Guilt Free Railing 8

[WouldBeGood]

Can’t believe it’s needed….

I will be burning my masks at the first opportunity. I hate them, really struggle and panic and it’s stopping me from doing lots of things.

I hope hairdressers and massage therapists etc make it a choice once we are allowed to make decisions for ourselves or I will need to resort to a diy haircut!

The majority of people I see have them under chin, round wrist etc when not using. I don’t know anyone who changes them regularly or washes them each time. I just rummage around in my shopping bags to find one for doing the weekly food shop.
So I really don’t think they have as much benefits as they make out.

Using the proper ones they recommend and changing regularly, washing etc then yes more effective but I don’t think a high percentage of people are doing this

But you've no idea really. I don't leave mine lying in the bottom of my shopping bag, for example

@SoMuchForSummerLove sorry, I have no problem at all with people who want to wear masks. I meant the propaganda surrounding it from those who tweet how they care so much so wear a mask

This is based on what I see when I go to shop once a week. Or when I’m out running

I appreciate some people will be using them properly but from my experience that’s very few.

Mine are a biohazard in themselves to be fair.

I totally get why everyone is so scunnered with masks as it's still such an alien concept here. However I don't think it's the right time to discard them completely or make them optional.
I'm concerned about the CEV population, adults and children. Yes adults will no doubt be double vaccinated but for the immunosuppressed (like dh) it's very unclear how effective these vaccines have been. Dh is poorly at the moment and his white cell count is very low which makes him ripe for infection. Rather than having more freedom at the moment we're finding ourselves becoming hermits again which is rubbish.
Also the CEV children won't be vaccinated, would imagine most of them will end up unofficially shielding.
Wish Covid would just bugger off for good.

I wondered about the fabric masks as they are less effective, but then Whitty and Valance were wearing cloth ones, so maybe they are worthwhile .
I have a couple of fabric ones and I do make an effort to wash after each day I use one - mostly.

I still think that all they do is limit the particles that come out when you cough or sneeze (or breathe, I suppose). So they can limit the virus particles, meaning if you have covid, you're less likely to infect other people. I suppose, by that reckoning, they may still be effective even if they have been on your wrist, because they are still limiting the particles. Should be working for Sage

@rookiemere

I wondered about the fabric masks as they are less effective, but then Whitty and Valance were wearing cloth ones, so maybe they are worthwhile . I have a couple of fabric ones and I do make an effort to wash after each day I use one - mostly.

They stop large droplets only but not small ones which still escape. This wasn't a problem with the original variant which needed a greater viral load etc but with the new variants which need much less and can easily get enough viral load in the air from the releases even if everyone is wearing a mask they don't do as much as people think.

Would say that 90% of people wear them incorrectly either by the way they put them on or take them off, readjust them or pull them to their chins or nose. They are also not changed frequently enough - as soon as the mask is moist it should be changed as actually you have more risk of whatever is on the outside breathing in if there is moisture. Also they are supposed to be washed on a 60 degree or higher if cloth.

So yes they stop larger droplets but don't stop either virus escaping into surroundings air or people breathing that in with the new variants. Hence why the message at the moment is all about ventilation.

I don’t know if this should be a rail, or a good thing, but herself, Swinney and Humza are apparently all off on holiday at the same time.

(Not together, lest this appear salacious)

I think it does demonstrate that this isn’t all as terrifying as the media are shrieking

Having a rail at the BBC this morning giving Devi Sridhar a platform to explain why her vision has gone so spectularly wrong, but predictably not fact checking anything she says in any great depth or giving much in the way of opposing views. In particular annoyed that they say her 'close to elimination' claim was largely correct and only went wrong because of new variants (and not because this statement was fundamentally wrong, as evidenced by Mark Woolhouse's testimony, or that the idea you can keep infection out of Scotland forever is just f#*"$£&^ stupid). I actually made a (very calm) complaint and pointed out that for balance, and because its being used in anti-UK propaganda, they should at the very least state that the close to elimination claim is contested. I don't expect anything will happen, but I made me feel better.

I heard that from August (roughly when I return to work.) that in England if you are double vaccinated and a close contact you don't have to self isolate after a negative test? Is that correct?

Mr G started with the home working team at 9am. They are struggling with him as his tablet doesn't have the correct software. So his return to work hasn't been too smooth so far 😂

inews.co.uk/news/scotland/2022-school-exams-scotland-august-sturgeon-1069529

I cannot believe this...it's going to be another year of chaos with schools and kids having no idea what's going on..

Nicola sturgeon and her govt dont care about our kids mental health at all

I know the sqa had its faults but just to throw it away with no plans for what next is completely mad

The only internally assessed element of the course in some subjects (the assignment) has already been dropped for next year (to allow more time for other elements) - which seems at odds with her statement as it puts more focus on the exam, not less!

@Groovee

I heard that from August (roughly when I return to work.) that in England if you are double vaccinated and a close contact you don't have to self isolate after a negative test? Is that correct?

Mr G started with the home working team at 9am. They are struggling with him as his tablet doesn't have the correct software. So his return to work hasn't been too smooth so far 😂

Yep this is correct for England it's unknown what will happen here as apparently no one in SG is available for comments all of a sudden......

@frasersmummy

inews.co.uk/news/scotland/2022-school-exams-scotland-august-sturgeon-1069529

I cannot believe this...it's going to be another year of chaos with schools and kids having no idea what's going on..

Nicola sturgeon and her govt dont care about our kids mental health at all

I know the sqa had its faults but just to throw it away with no plans for what next is completely mad

The article says schools will be informed in august.

The SQA's coat has been on a shoogly peg for a while and it is time that the exam system changes.

@WouldBeGood

I don’t know if this should be a rail, or a good thing, but herself, Swinney and Humza are apparently all off on holiday at the same time.

(Not together, lest this appear salacious)

I can't believe any of them would do anything as fun as go on holiday!

I really don't think cancelling exams is a good idea though. The countries who do well academically tend to do exams. If unis are planning on doing their own exams for medicine, etc this year, as they don't trust the system, that's what's going keep happening in the future, meaning Scottish pupils will be further disadvantaged.

I honestly couldn't cope with the workload if exams were cancelled again (or permanently). We have only very recently got rid of end of unit assessments that were required by the SQA. Preparing students for an assessment and then assessing it as well is too much, they need to be separate jobs.

@titsintiers Oban for her, and tiree for the Swinneybot

What I am finding annoying just now is how the government promised the kids would have a summer of play to help their mental and physical health after such a tough year. This was instead of making any effort to catch our kids up which I was fine with as this seemed like a better idea.
However instead of this happening what has actually happened is way less activities than normal, no school holiday clubs run by leisure centres for instance. Parents with no where to send their kids in the holidays as there are no clubs running. And noones asked her what’s happened to this summer of fun we are supposed to have been given.

Apologies actually that’s not totally correct as we did get an email about a sports club run by the high school. There were thirty spaces available for one week only for all of the feeder schools for a large high school. Oddly enough no one I know who applied got a space. Sorry feeling a bit mad about that.

I feel like the Scottish government has done absolutely nothing it’s promised for a long time now

£20 million of funding has been provided for this apparently

I was thinking about that the other day @Icannever but wasn't sure if I'd misinterpreted it and as I don't have any non adult DC. To be fair, I couldn't actually swear that nothing had been done so decided to keep my trap shut (for once) .

I have noticed lots of folk on local community SM asking for ideas/play schemes etc and there didn't seem to be many responses but I wasn't paying that much attention.