Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[ayrmad]

4 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

This is sadly correct.

Most of the things I've posted that are attracting lots of seethe about are correct, you can't polish a turd. 

[Burnieman]

Sigh....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-56082573?__twitter_impression=true

[ayrmad]

1 minute ago, Todd_is_God said:

While anything is technically better than no socialising, the type of socialising allowed last year was absolute pish and should absolutely not be the blueprint for the future.

We'll still take it if that's what they say is required, your view is in the minority on these islands atm. 

[vikingTON]

19 minutes ago, Monkey Tennis said:

What, this one:  
"It only very clearly implies this if you are foolish enough to consider peer distraction the main cause of a student's inability to complete tasks. Are you that foolish?"

No, I'm not that foolish.  Obviously, I'm not, as the point I was making was in fact quite the opposite.

What did you mean then by your reference to peers and distraction?  Remember that it was in response to my observation about current arrangements being very different from normal summer holidays, in countering a claim you'd laughably supported.

Erm no it wasn't. Indeed you have previously stated the actual comparison being made right here:

1 hour ago, Monkey Tennis said:

Seriously, it's a wee bit embarrassing the way you're going on just now.

You haven't a clue how this plays out in reality.  Your comment about the presence of peers in a school environment, making constructive work less likely than can be managed under current remote learning arrangements, betrays a towering ignorance.

Summer holidays are irrelevant to what is being discussed now.

Rather than claiming that a school is a worse place for constructive work than remote learning from home, I am stating that both are significantly sub-optimal.

Children go to school and learn alongside 20+ other peers: any single one of them gets disengaged, acts up and distracts the class = not focused learning.

Children learn at home: get disengaged and act up in front of their parents = also not focused learning.

The myth being popularised right now is that children are significantly more disengaged because they are learning from home and are suffering from a bottomless ream of boredom, compared to an ordinary school day in February, in Scotland, which would of course be wall to wall fun and entertainment. The real difference is that the person currently responsible for putting up with their behaviour is now the parent rather than the state child-minder, which is why parents and not children are the ones absolutely desperate for schools to return.

Edited February 16, 2021 by vikingTON

[10menwent2mow]

You've no idea what I'm happy with, socialising with SD last year was certainly far better than doing no socialising. 

Herein lies the problem though. We are being constantly fed this narrative that last summer was brilliant and we should all be happy with that, apart from having to give up foreign travel.

Last summer was shit, another summer like it, will be shit. We couldn't get together in large groups, any sort of mass gathering was banned. Weddings still wouldn't be able to go ahead, no proper crowds at sporting events (the open, Wimbledon, Euros, British GP etc). We are essentially talking about Diet Lockdown. Apologies if people aren't shouting from the rooftops about the prospect of that.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

28 minutes ago, peasy23 said:

A Dutch court has ruled that the current night-time curfew is illegal and has ordered the government to lift it with immediate effect.

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-netherlands-curfew-idUSS8N2JI05T

I can see similar happening here when vaccines are further rolled out, particularly amongst sectors which are on the brink with strong lobbying. 

[Todd_is_God]

7 minutes ago, ayrmad said:

We'll still take it if that's what they say is required, your view is in the minority on these islands atm. 

Actually, we probably won't.

The novelty of going out for a pint wore off very quickly last year, and will do again this time around if it's the same.

People will just move to socialising at home, where arbitrary distancing requirements don't exist.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Todd_is_God

[NotThePars]

It's a fair point. It's one of these things though... is plan A good or bad? Well if plan A is used for bad purposes unrelated to the stated aim of plan A, then of course it's bad. If the vaccine passport app gently whispers Tory propaganda into your ear whilst you're sleeping then I'd agree it's a bad thing.

I would assume anything proposed by the Conservative Party that’s met with at least 40% approval in this country is Bad, on balance.

[Aufc]

Summer holidays are irrelevant to what is being discussed now.
Rather than claiming that a school is a worse place for constructive work than remote learning from home, I am stating that both are significantly sub-optimal.
Children go to school and learn alongside 20+ other peers: any single one of them gets disengaged, acts up and distracts the class = not focused learning.
Children learn at home: get disengaged and act up in front of their parents = also not focused learning.
The myth being popularised right now is that children are significantly more disengaged because they are learning from home and are suffering from a bottomless ream of boredom, compared to an ordinary school day in February, in Scotland, which would of course be wall to wall fun and entertainment. The real difference is that the person currently responsible for putting up with their behaviour is now the parent rather than the state child-minder, which is why parents and not children are the ones absolutely desperate for schools to return.

I would think most kids are looking forward to returning to school for the social aspect. Humans are mostly built to interact with other humans. Sitting at home on their own learning is not fun for them.

My kids are not school age yet. However, i am desperate for them to go back to nursery. Not because i want them out the house. It has been absolutely brilliant spending more time with them which is something i won’t get back. However, kids are sociable creatures and they need interaction with their friends.

[Thereisalight..]

1 hour ago, Scosha said:

When do we reckon are they likely to make a call on fans travelling to London for the Euros for example? There will be thousands who have booked to go. I've hotel and flights booked, and can cancel the hotel a month in advance for a full refund. I've been tempted to just cancel now as I just can't see it happening, but there's a tiny part of me hanging on here just in case  

I don’t know about travelling fans, but I read a report yesterday saying they were hoping to have 30,000 at Wembley for the games. 

1 hour ago, ayrmad said:

I think if there are restrictions going forward we'll accept them with little more than a whimper, even if some would be unthinkable 6 months ago. 

This just shows what a simpering nation we are. Have someone in a suit or uniform tell them to do something and it will be done no questions asked. 

[Rugster]

16 minutes ago, ayrmad said:

Most of the things I've posted that are attracting lots of seethe about are correct, you can't polish a turd. 

You mistake seethe for derision. 

[Monkey Tennis]

 

9 minutes ago, virginton said:

 

The myth being popularised right now is that children are significantly more disengaged because they are learning from home and are suffering from a bottomless ream of boredom, compared to an ordinary school day in February, in Scotland, which would be wall to wall fun and entertainment. The real difference is that the person currently responsible for putting up with their behaviour is now the parent rather than the state child-minder, which is why parents and not children are the ones absolutely desperate for schools to return.

Oh, good Lord.

You are quite simply wrong.

Kids definitely are more disengaged because they are learning from home.  That's not a myth at all.

You'll be right that much of the pressure from parents for schools to reopen will come from exasperation at having kids at home, causing arguments, rather than heartfelt concern over their learning.

 

However, to say that disengagement is not a larger problem because kids aren't physically sitting in lessons is nuts.  

[ayrmad]

1 minute ago, Rugster said:

You mistake seethe for derision. 

I'll take either. 

[djchapsticks]

Pulling the focus out from the UK for a bit and looking at Covid on a worldwide scale (after all, we are told this isn't about vaccinating our population but vaccinating the planet), cases reported per day worldwide have just about halved in the last month.

This is the first clear and sustained period of falling covid case rates on a global scale since the pandemic began. Even through the summer, cases on a worldwide scale were flatlining or increasing.

Even countries that have started widespread vaccine programmes but not nationwide lockdowns like the US are seeing case rates at levels fast approaching last summer when they levelled off. 

 

All data we're seeing from the last 4 weeks in the main countries who are quite far on with vaccines surely only indicates that things are going to be looking a lot better still in 4 more weeks from now.

[Gordon EF]

22 minutes ago, Thereisalight.. said:

There was talk it would be needed to enter shops. I’m pretty sure that falls into an essential thing 

It seems absurdly unlikely it'll cover shops currently designated as essential. We're not going to have folk at the end of the vaccine queues just starving to death because they can't buy food.

[vikingTON]

4 minutes ago, Aufc said:

 

I would think most kids are looking forward to returning to school for the social aspect. Humans are mostly built to interact with other humans. Sitting at home on their own learning is not fun for them.

My kids are not school age yet. However, i am desperate for them to go back to nursery. Not because i want them out the house. It has been absolutely brilliant spending more time with them which is something i won’t get back. However, kids are sociable creatures and they need interaction with their friends.

 

School is not the only environment in which children interact though and the others have not all been removed. 

[djchapsticks]

We're also told not to read into the reporting of deaths on a Monday as they are invariably lower but if we compare the Monday reporting since the start of the year it has generally provided a benchmark for the week to come.

4/1 - 407 deaths
11/1 - 529 deaths
18/1 - 599 deaths
25/1 - 592 deaths
1/2 - 406 deaths
8/2 - 333 deaths
15/2 - 230 deaths

[Granny Danger]

53 minutes ago, peasy23 said:

A Dutch court has ruled that the current night-time curfew is illegal and has ordered the government to lift it with immediate effect.

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-netherlands-curfew-idUSS8N2JI05T

 

24 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

I can see similar happening here when vaccines are further rolled out, particularly amongst sectors which are on the brink with strong lobbying. 

It was not the imposition of the curfew which, in itself, was deemed illegal.  Rather it was the Dutch government using ‘emergency powers’ when the court deemed no emergency existed to justify the use of such powers.  If there were any challenges to any restrictions in Scotland or rUK it would need to be shown that the governments had acted beyond their powers.

 

[Aladdin]

3 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

 

It was not the imposition of the curfew which, in itself, was deemed illegal.  Rather it was the Dutch government using ‘emergency powers’ when the court deemed no emergency existed to justify the use of such powers.  If there were any challenges to any restrictions in Scotland or rUK it would need to be shown that the governments had acted beyond their powers.

 

All legislation of the Scottish Parliament can be attacked as ultra vires if it can be shown to be incompatible with the ECHR.

Given lockdown restrictions are some of the clearest breaches of convention rights imaginable, albeit justifiable as necessary and proportionate to date, it would be expected that you would start to see some challenges later in the year depending on how they are relaxed.

[ICTChris]