October Becomes November Lockdown

[BlueThursday]

New thread

I suspect this will be the second of many

It seems like a large proportion of the increase in deaths have been from cafe homes. Surely lessons must have been learned from the first wave?

Given visiting restrictions, the most likely way of the virus getting into care homes is through staff. The Scottish Government was supposed to be providing regular testing for care home staff- is the turnaround time too slow or is it not happening at all?

Helloooo everyone.

We’re up North having a great time. Lots open. Restrictions at attractions super strict. But everyone very welcoming. Have eaten out a couple of times and having take out tonight.

Just going with it when we go home to the Central Belt. No point in complaining that “it would be safer to have friends in the house than meet in a cafe.” That might be true for some but not for most. Of course there will be anomalies like that, the world is not a perfect place.

And as I said before there will be loads of us (I’m not SNP either!) who aren’t raging and railing but are complying, quietly.

She's shafted hospitality again. What right does she have to take away people's livelihoods?

Quite Prettybird! I post occasionally when I can offer suggestions or ask questions that don't have a political element.

I do comply, pretty much. I just feel that life is being destroyed.

Mine is not a party political view, I’m equally pissed off with the UK government and it seems apparent that pretty much all governments are shite at dealing with it. But I see no reason for extra restrictions, eg. No wine with dinner in a hotel, and restaurants shut

I would definitely like the media to press Sturgeon on what is happening with track and trace. Her most trusted adviser Devi Sridhar state’s when the household visit ban was imposed that the intention was to allow track and trace to be sorted out and then remove them after 3 weeks.

Given that cases keep rising, it seems to be as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

Thanks for the new thread! I suppose the extended restrictions were inevitable when the new strategic framework wasn't going to be ready for "debate" in Parliament until next week. Who could have predicted that?! It does show a certain amount of arrogance that the new system will be accepted by Parliament though, to move seamlessly to that. It is awful for hospitality (and anyone who had planned a birthday! ) that the "short sharp 2 week restrictions" have been extended on a whim, even when it looks like cases in most of the country are levelling, and as ecosse says, many deaths seem linked, once again to care homes.

Having said that, we are complying as far as we can. Don't have to be happy about it though!

Surprise surprise- England with a population of 55 million has 3 tiers. Scoyland with 5 million is going to have 5 tiers. Yoh just couldn't make this shit up.
I have complied with everything so far as I have no choice re work but I am existing - work, home, nowhere to go, nothing to do. Heartily sick of it all with no end in sight

So Sturgeon claimed in September that Scotland has 40,000 daily tests available with plans to increase this to 60,000.

Why then are we only using an average of 20,000 tests a day and regularly significantly less than this?

Why is this unused capacity not being thrown at care home staff testing to stop the virus getting to the residents?

Yep existing, work then home. Worry about parents. Worry about DH and his long hours. Worry about DD1 working and only existing too. DD2 and 3 all but locked down in their university cities (crazy rents for online classes) worrying about their finances as part jobs have disappeared but so has their social life. Worry about DD4 applying to UCAS already been 2 separate cases in her school .

I know lots of other people have the same sort of fears and do feel fortunate that DH and I are public sector in roles not suitable for working from home. So our jobs are secure at the moment. Do feel quite exposed to infection though through our employment and worry about being "blamed" despite us being careful (boring) as so much is outwith our control.

They're making it up as they go along.

"It's only a 16 day reset" then we'll just add on another week and hope nobody notices. Then rather than just going with the 3-tier system they have down south we have to be different and special and separate and have a FIVE TIER system to show how much more caring we are.

And they wonder why so many of us have thought fuck it, we'll assess our own risks and act accordingly?

According to the tableau public covid site, between 1 and 4 people in my area of 3786 people have covid. That's - in the worst case scenario - 99.89% of people who don't have it.

@RaspberryCoulis I noticed the same thing yesterday on the tableau site. Seems so disproportionate to keep increasing the restrictions?!

I really do think a UK wide system would be better, agreed but all the governments and clear to all.

I would like clear evidence for measures too, and a stated endgame. What’s this all for?

Quite. On one hand they're publishing figures showing the true picture of cases, on a very local basis and on the other they're trying to paint this image of how it's absolutely RAMPANT and everywhere and how it's so, so dangerous.

Lung cancer referrals down 75%. That's dangerous. Glasgow Uni study finds huge, longlasting impact on mental health.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54616688

But none of that matters, because we need to shut down the whole planet for a disease which 99.9% of people don't have, and which only kills a tiny percentage of those who get it?

Enough already. Covid isn't going anywhere. Nicola might think she has the superpowers to eliminate it, but she doesn't. Nobody does. It's another risk we all have to live with.

Live with. Not cower in our houses trying to avoid.

@Ecosse

So Sturgeon claimed in September that Scotland has 40,000 daily tests available with plans to increase this to 60,000.

Why then are we only using an average of 20,000 tests a day and regularly significantly less than this?

Why is this unused capacity not being thrown at care home staff testing to stop the virus getting to the residents?

I was wondering this. The number of tests had been increasing over the summer, with a big hump end Aug/ early Sept (schools going back and everyone being tested for colds) but seems to have pretty much levelled since then, whereas the UK number (and capacity) has carried on increasing. I wonder if there's a recent issue of not as many people coming forward for testing (not wanting to be forced to isolate, maybe, or not wanting to "grass up their mates" and have them contact traced?). NS (and Jason L as well I think) mentioned yesterday being sure to get tested as soon as you get symptoms. It sounded as if they've done some focus grouping that shows people wait for a bit before testing, then feel better and don't bother.

But yes, I agree if there is indeed spare capacity it should definitely be thrown at care homes, or maybe some more random population sampling, or "research" sampling in schools maybe. Oddly, everyone seems absolutely convinced schools are a hotbed of spread, though the actual data doesn't seem to show that... but it would be really reassuring (or maybe not!) to have clinical testing of teachers, students and their contacts to see how prevalent transmission actually is, rather than it reflecting spread and prevalence in the community.

@WouldBeGood

I really do think a UK wide system would be better, agreed but all the governments and clear to all.

I would like clear evidence for measures too, and a stated endgame. What’s this all for?

Yes, all of this. They keep talking about a "four nation approach" and standardising restrictions, with specific tweaks as needed for each country, but at the moment each nation is doing totally its own thing, and pissing off the others.

At the moment everything is changing so fast it seems there is no way to take stock and say "oh, well thing one worked in reducing the spread in Scotland, but Wales restricted thing two and that had no effect on rates, so we should try doing more of thing one, but relaxing controls on thing two across the uk..." It may be that some of Scotland's measures are more effective than England or Wales or Northern Ireland, but we don't have the framework (or apparently the political will on any side) to take the best from each nation into a coherent unified structure. It doesn't have to be "England's" or "Scotland's" approach that wins, but it would definitely be preferable to devise one consistent set of tiers/ phases, that may change over time, but are the same across the UK.

I would jump at the chance to have routine screening ( secondary teacher with senior heavy timetable) and so would my colleagues.

3 schools in my small local authority had cases just prior to the holidays. Traced back to 2 villages where mobile screening units set up to test anyone who wanted (no symptoms required) not a mention beyond wee local newspaper.

@NotAnActualSheep, quite frankly I don't buy that at all. If that were the case they would say so, instead we get all this nonsense about "checking the buildings". If anything I ask myself, why haven't the building been maintained?
This is more likely a cost cutting exercise. They probably have staff on furlough and try to get as much money from the Government as possible. Or maybe it is just cheaper to keep an empty building rather than use it. At the end of the day the question is, how have private enterprises managed to reopen in full at the first available opportunity?

Is there a link to the tableau thing? All I could find was a graph, not cases in individual areas. Thanks

[quote Arkadia]@NotAnActualSheep, quite frankly I don't buy that at all. If that were the case they would say so, instead we get all this nonsense about "checking the buildings". If anything I ask myself, why haven't the building been maintained?
This is more likely a cost cutting exercise. They probably have staff on furlough and try to get as much money from the Government as possible. Or maybe it is just cheaper to keep an empty building rather than use it. At the end of the day the question is, how have private enterprises managed to reopen in full at the first available opportunity?[/quote]
(assuming this is referring to the libraries) You could be right. There do seem to be a lot of hoops they are having to jump through, and whatever the reason, it is making my experience a bit shit. Though that is the case with both public and private offerings, it's more pronounced with public sector stuff, which is very sad for anyone who relies solely on those services. Have to say that my attempts to use Blackwells as a private library are not going well for my credit card...

Does anyone know why public gyms aren’t open when private ones are? Only a very few public ones open here and need to book a slot.

Staffing maybe?

Our garden bin collection has been suspended again here due to “staff pressures”

English restrictions make no sense at all - the highest level restrictions still allow people to eat in restaurants or pubs to operate as restaurants. That’s not going to stop the spread.

I’m not happy about the restrictions here but at least they are cutting down on people mixing indoors. We were actually in a hotel first night of restrictions and the alcohol one worked well, everyone ate up quickly and ordered wine to their rooms - therefore minimising time in the dining room with other households.

There’s no evidence that bars and restaurants are major contributors to transmission @museumum.

@NotAnActualSheep, yes it was. I tried to reply to the other thread, but wasn't quick enough :D

Out of curiosity, I notice there is a lot of traffic in the thread devoted to our Esteemed Leader. What is going on there? I don't really want to open it.