Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Szamo's_Ammo]

I think another "lockdown" in Scotland (minus the huge Covid Hotspots obviously) is a certainty after Christmas. We aren't even in winter yet and January/February is always the most difficult time for the NHS in any normal year due to the flu season and other illnesses brought on and exacerbated because of the weather and human behaviour during these months.

Hospitality, non essential retail, gyms and other sectors have been shut down or severely restricted for large swathes of Scotland for months and it has not made a significant enough difference to case numbers (we all know why that is) which would have made it possible to open most of society back up for any significant period of time.

It is going to be a long winter but if we all make our own sunshine we should get through it.

[Billy Jean King]

Captain, Major, Sir Tom Moore on a jolly in the Caribbean I see, free business class BA flights for the full family too. Top top work by the pushy daughter that !!!!!

[G51]

7 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

Captain, Major, Sir Tom Moore on a jolly in the Caribbean I see, free business class BA flights for the full family too. Top top work by the pushy daughter that !!!!!

Aye you better put Sir at the start of his name.

Give that old bitch the respect he deserves.

[bendan]

10 hours ago, Markka said:

Was out tonight and noticed less adherence to wearing face coverings than previous.

Excluding myself, in the off licence there was 1 out of 4 (but said covering was under his chin)

In the takeaway, none out of 5.

Unsure whether these folk have never bothered or have got tired of it.

I'm quite liking the extra warmth on my face when I come out of the shops into a howling gale. These people don't know what they are missing.

[ICTChris]

9 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

Would agree with this.

Supermarkets however should be stopping from anyone coming in without a mask/covering. If someone tried to bullshit 'but asthma' or any other medical condition, they should be given the option of mask or they aren't getting in, because they can't be that ill if they're able to fire around the shop during a pandemic. 

Supermarkets should also have security doing 'rounds' more often to ensure that the selfish idiots who walk around with their mask under their chin or otherwise not wearing it right (or even not at all) after they enter are told to cut it out. Security should also be ensuring that folk aren't doing what Hedgecutter noted when queuing.

I'm not sure if this is accurate but I believe that there are legal issues for shops telling people to wear masks.  Under the Equality Act it's illegal to ask a disabled person for details of their disability and asking people why they aren't wearing a mask coudl potentially fall into that category.  

Whenever I've been out and about in Edinburgh since the mask mandate came in compliance has been about 100%.  Having said that we moved house last week and none of the movers wore masks.  We had a plumbing issue as well and when the guy came out I asked him if he wanted me to wear a mask and he said "we all have to die of something".

 

10 hours ago, djchapsticks said:

I'm not so certain that this will replicate in Scotland though. The major difference is that none of the other 3 nations have elections coming up in the first half of 2021. Cynical as it is, forcing another, stricter lockdown in the first part of 2021, mere months from the Scottish elections will raise a lot of anger and questions and of course, will undoubtedly harm the SNP's prospects in the elections.

The opposite of this is true.  A stricter lockdown will boost the SNPs election prospets, which were about 100% anyway.  It could be that enforcing strict lockdowns is actually what pushes Scotland into independence - the section of the population that most strongly supports the restrictions is also the section that is least likely to vote Yes (older people).  If even a few of those are swayed by the SG approach then it will have a huge impact on any future votes.

Edited December 18, 2020 by ICTChris

[bendan]

8 hours ago, Cameron1875 said:

Therefore there must be a key driver to all of this that needs to be dealt with in order for things to try and function again.

 

You really don't get the feeling there's much going on to analyse where and how transmission is taking place - I'm probably completely wrong in that, but I can't help having the perception.

It's unbelievable that schools in Edinburgh are going in next Monday and Tuesday, and yet they're still scheduling in-service training days for next May - it's almost as if they don't yet understand that the virus is more difficult to control in winter.

I was also a bit irritated to hear officials say R *is* around 0.7 to 0.9 when the stats they are referring to estimate R *had been* at that level about a week earlier. I know it's a small point but to me the lack of precision in the use of language shows them not being on top of the data.

[renton]

9 hours ago, Cameron1875 said:

I feel we are being kept in the dark about how this all seems to be getting out of control again. Folk in Edinburgh in general seem to be complying from what I've seen.  Pubs have been shut here since September/early Oct, cinemas etc have been closed for months, and football grounds closed. We are pretty much in lockdown apart from being able to get a coffee or a happy meal if we want. Therefore there must be a key driver to all of this that needs to be dealt with in order for things to try and function again.

If it is the schools then get the classes on zoom calls and adapt to these times. If they battle on with keeping schools open then we'll end up with pretty much every other industry financially gubbed. 

A Northern Ireland style lockdown from say 27th/28th December will be a huge kick in the nuts.

 

 

Whatever the schools are contributing its unlikely that they have suddenly become more infectious, so look for what has changed recently. Edinburgh had largely had a flat trend since about the last week of October. Tier 3 had kept it from getting worse, but not done anything to drive case loads down.

It's Christmas. Even allowing for a massive shift to online shopping, this is retails busiest period. Footfall in shops will be up, folk will generally be mixing more. It will have been building up in the last few weeks while the West was in tier 4 and a lot of shops were shut.

For what it's worth Edinburgh probably should have gone into tier 4 along with the West. It seems that harsher restrictions sooner on the curve are better at getting case loads down than trying to manage them down a tiered slope.

[mizfit]

Captain, Major, Sir Tom Moore on a jolly in the Caribbean I see, free business class BA flights for the full family too. Top top work by the pushy daughter that !!!!!

She’s going to be gutted when he dies. No more freebies.

[NotThePars]

I know no one having a party and would say I'm in the age group most likely to hear or Hogmanay parties.

One of my friends is a full on anti-vaxxer anti-lockdown head so I know where one Hogmanay gaff will be happening

[101]

6 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

One of my friends is a full on anti-vaxxer anti-lockdown head so I know where one Hogmanay gaff will be happening

 

Are they a gammon?

[The Moonster]

12 hours ago, Andrew Driver said:

I think we can all understand fella.   These clowns think they're beyond sticking to the rules, and  are a pain in the tits, and I can understand why you didn't want to take him on.    I felt the same but since September I ordered some PPE to cope with these folk.   All I carry is a yellow card, a red card a whistle and a broken glass bottle.   Give them a yellow, then a red and then use the bottle if they're confrontational.   Order some more PPE and you'll feel more confidence confronting these fools.   

When does the whistle come into play? 

11 hours ago, pandarilla said:

Bit of sympathy for small businesses not taking on customers who don't wear a mask. Firstly, these situations can escalate quickly, and it's quite often young guys refusing. And secondly, some of these shops and takeaways could be struggling financially - and certainly don't want to alienate local customers.

It was always going to be difficult to enforce.

Is it really any different to shops asking someone for ID? You need a mask to enter the shop or a wee NHS card that exempts you, you either wear a mask or produce the card or the shopkeeper simply asks you to leave, much like they would if you didn't have proof of age. I'm not sure I agree with the notion that shopkeepers are scared to take on customers blatantly ignoring rules, probably more likely that those who aren't taking on customers don't care about the rules.

 

[Jacksgranda]

16 hours ago, Billy Jean King said:

What's the thinking now with Sunaks announcement. Full spring style lockdown in January until next spring. Certainly feels like the direction of travel despite all the vaccine rollout talk.

NI starting a 6 week lockdown on 26th December. Schools to stay open.

(Listening to the Chief Medical Officer and another medical/scientific man on the Nolan Show it sounded like they thought 8/10 week lockdown would be more appropriate.)

[NotThePars]

Get Philpy on the case...

shop the c**t.   

I think we all have a friend or two copy/pasting the same flatearther stuff.   Raging about face-coverings and now raging about the vaccine.   Completely forgetting that a vaccine uptake should remove the need for face coverings.  

First I’ll be going deep under cover. Y’know, make sure it’s definitely happening and that. Maybe phone the police about 6am on the walk home.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

The maskless folk I see in the local Scotmid are almost always wearing a high vis vest and depart in a transit van. I hope those 40 Richmond king size and cans of Dragon Soop don't affect their asthma too much.

[Detournement]

There's some right miserable posters on this page!

 

[Jacksgranda]

14 hours ago, Honest Saints Fan said:

f**k all

It's a study I've been doing since I was diagnosed. Done by Oxford University and they do it on rare diseases. This is just a side study, need to provide blood and urine samples for up to 5 years on it. If I live that long!

 

14 hours ago, welshbairn said:

I'm on a study too, think I'm on 3 monthly bloods for the duration. It's comparing the 6 monthly injection I'm on to patches they're trying out, it was 50/50 what I'd get, quite happy not having to faff around with patches. No cash for me neither... 

I'm feeling a bit left out, here, nobody's studying me.

Well, f*** them!

[Arthur Orton]

4 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

 

 

First I’ll be going deep under cover. Y’know, make sure it’s definitely happening and that. Maybe phone the police about 6am on the walk home.

 

 

Good plan, I like the cut of your jib.

[ICTChris]

10 minutes ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

 cans of Dragon Soop 

Why are there loads of adverts for this on telly now?  They seem to be trying to sell it as some sort of sophisticated drink, showing people clinking glasses with their pals.  I'd never heard of it before aside from seeing empty cans of it strewn around the local park.

[btb]

46 minutes ago, Andrew Driver said:

shop the c**t.   

I think we all have a friend or two copy/pasting the same flatearther stuff.   Raging about face-coverings and now raging about the vaccine.   Completely forgetting that a vaccine uptake should remove the need for face coverings.  

A prize for the  P&Ber to hear "you don't need a face mask now they've started vaccinating" used as an excuse.

[mizfit]

Why are there loads of adverts for this on telly now?  They seem to be trying to sell it as some sort of sophisticated drink, showing people clinking glasses with their pals.  I'd never heard of it before aside from seeing empty cans of it strewn around the local park.

It’s basically an alcoholic energy drink. Can feel your teeth dissolving as you drink it.