Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion
- Thread starter Sasaferrato
- Start date
elbows
Well-Known Member
I see that in Scotland the usual pandemic politics are trying to be made out of 'in hospital for covid' vs 'in hospital with covid', with some squabble about when this data is actually going to be made available there. Its useful to see that data but I hate the way some try to use to to stretch points too far, and both sorts add up to pressure on hospitals, just somewhat different sorts of pressure. Apparently some want to use it now to undermine the slightly stronger restrictions that Scotland currently has in place.
The Guardian live updates page has been going on about it today, eg 36m ago 13:28 and 8m ago 13:56
The Guardian live updates page has been going on about it today, eg 36m ago 13:28 and 8m ago 13:56
elbows
Well-Known Member
I watched Sturgeons statement.
They are now making the change to self-isolation period, down to 7 days as long as you test negative twice in the final days.
They are also doing the changes to self-isolation of close contacts, stuff they had previously resisted changing.
And they are also doing the thing which is being talked about for England today, removing the need for a confirmatory PCR test if you test positive on a LFT but have no symptoms. Unlike what is being suggested about the timing of this change in England, they are making this change from midnight tonight.
Sturgeon also mentioned discussions with the rest of the UK in regarding certain testing requirements for travel, which we have also heard about in the press today in regards the UK governments approach to that.
So various things in Scotland are now going to be more closely aligned to the rules in England again.
She also spoke about developing in the coming weeks their future strategic plan for dealing with the virus going forwards, dealing with it longer term once this Omicron wave has subsided. Again I expect this to have some things in common with whatever the UK government approach for 2022 turns out to be, but perhaps we may even get to hear about some of these changes via the Scottish government first. I think its inevitable that plenty of these changes will involve reducing disruption, changing the balance, given the evolution of the virus, the number of people already infected, the number of vaccines given, and the evolved picture of hospital pressure at this stage of the pandemic. I have some hope that a lot of these changes will end up being appropriate, so I'm not expecting to be moaning about all of them, since even I will move on gradually in this pandemic as the phase and risk picture changes.
They are now making the change to self-isolation period, down to 7 days as long as you test negative twice in the final days.
They are also doing the changes to self-isolation of close contacts, stuff they had previously resisted changing.
And they are also doing the thing which is being talked about for England today, removing the need for a confirmatory PCR test if you test positive on a LFT but have no symptoms. Unlike what is being suggested about the timing of this change in England, they are making this change from midnight tonight.
Sturgeon also mentioned discussions with the rest of the UK in regarding certain testing requirements for travel, which we have also heard about in the press today in regards the UK governments approach to that.
So various things in Scotland are now going to be more closely aligned to the rules in England again.
She also spoke about developing in the coming weeks their future strategic plan for dealing with the virus going forwards, dealing with it longer term once this Omicron wave has subsided. Again I expect this to have some things in common with whatever the UK government approach for 2022 turns out to be, but perhaps we may even get to hear about some of these changes via the Scottish government first. I think its inevitable that plenty of these changes will involve reducing disruption, changing the balance, given the evolution of the virus, the number of people already infected, the number of vaccines given, and the evolved picture of hospital pressure at this stage of the pandemic. I have some hope that a lot of these changes will end up being appropriate, so I'm not expecting to be moaning about all of them, since even I will move on gradually in this pandemic as the phase and risk picture changes.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
There should have been legislation to make the Covid response cover the whole of the UK right from the start.
The Scottish bollocks has hit hospitality so hard that many establishments will not reopen, whilst Carlisle, Berwick, Newcastle etc had a booming New Year partly through the hordes of Scots that went there.
The Scottish bollocks has hit hospitality so hard that many establishments will not reopen, whilst Carlisle, Berwick, Newcastle etc had a booming New Year partly through the hordes of Scots that went there.
ddraig
kicking against the pricks...
What's more worth saving, lives or businesses?
elbows
Well-Known Member
The pandemic is often just about partisan party politics as usual for you.
If your idea was applied in such a way as that Sturgeon would have been in charge of UK pandemic press conferences rather than Johnson, I might have supported it.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
The response should have been for all of the UK, and not delivered by a politician.
who should have delivered it?
elbows
Well-Known Member
I dont agree since I havent been against devolution of health matters. However there are problems with the current setup in terms of the power to raise funds to implement different policies in different nations of the UK.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Are you saaying that Sturgeon's response, which was different from England, has not seriously harmed the hospitality industry? If that is your stance, I can assure you that it has. There were dozens of business owners interviewed on the STV news who were seriously doubting if the business would survive. New Year is the time that pays for the flat Jan and Feb.
STV benefits from about £20m of Scottish government advertising each year, and as result has become the house organ of the SNP. So for STV to be highlighting this, the situation is serious.
elbows
Well-Known Member
I'm not a big fan of nations and figureheads at all.
But since we have a system with figureheads, its expected that the biggest ones get to delivery such messages.
In a pandemic that could be managed by medical interventions alone, its easier to imagine those with responsibility for health doing most of the messaging. But this pandemic intruded into all aspect of life and thats bound to involve politicians and all manner of non-health policy areas.
But since we have a system with figureheads, its expected that the biggest ones get to delivery such messages.
In a pandemic that could be managed by medical interventions alone, its easier to imagine those with responsibility for health doing most of the messaging. But this pandemic intruded into all aspect of life and thats bound to involve politicians and all manner of non-health policy areas.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
A subject matter expert.
elbows
Well-Known Member
As Sturgeon pointed out just weeks ago, during large waves the choice is not between magically making the problem vanish or taking strong action. Its a choice between trying to manage things in a controlled way with proper financial support for those affected, or just letting things rip in a way that is uncontrolled and messy with big gaps in financial support.
who decides which subject matter expert gets the job?
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
mwgdrwg
Be a Pisces. Jam.
Ant & Dec
elbows
Well-Known Member
Chief Medical Officers are not experts in the financial plight of the nighttime economy.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
The subject here being 'expert in virology' or 'expert in the economics of the hospitality industry'?
the same is true in much of England - December has been a total washout for the licensed trade here.
elbows
Well-Known Member
The contradiction is solved by giving the individual nations more powers to borrow money themselves rather than having to rely on the central UK government.Somewhat of a contradictory statement there.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Virology, epidemiology...
elbows
Well-Known Member
I lost track of how much support the government is providing to affected businesses in England compared to what the Scottish regime have tried to offer. I know Sturgeon wanted more and was not impressed by some of the stunts the treasury pulled by reannouncing money that Scotland was already expecting. And I know that support for workers has been extra shit this time.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
You must be joking!
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
You could give Sturgeon the entire GDP in cash and she would whine that it wasn't in Scottish bank notes.
klang
klang
My vote goes to Noddy.
elbows
Well-Known Member
No, we just have very different opinions about all sorts of matters, its not a joke, its just a very different approach where we will rarely see eye to eye. Politics as usual.
elbows
Well-Known Member
Like I said earlier, the usual pre-pandemic politics infecting your opinion on pandemic matters.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
You are absolutely superb with regard to interpreting what is happening re the virus. On Scottish politics? Not so much.
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