When will this shit end?

[DeanoL]

2 minutes ago, ace56blaa said:

Ah so our lockdown was never even as strict as most thought it was. 

Yup - and that sort of worked. As people would follow what they thought were the more strict rules. I do remember on here people being appalled at people going to visit relatives or socialising in parks, with claims like "just stay indoors, it's not hard". Most in that middle class WFH bubble (of which I'm one) just didn't understand that 1000s of people that weren't just hospital and supermarket staff, were still going to work. Still getting on public transport. To go work in call centres, or on construction sites, or in warehouses. To a large number of people it did feel like everyone was staying at home other than for exercise or buying food.

Just now, Homer said:

Any word on if support bubbles will be maintained? Being to go to my mate's for a drink has been a real bonus (he lives on his own).

No work but almost certain to be kept, they're kind of essential. Having said that there may be some guidance around "only use them if you really need to".

[Cherry Tree]

6 minutes ago, Homer said:

I know this one. Outdoor team sports like football only allowed for children in tier 4. I've seen a few people playing tennis too.

Yes, Tennis (outdoor) is still allowed in Tier 4. I am not sure if it is the rules but my club is only allowing singles, no doubles. 

[Ozanne]

3 minutes ago, Homer said:

The first lockdown did seem pretty harsh. My mate was basically on his own for about four months or whatever it was. It was quite hard to coax him back out at first!

Same for me, I was on my own for months. Not that many seemed to care at the time I remember. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Ozanne

[jparx]

10 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

They do not give a single fuck about anybody. 

The anger at work today has been unrivalled. I have never felt so much genuine anger from speaking to colleagues in the 4 years I've been a qualified teacher. People are angry that their otherwise 'safe' household bubbles, who have been sticking to the rules to the letter, could have been compromised for one pointless day of teaching 1-2 children per class. 

If SMT haven't spent today compiling a rota for the staff who want to come in (because there are some and there was during the first lockdown) to supervise the key worker / vulnerable children over the next few weeks, I think that there will be many, many staff (myself included) refusing to come in tomorrow for another pointless, reckless day like today. We had kids turning up with no masks today ffs. 

Completely sympathise mate. Utterly insane. If the risk is too great for schools to be open tomorrow, surely the risk was too great today as well. In which case the govt have forced teachers, administrators and kids in to an unsafe, dangerous environment. Yet again, it was obvious to everyone in the country that this needed to happen and was going to happen eventually. I guess tbf to them I thought the u turn would come at the end of the week, so I guess by their standards this could be considered pro active...😐

[Chapple12345]

5 minutes ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

Would be shocked if they’re binned. 

They need to be kept, my grandma is in my bubble after my grandad died last month and her being able to see us has been a real life line of comfort so it would be rather cruel to shut them down now as I imagine many others are in a similar situation 

7 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

 

Has this actually been mentioned at all since May?? 

[JoeyT]

Hope the childcare thing remains.

I'll honestly lose my mind if it doesn't.

[WestCountryGirl]

1 minute ago, jparx said:

 I guess tbf to them I thought the u turn would come at the end of the week, so I guess by their standards this could be considered pro active...😐

Literally just said in my family chat that it is a low, low bar that I am impressed at this as decisive action from the bumbling twats.

[Losing my hair]

11 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

 

Lots of places were shut down but they didn't legally have to. Because the furlough scheme existed, and because demand was dropping as places were closing, many, many places shut down and furloughed staff because there wasn't the work. Even more shut down and furloughed staff because they saw the long term impacts this would have (and at this point, we thought it'd be a couple of months lock down then "back to normal") and decided to shut down take the furlough money while it was on the table.

There's a huge difference between what had to close in March and what did close in March.

There's some stats and a broad timeline here: https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/data/data-news/peak-site-closure-figures-revealed-as-work-restarts-25-05-2020/

But less than half of construction sites shut in March. Some of these open will have been "essential" works but others won't.

In May construction was encouraged to reopen: https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/government/construction-actively-encouraged-to-work-says-boris-11-05-2020/

The other thing to bear in mind is that a lot of UK construction is public sector so that May date might have corresponded with when public sector sites re-opened, which could be what you're remembering!

I feel as if I'm just repeating myself, but construction sites only closed if they chose to do so or were unable to source materials. I've attached the letter from Alok Sharma dated 31st March thanking the industry for keeping going. Admittedly many thought that the "essential" definition applied to retail applied to everything else - it didn't - and so there were complaints that builders were carrying out "non-essential" work e.g. block paving driveways and thee was a lot of confusion. The situation may have been different in Scotland, Wales and N Ireland - I have no experience of what went on there. 

secretary-of-state-letter-construction-industry.pdf

[xxialac]

9 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

 

JUST ANNOUNCED
We're taking our threat levels back, now we've left the EU.

Now possible as we control our own laws.

🌳Conservatives

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

5 minutes ago, Cherry Tree said:

Yes, Tennis (outdoor) is still allowed in Tier 4. I am not sure if it is the rules but my club is only allowing singles, no doubles. 

Knowing this government they'll allow tennis but only one person on the court at any one time

[Ozanne]

I wonder how many of us predicted that after Christmas we’d be back in a national lockdown. So damn predictable. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Ozanne

[gooner1990]

7 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Yup - and that sort of worked. As people would follow what they thought were the more strict rules. I do remember on here people being appalled at people going to visit relatives or socialising in parks, with claims like "just stay indoors, it's not hard". Most in that middle class WFH bubble (of which I'm one) just didn't understand that 1000s of people that weren't just hospital and supermarket staff, were still going to work. Still getting on public transport. To go work in call centres, or on construction sites, or in warehouses. To a large number of people it did feel like everyone was staying at home other than for exercise or buying food.

No work but almost certain to be kept, they're kind of essential. Having said that there may be some guidance around "only use them if you really need to".

Everyone I know who works in construction didn't go to work for nearly three months.

[Losing my hair]

9 minutes ago, Homer said:

I stumbled into one drunk about a month ago and everyone was very nice! I'd quite like to do it again, but my wife already mocks me enough for talking to my friends on the internet via this forum as it is!

Yes you were drunk - very drunk - but it was good fun to meet you.

[Losing my hair]

Just now, gooner1990 said:

Everyone I know who works in construction didn't go to work for nearly three months.

I have worked all the way through.

[philipsteak]

3 hours ago, Fuzzy Afro said:

I think it only prevents you dying from Covid. There is still a risk that you would die from other causes. 

That's a relief. I was worried there

[DeanoL]

Just now, gooner1990 said:

Everyone I know who works in construction didn't go to work for nearly three months.

Then everyone you know who worked in construction worked on the 43% of sites that closed during March (https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/data/data-news/peak-site-closure-figures-revealed-as-work-restarts-25-05-2020/) ?

[Ozanne]

2 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

Everyone I know who works in construction didn't go to work for nearly three months.

They were probably furloughed, sites were allowed to stay open. 

[Chapple12345]

Leak for tonights address 😜

 

[JoeyT]

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

I wonder how many of us predicted that after Christmas we’d be back in a national lockdown. So damn predicable. 

I agree that many had said this pre Christmas however the sort of "know it all" attitude is a bit strong considering this prospective lockdown is primarily down to the new variant and it's higher rate of transmission rather than househould mixing...

[gooner1990]

1 minute ago, Losing my hair said:

I have worked all the way through.

Wish the builders who did my new bathroom and extension had. 🙄

[Crazyfool01]

4 minutes ago, Losing my hair said:

You're not alone, there's many of us in the same situation. I haven't seen my mum in ages, or my daughter who is pregnant (and a teacher!), or my grandchildren or my mates.

You might like to join us on our Zoom meetings - see the Virtual Meet thread - where you can chat, let off steam and laugh with others from the forum. I'm not sure when the next one is, @crazyfool1 normally organises them, just keep an eye on the thread.

 

I was thinking  a double header a week on Friday and Sat next week from 7pm as usual 

 

16 minutes ago, Brownie30 said:

Appreciate this a lot and will certainly give the thread a look! Stay safe 🙂

hopefully we might be able to help ... link will be posted closer to the time in the VM thread 

[gooner1990]

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

They were probably furloughed, sites were allowed to stay open. 

Yes, they were furloughed. 

[zahidf]

Boris is cancelling dry january as well.

[squirrelarmy]

Company directors and HR at my work just gone for an impromptu meeting. Hopefully an email going out before 5 saying I can stay in bed tomorrow. 

[Homer]

1 minute ago, zahidf said:

Boris is cancelling dry january as well.

I do dry Jan every year - not confident I'll manage it this time!