New national restrictions in Scotland

[bramling]

Insanity doesn’t even come close. Closing us off to the outside world? Really?

It’s not even remotely workable, the domestic borders can’t be shut (you would need to find several hundred police from an already stretched force to effectively police it and they know that’s impossible) so I, like many other Scots, would simply drive south and start my holiday somewhere from England. The potential economic devastation is unthinkable.

Especially for a country which has a significant tourism industry.

 

[joncombe]

Especially for a country which has a significant tourism industry.

had

 

[bramling]

had

Well, yes, that’s going to be the outcome if things don’t recover pretty soon. Sturgeon needs to be careful on this - it could mark the end of the SNP honeymoon.

 

[Richard Scott]

Well, yes, that’s going to be the outcome if things don’t recover pretty soon. Sturgeon needs to be careful on this - it could mark the end of the SNP honeymoon.

The other problem with tourism is that I would imagine a not insignificant proportion were from England and she's made it clear that we're not welcome. I, for one, won't hurry back there. Will spend my money elsewhere.

 

[takno]

Especially for a country which has a significant tourism industry.

It's interesting generally to claim it's a justification for independence. I would never vote for an independent Scotland I couldn't come and go from at will

 

[kez19]

Oh not the Zero Covid policy thing again, still haven't learnt from last year as per earlier comment on Ayrshire, bit of irony there though - she took ages to get Glasgow closed but elsewhere in Scotland, quick to shut it down.

The other problem with tourism is that I would imagine a not insignificant proportion were from England and she's made it clear that we're not welcome. I, for one, won't hurry back there. Will spend my money elsewhere.

I'll happily help the tourism industry in England regarding staycations, I am finding her own approach for Scotland is utter drivel, it was bad enough in September when I visited Glasgow - the travelling to Glasgow by train and supposedly the announcer had said it was for "essential" travel only (yet I visited Glasgow as a staycation).

I was sent this article on the BBC

Covid in Scotland: Virus elimination would 'come at cost'

Scotland's national clinical director says a Covid elimination strategy would stop international travel.

www.bbc.co.uk

Insanity.

Why? Zero Covid approach hasn't worked well with other countries - Australia "snap" 3 day lockdown I believe and something similar in New Zealand (correct me and didn't they get to ZERO and then what happened?!) - that approach should well be out of their minds not in it!

I forget, I wonder if the Holyrood COVID19 team has Devi involved and a few others involved?

No exaggeration that if the North of England is open in April and Scotland isn’t because of Zero COVID, I’ll likely make frequent day trips across the border.

Nobody really supports lockdowns any more so she may be doing herself some damage except for when it comes to her most ardent supporters.

Its OK though her supporters will get a free pass to stand near Berwick waving flags and telling people to f..k off yet Police Scotland will watch from afar!

Ah yes, just a shame that if Scotland was an independent country and a member of the EU we probably wouldn't have that "heroic" vaccination rollout she has been battering on about the past week or so.


Oh how ironic. Lets lock people up in prison for 10 years for lying about their trip to Portugal where they can be part of a covid outbreak at the same time.

In other more positive news, a story from my local rag today:

Government Covid adviser says Scotland's vaccine data good enough to warrant quicker lockdown exit

Encouraging evidence that Scotland's vaccination programme is already starting to cut deaths should prompt an earlier end to lockdown, one of Nicola

www.thecourier.co.uk

But Jason Leitch, Scotland's national clinical director didn't like that:

I like this bit i'll highlight:

He said: “I thought Mark’s evidence was good, the only challenge there is earlier than what? We haven’t actually given dates and we’ve done that deliberately because we just aren’t sure about vaccine progress and vaccine remission reduction.

“If that goes well, if care home data is re-produced in the next few weeks, then yes, we will be able to advise that unlocking can happen at this gradual rate.

“Remember though, that when you unlock something, you don’t know what it’s done for three weeks.

“You can’t tell, it’s impossible. That’s why this first phase of schools needs to happen and then we wait three weeks and see what happens next.”

so he says we can't give dates, done it on purpose as we are not sure on vaccine progress/remission reduction - now I am not anyway smart here but isn't that your job? Nicola is quick to blame the levels of infection etc in England is "bad" but can quote numbers etc but yet for Scotland they haven't got a clue? Is this part where (i'll give credit if its true but opinion here) the UK Gov can get the numbers?

and also this part:

the "unlocking", he says you don't know what its done for 3 weeks - Jason hate to break it to you but thats for again you lot to work out and have all this data to hand? - haven't you people learnt ANYTHING from lockdown 1? Utterly useless/embarassment!

 

[takno]

haven't you people learnt ANYTHING from lockdown 1?

Certainly they learned something. They learned that whatever they do, however stupid or even disastrous, they can get away with it.

 

[Yew]

Oh not the Zero Covid policy thing again, still haven't learnt from last year as per earlier comment on Ayrshire, bit of irony there though - she took ages to get Glasgow closed but elsewhere in Scotland, quick to shut it down.



I'll happily help the tourism industry in England regarding staycations, I am finding her own approach for Scotland is utter drivel, it was bad enough in September when I visited Glasgow - the travelling to Glasgow by train and supposedly the announcer had said it was for "essential" travel only (yet I visited Glasgow as a staycation).




Why? Zero Covid approach hasn't worked well with other countries - Australia "snap" 3 day lockdown I believe and something similar in New Zealand (correct me and didn't they get to ZERO and then what happened?!) - that approach should well be out of their minds not in it!

I forget, I wonder if the Holyrood COVID19 team has Devi involved and a few others involved?




Its OK though her supporters will get a free pass to stand near Berwick waving flags and telling people to f..k off yet Police Scotland will watch from afar!




I like this bit i'll highlight:


so he says we can't give dates, done it on purpose as we are not sure on vaccine progress/remission reduction - now I am not anyway smart here but isn't that your job? Nicola is quick to blame the levels of infection etc in England is "bad" but can quote numbers etc but yet for Scotland they haven't got a clue? Is this part where (i'll give credit if its true but opinion here) the UK Gov can get the numbers?

and also this part:

the "unlocking", he says you don't know what its done for 3 weeks - Jason hate to break it to you but thats for again you lot to work out and have all this data to hand? - haven't you people learnt ANYTHING from lockdown 1? Utterly useless/embarassment!

Interesting how the 'we don't know if it's had an effect for three weeks' argument never seems to apply when starting lockdowns.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Interesting how the 'we don't know if it's had an effect for three weeks' argument never seems to apply when starting lockdowns.

Funnily enough I thought the exact same thing.

 

[Yew]

Funnily enough I thought the exact same thing.

I think it was 8 days between 'you can run this event for 500 people' and lockdown the first time around.

 

[nlogax]

I was sent this article on the BBC

Covid in Scotland: Virus elimination would 'come at cost'

Scotland's national clinical director says a Covid elimination strategy would stop international travel.

www.bbc.co.uk

Insanity.

This sort of pointless Bovine Substance makes me angry. Zero Covid is nigh-on impossible and the mere concept doesn't acknowledge how the real world works. What's Sturgeon planning to do.. rebuild Hadrian's Wall and redirect all Scotland-bound international flights to Newcastle and Belfast?

 

[kez19]

This sort of pointless Bovine Substance makes me angry. Zero Covid is nigh-on impossible and the mere concept doesn't acknowledge how the real world works. What's Sturgeon planning to do.. rebuild Hadrian's Wall and redirect all Scotland-bound international flights to Newcastle and Belfast?

It’s one way of helping tourism in England and Northern Ireland (win/win) but we all know the blame game.

At a guess I’ll throw Devi has suggested this (again) or is Sturgeon trying to feel that since it’s failed in Australia/NZ she has thought I’ll give it a go?

Interesting how the 'we don't know if it's had an effect for three weeks' argument never seems to apply when starting lockdowns.

Yet he can state 3 weeks is that a delay than anything else?

 

[PaulC1309]

Anyone arguing that remote learning should become a permanent model for secondary school teaching is clearly clueless about how schools work and what purpose they serve.

Yes, schools are there to teach our children and deliver lessons, however this is far from the only purpose they serve:

They act as a safe environment for pupils who may have an unhealthy/unsafe home environment and give young people a space to feel safe and cared for.

They are somewhere where our young people can gain and develop their social skills in a safe, semi-supervised environment.

They provide young people with many, many opportunities beyond curricular lessons (extra curricular activities in many fields, including sporting, science, drama, music etc... some of which gives invaluable experience which is just as important as qualifications when applying for higher educations/employment)

On top of this, many subjects simply don’t work as well remotely. Science classes are difficult to teach without practical experiments, expressive arts are difficult to teach without practical teaching (which requires specialist equipment often), PE is nearly impossible to teach online (yes fitness can be taught, but team sports etc cannot)

Moving permanently to a blended model of delivery would be catastrophic and anyone suggesting this clearly has no idea what purpose schools serve in society.

Well said, couldn't agree more. My 2 aged 9 and 13 are really beginning to struggle with this and desperately need to be in school. My eldest is 13 and has additional support needs so is losing out big time and becoming less motivated every day. I am really starting to get angry about the attitude to schools returning by the governments and it needs to change.

I read yesterday as well the head of the EIS teaching union said children should not be allowed to attend school if they won't wear a mask! This is outrageous and discriminatory. My son really struggles with mask wearing as he gets quite anxious when his face is covered. He can just about manage cycling bandana for short periods but no way would be wear one all day.

They even should look at opening schools fully based on local conditions. Many areas of the highlands for example have had no cases for weeks.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Ms Sturgeon has confirmed today that Scotland will be returning to the geographical levels (tiers) as we exit from lockdown.

That is, the level system that was so effective, that many LAs didn't budge from level 3 in the 7 weeks that it was in operation before December 26th.

 

[Huntergreed]

Ms Sturgeon has confirmed today that Scotland will be returning to the geographical levels (tiers) as we exit from lockdown.

That is, the level system that was so effective, that many LAs didn't budge from level 3 in the 7 weeks that it was in operation before December 26th.

My bet is we exit it at the next review and go into a national tier 4 (lockdown without the name), then it’ll depend on each area individually.

She did say last week however she’s going for zero COVID, so I hope she changes her mind on this ASAP.

 

[Freightmaster]

She did say last week however she’s going for zero COVID economy, so I hope she changes her mind on this ASAP.

Fixed that for you!!





MARK

 

[Journeyman]

My bet is we exit it at the next review and go into a national tier 4 (lockdown without the name), then it’ll depend on each area individually.

She did say last week however she’s going for zero COVID, so I hope she changes her mind on this ASAP.

I can cope with tier 3, actually. It's a lot better than this. But...like you say, I suspect pretty much everywhere will stay in 4 for weeks.

 

[devon_metro]

Ms Sturgeon has confirmed today that Scotland will be returning to the geographical levels (tiers) as we exit from lockdown.

That is, the level system that was so effective, that many LAs didn't budge from level 3 in the 7 weeks that it was in operation before December 26th.

Edinburgh pubs will be allowed to reopen in 2027 then, just in case.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

It will be a postcode lottery based on politics. What's the chances Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire move to Tier 1 just in time for the Holyrood elections?

 

[PG]

It will be a postcode lottery based on politics. What's the chances Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire move to Tier 1 just in time for the Holyrood elections?

But announces it a bit earlier to catch the postal voters?

 

[kez19]

Ms Sturgeon has confirmed today that Scotland will be returning to the geographical levels (tiers) as we exit from lockdown.

That is, the level system that was so effective, that many LAs didn't budge from level 3 in the 7 weeks that it was in operation before December 26th.

Seen this a mile off, nothing new, who’s up for playing “fun house” instead?

 

[devon_metro]

It will be a postcode lottery based on politics. What's the chances Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire move to Tier 1 just in time for the Holyrood elections?

I imagine tier reviews will be timed to land when another SNP bad news story needs covering up.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

I imagine tier reviews will be timed to land when another SNP bad news story needs covering up.

That could be very soon depending on the outcome of the Salmond/Sturgeon debacle

 

[kez19]

I imagine tier reviews will be timed to land when another SNP bad news story needs covering up.

Oh of course!

That could be very soon depending on the outcome of the Salmond/Sturgeon debacle

Could we see Salmond throwing Sturgeon under a bus and taking over the helms?

 

[greyman42]

Oh of course!



Could we see Salmond throwing Sturgeon under a bus and taking over the helms?

It would be the preferable outcome.

 

[najaB]

Jeez. Do you realise how arrogant you sound?

You say arrogant, I say good at what I do for a living. I guess we'll have to split the difference.

I wouldn't dream of telling someone how to drive a train, mend a broken aorta or grow the perfect strawberry, but instructional design and training is what I've done for the better part of 15 years and I feel confident in saying that online learning can be as effective as in-person.

Is the best online learning experience better than the best face-to-face training experience, naturally no. But if you are comparing learning outcomes against objectives the two modalities can be equally effective.

 

[Journeyman]

Could we see Salmond throwing Sturgeon under a bus and taking over the helms?

I want to see the back of both of them.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

I want to see the back of both of them.

I would rather see the back of the whole party, but that's a whole different matter in itself.

 

[Journeyman]

I would rather see the back of the whole party, but that's a whole different matter in itself.

Yeah, that too. They've been unchallenged for far too long, and are leading us to ruin.

 

[kez19]

I want to see the back of both of them.

Agree!

Yeah, that too. They've been unchallenged for far too long, and are leading us to ruin.

There isn't much challenge from opposition either par Ruth Davidson, pretty sure they are all in the backpockets of the SNP.

Media are just as bad, pander to the SNP (only now some are coming out) but are sitting on their backsides allowing everything to happen.

Before anyone asks what I say - you can apply this to all the governments of the UK (devolved and as UK)

It would be the preferable outcome.

If he did comeback and takeover possibly some sanity would return(?)... no supporter of the SNP (use to be)