Tiers until the end of time

[runningpink]

Quickly putting this up as last thread is full

Testing is only for S4-6 young people at the moment. And all staff who work in a school / early years setting. Childminders seem to be an exception, they are being offered asymptomatic PCR tests instead.

Lidl in England the testing is for all secondary school pupils returning and is also being offered to the rest of their household. It isn't being extended into primary schools but I'm unclear about whether younger siblings would be included in the "household".

I suppose that will be part of what we find out on Tuesday. Would be reassuring for DH if He could get tests too not just DD and I. Thanks for answers.

Is there another update on Tuesday? I've lost the plot a wee bit with dates etc.

@GirlLovesWorld I don't think the next update is until 16th March

Ah ok, I've seen people mention Tuesday on a few threads but I didn't think it was meant to be so soon.

I’m hoping for something on Tuesday to distract from her evidence to the committee on Wednesday

Don't think there is a proper update review for a few weeks.
Next set of school return is due for the 15th so they will have to fully confirm.

We went for a walk today and were among the majority of people we saw who split up their groups into 2s 😂 technically not breaking the rules but it just seemed ridiculous!!!

Anyone know when garden visits are allowed? Firepit and glass of wine with my friend would be blissful!

Tuesday is some sort of education road map so we know what is happening. We know all primary go back on 15th but we don't know about whether they will expand secondary beyond the current 8% maximum S4-6 for practical subjects only.

If they made this 50% of S4-6 (so about 25% of the school) it would be possible to get all S4-6 pupils in for at least 3 days each over the last 2-3 weeks of term.

Also, lateral flow tests are now available for all of this group, plus school staff which should help. They have to see if it works and doing so with more kids in school seems the right thing.

No primary children are expected to do lateral flow although making them available to those that want them would be sensible.

I am starting mine tomorrow so I am ready for a return. I currently only do 1 morning a week with NHS kids but a, keen to do more.

[quote shouldistop]@Lidlfix we haven't heard anything about 4yo ds being tested at nursery. We had to take him for a test before Christmas and I really don't think I'd be happy about him having to have it regularly with no symptoms. He's anxious enough as it is about corona virus without that. [/quote]
I've heard nothing about early years bar staff being tested if they wish.

I'm hoping that the findings of the 'Brazil variant' in Scotland isn't going to hamper any further easing. Although it seems to have been from earlier in the month so hopefully won't come to anything 🤞

It’s just the latest doom mongering.

People have had enough

The only thing it will be used for is arguing that NS is right on travel bans and the rest of the UK is wrong! Oh and will probably be her argument for no moving out of Scotland at all......

Not a lot can be done other than contact trace the others on the plane it was a few weeks ago apparently but can't imagine a flight between London and Aberdeen is that busy these days!

@Scottishskifun no, it won't have been a busy flight but I suppose the concern is that the people on the flight won't have needed to quarantine once they arrived in Aberdeen due to it being a domestic flight. Too late to do much about it now though

I heard JL on Off the Ball yesterday and the only things I remember him saying are:

• uni students will hopefully be phased back to RL learning in September
• crowds and hospitality potentially coming back after the football summer break, but may be earlier in some places than others depending on case numbers
• he thinks overseas travel is 50/50 for summer and 80/20 for October holidays

I hope the education announcement is a positive one, it would be a lot of work for schools to come up with and implement a blended learning timetable for just a three week period.

That’s a good point @damcemom, about blended. Schools have been asked to arrange an awful lot!

@fluffyugg with the offices shut in London and Aberdeen it will have reduced the number of commuters who usually use that route.
Which leaves travellers from other countries (who will be quarantining at home) and offshore workers who will either be returning (so quarantine again) or who then go to a rig but they usually spend a few days in a hotel first as they need a negative test before flying out so hopefully those things will have caught the majority into a quarantine/"isolation type scenario anyway.
The unknown will be those who flew up for another exemption reason not in one of those above but hopefully very very small number on a half empty flight.

@Scottishskifun yes, that's true. Just rattled me a bit as it always feels like we make progress then something else comes along. I think they hoped this variant worked with the vaccines anyway, didn't they, does anyone else remember reading that?

Oh wow, if there’s a prospect of overseas travel in October my DSis will be so happy. She’s a teacher and had a trip to Salem planned in the 2020 Easter holidays, which obviously never happened. It would be even nicer in October.

Also I have so many colleagues at work who haven’t seen their families abroad in almost a year now. So many with elderly parents who they’re desperate to see.

Well I work at Glasgow university and we were told no f2f in our school until next year, the head of school said this, plus surveys have shown students like blended learning. I know there is a chance this could change but I'd personally be pissed as I'm classed as vulnerable.

And what about international students and vaccinations?

I wonder where we'd be allowed to go in October, again because of vaccinations in those countries, and things like vaccination passports and having to get tested and possibly quarantine on return just makes me wonder if its all worth it, and where is even hot in October? As in around 30 degrees in Europe? I think Spain is like mid 20 degrees area. I want boiling hot weather so it feels like summer even in october.

Anyone know when garden visits are allowed? Firepit and glass of wine with my friend would be blissful!

Eh now, you can meet one person from another household outside, as long as you are in the same council, no restrictions that it has to be a public park. (Just as long as she just waters the plants with her sheewee and doesn't use your loo).
However if you have to cross the boundary then you have to be within 5 miles of the boundary and exercising. So actually for me i can legally met my dear mum in some parks but not others . But the park we met in legally the last time was heaving so this weekend i picked a park closer to her illegal but probably safer.

I think that also @WouldBeGood, if it's blended from the 15th as suggested schools would have S1-S3 doing home learning full time and S4-S6 doing blended / part time so half the pupils at home and half in school? Surely impossible for teachers to stretch themselves that thin? And if it's social distancing in school from the 15th as it is currently it's going to make it even more difficult. Schools will only be able to have a certain number of pupils per class in which means teachers have up to half the class at home to teach as well as the pupils in the classroom? How can that work?

Are you allowed to meet in your garden now? I didn’t think so.

@dancemom it’s shaping up to be a giant shambles

I think it will be all S1-3 at home and then some S4-6 in school. Possibly 50% of senior pupils which is roughly 25% of the school.

This would allow for assessments, coursework and some focussed teaching.

Personally, if I ran a school, I would have all S4 for a week,then all S5/6 for a week as that way they will see every teacher.

But, it might be more. I would just like the lot back.I miss them.