Tiery Weary & Crackers!

[Bikingbear]

As a carry on from the last thread

I’m absolutely furious today. My area has literally just moved to level 1 now to be told we are going to level 4? I work in community nursing and get updates every week on hospital numbers, currently 5 suspected and 0 in ITU, so where is the rationale? My children’s schools have had no cases whatsoever since going back in August yet delayed in going back? Thankfully mine will still be able to go but what about all the other working parents who won’t be furloughed etc this time?

So sorry @dementedma

The short answer is the draconian lockdowns even in low tier areas are supposed to be preventative. My friends in Cardiff have all come down with the virus it really is spreading like wildfire.

@dementedma huge hugs from me. My dad slipped away 9 days ago and it's bloody tough. Take time for yourself and if someone can give you a physical hug, take as many as you can. I'm a huge hugger and it really is a struggle xx

Wbeezer I get that. BUT they have said before that this is an intervention they can only use so many times. (Or words to those effect). People seem to be getting fed up.

Its not a big problem in Scotland at the moment. It is in Wales. When you saw Wales on the PM Update tonight, I was shocked. Wales needs to lockdown. It is very bad. South Wales at the very least.

I know I was down in November as the weather was shit and it was hard to get out. And my weather is a lot better than up the road.

I would have been annoyed if BJ had locked me down again today as our cases seem to be at well below average.

But she has locked you down again, she has already locked down some areas before, and kept many in Tier 3 for a very long time. How long will people put up with it?

Will she manage to get the compliance when she really needs its?

She can't eliminate it, she tried and failed miserably. But it still seems to be her strategy?

For the vast majority it's not a serious virus so does it matter if it spreads as long as you protect the people who need/want to be protected?

As much as I'm upset about going back to tier 4 and everything else surely they could have kept schools open for everyone. I'd take the part-time "blended learning" model over nothing. It's the not knowing if they'll actually be back after the 18th.

But with the new extra spready variant we'd be like South Wales in a few weeks if things weren't restricted, we'd lose all the reductions that we've worked so hard for. We'd have missed out all year for no reason and it's seems to be super hard to shield vulnerable people well enough to allow everyone else to do as they please.
I realise my role on this thread is to be the Devils advocate but please don't think I'm not sympathetic to how hard this is for some people.

Does it matter how many have it if they aren't getting seriously ill and/or dying? Also playing devils advocate.

@Wbeezer bollocks

Wbeezer my point is that this strain has been in Kent since September. We are not December and I guess its in the last month or so that things have got really bad in that area.

Yes you might stop it spreading now. Which is good. But what happens at the end of Jan when its still spreading. Maybe not in Scotland but in other areas of UK?

So when it does start spreading, people are so fed up that people don't accept the extra restrictions.

That's my point. The UK is not New Zealand. It is too endemic in the population now & will only stop spreading when enough people are vaccinated.

I may be completely wrong of course, but I wonder if she has moved too early.

@Wbeezer

But with the new extra spready variant we'd be like South Wales in a few weeks if things weren't restricted, we'd lose all the reductions that we've worked so hard for. We'd have missed out all year for no reason and it's seems to be super hard to shield vulnerable people well enough to allow everyone else to do as they please. I realise my role on this thread is to be the Devils advocate but please don't think I'm not sympathetic to how hard this is for some people.

I'm with you on this. Her strategy seems to be to go in very draconian at this stage, close the borders and hammer the hell out of it in a few weeks, which is going to be miserable as fuck but at least beats waiting a few more weeks and then having to do all that anyway but for even longer.

I just want to cry thinking about schools (and nurseries???) getting closed indefinitely again though.

It's New Year too, which is such a big deal for a lot of people (not me, I have small children). Not being able to wish your nearest and dearest a happy new year in person will be difficult for people. Especially when everyone is so desperate to get 2020 to fuck.

More infectious does not mean more dangerous. This is what viruses do - the most successful viruses are those that don't kill but just infect a lot of people? And surely the only factors that need to be taken into account are: how many people who get covid need hospitalisation and for how long, and how many need ICU? If there's lot of people getting covid but they don't need NHS services what's the problem really?

@makingitupaswegoon

More infectious does not mean more dangerous. This is what viruses do - the most successful viruses are those that don't kill but just infect a lot of people? And surely the only factors that need to be taken into account are: how many people who get covid need hospitalisation and for how long, and how many need ICU? If there's lot of people getting covid but they don't need NHS services what's the problem really?

From personal experience it's the knock on effect that it has. I work for NHS and in this last week alone, 5 out of 6 nurses in my office have caught covid. They were extremely short staffed to begin with but this has decimated our service (community nursing). Cue frantic working behind the scenes to get cover at a moments notice to carry out a normal service.

Are your staff ill @ladylunchalot? What happens when they all catch a cold at the same time or feel a bit fluey?

Appreciate in community nursing, most of your clients are vulnerable, but what happens normally?

Not being funny, that's a genuine question.

I cannot do the home schooling again - I have a 6 year old and work in a pressurised role but not classed as essential worker. I have no resilience left - what can I do? Would a GP sign me off if I wasn't coping / exhausted?

making i have a 6 year old too. An older one too but still primary.

I would be tempted to get signed off if I can. Its really not possible to do both. I found it so difficult last and I am part time and DH is a shift worker so was actually about some of time.

But you can't just leave them to it. I remember trying to help elder DD and have her sit beside me to do her work. We would last 5 mins max before I had a call & had to ask her to give me some time.

We were shattered both emotionally and physically.

I have family who will be stressing tonight. The only option they really have is grandparents. Both sides vulnerable and some shielders. But really the consequences of them not working are pretty big too so grandparents it must be.

Thanks @covidnomore
it's so unfair on the kids. They've missed so much school. I tried to talk to my boss last time and he said 'just do what you can' but refused to shift any deadlines and made it quite clear I was expected to deliver same as usual. I'm almost crying thinking about the stress of it again.

@makingitupaswegoon I would get signed off if you can.
Mine is 8. I stopped working last lockdown (agency so just stopped accepting jobs) but I'm also a student and all my assessments are in January rather than December as normal because they delayed the start date by a month. It's going to be a nightmare.

@JamesMoriarty
Sorry to hear that you are going to be struggling too. It's shit, it's really shit isn't it? I feel working parents were left in the lurch last time and it's happening again. So much for keeping schools open

That's my point. The UK is not New Zealand. It is too endemic in the population now & will only stop spreading when enough people are vaccinated.

I totally agree, trying to close Scotland down isn't going to work either. Far too many trucks alone batter up and down the M74 every hour.
If this strain is that infectious all it takes is a few truckers to carry it north.

Another thought on Christmas, she is effectively encouraging people to take to the roads a midnight. When they've possibly been working all day. Sooner or later someone is going to have a bad accident with some of this nonsense.

@WaxOnFeckOff

For the vast majority it's not a serious virus so does it matter if it spreads as long as you protect the people who need/want to be protected?

Exactly this! Lockdown clearly doesn’t work as we are right back where we started again. Why do I bother to follow the rules?

I can’t do lockdown again, I’m only just in the last week or so starting to feel more like me and adapting to things better. Now feel like iv slide right back down again. Stomach is in knots, anxiety really kicking in again.

I fear for my friends businesses which will be guaranteed clients when she can reopen but she was only just beginning to claw back from lost earnings from last time.

Also agree about people driving late/early etc and the accidents it will cause.

I don’t know what I am meant to do with my kids. Both of the companies we worked for shut last time. But will remain open this time we aren’t key workers and kids in primary . If everyone took the time off to look after the kids there will only be 3 people left in the company. We can’t work from home .

So speak to your child's school. If you both can't work from home, they'll likely be given a place.