Guilt Free Railing 17

[WouldBeGood]

Happy New Thread, Railers!

@Iwantthesummersun

We still do not have co2 monitors widely across classrooms in all areas. Mine was in for less than a day. We have none in our school. We have 14 classes plus nursery.

Me too! 🙋🏻‍♀️ Less than a day. No info on the results, no repeat testing. Nothing except a vague instruction to open my windows. So it'll be my fault if I get covid in my class. That's always been the strategy.

Ah @Haudyourwheesht open our windows. The same ones that open half an inch. Can’t open exterior doors as we have runners. Just going to put a wet paper towel on myself and hope that my magic covid avoiding powers hold up.

We had a co2 monitor ons Wednesday morning and haven't seen one since! There were about 5 to go round our whole ASG of 8 primary schools.
The results of that brief usage were never given so another pointless Covid box ticking exercise and for our self important little janny to look busy

My school (average secondary role approx 1000) was given 4. Most departments and classrooms have never seen one far less actually had a chance to monitor levels.

They have been located in PE changing rooms as they have no windows and after classes pupils will be breathing heavier. True. But as PE is a practical subject classes are smaller, changing rooms are only occupied for 5 mins at a time and then can lie empty.

My non practical subject can have 33 pupils, a SLA (if I am lucky) , a student teacher and me. I have double periods where the class won't move from the room.

It beats me why governments haven't provided schools with hepa air filters. (I'm sure someone in the cabinet has a chum who'd be happy to provide them at an exorbitant price.) I'm sure I heard some boffin saying that they do reduce virus particles in the environment.

The lovely Dr Chris Smith, an actual virologist, on radio Scot saying how if the government were to spend even a fraction of the cost of testing on helping hospitals get themselves organised for effective isolation of infectious patients the NHS would be in a much better place.

And when pressed recommending a one nation approach across the Uk as there are known ways of dealing with infectious diseases. Also saying that the measures taken are based on instinct rather than evidence and are distracting.
Put that in your pipe JL et al.

Daft regulations just to be seen to be doing something..... which distract and detract from how we can get back on track.
Advocating simple rules that are easy to follow and comprehensive.

@mibbelucieachwell

And when pressed recommending a one nation approach across the Uk as there are known ways of dealing with infectious diseases. Also saying that the measures taken are based on instinct rather than evidence and are distracting. Put that in your pipe JL et al.

That's very interesting no doubt if asked will be the usual response of we are focusing on protecting Scotland public health etc etc etc!

I'm not surprised at all about rubbish School systems and controls whilst SG say we are doing loads..... whilst pretty much doing nothing other then force children into masks

@mibbelucieachwell that’s so refreshing to hear! Actual sense, for once. Can he be in charge, please? 😃

A one nation approach would make much more sense.

I can understand when we had pockets of high infection trying not to spread it round using teirs / levels etc but the rest of it is all complete flag waving nonsense that's just doubling work and causing confusion.

@lockdownbear completely agree but the default would be UK govt (given they have the treasury......) which would send the devolved nations in outcry and constant political point scoring even more!

Drakeford is clearly under pressure too as he hit out last week at UK govt approach and has been criticised for preventing outdoor exercise groups due to number cap which is ridiculous anyway!

Sturgeon would be having a field day about Westminster lack of protection to the Scottish people and how it shows independence is the way forward!

Sturgeon is doing a pretty good job nearly 2 years in of many people now being pissed off at her even friends of mine who were die hard SNP are sick of the lectures and rules making no sense whatsoever and not being based in evidence.

Could we even have a one-nation approach when health is a devolved issue? I don't know.

@BlameItOnTheBlackStar

Could we even have a one-nation approach when health is a devolved issue? I don't know.

I suppose its how you define health.....the UK govt wouldn't be able to say Scottish hospitals stop treating covid patients but a lot of the rules are in relation to businesses and health is used as the umbrella!

The reality is with an infectious virus which circulates in the community whether a business has a one way system or not is not going to drive down that infection rate, nor is reducing outside to 50 people in the case of the Welsh 51 doesn't suddenly make it a spreader event and 50 doesn't.

Public health is being banded about and used for all types of restrictions never conducted previously and UK regulations does already contain health elements such as the health and safety at work act.

@Scottishskifun
Yip I know exactly what you mean. If WM didn't hand control over they'd be undermining ScotGov. Adding fuel to the fire. Meanwhile ScotGov as successfully pissed lots of people off.

We'll get to the end off this sooner or later. And look back and shake heads.

@mibbelucieachwell

And when pressed recommending a one nation approach across the Uk as there are known ways of dealing with infectious diseases. Also saying that the measures taken are based on instinct rather than evidence and are distracting. Put that in your pipe JL et al.

This is very similar to what Mark Woolhouse, also an actual infectious disease epidemiologist, was quoted as saying this morning:

"Meanwhile, Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Edinburgh University, told Good Morning Scotland that the balance in managing harms throughout the pandemic had not been right.
He said: "I'm concerned why a lot of the evidence - such as the complete lack of necessity to keep us indoors because this virus does not transmit outdoors - was there from very early on and yet somehow, through the scientific advisory systems and the politicians, this didn't get translated into public health action.
"As a result we all spent a lot of time having our activities curtailed for very little effect and far too long in my view.""

This last sentence is especially potent given the current situation where we again have harsher restrictions and yet higher infection rates than England. It just feels like the politics of being seen to 'do something' has completely over-ridden any consideration of whether that 'something' was actually useful, or indeed actively harmful (see Wales banning parkrun for example).

I found it ironic that Jason Leitch used Northern Ireland and Wales as examples to show our restrictions are working but didn'treger to the fact that England has less and not as high.......both places with greater restrictions on par or worse then Scotland for aspects and still have soaring rates!
It really does feel like that they are clutching at straws on "proving" they are doing anything......which is ironic when compared to big bad infectious England with their lawless ways......and lower infection rate per 100,000 of the population......😂

Travelling tabby is 1924 for England, 2026 for Scotland, 2381 for Wales and 2905 for NI.

I think as an ideal it should have been run by the four nations with a kind of War Cabinet of all the nations and a cross section of sensible professionals in the field. No point scoring or extremes; with the ability to change policy without losing face, or the fear of losing votes.

I think that would have been for the best from day one. I think I remember WG and SG saying that in the very early days, and WM having none of it.

The outdoor restrictions were and are particularly galling, as that would have been one way at least to mitigate the crises of mental and physical health slightly.

I've said before, during last year's restrictions we ignored the stay in area rule because we were going hillwalking (because really only so many times I'm prepared to slog up Tinto). I daresay some would have thought we were selfish but I couldnt' quite work out how exactly?
I mean we could have had a crash en route I suppose, or fallen on the hill, but we could just as easily have crashed within my council area.

And the physical and mental benefits were immense.

I don’t think any of the governments/assemblies were up for it. It’s weird: it would have been a perfect chance to let someone else co-manage the shitstorm

I’ve pretty much ignored any rule that’s blatantly stupid, as far as possible

@WouldBeGood

I think as an ideal it should have been run by the four nations with a kind of War Cabinet of all the nations and a cross section of sensible professionals in the field. No point scoring or extremes; with the ability to change policy without losing face, or the fear of losing votes.

I’ve been railing about this since 2020, around the time our restrictions started to be micro managed in the nations. Overall, I want politicians to get back to the day leadership job- except where the MPs/MSPs are representing their constituents re business, schooling or whatever impacted by the last two years. Other than that it needs to be an all-nations committee, yes with political representation, of course, but we really no longer require the FMs of Scotland and Wales winging it based on what they think is best. Nor should the UK PM be tied up with day to day sound bites re Covid. Too much damage has been done to date, other than the U.K. vaccination programme not the race and competition Humza appears to think it is which is the most positive thing to come out of all this, yet ‘England’ appear to be the only ones allowed to move onwards. We need a joined up approach on recovery that could benefit us all.

Maybe it’s not too late, @OnceUponAWhine!

OnceUponAWhine excellent rail, could not agree more. It's nonsense, tinkering and posturing. It's also caused a lot of additional stress and confusion eg the different hotel quarantine policies.