"Tightening the Edges"

[SephrinaX]

I've just read somewhere that Nicola will be announcing some tightening of the rules around the Christmas period.
What do people think that will mean?

She will want to ensure that she goes her own way, in spite of paying lip service to an agreement between the 4 nations.

I imagine she'll say people in tier four areas right now shouldn't drive across Scotland to mix with other households even if there is a relaxation of rules.

She was pretty clear yesterday that there’s no relaxation of travel restrictions before or after the window, so no sneaking out on the 22nd to avoid the traffic.

I think she's sending out the welders/chippies to seal our doors and windows shut.

Who knows, I’m past caring now.

And living in a teir 1 area I’m not following anymore restrictions - 1 positive case for 21k people and we’re living like this? Other areas have no chance for indoor visiting!

My Christmas plans are already cancelled as my relatives can’t get a booking travel to Shetland on the 23rd and are worried that they won’t be allowed to get on the ferry on their 21/12 booking. They’ve got covid tests at their work booked for the 19th, so were taking no chances! But if I lived in a teir 4 area I could see them? It’s all bonkers.

@Cismyfatarse

She will want to ensure that she goes her own way, in spite of paying lip service to an agreement between the 4 nations.

Your absolutely right.

She wants to go a step further. Existing single adult bubbles will count as two households. Schools will close and the shit show goes on.

Edinburgh with fewer restrictions has much lower levels than Glasgow. Other than Edinburgh being dryer and people being happier to meet outside what's the difference.
The police and NHS told her not to use level 4. It's impossible to police when people gather in houses and its against human nature to keep people apart. I don't even think it's big parties people are holding, it just normal everyday visits .

MrsAmaretto that makes me really angry. I hope people remember this come May.
People going between Britain and NI have been given an extra two days to allow for the travel. NS could easily have done the same for the Islanders and the Northern Highlands. But she wanted to be different

I agree it's a balancing act. But to agree one day to a UK wide agreement and then the next day be wringing your hands and telling everyone how deeply worried you are that people will participate in the decision that you agreed to, well it's a bit wanting to have your cake and eat it surely.

Rookie - your right, remember a few weeks back this was all to Save Christmas and Santa will deliver....

The govt had to do something allowing because they'd have too many infractions otherwise, but the FM clearly doesn't want people to do it so all the chat is caution and discouragement.

My parents and ILs are too terrified to see us, but if I was seeing vulnerable people I'd be isolating for a period of time beforehand to make sure we weren't going to pass it on. I'd hope that is the message that's being pushed - not don't see them, but do your best to make sure you are covid free if you do.

The data says half of all symptoms show up within 5 days of infection.

It all comes back to the fact that we should have been doing mass testing.

I don’t understand how I can pay for a covid test in England if I want to go abroad and get the results back in 24hrs but areas that are seeing community transmission aren’t having mass testing? Surely test and isolate is the only answer? What an absolute disaster after so few cases in the summer.

Scottish guidance is being published today isn't it? Have they said they agreed to the 3 households? I might have missed it. I thought it was just the MSM saying all agreed to 3 houses mixing indoors for however many days.
I think she's right to urge caution. Schools don't shut until 23rd so if infected, lots of time to spread to others before symptoms appear.

Unless I got the memo wrong, my understanding was that there had been a joint UK agreement reached. Fine to confirm definitions of what a household constitutes, but if it's substantively different from what was announced then she never should have agreed in the first place.
We're going to England and seeing relatives in line with the 3 household rule. I don't care what she announces any more, we made those plans as soon as we heard the allegedly UK wide decision.

Schools don't shut until 23rd so if infected, lots of time to spread to others before symptoms appear.

18th in our local authority.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils

Schools don't shut until 23rd so if infected, lots of time to spread to others before symptoms appear.

18th in our local authority.

I've heard a rumour they are considering online learning from the 11th so no kids need to self isolate over Christmas.

Let's face it who would be cruel enough to keep a child self isolating on Christmas day?

East (or West) Ayrshire moved hols two days back so no one's being phoned on Christmas day by test and protect but can't see schools closing on 11th. Really hope not.

Is she "putting her own spin" on the UK wide rules that were agreed to? Surely not.. 😯🙄

BBC News - Covid in Scotland: Christmas bubbles 'should be kept to eight people'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55085335

Here it is folks...

Do you know I'm so over it. How the hell is anyone going to check if there are more than 8 people in your house?

Why say you agree to something which you know is special and important to people, then caveat and niggle at it. Easier to have said that Scotland would do it's own thing in the first place.

We're going to England and I don't give a fig if it's legal from Scotland or not, we're still going. We've teed up the dog walker and booked the Premier Inn. No one stands between Rookie and her PI breakfast even if it's not as good as it used to be when it was a buffet.

I’m so fed up with this. We’ve three very young kids and I’ve got a big family (with a few single adults, no vulnerable relatives) so there won’t be much room for us Christmas Day. I was so looking forward to Christmas but feel like an absolute Scrooge now. I could greet, feel like we’ve nothing to look forward to. On top of that won’t be getting a wee meal out (with wine) with my oh or friends before Christmas. We really don’t go out much and have reluctantly followed the rules (even if I want to break them, there’s nowhere to break them and we haven’t been throwing parties). Trying to focus on giving my kids a good Christmas but they will be so disappointed they can’t see the family like we normally do. I’m so angry at the government, if they’d sorted out hospital capacity and test and trace hadn’t failed so spectacularly we wouldn’t be in this position. I also can’t see that any of this is worthwhile, or making a difference, no matter how much NS says it is. It’s the constant rule changes, no apparent structure to the different levels, the zero potential of normality, the fact we are being forced into taking our kids for very invasive tests every time they cough or have a slight fever otherwise they are denied an education. It’s just about micro-managing every aspect of our lives now and I can’t see how Scotland is going to be a happy place for our children to grow up and to live and thrive after this. I would have never have thought this a year ago but the government have gone too far, and if independence is really all we have to look forward to next year, on top of the threat of redundancy, we are moving!

Iquietlike - DH and I had a similar conversation the other day. If Scotland gains independence we are off.

The things that are reigning SNP in are the European Humans Rights and the UK.

Iquietlike - DH and I had a similar conversation the other day. If Scotland gains independence we are off.

Dh and fil both feel similarly. Dh fancies somewhere in Europe, has a job which can be done from anyway (has worked from Cuba, the Bahamas and rural Mexico in the past amongst other places) and has citizenship of an EU country.

People a bleating about independence while were are realising that millions of jobs can literally be done from anywhere and not just on a national big scale level but internationally.

See I swing between thinking that I want to escape the authoritarian hellhole the SNP are turning Scotland into, and thinking I'll be damned if I'm going to let the likes of the SNP force me out of my home.