Tiery Weary & Crackers!

[Bikingbear]

As a carry on from the last thread

Tier 4 ( née tier 4) now includes schools and nurseries closed and against the law to leave/enter Scotland were not even debated/approved at Parliament, just allowed to be dropped in on a Saturday teatime. How so?

@DollyMixtureLulus

It is slightly freaking me out that so many European countries are banning UK flights.

It's not that surprising - a 70% increase in transmission would easily take many countries sailing over an r rate of 1 and therefore into rapidly increasing pandemic again.

It also reinforces the shitshow that is Brexit too.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQ29tfOvl8

Some levity, although it might just give the SNP ideas...

@polarisation, how does he manage to keep a straight face????
But, yes, please replace Hancock with NS (do we have a minister for health?? Or indeed, do we have ANY minister? Had anyone ever heard of the guy who resigned the other day about the drug scandal in Scotland?)

You mean the minister for Public Health Arkadia? it's amazing that virtually no-one has heard of when when we've had a worldwide pandemic...

I'm absolutely livid. London's been a sitshow for months, schools practically decimated due to students and teachers catching covid. Yet councils were threatened with legal action if they didn't perform a miracle and keep them open. Simultaneously no lockdown in London, pantomimes, bars etc open. Now it's a bloody disaster.
That's the UK fcked and yes I have family who came back home last week and still don't agree with it. And now the pictures from yesterday- I've seen quieter trains in bloody New Delhi.
The fact is Scotland has two governments and the UK Government is worse than incompetent. It's corrupt to the core- making billions out of a pandemic , killing 70k in the process plus whatever wave 3 brings. The SG perhaps had some misled faith that the UK Government would take logical and necessary action such as imposing quarantine for visitors. It's criminal what they've actually done. 600 cases per capita! Ugh!!! Flights have been busy and going as normal. I'm truly sorry for people who now have had last minute changes but I've sacrificed a lot- twice my son's seem his grandparents so I've not had an easy time of it either. If there are now checks on those flying all over the UK, I'm happy for that. Rant over.

@tinseltitsbumfannythelot , yes let's not forget Brexit cos while my family finances have survived lockdown relatively unscathed Brexit is going to shaft us as we are exporters, its going to be an absolute nightmare.

Just heard our schools will open for the next two days. LA have just updated. My poor headteacher. On call for track and trace over the start of the holidays and then the rest will be spent organising how we manage to reopen.

I so feel for schools. “Make sure you have a fully developed blended learning plan because that’s what we’re doing”, two minutes until the start of the year “now we’re all back full time, plan for that,” now two minutes before Christmas and it’s “forget blended learning, plan for fully online learning for an indefinite period, HAPPY CHRISTMAS!”

plan for fully online learning for an indefinite period

Oh please don't say indefinite. I mean, I know it is indefinite and I am preparing for the worst but seeing it written down just makes me want to cry. Every time.

Oh I’m really really hoping it’s not!

@WaxOnFeckOff, that's the one. I was reading somewhere that he took part in exactly ZERO televised "briefings" since march.
I suppose someone has to work, while others get ready for they TV appearance... not sure what his job was, though.

It's shite for schools. My youngest is S6 and not been in since Wednesday after (yet another) case in her year group. She wasn't a close contact even though she was in 2 classes with the pupil. Not worth the risk of SI .

Where I teach the same.

Kids crying when they were told to go home and start SI.

Not safe enough to open in January but safe up to and including Wednesday. I feel like we're in a Vicki Pollard "yer but no but" sketch. Exams but not exams. Assessment windows but not prelims . Get everything online but deliver face to face.

@Rae36

plan for fully online learning for an indefinite period

Oh please don't say indefinite. I mean, I know it is indefinite and I am preparing for the worst but seeing it written down just makes me want to cry. Every time.

If it helps (and it helps me), John Swinney at least was sounding more positive about that yesterday on Twitter.

“Very difficult decisions @scotgov Cabinet on #covid. Schools that are planned to open this week will open. Schools will return from 5 Jan for staff, vulnerable pupils and children of key workers. All other pupils will start remote learning on 11 Jan before full return on 18 Jan”

Oh my god, Swinney positive.. he must have a mutant virus!

It will be very hard if school goes online longterm, DS3 has ADHD and finds it extremely hard to work at home, he needs a teacher in front of him, he's really upped his game for his Highers and it will be so disappointing if they can't do enough assessments to give him an accurate grade.
I know someone who works for Skills development Scotland, she's still trying to get some money out of SG to provide devices for apprentices to work from home on, its been extremely difficult for youngsters trying to do work based learning and they seem to have been forgotten about.

Suggesting the next thread is called Level42.

I don't think the school thing is anything to do with the new strain, I think they've caved to pressure from the unions and are trying to avoid strikes and/or to set up the asymptomatic testing they said would start in January. Could be completely wrong though. I just don't want to consider anything else 😫

@JamesMoriarty I really hope you're right and it's just down to potential mixing over the festive period etc 😬

Definitely not caved to the unions. From a professional perspective anyway. And that's not me saying I have been pushing for closure as I have S6 Dd who was desperate to sit AHs, or work towards having outstanding evidence and to be in school and pupils who felt the same.

Unions have been very quiet until it was too late.

JamesMoriarty
I really hope you are right. I'm preparing in my head for this to go on to Easter. Based on the video with the guy saying lockdowns don't work, Easter is when the virus numbers and a chunk of the most vulnerable will have been vaccinated.

News seems to be quiet on the Oxford vaccine. I thought that would have been approved by now.

@Bikingbear

I think I read the 28th as the target date for the Oxford vaccine getting approved. (Hoping that's December 2020).

I think they'll leave it a few days, otherwise we'd all get too suspicious.

It'll also be a bit of pre Christmas good news.

It's my birthday this week, maybe they're saving it for that?

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-carrie-symonds-take-23196892

Did anyone see this? If you're lonely you could get a call from Boris or Carrie. Fuck's sake, that would top me right over the edge.