The Tierany of Tiers

[dancemom]

Teirtastic times ahead ....

Yet another example of wilful misinterpretation on this thread.

You are not currently allowed, by law, to travel from Glasgow to Paisley for a non essential reason. You are not currently allowed, by law, to travel from Lochgilphead to Stranraer for a non essential reason. You are not currently allowed, by law, to travel from Linlithgow to Thurso for a non essential reason. But people are utterly OBSESSED with the 'unicorn border'.

@icanboogieboogiewoogie it might not effect you but it does effect thousands of people both sides of the border so yes of course those of us it effects its of massive importance that the travel ban between rUK is also lifted alongside when travel around Scotland is lifted.
It also has a big impact on tourism not just families separated.

icanboogie its not about what people can or cannot do just now.

The order just now is to stay at home. I've not left my city since lockdown and I don't intend on doing it until I am allowed to do so.

My issue is that I have no clue when I can see my family. That is not the same for you.

I'm still a bit confused as to whether the new "Stay Local" messaging will be a legal requirement or just guidance? Is someone allowed (but discouraged) from travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow in order to sit in a garden with a family member?

Is that right @ApolloandDaphne I didn't know that. It's not far from me either.

I had an intern last year who escaped his St A halls at the last second and went back to Hungary for the duration.

Nightmare for all those isolating!

@icanboogieboogiewoogie

Yet another example of wilful misinterpretation on this thread.

You are not currently allowed, by law, to travel from Glasgow to Paisley for a non essential reason. You are not currently allowed, by law, to travel from Lochgilphead to Stranraer for a non essential reason. You are not currently allowed, by law, to travel from Linlithgow to Thurso for a non essential reason. But people are utterly OBSESSED with the 'unicorn border'.

Indeed. Its quicker for me to cross into England to travel from Scotland to my job at a Scottish university where I lecture, somewhat ironically and amongst other subjects, on human rights law. At the moment I'm nit teaching in person, but I do from time to time have to access essential resources at my workplace that I cannot get online.

I'm almost wanting to be stopped, fined, turned back and write an academic article about it all. Anyway, haven't seen so much as a sniff of a police car for many months on this journey. I also know an essential worjer who commutes daily from Northumberland to the outskirts of Edinburgh, who reports the same. I've heard

Tons of construction workers cross the border every week, who only work in Scotland Monday-Friday. It's not really a big exciting act of sedition

The first minister confirms a further 625 people have tested positive for Covid-19, which is 3% of the tests carried out yesterday.
When the positivity rate is under 5%, the World Health Organisation classes the pandemic as being under control.
The total number of positive cases in Scotland is now 211,230.
There are 422 people in hospital, which is down 18.
There are 38 people in intensive care, down four from yesterday.
There have also been 12 more deaths registered in the past 24 hours of people who tested positive in the last 28 days. That brings the total number of deaths by that measure to 7,529.

@UnderHisAye

Is that right *@ApolloandDaphne* I didn't know that. It's not far from me either.

I had an intern last year who escaped his St A halls at the last second and went back to Hungary for the duration.

Nightmare for all those isolating!

Yup. It's true. I have attached screenshot of the e mail we got yesterday.

@florafoxtrot on my part yes, due to school holidays matching up with other family, and a husband who works away.

Yes - but travelling for work is an essential reason, so it's exempt from the stay at home order. It will also be exempt from whatever the "stay local" guidance thing is from 2nd April. As you say, though - for non-essential purposes we can't currently travel outside our council area and it sounds like it will be strongly discouraged even from 2nd April. So now we can't go down the road to another council area to see our parents just because we fancy it, and we can't go to England to see (another version of!) our parents just because we fancy it.

I think the main concern is that from 26th April NS has confirmed that we will be able to do the former within guidance - but the latter is still not confirmed. She did day she "hoped it would be 26th April or soon thereafter" or something like that in her briefing yesterday. But the actual official wording as pp have pointed out isn't so reassuring:

Currently non-essential travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK and the wider Common Travel Area (CTA) (i.e. the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) is prohibited as a measure to reduce the risk of importation of the virus. Travel within the UK and the wider CTA is important to many families and to the tourism sector. We will keep that ban under review, taking account of trends in prevalence and the restrictions in place in the other CTA countries and the confidence we can take from that about the risks of travel resulting in importation of the virus, with a review to relaxing the ban – or targeting it only on travel to and from particular areas in the rest of the CTA – when it becomes safe to do so. We will continue to communicate our thinking with the tourism sector.

So no date given, reiteration of the ban and reviewing the ban, lots of scary sounding wording about importation of the virus, and "communicating our thinking with the tourism sector" - which I assume means "we'll tell you what's happening and make sure you comply with it by refusing bookings from people with an English address" or similar...

And of course, from 2nd-25th April we will legally be able to go to another council area in Scotland "just because" - albeit with lots of finger wagging and telling off about going against guidance. But we still won't be able to go to England, because that ban will still be in place (though not sure which piece of legislation actually includes the current CTA ban - as distinct from the "don't leave your house" ban or the "don't leave your council area" ban. Lots of bans there...)

I know - I was just pointing out that given the massive number of cars crossing the border, it's unlikely to be actually policed. If anyone is desperate to cross the border just do it; I know people who live near the border who do it to get their shopping.

Ah - I get you! I think Police Scotland confirmed it wouldn't be policed when the SG brought in the ban (October?? or maybe from Boxing Day? I forget). But it's still technically banned for non-essential purposes. So I assume if you broke down, or were naughty or drew the police's attention to you in some other way, your reasons for travel could be brought into your overall telling off/ fine. I think many of us are just too reluctant to do something we know to be illegal, or to want to lie to the police about our reasons - even if it's a stupid, non-enforceable law - to want to try, though mugs that we are. I assume that's what they are relying on.

Apollo

Students weren't encouraged to take up places in halls last year? I know most if not all unis told their students not to go back after Christmas - sorry my post was ambiguous. A student I know at St Andrews seems to think that students weren't allowed to defer this year because of the pandemic unless they had a note from a doctor confirming that continuing as a student would be detrimental to their health, mental or physical. But, I do appreciate that it's difficult for universities, which rely on student fees for a huge chunk of their income.

What's the testing like in St Andrews? Speaking as the mum of a student I'm so grateful my DS wasn't in his first year (in London) throughout the pandemic. Not being able to come home would have been very difficult for him and really worrying for me. His term finishes on Friday 26th. Is that the same as St A?

I really feel for students at the moment, still paying full fees for a greatly reduced offering and often paying for accommodation as well. I would have thought that most private landlords are more able to shoulder the financial hit from loss of rental income than poor students who mostly haven't even been able to supplement their loan or parental contribution from their usual part time or summer work.

The government has shielded the property market and private landlords from financial losses but not students many of whom are graduating during a recession. The housing situation in this country is scandalous.

@mibbelucieachwell Students were advised only to come if they were on one of a few very specific science courses or needing to stay due to safety issues at home. Students were given a refund on hall fees. I don't know about private rentals. I think some of those students have chosen to stay here but they are subject to the same restrictions as the rest of the population. There is a testing centre in St. Andrews which is easy to access I believe. I've never had to. I think this is our last week of teaching before spring break. I've found the quality of teaching online to be excellent. I know our tutors have said that it is a lot more work for them so is suspect the fees are being used in different ways as they all need the technology to ensure teaching goes smoothly. I am really happy with what I have been offered. I know the young undergraduates are missing the social aspect but apparently students are doing very well academically and the overall marks have increased.

Just to add to dancemom post.

NRS figures also out today. Deaths for the most recent week are now below the 5 year average by 90, even although there were over 100 "Covid" deaths. There were 85 excess deaths at home in line with roughly 100 per week all year. The excess at home is non-Covid.

529,119 new vaccinations registered in 🇬🇧 yesterday

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 370,842 1st doses / 62,909 2nd doses
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 38,311 / 10,987
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 17,385 / 16,202
NI 6,782 / 5,701

Half a million per day that is mind blowing.

Vaccines now delayed approximately 4 weeks now though

Covid: NHS warns of 'significant reduction' in vaccines www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56435549

That's going to impact easing of restrictions for sure.

I'm so pissed off with how far behind England we are with the vaccine. I know 40 somethings that have had it this week in England ,no underlying conditions. I'm really anxious about it all. We've fucked up.

Ish. I'm trying to think of it in the wider global context though. Pretty much every other country would be thrilled to be where we are right now.

Yup, I have mine next Sunday. My younger brother and sister in England have both already had theirs

Has anyone booked theirs through being an unpaid unregistered carer?

@dancemom

Has anyone booked theirs through being an unpaid unregistered carer?

No I haven't but I probably could do. The remit is so broad I suspect most of the population could