[Paul B]

The one in Nelson is a coned off local car park. I rode past it the other day and people were cutting across it as a shortcut.
 

[Duma]

Re welsh local lockdowns - anyone know if you can travel through the affected counties without stopping? (specifically the M4)

[SA Chris]

All the way to Fishguard?

[Duma]

Newport and Bridgend are the main sections affected, however a colleague has just told me he read somewhere it was OK to drive through on the m4. Can't find it now though.

[tomtom]

Had a test yesterday and the person greeting you to check barcodes, ID, tell you where to go etc was there with no mask, head basically in the car in front with windows fully down having a long chat and passing things in/out. 

We covered our faces and spoke through the glass to him.

If there was one place I'd want to work under the strictest conditions covered in PPE it would be a testing centre FFS.

Our MP got back to me very quickly and has raised it with the director of public health to give them a bollocking. Barrow testing center staff - the new superspreaders?

The one in Manc Airport that I've been to twice has always been super careful... make sure you keep your window up at all times - scan the barcode through the window etc..

Filled up this morning and I seemed to be the only person donning a face mask to go in and out of the Petrol station... that will presumably be illegal from later on today/this week.

[joeisidle]

Newport and Bridgend are the main sections affected, however a colleague has just told me he read somewhere it was OK to drive through on the m4. Can't find it now though.

Haven't read it officially anywhere but appears to be the case on the ground, have already driven through Rhondda section of m4 twice whilst it was in local lockdown and didn't appear to be any enforcement (which I guess there won't be for current ones as it would effectively cut off the main travel corridor to capital)

[SA Chris]

Just don't breathe in the closed section and don't use Newport services. In fact not using Newport services is good advice in for illness avoidance in general.

[remus]

Newport and Bridgend are the main sections affected, however a colleague has just told me he read somewhere it was OK to drive through on the m4. Can't find it now though.

Handy post from Elfyn on UKC https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/destinations/can_we_climb_in_wales_now-725317?v=1#x9293235 which suggests travel through areas is fine. Presumably based on some official guidance...

[Duma]

Newport and Bridgend are the main sections affected, however a colleague has just told me he read somewhere it was OK to drive through on the m4. Can't find it now though.

Handy post from Elfyn on UKC https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/destinations/can_we_climb_in_wales_now-725317?v=1#x9293235 which suggests travel through areas is fine. Presumably based on some official guidance...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54234993

about halfway down says its ok

[tc]

This made me chuckle:

"MICHAEL Gove has ordered Britain to work from pubs, drink in the office and only meet members of their household outside.

The chancellor of the Duchy of Murdoch has also advised Britons that if they do not observe the 10pm curfew they must self-isolate at a sporting event for 14 days, accompanied only by Scottish children.

He continued: “It’s perfectly simple. The rule of six means that any group of six must be from a minimum of six different households and more if possible.

“Offices are perfectly safe for drinking and pubs are ideal places for administrative work. Eat out at home if you can.

“You’re only allowed to be outside if you’re inside, and whatever your position at 10pm you must reverse it. Grandparents are an exception to every rule because they vote Tory.

[James Malloch]

Latest Test & trace numbers.

21,268 positive tests referred.
78% reached.
75% of their contacts reached.
Worked out at 4.7 contacts per positive person reached.
If you extrapolate that number to the 22% of positive cases which weren't reached you're left with 42% of close contacts being missed.

World beating?

[tomtom]

Had my hair cut today and had a good long chat to the Barber (small shop - his). He was scathing of the recent clampdown. He suggested most of the local shipowners wanted a short total lockdown right now (the “circuit-breaker”) to try and nip this in the bud - rather than a 15 week lockdown like before that he thought was inevitable in a few weeks time otherwise.

Interesting POV. And hard to disagree with him....

[SA Chris]

I think that shop has sailed.

[Oldmanmatt]

Had my hair cut today and had a good long chat to the Barber (small shop - his). He was scathing of the recent clampdown. He suggested most of the local shipowners wanted a short total lockdown right now (the “circuit-breaker”) to try and nip this in the bud - rather than a 15 week lockdown like before that he thought was inevitable in a few weeks time otherwise.

Interesting POV. And hard to disagree with him....

Many Shipowners on your barber’s road?
I had a haircut this morning too, had a long chat with my barber too.
Mainly swearing and calling him a Twunt, for nicking my ear with the razor. I really have  to stop talking to myself...

[tomtom]

😂😂😂

Missed that one! SHOP owners...

[James Malloch]

Shame to see no targeted relief for certain sectors today. I've a lot of friends in the Arts industry and they basically can't work and work for theatres, music venues etc which are all struggling.

The idea of them working 33% of their hours whilst their employer has to pay 55% of their wages isn't going to cut it for many businesses. There's just not the work (or money) there to even put them on a third of their normal hours (if they were on contracted hours in the first place).

It's a shame as whenever things return to some form of normality, many arts venues will be hugely missed and, in my opinion, will really be needed to help people get over the shitshow that would have been the last X years.

I've no idea what the answer is and, in general, I think it's right to begin to reduce state at some point. However I think this will result in many job losses across a lot of industries.

Similarly, I find it awful that universities have forced students back to campus to sit at their computer in their room and have the odd in-person class to make paying for the university-owned accommodation necessary. What we're seeing in Glasgow and Manchester was absolutely inevitable and the responsibility lies with the University in my opinion. And there's no way students are going to stay at Uni at Christmas so its just going to concentrate infections and then spread around the country.

But again, without letting a lot of Universities go bankrupt, I've no idea what the best solution would be.

I'd hate to be running a business or in government right now. Everything is a moral dilemma...

[Monolith]

Whilst I appreciate the capacity conundrum that Covid presents (education attendance taking precedence over pub attendance for example), things are only get worse so long as pupils are in schools and students are in universities. Hundreds of pupils pile out of the secondary school opposite our house each day, wrestling with one another, no masks, no social distance etc. They may not be badly affected by the virus but they are excellent vectors.

The notion of a 'Covid secure' physical environment is also clearly a fallacy; if a condom isn't 100% secure, then how on earth is having a few glass screens scattered about a non-hermetically sealed series of anti spaces in a restaurant going to work?

I keep telling myself I'll block all of this out but it is effecting everything we do in society. Three of my friends have now had it to varying degrees over the past month and I'd consider them to be diligent, careful individuals who practice good personal hygiene.

[tomtom]

To answer on HE - I think nearly all Universities could have taught most (90-95%) of things remotely. No need for students to come in at all. BUT - this would be seen as terrible value at 9K fees PA - completely understandably...

So, the Govt put us in this position by offering no bail out... IF for example we were bailed out at 4k per student (so fees were £5k) then we could proceed easily with nearly all remote teaching.

BUT - this didn't happen. We can't cut the fees on our own or we go bust - quite literally - and thats the same across much of the sector (we already have a £20m defecit - before any plumetting international student numbers are factored in). So once one insutution (was it Manchester?) said we want to do some face to face teaching - and for students to have a campus experience then everyone had to follow. Its a market after all now...

So - typical of this government - universitites were left to figure it out for themselves with no help.

Oh - we had guidelines. These were issued - at 1:18am the day after BJ promised they would be released that night in his speech. Apparently the civil service team making the guidelines had no release data given - so pulled an all nighter to get them out. unsurprisingly they are shit - and incomplete. They were relased I think less than two weeks ago.

Everyone in the sector has been flat out this summer in one huge collective WTF preparing online teaching, blended learning, synchronous and asynchronous delivery etc.. etc.. Its a huge task - but is being done. 

Sorry - thats a bit of a rant but NO-ONE in HE is happy with what is happening. And we have lovely indiciduals like the VC of Sussex trying to independently classify his lecturing staff as Key workers so they have to go in etc..

[James Malloch]

Sorry - thats a bit of a rant but NO-ONE in HE is happy with what is happening. And we have lovely indiciduals like the VC of Sussex trying to independently classify his lecturing staff as Key workers so they have to go in etc..

I'd completely agree that Universities are in an awful position through no fault of their own - I take back my comment of them being responsible for the spreads we're seeing in the aforementioned clusters, that wasn't fair.

I guess it came from how shocked I am that students are back in halls at all. It was never going to end well and something should have been done to prevent what we're seeing.

I hadn't thought of a subsidy of fees as you mentioned, though thought something such as payment holidays on loans taken to build accommodation could go some way to bridging the income gap (similar to those given to mortgage holders). Though I've no idea how bad things are financially and don't know the best way out of it.

It's sounds awful for those I know working in education. Sorry if it felt I put the blame on your feet!

[tomtom]

Sorry - it was an in general rant James - not aimed at you. Lots of unrest in the sector.

[andy popp]

Hundreds of pupils pile out of the secondary school opposite our house each day, wrestling with one another, no masks, no social distance etc. 

Oh god, I can picture that exact scene. I don't mean in general, but literally the view across that street to that school. Is there a shudders emoji?

[andy popp]

Thanks Tom and James; very good, informative and eye opening posts on HE.

[tomtom]

From the BBC website - a first year Glasgow student in quarantine/isolation

And she asked why the university told them to move into the halls when they could have followed their online courses from home. .
"We were told to come to university halls - 48 people from across the country in one building- it was inevitable that it was going to spread," she said.
"We are getting punished for just living here but we were told to come.
"There's no reason for us to be here because everything is online."

Quite.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-54285720

[SA Chris]

Got to feel for them, first year is supposed to be about drinking, socialising and doing other silly shit.

So they've been told to move into halls, but can't socialise with others in halls, can't go out drinking, are doing courses online and told they might not be able to go home for Christmas.

What a shit show.

[mrjonathanr]

This pandemic may not be making them physically ill, but it is extremely hard on the young, no question. They get overlooked because of the focus on the danger to the older population.