Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Burnieman]

NS: "And I am afraid we will also have to accept that the price of greater domestic normality is likely to be - for a period at least - not going on holiday overseas."

So define the time period, and define what needs to happen. People will accept it if she comes out and gives us some targets/exit strategy.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

So when we find ourselves in the position where England has opened to some foreign travel in say June/July, but Scotland is still pursuing quarantine and no travel, what happens next, we all head to Newcastle/Manchester/Birmingham airports?

As much as I want see Independence, we're not Independent yet and this is a situation IMO where the UK decision needs to hold sway given they control the borders. It needs a unified approach.

Yes, with you 100%.

There's also a situation (similar to last summer), where we could be fine to go to Bournemouth or Blackpool (and vice versa) where they're virus ridden but we're forbidden to travel to the likes of the Balearics, Canaries, Malta, Cyprus etc who have much less virus prevalence than our English neighbours.

A situation like that just wouldn't wash with the general public.

[Todd_is_God]

2 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

NS: "And I am afraid we will also have to accept that the price of greater domestic normality is likely to be - for a period at least - not going on holiday overseas."

So define the time period, and define what needs to happen. People will accept it if she comes out and gives us some targets/exit strategy.

That won't happen. Last year the SG were caught out by how quickly it pretty much fucked off, and would be left with egg on their face if they caused the collapse of the travel industry here for no good reason whilst Europe and England enjoyed the benefits of travel.

Open ended statements allow wiggle room if need be.

[TheScarf]

Scottish Union Jack Twitter is funny today.

[Burnieman]

2 minutes ago, WATTOO said:

Yes, with you 100%.

There's also a situation (similar to last summer), where we could be fine to go to Bournemouth or Blackpool (and vice versa) where they're virus ridden but we're forbidden to travel to the likes of the Balearics, Canaries, Malta, Cyprus etc who have much less virus prevalence than our English neighbours.

A situation like that just wouldn't wash with the general public.

It won't. I wonder what happens to the travel industry when furlough ends on 1st May, who is paying the wages of the travel agent and airline staff sitting at home and all the other linked businesses?

[DeeTillEhDeh]

VT will look after them for a bit, give you a bit of respite.

Ffs don't open that can of worms.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

My thoughts too tbh. The telling part was where she said she couldn't put the same restrictions on people coming in from other parts of the UK. 
I don't think NS is dense. It's an attempt to pressure the UK Gov into a decision and / or provide support for avoiding the total collapse of the travel sector in Scotland. And I think she'll struggle if England is opening up. The UK Gov are (rightfully) not interested in #ZeroCovid.

It looked like that to me as well.

[Burnieman]

3 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

That won't happen. Last year the SG were caught out by how quickly it pretty much fucked off, and would be left with egg on their face if they caused the collapse of the travel industry here for no good reason whilst Europe and England enjoyed the benefits of travel.

Open ended statements allow wiggle room if need be.

I can accept a travel ban and quarantine until 1st May, when cases should be pretty low to non-existent, I can even accept it into June to give a bit of extra time.  I won't however accept an open ended time period with the cover all excuse "to stop importing new cases".

[Elixir]

I'm sure she'll still have the audacity to  claim that EU citizens are welcome in Scotland.

[Wee Bully]

I can accept a travel ban and quarantine until 1st May, when cases should be pretty low to non-existent, I can even accept it into June to give a bit of extra time.  I won't however accept an open ended time period with the cover all excuse "to stop importing new cases".

Agreed. Once the prevalence is down, and the NHS isn’t at risk of being overwhelmed, the restrictions need to go.

I’m happy for that to be done with care, and in a staged manner over a number of months so it doesn’t spring back up and give an excuse to unwind the restrictions. And if hospital /ICU / death numbers stay low when cases go up, case numbers themselves shouldn’t be an excuse.

[Jambomo]

3 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

I can accept a travel ban and quarantine until 1st May, when cases should be pretty low to non-existent, I can even accept it into June to give a bit of extra time.  I won't however accept an open ended time period with the cover all excuse "to stop importing new cases".

The travel ban largely depends on the other countries as well tbh. If they are opening up travel, I suspect it will be done roughly at the same time as countries who are keeping pace with our vaccination programmes. 

[G51]

Mandatory quarantines, not travel bans, are the solution to stop importing cases.

Travel bans are the language of the fascists, and we cannot engage in this.

[Elric]

41 minutes ago, madwullie said:

Youngest in P1 goes back, eldest stays at home in P4 for more home learning.  

TBF, looking at it purely from an educational standpoint, I think that's fair enough - the wee man has definitely suffered, socially and academically missing out on so much of p1. I know you shouldn't compare weans but our eldest was reading like a champ by 6 and the wee man is nowhere near that level - and considering he's on the hardest differentiated work from the teacher I'd say it looks like that's reflected across his whole class, and I'd imagine the whole Scottish year group.

Nothing that can't be caught up on imo, but I can understand why some people are starting to talk about holding their kids back a year. 

That was what I was discussing with the wife earlier today - without extra time added will schools be able to catch up. Have noticed the difference in my oldest grandchild, she was doing well in class but now seems lost.  Perhaps they should consider this year a complete right off and repeat the year for all. Would prove a heavy impact for P1 with kids coming through from nursery though

[Ron Aldo]

[ayrmad]

2 hours ago, Gaz said:

They're empty all weekend, yes, but schools right now have several bubbles of about ten kids each bubble. These bubbles sit together in classes, eat together, and any time they are in the building they are not allowed to mix with other bubbles. They have designated rooms, toilets, tables and so on.

Bringing however many hundreds of randoms into the building isn't possible as long as this model is on the go. There isn't enough time to clean and sanitise everywhere.

There are quite literally loads of halls available across Ayr and Prestwick lying empty most or all of the time, pubs, clubs, churches, chapels, PIK, Ayr Racecourse, Community Centres etc.

Ayr Racecourse is huge in comparison to The Citadel. 

The fact that 9000 and 11000 daily figures fit comfortably into our targets mean the targets are very unambitious, never thought I'd agree with Jackie Baillie on anything but there you go. 

Even 35000 or whatever it was yesterday is only 2/3 of down the roads better days. 

Edited February 2, 2021 by ayrmad

[realmadrid]

Working in travel for a couple of businesses based in France the issue may not be NS saying you can travel but where can you go.

We have been advised not to take UK bookings for a number of months (Not great for winter skiing if this opens up later this month)

The second wave is only really now taking off in some parts of France which is also anti-vax for some reason. 

I am sure some places will want British guests at some point this year. 

 

[vikingTON]

Just now, Elric said:

That was what I was discussing with the wife earlier today - without extra time added will schools be able to catch up. 

That's what weekends and the summer holidays were meant for.

If the football calendar can be moved to take account of a pandemic, why can't the education schedule of our precious weans? 

[Burnieman]

1 minute ago, Jambomo said:

The travel ban largely depends on the other countries as well tbh. If they are opening up travel, I suspect it will be done roughly at the same time as countries who are keeping pace with our vaccination programmes. 

Agree, that's why I see it as a return to managed travel corridors with countries where they are vaccinating at an acceptable rate and new infection numbers are low.

If the EU open up internally as a bloc, then that also presents an opportunity.

However, we need detail, not an open ended ban.

[realmadrid]

4 minutes ago, Elric said:

That was what I was discussing with the wife earlier today - without extra time added will schools be able to catch up. Have noticed the difference in my oldest grandchild, she was doing well in class but now seems lost.  Perhaps they should consider this year a complete right off and repeat the year for all. Would prove a heavy impact for P1 with kids coming through from nursery though

I was more inclined to have the repeat a year for those in the 16-18 range

The 2004 year have yet to sit a set of proper exams and won't do so until the last weeks of their time in school. 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

It won't. I wonder what happens to the travel industry when furlough ends on 1st May, who is paying the wages of the travel agent and airline staff sitting at home and all the other linked businesses?

As you say, there's Airport security staff, baggage handlers and ground crew, caterers and retail staff and that's before we even start on the Airline staff, travel agents and call centre staff.

Norwegian are already in a very precarious position and Jet2, Easyjet, Wizz and Ryanair can't sustain these levels of losses much longer either, who knows, even if we come out of this at the other end, it may become the normal that only the richest in society will be able to travel abroad, especially when factoring in the additional costs of  compulsory testing and certification not to mention possible quarantining plus of course the ETIAS visa waiver scheme from 2022.

Whatever happens, it's increasingly looking likely that the days of the long weekend to Krakow or Riga or the 3 nights golf break to the Algarve / Costa Del Sol will unfortunately be a thing of the past.