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Coronavirus (COVID-19)


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46 minutes ago, Mr. Alli said:

I see gyms in Liverpool have now been told they can re-open because Lancashire, which was placed into Tier 3 after Liverpool, was told its gyms can remain open. 

Local authorities are given some discretion in England over what closes when they enter Tier 3. Presumably this also dictates funding. Annoying though it will inevitably be, hopefully the Scottish tiers are more rigid and less flexible to prevent this happening. 

Another fine mess here - we're now 7 months in and the government still seemingly hasn't realised that when the restrictions are implemented in inconsistent fashion, people complain and things start being changed again at short notice. Incredible. 

I don't believe gyms should close, as it happens, but you're asking for trouble when you start allowing discretion like that. 

Edited by Michael W
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Read an interesting article through fb about the government deliberately letting night life waste away because it suited them politically. I'll look for it later. The club/gig scene was a joke in Edinburgh even prior to this and it sounds like Glasgow and Dundee hasn't been much better. 

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4 minutes ago, Miguel Sanchez said:

Only took Todd 7 minutes to red dot this. Go on, post a graph mate, you know you want to.

Nope.

Ahead of Nicola Sturgeon's latest round of destructive measures unfairly centered on hospitality, I'll share this, though

 

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Whilst it was pretty obvious that the current "circuit breaker" was going to be extended by another week, they (the Scottish government) should have been open and up front about that from the start. A three week circuit breaker - covering 4 weekends - is more palatable than a two week one that then transforms into a three week one, days before it was supposed to be lifted. 

I'm somewhat fortunate in that I'm still able to work during this period. However it has meant massively reduced hours (almost halved for me, others back on furlough, and others getting almost no hours) and a really big hit to the tills. Again, I'm fortunate to still be earning. Other places are closed completely so no wages and no income for 3 weeks - and it's not as if these pubs and restaurants were operating at full capacity beforehand. 

I'm sure the support is there for businesses but the Scottish government (hamstrung by what they can and can't do with spending and borrowing powers) don't really seem to care about the economic and social impact just now.

I, personally, appreciate that something needs to be done. And it's a difficult balance to strike. And the Scottish government can't deficit spend like Westminster can. But there's going to be a lot of people losing jobs over this "temporary" shutdown and the SG give off the impression that they don't really care - extending this by a week, rather than setting out a 3 week shutdown in the first place, demonstrates that.

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The point being that the SG have a number of options:

1 - Accept that the virus is endemic (and that you cannot "beat it"), with a very low IFR, and that, despite what 'alarm' they want to portray about current Covid numbers, the hospital occupancy levels are currently in line with, or below, normal for this time of year. Relax restrictions, but encourage distancing and good hygiene.

2 - Maintain that they can suppress a virus, and take steps to mitigate this in the places where transmission is actually happening, whilst allowing places it isn't to open. This would mean closing schools, at least partially (i.e. over 16s), but allowing 'covid secure' hospitality venues to trade.

3 - A heads gone, close everything lockdown.

It's impossible to take the SG seriously until they drop the populist BS about schools being no risk, and keeping them open being the top priority. 

Simply maintaining arbitrary restrictions in place (which, unsurprisingly given there was little evidence to suggest they would, clearly aren't working), crossing their fingers, and waiting until 'cases' reduce naturally is an unacceptable strategy 7 months in.

Edited by Todd_is_God
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13 minutes ago, yoda said:

Whilst it was pretty obvious that the current "circuit breaker" was going to be extended by another week, they (the Scottish government) should have been open and up front about that from the start. A three week circuit breaker - covering 4 weekends - is more palatable than a two week one that then transforms into a three week one, days before it was supposed to be lifted. 

NS was very clear when asked in HR that these restrictions were "time limited" and would be lifted after 16 days. Extending them was all but ruled out so doing so, especially after seeing no impact at all, is unacceptable.

 

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12 minutes ago, MixuFruit said:

That was largely driven by property developers taking councillors for fancy lunches in order to kick out clubs and turn them into flats, I wonder if that business model is sustainable anymore?

I hardly ever went to Calton Studios/Studio 24, it's a disgrace how that ended up. ECC bullshit to please property developers. 

Eta: that business model is probably sustainable, the housing market here doesn't seem to have slowed down at all despite new developments being built all over the city and Lothians. 

Edited by Boostin' Kev
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9 minutes ago, Distant Doonhamer said:

Just heard a figure on the radio that the compliance rate for self isolation is about 20%. Still folk were out banging pots and pans to support the NHS. What a nation of fuckwits we are.

There needs to be a distinction between walking the dog or quickly popping into a shop and just carrying on as normal. 

Staying in for 10/14 days is impossible for many people.

Edited by Detournement
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7 minutes ago, Detournement said:

There needs to be a distinction between walking the dog or quickly popping into a shop and just carrying on as normal. 

Staying in for 10/14 days is impossible for many people.

I guess that's why the PLA boarded up houses and flats with people in them back in Wuhan. Its certainly one way of forcing compliance.

Edited by renton
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5 minutes ago, renton said:

I guess that's why the PLA boarded up houses and flats with people in them back in Wuhan. Its certainly one way of forcing compliance.

The difference is there all the streets had CCP members who got residents what they needed.

We don't have any similar level of organisation.

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There needs to be a distinction between walking the dog or quickly popping into a shop and just carrying on as normal. 

Staying in for 10/14 days is impossible for many people.

Yes some merit in that. The carry on as normal stuff is a real issue albeit there are many who if they don’t work don’t earn. It’s a mess.

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4 minutes ago, Detournement said:

The difference is there all the streets had CCP members who got residents what they needed.

We don't have any similar level of organisation.

Could you imagine the thinkpieces if the government had people assigned to help their neighbours during the first lockdown

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