Hogmanae

[rookiemere]

This is an ongoing thread for Scottish mumsnetters - or indeed non Scottish mumsnetters such as myself, to comment on ongoing covid matters pertinent to ourselves, in a hopefully not too partisan and friendly fashion.

Does anyone think that any of the areas will go into lower Tiers after the 11th December? I'm betting she puts EVERYONE into Tier 4 apart from the islands.

Oh, Christ @BBCONEANDTWO I hope not.. I’m really hoping we go down. Can’t cope with more of this.

She guaranteed that everyone in tier 4 would go to a lower tier on December 11th. I don't necessarily believe her, as she's gone back on her word before, but people will be furious if she does it now.

Did she? I wonder what will happen.

Wish they’d tell us properly

They are doing asymptomatic testing in the other Shires as well. Protocols are very funny if you can still claim GSOH for your swipe left profile. You can only get a test if you have NO symptoms and if you live within a very tightly defined boundary - think smallest village in any Shire.

Can confirm the killer whales are on patrol in the Orkney bays.

Our local park was chocca yesterday. It was almost like we were actually having a community Christmas parade. Fitness freaks all set up with skipping ropes and weights at the Grannie gym. Parents chatting in a socially distanced manner round the corner of the play park. Toddlers covered in mud to the tops of their wellies. Ducks and swans better fed than ever with seagulls on patrol. Joggers and Hairy McClarey and co all over the woodland paths with squirrels playing hide and seek.

Honestly looked like the imaginary idyllic Forest Kindergarten other MNers always went on about before they all became germ phobic.

Given the mini lockdown in October was 16 days, guaranteed ...

Perhaps a new tier system to hide it? Or a nationwide mini lockdown again

I wouldn't trust a word she says. But I really hope that teirs go down, but I've no doubt that she'll move the goalposts or throw in the curve ball of schools shutting possibly just the high schools as closing primaries causes too many child care issues.
Maybe I'm too cynical.

Right Boris has said his Teirs will end in February.
What's she going to do?

I'm in tier 1.5 so I can meet my daughter for a meal but she can't come back to my house afterwards . Somehow I can't see this changing.

On another note, I see that a certain other page is advocating that schools lose a week of their Easter holidays to make up for the extra time off at Christmas that is supposedly going to happen - hey ho

I can't see schools loosing time off the Easter break too many people including teachers and cleaners will have holidays booked.

"It's November 2022. Boris tells MPs he is prepared to relax Tier 37 a month earlier than planned if they will just vote in support of his new measures. "The Prussians really are coming this time", he pledges. "Not to do so risks a disastrous 17th wave of the virus", he warns".

Dan Hodges take on how likely tiers are to end in Feb.

AF Neil just as cynical but not so amusing,

The only way this stops is when they run out of bodies to count I fear.

@Bikingbear

I can't see schools loosing time off the Easter break too many people including teachers and cleaners will have holidays booked.

We have a holiday booked. The one we were supposed to have last April. Not giving it up for anything.

I want to get one booked. I've a couple of gifts I need to sort out then I'll set DH on the case.

@Bikingbear

I can't see schools loosing time off the Easter break too many people including teachers and cleaners will have holidays booked.

But there will be a Call to Action about it and they will win - just like they did to get schools back in August only joking

I fully expect that if schools do close earlier/return later than planned, they will provide online learning. We have all got online classrooms ready to go for this eventuality. Still, they never miss a teacher bashing opportunity.

There’s no need for an extra week of teaching even if schools closed early I don’t think 🤷🏻‍♀️

I suppose they could shut the senior school, but the guest couple of years couldn’t really be left home alone all day every day while parents work

I think that page has gone bonkers tbh. I was a supporter of getting schools back but now it’s crazed.

Yeah, breaking up early would just be a childcare pain for us but I'm not bothered about the learning, one week that close to Christmas? My dd was bouncing up and down yesterday morning shouting 'Christmas' excitedly when we put the tree up, can't imagine she's doing quality learning in Dec!

I would happily have any days that we gain by finishing early, if we finish early, taken from summer. Not Easter. I wonder if they actually think about things from a child or learner's point of view? After the long hours of darkness and miserable weather the Easter holidays really perks kids up and energises them again, they are so much more enthusiastic and motivated. The founder's kids are not state educated so already have longer holidays.

That was one of my biggest learnings as a parent - whatever I think about the school holidays from a work perspective, the children need the downtime.

@WouldBeGood

I think that page has gone bonkers tbh. I was a supporter of getting schools back but now it’s crazed.

This. Absolutely,

Which page do you mean?

I'm another who initially supported getting kids back as at the time any other decision didn't fit where we were. I never joined the group and don't have any school aged DC and am not in teaching. I've heard talk of it being a bonkers place so glad I'm out of it.

It's not a job I could do and despite me having individual issues with individual teachers, you can't tar a whole sector of society by the same brush.

Kids need to learn, not all of that takes place in school, people need their holidays and downtime.

Some folks are able to ask for a days holiday when they just feel they need a break, that's not really a situation that teachers (and many others) can take advantage of.

Regular holidays and breaks are what everyone needs - even if we cant really do much on them.

I wonder if cases don't drop enough, that some level 4 areas will go into a level 3.5, where shops can open, but hospitality stays shut. Part of operating 1 metre plus "Covid secure" premises is that they must be adequately ventilated. Possible in newer, larger places with air conditioning units, but lots of old and smaller places were relying on open doors and windows. Which won't happen now the temperature has dropped. I may be overinvested in ventilation, being a waitress in a non air conditioned restaurant, where to keep the place warm, it needs no draughts. All the plastic screens, sanitiser and cleaning is just hygiene theatre and not addressing what's actually being breathed in and out, by a bunch of unmasked diners.
There doesn't seem to be any checks on bars and restaurants, that they're following their Covid risk assessments, which isn't surprising, as even in normal times Environmental Health doesn't get round to doing our annual inspection on time. ( Think HSE is responsible for Covid though )

To be honest, I’ve found hospitality very safe. I’ve never been in close contact with anyone for anything like fifteen minutes.

@Bikingbear UsForThem Scotland