we'll hopefully be able to meet with my in laws soon. My parents are in Dublin so we know it'll be a good while before we can see them.

@MindyStClaire thanks.. Fingers crossed that isn't too far away although only issue is I'm not sure we can enforce the 2 year old social distancing from granny and granda indoors but at least we could go down and he could play in their garden - they have a gated raised deck which would keep him separated from running to them..
I would love to see how they are planning to do the aqe/gl exams in Nov / Dec if it's looking like the kids won't even all be back at school by then!

Whispers maybe kids could just move to the closest secondary school?
Today is one of those days where I have had enough of this!

@eggandonion - that really wouldn’t work. In my town there are 2 grammars and 2 high schools. The grammars are both single sex and the high schools are co-ed. One of the grammars is just across the road from one of the high schools. The other grammar is not that far away whereas the other high school is on the other side of the town. It simply wouldn’t work - there would be too many people close to the same schools and equi-distance from 2 schools.

Not only that, but there simply isn’t room in the local schools for all the local pupils - so many pupils travel for school that in some areas there would be a massive headache of oversubscription due to distance. There are other schools that don’t have a natural catchment area either - thinking the likes of Inst which is in Belfast city centre. And of course the issue of single sex schools also brings about additional difficulties.

I honestly don’t know what the answer is - but the fact is that we have a grammar system here and we also have a larger degree of freedom of choice for all pupils than the rest of the UK. (I honestly don’t know how it works in ROI) Even if you take out the question of grammar vs non-selective, there is such a variety - bigger schools vs smaller schools, catholic vs non-religious vs integrated, single sex vs co-ed, schools with bigger focus on sports or music or whatever, schools with better or worse SEN provision. Parents and pupils in NI can choose whatever school suits them best - they may not get it, but they can at least express a preference. I honestly don’t think you can take that away - even for 1 year.

visits to immediate family will be allowed indoors, again where distancing is being followed.

This is an absolute recipe for disaster. This is how it will keep spreading.

I never thought the day would come that I’d look across the water at the U.K. and think “thank fuck I’m in a safer place like NI!”

😂👏 Wins the thread!

I live in a commuter town, in the depths of down south, with a secondary school. Some kids travel to the city to the school a parent went to, but all the blow ins send their kids to the community school. It's like Normal People if you watch it - my kids went to school with the children of the local solicitor and the children of the local gardener. MIL was horrified that there was no entrance exam, and my children had no blazers!
Apparently Aldi in the next town is inside 5km, and there is a nice seaside walk near it. This is today's exciting news.
I wish Mary Lou and Michelle would buy suits a size bigger, Arlene's clothes fit properly.

MarDhea I agree that TOtallyFckedUpFamily's* comment wins the thread.
"........thank f*ck I'm in a safer place like NI."

Brilliant

Agree that suit of Michelle's today was dreadful. Far too tight. Arlene is tall and always dresses well. It a bit frumpy but appropriate.

Aww shucks.

I have NC'd (hope it works) as this is potentially outing. I am in ROI working for an Irish IT company and found out today that the office is opening next week!

I am upset and can't believe this is being allowed. We are not being forced to go in - they are saying it's completely optional and to 'help' people who are finding it hard to WFH but I have no doubt we will start to be pressured to go in soon. They are saying up to 70 people can go in at once.

We are definitely not essential workers and we can absolutely WFH with no issues. Has anyone heard of this happening anywhere else yet? And could/should I complain to any authorities? What's really annoying me is that it seems to have been signed off by the HSA as they've talked about having an audit done.

I'm amazed this is allowed. Do you have a union to ask?

This is the advice until 18th May - www.gov.ie/en/publication/cf9b0d-new-public-health-measures-effective-now-to-prevent-further-spread-o/ - stay home full stop. The gov.ie pages also have a list of essential services so you can see where they are shoe-horning themselves in

I presume they are opening after 18th May, but as far as I can see the guidance just says:
People who work outdoors: A phased return of outdoor workers (for example: construction workers, gardeners, including people working on allotments) will be allowed. Social distancing requirements continue to apply.

Remote working: Remote working is to continue for all workers or businesses that can currently do so.

So nothing changes on 18th May, if they can't be open now they can't open next week.

I would ring citizens advice in the morning and get hold of a government advice line/email advice info address, I'm sure there must be one, and ask.

Are you based in Dublin? My dd works near Google's office, but not in IT. Everyone has been contacted once a week since lockdown to see if they are ok, more recently to see who wants to go on a 'return to office' list. She is working from our boxroom with good broadband, it is better to be here than her shared house in Dublin with no broadband.
They are going to let people into the office three days a week, short days, no canteen, no hot desking, no group meetings. But no pressure, just an option.

@temple
I am WFH for a Global company.

Some people cant wait to get back to the office as they are finding WFH hard.

But in line with the rules, we were told yesterday that nobody will return to the office until August. They've also asked us to let them know if we are eager to return to the office or happy to WFH for a longer time. That way they will bring back the people who are eager to return first.

There are 70 in my department, and we have been told only 7 will be allowed back first. We usually have a 'take lunch whenever you feel like it' approach but will now be given set lunch times staggered apart.

If you're workplace do bring people back, do they have the space to have everyone back whilst meeting the social distance guidelines?

I'm not in Dublin (let's just say South West) and don't have a Union unfortunately. Normally the office holds about 120 people so if they are offering 70 slots it sounds to me like it's going to be the bare minimum distancing.

I've spoken to a few colleagues who are equally shocked - I'm trying to believe this is for anyone who is struggling with WFH but the cynic in me says it is purely about getting us back and blatant disregard for the rules. I actually think it is so irresponsible for the employees but also society.

My Dd is missing her work friends and social life, she's lonely. I think she'd like a couple of days a week in work to break the monotony. But there's no pressure from her workplace. Twitter are ok to continue as they are.

No mention of going back in from my lot.

Mind you, back at the start of March, they were as gung-ho as could be and were like "Virus? Meh, you've got hand sanitiser and surely your Mammies showed you how to wash your hands? Get in here or else."

Now, they seem to have no interest in bringing people back in. Mind you, our office never closed and there's about a dozen people who they have deemed to be 'Essential' - IT Support and Product Experts, working away the whole time.

Then again, I suspect that they're using the current situation to ease some people out the door as, with the way we're all isolated, they can pick off those they deem to be not up to scratch.

Poor old John & Gemma:

www.rte.ie/news/courts/2020/0513/1138081-gemma-odoherty-john-waters-covid19-coronavirus/

He said Mr Waters and Ms O'Doherty, who had no medical or scientific qualifications, maintained the numbers were overstated and the Minister for Health was following fraudulent science.

There was no factual basis or any supporting expert opinion put forward to support this.

The judge said the applicants gave unsubstantiated options, speeches, engaged in empty rhetoric and sought to draw an "absurd and Offensive" historical parallel with Nazi Germany.

Unsubstantiated opinions, speeches, rhetoric and bogus historical parallel were not substitutes for facts.

The last paragraph would want to be nailed to the page header in Chat and AIBU.

Temp I'm shocked for you.
I have several friends who are GPs - and they are continuing to be very strict about how they see people. Granted, being GPs, its higher risk than an office, but it's not an acute hospital.

They are strictly moving around the practice one at a time, staggering their lunches so only 2 in the lunch room at a time, all patients admitted to the building one at a time.Well-baby checks are being minimised, though they have to continue vaccinations, post-natal checks etc.
And they foresee this going on into the autumn.

All their carefulness and worry would be undermined by large businesses throwing all the precautions to the wind.
I know it's not your decision, but I'm shocked for you.

The last paragraph would want to be nailed to the page header in Chat and AIBU.
MN would go bust

Unsubstantiated opinions, speeches, rhetoric and bogus historical parallel were not substitutes for facts.

Can I post this on every mumsnet thread?

Oh, missed last line - great minds think alike

I worry about Gemma, yer man isn't good news.
My dd1 mostly works from her office, because her employer hasn't provided a laptop, which would be handy as she works outside the office at least one day a week normally.
Her employer is the hse. She, and her colleagues, do corona swabbing on a rota. So they don't hug each other a lot just now!

I've been looking for a new table and chairs and found this company. I was almost afraid to click on it! PMSL at their banner

Temp I am as dismayed by my place too. I have just started a new role in work, and as I am quite senior I have had to go to the office despite suffering from bad asthma. I have been isolating for the last 8 weeks and taking it so seriously, and I feel really vulnerable. We are designated key workers, so the work still needs to be done, but I am horrified.

Half the office are off, but there is no evidence of social distancing for the ones that are in. Congregating in the kitchen and break room, standing chatting in corridors, swipe keypads being used, no sanitisation around photocopiers. I am doing the risk assessment tomorrow, and there are going to be a LOT of actions identified.

There is a good guidance document from the UK govt re working in offices and contact centres