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Pandemic personal consequences

We're gonna be completely fucked for money now as not having tested positive until yesterday I can't go to work at all this week and I get zero pay despite being long term staff. Also being a teacher I don't work in August so was relying on this month's pay to just about keep us afloat for the summer.
it's been very very tough for the last 2.5 years for us. I had no income for months on end. my industry got hit spectacularly hard by covid.

good luck.
 
We're gonna be completely fucked for money now as not having tested positive until yesterday I can't go to work at all this week and I get zero pay despite being long term staff. Also being a teacher I don't work in August so was relying on this month's pay to just about keep us afloat for the summer.

You can't get one toenail ahead can you? Something always appears to drag you back into the shit. Water bill just arrived as well.
Shit that’s awful, you’re a teacher on a zero hour contract? Are you bank?
 
Shit that’s awful, you’re a teacher on a zero hour contract? Are you bank?

Agency worker, so I'm on a day rate despite having a long term posting (three months) at my current school. Also because of school policy I have to be off all week even if I get better.

Gonna have to talk to the union I reckon.
 
Agency worker, so I'm on a day rate despite having a long term posting (three months) at my current school. Also because of school policy I have to be off all week even if I get better.

Gonna have to talk to the union I reckon.
That’s rubbish. Do you get paid more agency than employed by school. That’s the case for nurses, but no sick pay or holiday pay.
 
That’s rubbish. Do you get paid more agency than employed by school. That’s the case for nurses, but no sick pay or holiday pay.

No I don't. And I get 5 weeks' holiday pay (taken off the top of my day rate) to cover 13 weeks without work.

e2a: This year in particular there have been noticeably more teaching jobs only advertised via agencies. I've also seen salaried posts going unfilled which is unusual in the South West, usually the only place without a teacher shortage. But then there are entire towns here with no long term rentals available, that's likely to be a big factor.
 
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Still positive here, so cancelled my accommodation for this weekend in Whitby. Can't leave my friend hanging until the last minute, and certainly can't share a room with a hacking cough. Oh well.

I'll miss my printmaking course tomorrow (and probably lose the money I paid for it). Just really really want to get better so I can go to Scotland next week.
 
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gsv's still waiting to be out of Covid prison and getting very tired of it as he basically feels fine, but doesn't look like his tests will be clear until the boiling weather passes.

I'm a bit concerned that suddenly my throat has gone very closed up and itchy tonight, although it feels more like an allergy than anything else - I did (accidentally) drink a weird low-alcohol lager tonight and wondering if that might be what set it off, as it started not long after drinking it. Guess I'll see how I am in the morning - I tested clear this afternoon.
 
Yeah, I finally have it - tested clear saturday, very + today. Dunno if caught slow-burn off husband or if while going to some things (masked) last week. Means I miss taking oldest to 'Dear Evan hansen' tomorrow - wasn't that bothered about the show, but wa quite looking forward to taking them - have suggested they ask a friend, and also going to hear David Sedaris on Thursday - was only going because a friend had a spare ticket, but again, not too bothered to miss. Slightly relieved to get this over now, as means I won't have to worry about it for our summer holiday.

My main worry now is that son doesn't get it and miss final day of primary school on Thursday. :(
 
My GF has it :( We'll end up not seeing each other for nearly three weeks with the isolation period and the time before we last saw each other. (She's decided seeing me before ten days would be unwise because of me being immunocompromised, and I reluctantly agree now).

She's just finished one job and it's highly likely that she caught it at her leaving do from a former colleague who's an anti-vaxxer and the only other one to test positive (my GF tested negative three days before this and has contacted all her colleagues to let them know - they're healthcare workers so test regularly). And she has two weeks off work before her next job, but will be spending most of it at home alone in a boiling hot flat. :(
 
I'm relieved I didn't get it at same time as gsv/within a few days - he'll be out of 'jail' tomorrow and can do all the domestic stuff and shunting kids about at least, and we can hang out together given I won't infect him.

Hoping that either kids don't get it at all in the next 6 weeks (ie it doesn't affect our holiday) or that if they do, son gets it after Sunday so he can get last day and school and have his jab, and that if oldest is going to get it it's before the end of this week so they don't miss their residential. :eek: It's nearly a fortnight, and worst case scenario we can stick them on a train if they have to miss a few days.
 
Bugger, just remembered I was supposed to be seeing 'My Fair Lady' with a friend on Monday as well - well, that's out. :( Oldest has made last day of school uninfected, and youngest has made his 'leavers' assembly' at least - he actually says he's not bothered about missing last day of term, but didn't want to miss the assembly, so it's not end of world if he doesn't make it in tomorrow.
 
I had the covid last week - so had to miss the funeral of a friend of mine - ironically I thought i might catch it at the funeral. It also buggered up work for a week as I had to cancel some appointments - and i'm now struggling to get them arranged again ffs.
 
So I've missed quite a lot this week, it's a spot of bad luck to get it the week I had tickets for 3 things - most weeks it's not even one! But tbh I got lucky last time I had it , in a week or two with nothing on. I know people who've missed much worse or stuff they were really looking forward to for ages.

I've also missed my son's primary school leaving assembly but luckily I am an unsentimental cow about this kind of thing so I'm fine just hearing about it from my husband.
 
Where in the world has had a halfway sensible response to this pandemic?

I’ve had enough of England. I want to start making plans to live somewhere else. No idea where. I think having decent public health ideology and infrastructure is a fairly good place to start.

Any ideas?

(In case anyone reading isn’t familiar with my posting history re covid, by sensible response to the pandemic I mean not the eugenicist poverty death and disablement spiral, collapsing the health service, using the pandemic as cover for spurious new oppressive laws, accelerated corruption, that kinda thing.)
 
Where in the world has had a halfway sensible response to this pandemic?

I’ve had enough of England. I want to start making plans to live somewhere else. No idea where. I think having decent public health ideology and infrastructure is a fairly good place to start.

Any ideas?

(In case anyone reading isn’t familiar with my posting history re covid, by sensible response to the pandemic I mean not the eugenicist poverty death and disablement spiral, collapsing the health service, using the pandemic as cover for spurious new oppressive laws, accelerated corruption, that kinda thing.)
Umm tricky one but Scandinavian countries might be worth a look as they do have a concept of preserving thing relationship between the people and government but with lowish excess deaths.
You'll probably find the countries that dealt with the pandemic the most assertively though (Italy for example) got much the same results as us and that same assertiveness will easily equate to the very same lawmaker mind set your looking to avoid.
Most of Europe are experiencing post pandemic excess deaths right now too and more vulnerable to rising energy costs so more risk of rioting and dissent justifying more harsh laws.
Good luck searching I guess.😒
 
That's an interesting question isn't it. While it wouldn't have been hard to be less inept than the likes of Johnson and Hancock I'm not really sure there are any outstanding exemplar countries in terms of actual outcomes? It seems to me the places with relatively very low death rates are either geographically very remote or have (and are still) enacting very harshly enforced measures. Where's the place you can point to and say 'they did really well?'
 
It’s a pandemic, the responses of every country affects all of the others.

How they got there & what the dominant narrative is, those are aspects which could make for a more attractive place to live than here, even if the death counts are high.

The current narrative of its all over it’s just a cold, with the abysmal sick pay levels, it seems like the worst place to be.
 
It’s a pandemic, the responses of every country affects all of the others.

How they got there & what the dominant narrative is, those are aspects which could make for a more attractive place to live than here, even if the death counts are high.

The current narrative of its all over it’s just a cold, with the abysmal sick pay levels, it seems like the worst place to be.

Behind the scenes its clear that the 'its all over' narrative is superficial, there are real concerns about this winter but the UK establishment will put most effort into dealing with those via covid and flu vaccination, and will only show their hand in terms of other measures if the situation becomes very obviously bleak. So we'll be late to act again, with all the consequences that entails, if the shit really hits the fan again.

Rather than get locked in the same old arguments about which nations fared best, if I were looking for an alternative destination then I'd base it on simple practical stuff. Pick a nation that has shown willingness to act in a relatively timely fashion in the past, one that didnt abandon all the reasonable, low cost mitigation measures completely in the vaccination era, and one where their health service isnt already on its knees.
 
Behind the scenes its clear that the 'its all over' narrative is superficial, there are real concerns about this winter but the UK establishment will put most effort into dealing with those via covid and flu vaccination, and will only show their hand in terms of other measures if the situation becomes very obviously bleak. So we'll be late to act again, with all the consequences that entails, if the shit really hits the fan again.

Rather than get locked in the same old arguments about which nations fared best, if I were looking for an alternative destination then I'd base it on simple practical stuff. Pick a nation that has shown willingness to act in a relatively timely fashion in the past, one that didnt abandon all the reasonable, low cost mitigation measures completely in the vaccination era, and one where their health service isnt already on its knees.
Yes, you know what I’m getting at.

It’s still astonishing to realise that I grew up in a place that had a good health service and I’m still here but the health service is in tatters.
 
Colleague in my office came to work ill Thursday and Friday, tested positive yesterday lunchtime then drove to Sheffield to go to Five Guys in the afternoon. Intending to come to work tomorrow. Rules are nonexistent but doing the right thing should be. Mrs SI has told me not to comment.

My brother's colleague, a hospital dr, arrived back to work from a month away visiting family half way across the world. He came to work..felt a bit unwell..was advised by colleagues to get a test..showed positive and his colleagues said "best go home til next Tuesday".
This is in a hospital where all staff are still masked.

People have a right to feel and be safe..nobody wants covid but nobody wants long covd either.
Tell the colleague (from a safe distance) to stay home.
 
Colleague in my office came to work ill Thursday and Friday, tested positive yesterday lunchtime then drove to Sheffield to go to Five Guys in the afternoon. Intending to come to work tomorrow. Rules are nonexistent but doing the right thing should be. Mrs SI has told me not to comment.
Comment. Comment to the staff member, comment to your union rep, and comment in a non accusatory way about general policy.

As Aladdin says, long Covid is not fun.
 
Colleague in my office came to work ill Thursday and Friday, tested positive yesterday lunchtime then drove to Sheffield to go to Five Guys in the afternoon. Intending to come to work tomorrow. Rules are nonexistent but doing the right thing should be. Mrs SI has told me not to comment.

:mad:

may be worth talking to union

if employer is taking the line that covid is over, and being off sick is seen as a disciplinary offence, then colleague may not think they have a lot of choice - although if they are going out to a public place to eat then they could just be a pillock

not sure if there's any precedent yet for being expected to share space with covid laden colleagues being considered as reasonable cause for walking off the job on H+S grounds
 
I have met with several ambulance crews recently and they have all worn masks.
A fews days ago I checked my work rules. If we get COVID and take time off it goes on our sickness record. I really can't afford more time of sick as I am close to being reported to occupational therapy for it.
 
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