Agree
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Seeing as I only learned the reason they delayed taking responsibility for additional powers about 15 mins ago, nah I wasn't. It wasn't mentioned in the link to the report I posted for the delay.
It say's "The UK's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is still administering a swathe of benefits despite the Scottish Parliament being able to legislate on them since last year, in a "split competence" arrangement".
This is veering of covid now, so not really for this thread, so I'll leave it there.
Happy New Year.
232,169 people tested positive in England at least once in the week up to 23rd December, 33% increase on the previous week.
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-...began-12176246
Daily Scottish update;
2622 new cases since yesterday - 10.1% positivity rate
Increase of 41 in the confirmed cases in hospital
Increase of 1 in the confirmed cases in intensive care
68 deaths registered since yesterday
Breakdown of today's cases by council area;
Glasgow - 307
Edinburgh - 248
North Lanarkshire - 196
South Lanarkshire - 176
Renfrewshire - 126
Aberdeenshire - 124
Dundee - 115
Aberdeen - 115
Dumfries and Galloway - 114
Fife - 101
Inverclyde - 98
North Ayrshire - 90
Scottish Borders - 79
East Ayrshire - 79
Perth and Kinross - 75
West Lothian - 73
Highland - 68
East Renfrewshire - 56
South Ayrshire - 55
East Dunbartonshire - 54
Falkirk - 52
Angus - 46
Midlothian - 40
West Dunbartonshire - 37
Moray - 20
Stirling - 17
East Lothian - 17
Shetland - 16
Argyll and Bute - 15
Clackmannanshire - 9
Na h-Eileanan Siar - 1
Not extolling it's virtues or otherwise but it's interesting to see some of the conditions of lockdown in Italy over the holiday period by comparison. The below measures are in place until January 6th, the feast of the epiphany when restrictions will be reviewed.
Some days are designated as 'Orange Days' and others as 'Red Days'. The former has fewer restrictions, it's Red today. People cannot leave their own towns, and can only walk only within 500 metres from home. Business closures are in line with top tier restrictions here with a large support package announced and further ones on the way.
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Leaving the home requires a self-certificate which can be accessed from the internet and filled in with your personal details. You can be stopped by police and asked to produce it..Blieve though tht police can issue you with a certificate on the spot. Violations can attract a 207 euro fine or imprisonment up to three months.
The massive jump in both numbers and positivity rate doesn't really make sense unless there is still some kind of Christmas lag.
24th Dec - 1314 cases (5.3% positivity rate)
25th - 1165 (4.3%)
26th - 1149 (8.2%)
27th - 740 (12.3%)
28th - 967 (12.2%)
29th - 1895 (14.4%)
30th - 2045 (11.3%)
31st - 2622 (10.1%)
The 7 day positivity rate has almost doubled in that time as well. Something doesn't add up.
We can't compare ourselves with anyone else other that Wales and Northern Ireland, simply because all other countries have access to all the levers of power. Anyone who thinks that Scotland have benefitted from the union during the covid crisis wants their heads looking at.
NI appeared to have started well during the first wave but it’s all gone pear shaped over there now. We compare favourably with Wales.
It’s hard to compare ourselves with anywhere else’s, as you say. Like it or not, we are tied to the Johnson govt.
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55,892 cases and 964 deaths registered in the UK today.
Quite saddening to say the least that we are now back at +/- 1000 deaths a day, I thought that was to be a thing of the past.
Cases started to rise rather rapidly here in Argentina also, going from new daily cases of 5 or 6 thousand to nearly 12 thousand yesterday.
Agree with much of what you say there. I especially hear you re the bit in bold. For one of my kids lockdown actually came at a good time due to the difficulties he was having at school, but he has had a much happier time of it since going back in August. It would be so dispiriting to see that undone by another lengthy shutdown. I fear we're looking at date later than January 18th for a return though.
Trying to prevent their kids' retreat into themselves and their screens (as you so rightly put it) is one of the most challenging aspects of being a parent IMHO. Have you watched the Social Dilemma on Netflix? It extends its reach beyond the impact on kids and is a thoroughly depressing watch:
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81254224
I noticed that Germany recorded a record daily death toll of more than 1,100 yesterday.
As you say all extremely depressing and a far cry from the PM's prediction of 'back to normal by Christmas' and the FM predicting back in June that 'total elimination' of the virus in Scotland could be only weeks away.
All the talk of heralding a happier 2021 rings rather hollow when faced with these figures. Yes the vaccines will (we have to assume) eventually see us return to some sort of normality but it seems a long way off right now.
I understand the sentiment when people are saying things like 'glad to see the back of 2020' and 'we got through it' and whatever else.
The sad reality is that a large chunk of 2021 isn't going to be a whole lot better. The WHO and others have warned for months that vaccination isn't a silver bullet. Things will get better but it's a slow process and I hope people are able to digest that.
I get the New Year is always a time for mawkish or asinine sentimentality so there is obviously an element of that at play but turning the page on the calendar isn't a new beginning. It's more of the same for the foreseeable and in years to come 2021 will probably be viewed almost as unfavourably as 2020.