Tiers until the end of time

[runningpink]

Quickly putting this up as last thread is full

The BBC news on tiers just about broke me. How can she justify this?

Fingers crossed she’ll be having to resign soon.

Ok

Ignore last message

Was really worried last week that they were trying for Zero Covid,and now it looks like they are
No scientific basis for this

Fingers crossed she’ll be having to resign soon

Sad but true. I can't decide what point in time will do most damage to SNP election campaign.

It always angered me that level 0 was classed as nearly normal when there was nothing normal about it.

I’m struggling so much at the minute, I attempt to look to the future and it’s nothing but a blank wall in front of me.

I want life back but at the same time it scares me as there is no certainty or plan to aim for.
As much as this is slowly killing me right now I at least know where I stand so to speak.

Why can’t the elderly and vulnerable be vaccinated then let us all free.
If your not happy to take that risk then stay at home bit longer but that’s your choice type thing.

Did JS or JL say that they were possibly looking at doing the new tiers on a more regional basis than on the council areas? I feel like I remember someone here saying that a while ago?

I'm no good with maths, would increasing the area involved be more likely to bring the per 100k down a bit? It seems a useless statistic for small sparse populations, like Na h-Eileanan Siar being in tier 2 because they have ~7 cases? I'd personally say 7 cases is pretty damn "close to zero" but puts them at 30/100k.

But in any event manky west Central Scotland will most likely be stuck until into the autumn at this rate, can't see how they'll allow tourism within Scotland in the summer when people will be wanting to head for the low tier areas.

This latest news absolutely confirms the intention to go for zero COVID, despite it most likely not being possible as there will always be a few cases knocking about despite summer and vaccinations. And even in the very unlikely event that we do get the zero cases, we still can't live life normally as defined by tier zero? WTAF is that about?
The reaction on Twitter (where we seem to conduct most politics these days) is interesting though - almost no-one is supportive of this approach and people who last summer were all for elimination are now very much against further restrictions. It does seem to have seeped into the public consciousness that the virus is here to stay, but that this doesn't matter so much because the vaccines and treatments have turned it into a much less serious disease. People just aren't on board with all the damage to society, health and the economy for relatively little real world benefit, especially when just over the border people are planning a return to normal life. It does make me wonder what Sturgeon is playing at so close to the election - I can only assume that she's so invested in the zero COVID ideology now she thinks she has to keep going on the off chance they do manage to spin the numbers towards having achieved it, then she can claim victory over Westminster etc. Either that or its a massive dead cat to distract from her appearance before the committee which is likely to reveal either gross incompetence or corruption (or maybe both).

I'm not looking at the BBC piece- I know it will put me on a downer for days.

If my interactions with people are anything to go by, people are generally very jaded with the idea that despite vaccinations making the most vulnerable safe, there's no prospect for relief from the covid prison. I can't see people adhering.

rookiemere experienced a similar lack if interest in school return from my parents, fingers crossed for good news for you.

My dd is anxious as the upper primary return still needs confirming.

This gloomy grey sky doesn't help.

@Y0uCann0tBeSer10us perhaps she just doesn’t care anymore. She knows she’ll be going and why change tack now? If she can get her Zero Covid dream she’ll still have a chance at keeping her saviour legacy.

80 percent protection from severe illness after first dose established - that's better than we ever hoped for and still no change in strategy.

So tired of trying not to think about it.

I wonder whether this will put people off getting tested actually, which could make it harder to contain outbreaks. If a relatively small number of cases is enough to trigger harsher restrictions there might even be community pressure not to get tested and make everyone in that area suffer. Ironically this could lead to more circulating infection is people have a strong disincentive to get tested - unlike somewhere like England where restrictions are not linked to cases per se but rather hospitalisations etc.

@polarisation unfortunately more likely to be the other way. If you look at health board data compared to local authority data it tends to be higher.

Yes they did say in a briefing that they hadn't confirmed yet how they were due to split up the areas unclear if council, health board or geographical.

Looking at the pattern/data on geographical scottish borders area/dumfries and Galloway and argyll and bute has been low, central belt high, Perth/Angus area medium (exception of Dundee which spent a while very high)
Highlands and NE low but again with a few periods of high for Aberdeen City and parts of Aberdeenshire.
Islands typically very low.

I don't think they would do geographical though because the majority of voters are based there!

Sorry should read majority of voters are in Central belt!

I do think everyone is scunnered now and not supportive.

I met very obedient neighbours on a walk and they said “nah, we’ve done our bit. Enough is enough.”

I thought I had deleted the screenshots of the tables listing what you could do on each tier. Typically I have found them all apart from level 0!

Even at level 1 it’s only two households mixing outdoors or indoors at a restaurant but no in home socialising.
And you still can’t travel to a tier 3/4 so essential we will be stuck in our local authority areas even ifs it’s made out that we can leave unless the areas near you are the same

I think people are less likely to comply if this is the way it's going to go. Of course that doesn't help businesses or hospitality that can't open or function in any meaningful way.

@runningpink level 1 was in home socialising officially but that wasn't actually allowed in the end

Friends and family in England know that June 21st is a possible light on the horizon. I know, anecdotally, that folk have been tremendously uplifted by having that to aim for, even if it is amended, plus they are seeing relatives receive the vaccine and doing the math around the data for themselves.

We are one country and the science doesn’t alter for the nations or amend at the unicorn border.

(Personally, I think this is all smoke and mirrors, so let’s see what Wednesday and the rest of the week brings...)

I agree that many people have already said enough's enough. Out on walks people aren't jumping to opposite sides of the pavement any more. We went to a large local park at the weekend and it was absolutely packed with parents and children - no masks, no-one distancing or looking at one another suspiciously. It was nice actually, because it felt pretty normal.

The thing is that folk not being tested also risks figures going up as the % positive always goes up when testing levels are lower. We are focusing on the wrong thing again.

I was upset when I saw an English tweet from a doctor referring excitedly to the last week of full lockdown, kids back in school next Monday.

Or sometime never if you live here.

@fluffyugg I’d forgotten that they didn’t allow that in the end after initially saying we could

It’s all the lies and backtracking I can’t stand. Just be bloody honest with us and give actual reasons for changes and decisions

@Y0uCann0tBeSer10us

I agree that many people have already said enough's enough. Out on walks people aren't jumping to opposite sides of the pavement any more. We went to a large local park at the weekend and it was absolutely packed with parents and children - no masks, no-one distancing or looking at one another suspiciously. It was nice actually, because it felt pretty normal.

Crikey, we can’t have examples of non-compliance and critical thinking going on in Scotland! Just think of all the effort to create those adverts starring the LeitchBot, they would be a complete waste of money if we are all just using common sense and thinking for ourselves?