When will this shit end?

[Chef]

12 minutes ago, Mark E. Spliff said:

I looked this up a few weeks ago as I suspected I'd been exposed at work, but by sheer chance I had a home testing kit for the ONS survey to do.  The data on efficacy of tests is always going to be a bit nebulous as there are so many variables, e.g. who is actually doing the swabbing and how well.  However, the best I could find was that by day 4 after exposure, there was still a 67% chance of a false negative - so that's a rough estimate for the reliability of your daughter's test.  The most reliable time-window for PCR tests is 3 days after the onset of symptoms.  Therefore, as the incubation period can be up to 14 days, this means waiting 17 days should minimise the chance of false negatives - to about 20%.  Obviously, there's a balancing act here between optimising the reliability of the test result and minimising the disruption of self-isolation, so probably best to have a read and decide for yourself:

https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/07/when-should-i-be-tested

Thanks for that - very useful. 

[Homer]

5 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

Were they at least professional enough to not do a double take or ask 'really? '

Yeah, the vicar actually did say that funnily enough!

[Punksnotdead]

I ain't changing my plans for xmas regardless of the rules. Food has been ordered and paid for. We've all been careful for 9 months & will be for the next 10 days so we can spend a few hours together on the 25th.

If the government decides to move the goalposts at the 11th hour - fuck 'em! I don't care about breaking the law, if they want to criminalise me for it, well so be it!

[philipsteak]

1 hour ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

Is an Australian style Christmas the same idea as an Australian style Brexit deal? 😂

It's like a normal Christmas only you all have to wear thongs and call each other bloody drongos. 

[efcfanwirral]

12 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

PMAQs will be interesting tomorrow if Starmer calls Boris out on allowing xmas to continue as normal. 

"Is the leader of the opposition suggesting he wishes to CANCEL Christmas? After everything this country has been through this past year people deserve time to spend with their families and he wants to take this AWAY from them? Mr speaker maybe we should rename the leader of the opposition Scrooge?" 

[topmarksbri]

Just now, efcfanwirral said:

"Is the leader of the opposition suggesting he wishes to CANCEL Christmas? After everything this country has been through this past year people deserve time to spend with their families and he wants to take this AWAY from them? Mr speaker maybe we should rename the leader of the opposition Scrooge?" 

This is exactly what will get leveled at him. Difficult tightrope for him to walk, although polling suggests majority is in favor of tougher restrictions.  

[Guest]

1 minute ago, efcfanwirral said:

"Is the leader of the opposition suggesting he wishes to CANCEL Christmas? After everything this country has been through this past year people deserve time to spend with their families and he wants to take this AWAY from them? Mr speaker maybe we should rename the leader of the opposition Scrooge?" 

Hopefully Starmer will word it so he comes across like he’s just asking if it’s wise not asking for it to be cancelled. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

7 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Labour starting to put pressure on the government now about Christmas.

I am beginning to think that the Xmas relaxation is going to be a mistake.  We have a two week window with schools closed, many workplaces shut, transport systems restricted and folk generally staying at home.  An ideal time to have stricter restrictions, maybe with just visits to one other  family bubble. Then again I’m not a trader who relies on Xmas trade, live alone or live in a city flat. 

Another shocking thing that’s slipped under the radar today is the awful death rate in Scotland due to drug abuse. The highest in Europe per head of population. 1264 last year. It’s the lethal combination of cheap drugs and alcohol.  Terrible stat that needs dealt with.  Another ‘when will this shit end’ and the Scottish government needs to do more. 

[topmarksbri]

"This joint editorial is only the second in the more than 100 year histories of the BMJ and HSJ" - on the recommendations to tighten up xmas rules from British Medical Journal/Health Service Journal. Any ideas on what the first one was?

[ShakeyCrash]

1 minute ago, efcfanwirral said:

"Is the leader of the opposition suggesting he wishes to CANCEL Christmas? After everything this country has been through this past year people deserve time to spend with their families and he wants to take this AWAY from them? Mr speaker maybe we should rename the leader of the opposition Scrooge?" 

"Maybe the right honourable gentleman should familiarise himself with the forewarning of the ghost of Christmas yet to come, and do what's needed to protect the Tiny Tims of this world"

[stuartbert two hats]

4 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

I am beginning to think that the Xmas relaxation is going to be a mistake.  We have a two week window with schools closed, many workplaces shut, transport systems restricted and folk generally staying at home.  An ideal time to have stricter restrictions, maybe with just visits to one other  family bubble. Then again I’m not a trader who relies on Xmas trade, live alone or live in a city flat. 

Another shocking thing that’s slipped under the radar today is the awful death rate in Scotland due to drug abuse. The highest in Europe per head of population. 1264 last year. It’s the lethal combination of cheap drugs and alcohol.  Terrible stat that needs dealt with.  Another ‘when will this shit end’ and the Scottish government needs to do more. 

Did the minimum unit price help?

[xxialac]

28 minutes ago, zahidf said:

 

Great, so the government is about to legalise recreational use of cannabis to stop people taking hard drugs.

[Fuzzy Afro]

10 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Did the minimum unit price help?

Seems to have exacerbated as problem drinkers turn to cheap heroin instead. 

Edited December 15, 2020 by Fuzzy Afro

[Fuzzy Afro]

Just now, xxialac said:

Great, so the government is about to legalise recreational use of cannabis to stop people taking hard drugs.

Seems like a good plan 🙂 

[Crazyfool01]

Christmas covid mixing under review ......

[DeanoL]

1 hour ago, Ozanne said:

I agree. I think it’s harsh for someone to suggest that because people feel that Christmas should be cancelled we ‘don’t understand the importance’. That’s some strange mental gymnastics. It’s important to a lot of people but some are just in the place where they feel it’s too risky considering the current state of the pandemic in the country. 

It's not that you don't think it's important - it's just if you want Christmas cancelled but don't also want schools closed, gyms closed, pubs closed... you think they are all *more* important than Christmas.

Which isn't necessarily untrue either. But it's easy to see a lot of people don't feel that way.

13 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

I am beginning to think that the Xmas relaxation is going to be a mistake.  We have a two week window with schools closed, many workplaces shut, transport systems restricted and folk generally staying at home.  An ideal time to have stricter restrictions, maybe with just visits to one other  family bubble.

Alternatively, the ideal time to let people see their families, in many cases for the first time since March.

It's been clear from the last lockdown that compliance is way, way down. Something has to give somewhere, and January is when we'll need lockdown far more, because schools will be open again, people will be working and so forth. I think from what was said earlier that giving people a short break now will hopefully lead to more compliance in January (when a lot of people "lockdown" voluntarily in a regular year after over-indulging at Christmas!).

Does anyone really think the last lockdown was a success? I mean, the numbers went down a bit, then started going up again. We've been bemoaning that on these boards for weeks. So what's the answer? More of the same over Christmas and January?

4 minutes ago, xxialac said:

Great, so the government is about to legalise recreational use of cannabis to stop people taking hard drugs.

Increasingly the policy in much of the US and certain parts of Europe because, yes, it works! It's also why booze is legal!

[Chef]

4 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

Christmas covid mixing under review ......

Do you mind if I ask where you have seen this? 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

Christmas covid mixing under review ......

Where you seen that?

[DeanoL]

Also worth saying that the "it's too risky for too little reward" line that plenty are taking here about Christmas will be the exact line that other people will be taking in the new year about letting festivals go ahead in June.

[Zoo Music Girl]

2 hours ago, steviewevie said:

bah humbug

 

I used to work in the same office as that bloke. He used to talk really loudly on his phone and come over to our side of the office to do it, which really annoyed me.

[Ayrshire Chris]

13 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Did the minimum unit price help?

No, probably just left those who are problem drinkers with less cash to spend on their families, food etc.  The three cases of beer for 20 quid offers in supermarkets have gone but all that means is that I pick up a single box when shopping rather than stockpile it in the house.  The main problem is the flood of cheap heroin not cheap alcohol. 

[Crazyfool01]

2 minutes ago, Chef said:

Do you mind if I ask where you have seen this? 

 

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

Where you seen that?

Sorry should have put source ... https://apple.news/A5n54k-LeS16hZBlFPwfuKQ

[Guest]

Just now, crazyfool1 said:

 

Sorry should have put source ... https://apple.news/A5n54k-LeS16hZBlFPwfuKQ

Apple news links might not work for non iOS devices mate.

Is it this?

 

[Guest]

 

[Crazyfool01]

Independent