@ElShalimo : OK - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/scotland-lockdown-roadmap-sturgeon-b1807305.html (which will need this https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-protection-levels/pages/protection-level-3/ ) and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56165569 might help - but here's how it appears...
Self catering on Uist with Friends in June.
The Scottish government have not yet set an expected date for self-catering to reopen. Hospitality is hoped to reopen in the last week of April, but it will do so on a tier/level basis as before Christmas. The expectation is for all of Scotland to be in Level 3 (or perhaps below) at that point. Tier 3 did have self-catering open but did not allow travel into/out of a level 3 area to use it for holidays (locals and essential trips only). There was an implication that some parts of the levels would be updated, but the old Level 2 would be required for holiday accom, and would only be open to people coming from another Level 1 or 2 area (the whole of England is generally treated as one - and it may not be good news for you). Even at level 2 two households could not stay together (Level 1 technically couldn't either but there was a plan to relax that so 6 people from 2 households could share accom, before it all got tougher).
SUMMARY:
- not announced yet
- by June likely that Accom on Uist is open
- but may not be open to people who are not from a low prevalence area
- unlikely to allow two households to stay in one house
Visiting elderly relatives in Wales.
Stay at home restrictions remain until 15th March (so I think that means you shouldn't go to Wales unless they are in need of urgent support etc). They are already allowing 4 people to exercise outdoors. So I assume that means come 15th March you can go to wales, and go for a walk with your folks, in a socially distanced way. They are aiming for tourism business to reopen from Easter, and specifically include self-contained accom from 12th April - so I think that means you could book an air BnB near your folks after then and meet them outdoors.
SUMMARY:
- day trip for a walk from 15th March
- looks like if a day trip not possible, you should be able to go in late April
- not confirmed how long before you could stay overnight with them (looks like this would be June even with the ambitious English plan)
Someone had the temerity to posts on a FB group for one of the islands essentially to say "I've had my COVID jag, so I'll be OK to come up for a holiday in May?"
Let's just say they didn't get a totally warm response...
For example anyone killed by cancer, heart attack etc who had tested positive for Covid was a Covid stat but would have died anyway.
Is that a fact or a "fact"?
I see it mentioned on Facebook a lot but oddly enough nobody has ever been able (or willing) to prove it beyond inviting me to do my own research.
In the last year, I personally know more people that have passed away due to other diseases/illnesses going untreated due to the lockdowns than people that have gotten covid
Do you,aye?
I see it mentioned on Facebook a lot but oddly enough nobody has ever been able (or willing) to prove it beyond inviting me to do my own research.
There's different ways to count, the Gov counts a covid death as anyone who has died and had a positive test within the last 28 days. This may add people who were going to die of other things but caught covid in the meantime or it misses people who had died of covid but due to the timing didn't get counted. This is in line with many other countries around the world.
We did at the start count anyone who tested positive then died later at anytime but obviously that's a very poor way of measuring as you could have caught Covid 6 months ago, been fine but die in a car crash and be counted today.
Other counts are based on Covid being mentioned on the death certificate.
Then there's the excess death model.
Hmm... to book trains and accommodation in the Highlands for early June?
Or order a frame bag and prepare for bikepacking instead (don't fancy it for the routes and distances I want to do).
Hostels appear to have rooms available, waiting to hear back from a hotel, but Scotrail don't appear to be showing any regular trains on the West Highland Line, weird.
Willing to sacrifice a couple of booking fees just to have something booked...
Have this evening booked a week mid July in Northumberland, a regular annual area for us. Hoping we are able to drive south for that, and once we are there that we can enjoy the usual local fare and hospitality. Oddly, our last booked and cancelled holiday was Easter last year in same area...
We've booked ferries and sites in Uist - 12th June onwards.
We were looking to have an Aviemore week but absolutely nothing available that even loosely fitted the bill...
Then there is the scenario that over a five year period 2020-2025 there are no excess deaths:The folk dying of covid being the elderly and venerable who would probably have died in that timespan anyway. I just throw that in as a possibility, I know it sounds really callous, I'm not meaning to be, I've lost a family member to the virus too.
We were looking to have an Aviemore week but absolutely nothing available that even loosely fitted the bill…
Fancy a week from around the 12th June 😉
We were looking to have an Aviemore week but absolutely nothing available that even loosely fitted the bill…
Yikes, I'd best get booking, need two nights in June... That or two nights in Kingussie and hopping a train to/from Aviemore for a day loop. Seems less satisfying that way though.
@chickenman - being venerable is neither an indicator of your potential Covid risk, or of your age😉
On a serious note your 5 year hypothesis is utter shite. What about people with pre-existing medical conditions with a life expectancy of 15 yrs?
So, after a nice and dry weekend, is there any lockdown anymore ? I have been playing by the rules and today had my weekly carers trip to my mum’s, she’s 88 and on her own, in our bubble, over on the west side of Renfrewshire.
Roads were mobbed, local RSPB car park and lochside roads (Lochwinnoch) rammed with car and hordes of folk...
I yesterday did a 28 mile back road and gravel ride loop from home and was stunned by the number of large groups of riders on the road and once into Whitelee Windfarm, the big groups of families all stoating about in groups of 6-20 plus...
Seems like the majority seem to think it’s all over now..
All pretty quiet here. We were out for a 12 mile walk and saw four cyclists (two pairs), two dog-walkers and a solo walker.
Iainc, it was really busy here today next to the canal in bishopbriggs. Loads of people floating about, big groups of cyclists, runners and dog walkers.
Been quiet most of the week, but today was dire.
Seems like the majority seem to think it’s all over now..
Drove past a small park near me this afternoon. There's a small basketball ball court in it. There were maybe 40+ people on the court doing god knows what. I said to the missus at the time "I guess lockdown is over?"
I was tidying up in my garden and I heard lots of motorcyclists making their essential trips to the supermarkets :rolleyes:
there have been alot more people out and about for about a month or so , but the cases and hospital admissions are still dropping, maybe its a good thing , people getting about over a spread of time rather than all at once , but thats only if cases hospital admission and deaths continue to drop,
the fact that young kids have been allowed to mingle throughout is also good as going back to school will hopefully not create a big rise
I suspect some folk in Scotland are taking their advice from Westminster not holyrood given the relative prominence in the media
coupl eof my pals have been out on motorbikes. Again risk low but they are ****ing covidiots
Did boris not mention the economy basically needing to open back up as it couldnt keep going the way its been going , or did i read that somewhere? . if thats true regardless of what we do it will have to go on the same timeframe , with furlough ending and not being able to close the border between us. mentioning specific dates was ridiculous .
i feel sorry for the a/e services on the 21st of june
^^^^ here’s hoping that’s the way it will go. I get my jab on Wednesday so I can go ride anywhere after that...
Just had a bit of a debate with two of my pals who have been out riding motorbikes. these are two highly intelligent professional people. they both were under the impression that the LA+ 5 miles meant it was OK to ride their motorbikes within that limitation. I do think genuine error but FFS folks.
Just had a bit of a debate with two of my pals who have been out riding motorbikes. these are two highly intelligent professional people. they both were under the impression that the LA+ 5 miles meant it was OK to ride their motorbikes within that limitation. I do think genuine error but FFS folks.
It is legal for them to do so
It is legal for them to do so
As long as they're leaving home for an essential purpose
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/
I can't see going for a blast on motorbikes qualifying as exercise?
Its clearly against the law - not just the guidance
You can only leave home for an essential reason.
It is legal for them to do so
only allowed the 5 mile thing for exercise. Riding a motorbike is not exercise nor is it essential unless they really have to make the journey.
Genuine mistake from these guys ( perhaps fuelled by a bit of wishful thinking)
Guess this question has already been asked a few times in the last 80 pages, but is there any hope of me (oxfordshire) being allowed on to Mull for 2 weeks in May? Postponed holiday from last May, reality is gradually sinking in that it's unlikely to happen
only allowed the 5 mile thing for exercise. Riding a motorbike is not exercise nor is it essential unless they really have to make the journey
And yet provided the pop into a shop during their ride and pick up a pint of milk, all is fine and legal...
We all, as a society need to give People some slack - in the central belt, we've been in effect locked down since October. Folk going for an occasional local ride on the motorbikes isn't going to cause any societal harm and to the rider, will provide some well needed feel good factor. Its not as if they were having a house party with 40 folk or doing a quick lap of the nc500 for goodness sakes!
Its been a long, grim, lonely winter and we all need to grab some happiness where we can within the spirit of the law. Petty name calling isn't doing any good whatsoever to anyone.
50/50 I would say ( edit - to rapid rob)
I think we will open up in May - will that be open enough for you early enough? dubious. IMO its not no chance but it not certain
Self contained self catering opened up earlier last time
Scruff - I sort of agree which is why I said to them " I understand its low risk" and also did not go off on one at them as I did to another pal a few months ago but just pointed out it was breaching the law
50/50 I would say ( edit – to rapid rob)
I think we will open up in May – will that be open enough for you early enough? dubious. IMO its not no chance but it not certain
Self contained self catering opened up earlier last time
I'm looking at this from the other angle - someone with a holiday property. Actually not quite - we are buying from a relative with a mortgage. We are attempting to time the purchase so that we are not faced with too many months of repayments without income.
My hunch is open for May but arguably not for people from higher level areas and that might mean all of England. And the overseas market will be dried up for the season. I think we'll look to be up and running again for June or maybe July to catch the school holidays. My sense is that the older tourists, despite being all vaccinated by then, are going to be the most nervous to return to normal.
Further to my pal and the motorbike ride. He posted it up on facebook. He is in a profession where a prosecution for anything will get you suspended and possibly sacked so leaving an admission of law breaking in the public domain could ( unlikely but could) put him in professional trouble.
Aye tj intelligence and common sense rarely go hand in hand!
The amount of sensible people I've seen posting pics of rule breaking on social media is incredible.
I just ignore it now and concern myself with keeping my own family safe!
I do think it was a genuine mistake.
With regards the ignoring of low risk activities. That may be fine on an individual level but millions of people doing something that's low risk surely has an effect add in a few being high risk and a densely populated area suddenly has a problem.
I'd say folk in Scot borders and Highlands are probably doing the same but the lower density population does make a difference to how low risk and transmission interact.
Very busy weekend here - but then it has been pretty busy all the way through the ice and snow too.
We too have been finding places away from folk to go, and I too think we need to somehow find a balance of what is 'necessary' outdoor exercise. We have climbed hills, which require a 5-10 mile drive to get to, we have cycled from places that also needed a drive. Friday we drove to get to exercise, early and away from folk.
Saturday and Sunday we stayed local - and particularly Sunday I was really stressed by how many people there were out on the paths and roads. We were close to hundreds of people - compared to Friday's short drive that took us away from people and saw us pass maybe 12 people on bikes and a few walking to the Co-Op in Aberfoyle, in 50km...
I hope I am not falling foul of rule No.1.
The beach near me is hoochin most weekends, with plenty of moaning in the FB group.
I saw a recent Channel 4 video where an Edinburgh Professor of epidemiology said there was no evidence of any outbreaks from beaches.
Given how close and static people are on that beach, I am pretty reassured that outdoors is very low risk.
I am pretty reassured that outdoors is very low risk.
This does seem to be the message - I have just updated our work guidance (outdoor learning) based on World Health Organisation, European and American CDC, plus some other research. It seems thinks like the huge black lives matter protests in US (and many other example events) didn't actually lead to any spikes at all - despite thousands cramming into outdoor spaces together.
Given how close and static people are on that beach, I am pretty reassured that outdoors is very low risk.
I've been softening my position on this - if only to stop myself disappearing up my own backside in middle aged grumpy old man funk. Friends who like me enjoy a good swim in a loch but unlike me are posting on FB of their travels to lochs 1hr 30mins+ away because they are bored of the one 10mins from their homes that is equally deserted. Or those 'exercising' on the beach - someone should have told all these Olympians and TdeF cyclists they have been doing it wrong and sitting in the dunes drinking a coffee with friends was equally valid - it would have saved them a load of hassle and pain.
Nope - feels like the moment we need to add more outdoor liberty and day trips to exercise into the can do list. Otherwise law abiding and covid cautious people are doing it already. Surely once people feel they are breaking the guidelines a bit it is easier to break them a lot. Make them feel they are off the naughty step and we might hold the line on meetings in houses etc where the real damage is done.
Make them feel they are off the naughty step and we might hold the line on meetings in houses etc where the real damage is done.
I was saying this yesterday. Better to let folk meet outside than force them to do it surreptitiously indoors.
