Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[dirty dingus]

7 minutes ago, Clockwork said:

Reported on the main BBC news this lunchtime; that although Supermarkets presently have sufficient stocks of produce, ‘they are worried that supplies may becoming threatened over the next few days’. What a surefire and irresponsible way of creating another round of mass panic buying across the country, with people flocking to queue around the block at ASDA to snap up hordes of food that they don’t really need. I believe the next item, reported on the rising number of food banks, but had switched off by then.

 

People are probably like, f**k it. I'm sick of Tesco and Aldi anyway, if ithe shelves are empty then so be it. They can't stop me going out foraging and hunting in tier 4

[yoda]

I'm a little bit fucked off about the Highlands being dropped into Tier 4 tbh (to be honest). I had planned a week of trips to the pub between the 27th and the 3rd, as I had a week off work. It doesn't make much sense beyond "we're all in this together" (although I do take the point about Highland folk coming back for Christmas from all over the UK). 

As an aside, working in hospitality I've encountered as many Central Belters over the past 3 weeks as I would in a normal summer. A lot of folk up from England for a wee trip away too.

[Have some faith in Magic]

3 minutes ago, dirty dingus said:

People are probably like, f**k it. I'm sick of Tesco and Aldi anyway, if ithe shelves are empty then so be it. They can't stop me going out foraging and hunting in tier 4

No Bats mind, won't end well. 

[dirty dingus]

1 minute ago, Have some faith in Magic said:

No Bats mind, won't end well. 

i will be mostly hunting for andrex 2 ply in the public lavvies of the west coast.

[Honest Saints Fan]

11 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

It's intolerable, had to bring forward my restaurant booking from next Monday to this Wednesday.

Got my fourth visit with Santa in yesterday, with the kids. Nice wee lunch out too at Girvans. Had to cancel plans of swimming and soft play over the Christmas holidays.

[welshbairn]

16 minutes ago, Honest Saints Fan said:

Got my fourth visit with Santa in yesterday, with the kids. Nice wee lunch out too at Girvans. Had to cancel plans of swimming and soft play over the Christmas holidays.

Hopefully it won't be for long, forgot how much I missed the pub and football routine on a Saturday until Grant Street managed to open up for a solitary game a week or so ago.

[TheScarf]

Does the Highlands go back to Tier 1 when these '3 week' blanket Tier 4 restrictions are over?  I guess it'll be a re-assessment of cases etc

[Marshmallo]

Just now, TheScarf said:

Does the Highlands go back to Tier 1 when these '3 week' blanket Tier 4 restrictions are over?  I guess it'll be a re-assessment of cases etc

In theory that's what should happen, but wouldn't surprise me to see blanket nationwide restrictions if Sridhar and the likes get their way.

[Gaz]

51 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I was speaking to family in the Highlands last night, they don’t like it but will have to go along with it.

 

The German Finance Minister told me the same thing.

[TheScarf]

2 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

In theory that's what should happen, but wouldn't surprise me to see blanket nationwide restrictions if Sridhar and the likes get their way.

Indeed. You'd imagine there would even less cases than there are at the moment.  Would be ridiculous to keep us in Tier 4 if that's how it pans out.  Same with Dumfries etc.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

Does the Highlands go back to Tier 1 when these '3 week' blanket Tier 4 restrictions are over?  I guess it'll be a re-assessment of cases etc

I've got a bad feeling about this...

I think it will be tier 2 at best for us if we can keep inflections low and Oxford is approved by then. Otherwise we will be stuck in shitey tier 3/4 limbo for months.

[Ron Aldo]

Does the Highlands go back to Tier 1 when these '3 week' blanket Tier 4 restrictions are over?  I guess it'll be a re-assessment of cases etc

I would hope that, all being well, everywhere is (at worst) put back into whichever tier they were in before.

The worry I have is that while we've been told this is for 3 weeks that could always change. When the central belt was put into tier 4 a few weeks ago Nicola Sturgeon was quite categorical in saying they would only last 3 weeks. There's been no similar comments this time.

[Bairnardo]

Indeed. You'd imagine there would even less cases than there are at the moment.  Would be ridiculous to keep us in Tier 4 if that's how it pans out.  Same with Dumfries etc.

Same with anywhere tbh. You cant have "nice to have" precautionary measures when they are as damaging as these are.

We should by then have had time to evaluate any changes to rate of hospitalization in that 3 weeks. Specially in SE England.

Tiers should be adjusted on that basis. Stories today are suggesting that this strain will become the dominant one worldwide. We literally cannot stop that from happening so let's be realistic about how hard we try. We already chased the impossible once over the summer. Unforgivable to do so again.

[Billy Jean King]

I can't see that it is a conspiracy theory as the effect it's having on us already, travel bans, currency falls
Any benefit from, lessening Christmas gathering, already being outwayed by international reaction

I'm not saying there is one particularly I just wouldn't put it past Bozo and Co to come up with a "cover story" to "legitimise" they slashing of their ill conceived 5 day plan without actually thinking through the potential knock on effects. I'm at the stage that nothing would really surprise me now so an announcement that "phew it turns out the new strain isn't anywhere as big a problem as we thought " come the first week in January certainly wouldn't shock me whether that be legitimate or not.

[Billy Jean King]

Except that nobody has actually argued for a blanket policy:
1) Where there is no community transmission then schools should remain open
2) Where there is they should not.
This means putting school education into the adjustments of the regional tiers just like anything else - including of course further and higher education that has been adapting to this for months already. 

So we agree then after all. So no more SHUT THE SCHOOLS stuff then unless it's in response to a particular significant outbreak at a particular school.

[Sergeant Wilson]

1 hour ago, virginton said:

a severe and long-term crunch on public investment to develop opportunities/resources in low SIMD areas

Exactly, I and most likely you, will be long dead before the Government of the day stop blaming what is happening now for the woes of the generation they are fucking up.

Never mind though, the class of 2020 got a teacher awarded stificate in cake decorating.

[Wee Bully]

It is “interesting” once again, that the person arguing for not leaving behind the most disadvantaged in society is that one being accused of “sheer complacency of someone who thinks they’re alright.”

 

[Billy Jean King]

This afternoon I was doing some work for a central belt LA HR dept and part of it was analysis on vacancy management. Couldn't help but notice wef 11/1/21 they had appointed umpteen new staff as exam INVIGILATORS. Wonder what happens to them now ?

[superbigal]

On 14/12/2020 at 15:11, superbigal said:

 

Good Afternoon. 7 Days on from my last review it is worth a complete council update.   The latest figures encompass  the first 7 days of most places being in Tier 3.  I know Scotgov have decided already to place everyone in Tier 4 but let us take a look and see if the figures are rising yet with the new super spreading Ingurland Variant.

Overall cases per 100K  for 7 days 5th December to 11the December were 110.0 .   Now we are in period 12th Dec to 18th Dec the figure is 116.1  That is a further increase of just 5.54% in relaxed restrictions. 

Let us just take a look at the main councils and ignore the unfortunate Tier 1 areas.

Aberdeen City Tier 3   122.0 to 166.6    Increase 36.55%     Not a good start to being put in tier 3.  Deserve Tier 4 regardless

Aberdeenshire Tier 3     84.2 to 112.6   Increase 33.72 %    As per the city was not a good start after relegation.

City Of Edinburgh  Tier 3  100.4 to 125.0   Increase 24.50%     Wanted promotion but were sliding to Tier 4 anyway.

Clackmannanshire  Tier 3    188.2 to 147.5  Decrease  21.62 %    This council should due to population be coming down quicker. still hotspots 2 weeks after it kicked off.

Dundee City  Tier 3    133.9 to 118.5   Decrease 11.50  Dundee 1st council certainly not deserving Tier 4

East Ayrshire  Tier 3   163.1 to 163.9    Increase 0.49%   I think the sheer high number deserves back in tier 4    

East Dunbartonshire  Tier 3 97.6 to 91.1    Decrease 6.66%   Still dropping in Tier 3

East Lothian   Tier 3   126.1 to 172.8   Increase 37.03%   Got relegated to Tier 3 and still mutant behaviour. All in Prestonpanns and Tranent

East Renfrewshire  Tier 3 130.8 to 136.1  Increase 4.05%   Not unexpected rise after promotion. 

Fife Tier 3   135.5 to 112.7 Decrease 16.82%   Another council that tier 4 is harsh.

Glasgow City  Tier 3 148.2 to 143.9   Decrease 2.90%   Good to see 1st week in Tier 3 and they were still reducing.

Midlothian  Tier 3    147.1 to 147.1   No Change  Stabilised but no real complaints if they were in Tier 4 through normal criteria.

North Ayrshire  Tier 3  172.9 to 205.6   Increase 18.91%    Cesspit of scotland currently. tier 4 deserved. Saltcoats & kilwinning mainly. 

North Lanarkshire  Tier 3 137.7 to 132.4   Decrease  3.85%   Good to see 1st week in Tier 3 and they were still reducing.

Perth & Kinross Tier 3    98.1 to 144.1 Increase 46.89%  Oh ya fecker. The fermers were going Tier 4 regardless

Renfrewshire  Tier 3 131.2 to 127.3    Decrease  2.97%    another council where promotion has not halted progress. 

South Ayrshire  Tier 3  111.0 to 119.9   Increase 8.01%  Ayrshire in general just not playing ball

South Lanarkshire  Tier 3 134.8 to 124.5  Decrease 7.64%%   another council where promotion has not halted progress.

Stirling Tier 3  92.3 to 89.2   Decrease 3.36%       Again progress not halted and Tier 4 a kick in the cans.

West Dunbartonshire  Tier 3  81.0 to 125.9  Increase 55.44%  deserve back in the basement league. a place called Whitecrook leading the surge.

West Lothian   Tier 3 114.1 to 99.4  Decrease 12.88%   Another promoted council behaving in Tier 3 and now a kick in the baws

Angus Tier 2  66.3 to 49.1  Decrease 25.94%    Celebrated back in the Pubs.  Cases still decrease.  Double relegation. Madness

Falkirk   Tier 2  99.4 to 80.2  Decrease 19.31%    Celebrated back in the Pubs.  Cases still decrease.  Double relegation. Madness

Inverclyde  Tier 2   60.4 to 66.8   Increase 10.59%    it is only 52 cases in total.  Madness

Argyll & Bute  Tier 2   37.3 to 38.4   Increase 2.94%   Could have been celbrating promotion but done a Swindon.  Madness

 

The only oddity among the Tier 1 crew was that it has kicked off in the Scottish borders.  Cases surged to over 100.4.  They would have had a potential double relegation.  The rest of the teuchters will be spewing into their final beers.

[Todd_is_God]

15 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

2 hours ago, Binos said:

I can't see that it is a conspiracy theory as the effect it's having on us already, travel bans, currency falls
Any benefit from, lessening Christmas gathering, already being outwayed by international reaction

I'm not saying there is one particularly I just wouldn't put it past Bozo and Co to come up with a "cover story" to "legitimise" they slashing of their ill conceived 5 day plan without actually thinking through the potential knock on effects. I'm at the stage that nothing would really surprise me now so an announcement that "phew it turns out the new strain isn't anywhere as big a problem as we thought " come the first week in January certainly wouldn't shock me whether that be legitimate or not.

Aye, the reaction from foreign countries seems to have taken them by surprise.

If they have "over-egged the pudding" to justify the removal of the Christmas relaxation period then it has backfired spectacularly.