Nicola Sturgeon

[Malachite234]

Hospitality restrictions extended today and a 5 tier system?

Why not just have the same as England? Why is she insisting on harsher lockdowns then blaming Westminster for no funding.

Edinburgh and Glasgow will be like ghost towns soon. I’m sure more than 50% of bars and restaurants won’t re-open.

Are you all following the restrictions ( question for the central belters) ?

i am but im pretty much anti social at the best of times

@chipsandpeas

I just feel like life is just so grim. I can’t stand the SNP.

IMO they need to close schools, it’s where the transmission is.

I'm not central, and we aren't too hard hit where I am, I'm still following the restrictions. I don't feel like England is doing nearly enough, and harsher restrictions are needed. She is doing a good job under tough circumstances.

@DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult

We don’t need tougher restrictions we need the current ones to be enforced! Especially in schools.

She is purposely doing the opposite of England.

And why are we doing things for the minority rather than the majority? Close schools, shield those who want to be shielded. Allow childcare and kids can repeat the hole year next year.

I’m central belt and pretty much following all the restrictions. No one would want Nicola Sturgeon’s job; she’s damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t. I don’t for one minute think she gets any enjoyment out of this. Shutting the schools should be the last resort. Primary schools are certainly not where the transmission is.

@Malachite234
What do working parents do if all the schools close?! What current restrictions do you want to be enforced in schools exactly?

I've followed the rules since March, I wear a mask and social distance and carry hand sanitizer about.
I've had enough now. I have friends who own a pub they have followed all the rules and spent £££ getting their business covid safe. This will finish them.
I think Nicola Surgeon can't do right whatever she does.

@LoopyGremlin

You are right, it’s not primary schools. It’s high schools and universities. I understand why teens and young adults find it hard to stick to the rules in the current environment ( e.g in halls and at high school). The nature of switching classes multiple times during the day is just not conducive to lowering virus levels. Nor is living in university halls with hundreds of others... not much uni work and lots of alcohol.

Everyone's an epidemiologist these days. By all means have a whinge if you must but it's getting really tiresome every man and his dog thinking they know better than the experts.

I wouldn’t like her job!
Damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t!
I think she’s a fantastic leader and she’s had to put up with a lot this year.

@LoopyGremlin

I would think teens can pretty much fend for themselves. If not - get a childminder, ask family, friends. Having children is a lifestyle choice and things are always fluid, so people should prioritise accordingly.

Primary based kids should attend school.

I dont want schools to close plus if they did it would have a knock on effect on people who work. Our secondary school has made all subjects into double periods so they are moving around the school much less

@TooTrueToBeGood

Have a look at the thread with a link to the ONS data that says you are 8 x more like to catch Covid in a school than elsewhere.

Yeah its so easy just to magic up a childminder

@Malachite234
You didn’t make that distinction when you stated “close schools”. I agree that if you have children then you are responsible but no one had planned for a pandemic!

I think we need more restrictions not less. Definitely need travel restrictions (proper ones not just voluntary)

But very few people are catching COVID via travelling. Schools and universities is where they are catching it - so why not take the bill by the horns.

I am continuing to follow the rules but I think they should be stricter. I do think secondary schools and unis should move to online learning as there just isn't the opportunity to socially distance properly. Schools are not naturally designed to allow so much space between pupils, it's not anyone's fault.
I will struggle if they do close high school as ds attends an asn high school as dh and I are key workers (I'm nhs, he's railway), I still think it's the right thing to do. We would just have to work around each other - was easier before as dh was shielding.
I do think NS is doing a great job, think it's a poisoned chalice as you can't please everyone.

I thought we were shutting bars to keep schools open?! Why is education seen as luxury these days. Primary school children cannot distance learn. Face to face teaching is always going to be better. This is such a worrying thread, why would you call out for more restrictions?! The ones we have in place are not scientifically proven to work. Some people love the misery.

Why do people always say 'she's just trying to be different from the UK government' who says what the UK govt are doing is so wonderful? Why shouldn't the Scottish government seek to come up with a system that has a lowest tier as something to aspire to? I don't get it, NI have a different tier system to UK govt also as do many other countries.

I think the 5 Tiers sounds ridiculous point scoring but without the details it’s hard to judge right Now.
Yes she has a tough job - but she could do it without the point scoring .
She comes across as no team player - but Westminster are making it so easy for her because they are really really bad at leadership.

But she also explained that the UK govt scientific advisors said that their top tier wasn't far enough so another tier at least is needed for a potential near lockdown scenario. Just because the UK govt developed their system first doesn't make it better, does it?

Yes, in Central belt and mainly following restrictions. That's apart from currently being on holiday in the Lake District, which was allowed and then is still allowed but only if I feel guilty enough...

I don't have a wild social life anyway, but without accurate information which we are still waiting on after 6 months, I'm not buying any of what we are being sold and from now on will be doing anything g that isn't illegal or disrespectful to others.

That said, compliance is enforced when she shuts anywhere I'd want to go.

We are getting increasing trouble in our estate with houses being egged and just general low level antisocial behaviour from young teenagers, thus us what we've got to look forward too now the dark nights are upon us.

Seek to the back teeth of it and the control freakery.

Very low level cases in my part of the central belt but I presume the reason we are also locked down is to stop the weegies heading up to go to the pub? That's not slagging Glasgow though as many folk there just trying to live life same as the rest of us, just thinking that must be the mentality behind it.

The basics of a fair and prosperous society are good healthcare, education and a welfare system which protects the vulnerable. I think we’ve lost sight of that over the last 20+ years and the pandemic has shown that a lot of us need to re-evaluate what is actually important for the long term.

I have huge sympathies with anyone working in hospitality sector right now. I work in it myself and it’s carnage, I know many brilliant people who have worked so hard for 20+ years and are being made redundant and have no idea what they’re going to do. It is incredibly sad to walk through the centre of my city and see all the bars and restaurants closed, some with notices up saying that they won’t be reopening.

With regard to closing schools it’s naive to say that teenagers can fend for themselves and that view underestimates how important secondary school is to children's futures. Yes, they can be left to their own devices but nothing replaces the school experience. I say that as the parent of a very studious DC who worked her socks off over lockdown and had great support from her school but she, along with all her peers returned to school in August at least one month behind in all subjects.

The long term damage to our economy and society will be far worse if our healthcare system collapses or we end up with a generation of children who don’t reach their academic potential than if the hospitality sector suffers now.

As for Nichola Sturgeon, as others have said, I think she’s damned whatever she does so I hope that she continues to grit her teeth and does whatever she can to keep schools open and bring hospitable admissions at a level the NHS can cope with. There is no perfect way of dealing with this but we have to hope that our politicians learn from their mistakes and keep their eye on long term recovery.

@Malachite234

Your partisanship may be impacting on your views.

Why should it match England? Different administration. Would you like England’s to match Poland’s?

Demographics of infection do not support your theory that the infection is spreading in schools. Universities, yes. But the peak of infections is in young adults. Not children. Schools may need to close, but only as a last resort. Shutting schools would paralyse society, as it did in March. May prove necessary, but hopefully not.

Sturgeon is doing a decent job. Boris Johnson? Less so. I see no reason for why scotland should mimic the Westminster approach.