the most over the top restrictions introduced

[kristiang85]

My better half is a teacher, and she's told me of some of the ludicrous things that have gone on this week:

- Parents have been told not to bring Christmas gifts for teachers from the children, as is traditional, in case they spread COVID. Yet they are obviously still allowed to send their children in...
- Another member of staff was told off for bringing in a box of Quality Street for sharing amongst the staff in the common room, as a mixed box with multiple hands in could spread COVID. A compromise was then devised where each sweet was taken out and placed 2 inches apart, and staff could take one if they sanitised their hands to pick it up (then the headteacher said all ones with nuts had to be removed from the table in case a member of staff was allergic)
- No personal snacks are allowed for teachers in classrooms, "because of COVID risk", though its not clear what that risk exactly is.

Basically she says everyone is utterly miserable. The infantilisation of adults is just going too far now.

 

[trebor79]

Some of it is just bonkers and makes no sense at all. My son has to take his Christmas cards in a sealed plastic bag. They are then dished out 3 days later.
Ludicrous in so many ways.
Someone has to touch them to give them out, so how does that work?
They all spend all day with each other anyway.
If objects spread covid then how come the entire population hasn't got I'll from buying food and products that have passed through many hands from field to factory to logistics warehouse to shop stock room to shelf?

There is so much utter, utter nonsense going on. It makes people miserable and less inclined to comply with things that might actually make a difference.

My son is also sat freezing cold all day because the fire door and windows are open. Meanwhile the school is burning 20,000l of heating oil a week in a vain attempt to keep the place heated.

 

[Domh245]

because the fire door and windows are open

I hope the fire door is only open on a magnetic latch that'll close the door if an alarm goes off...

 

[trebor79]

I hope the fire door is only open on a magnetic latch that'll close the door if an alarm goes off...

Probably not, just goes straight out into the playground. Hence it's Baltic in the classroom.

 

[DB]

Probably not, just goes straight out into the playground. Hence it's Baltic in the classroom.

No doubt the guidance (written earlier in the year) says that doors and windows should be open where possible - and of course the coronaphobes have translated this to mean 'at all times' - some bus companies seem to have done the same with bus windows.

 

[Bantamzen]

Some of it is just bonkers and makes no sense at all. My son has to take his Christmas cards in a sealed plastic bag. They are then dished out 3 days later.
Ludicrous in so many ways.
Someone has to touch them to give them out, so how does that work?
They all spend all day with each other anyway.
If objects spread covid then how come the entire population hasn't got I'll from buying food and products that have passed through many hands from field to factory to logistics warehouse to shop stock room to shelf?

There is so much utter, utter nonsense going on. It makes people miserable and less inclined to comply with things that might actually make a difference.

My son is also sat freezing cold all day because the fire door and windows are open. Meanwhile the school is burning 20,000l of heating oil a week in a vain attempt to keep the place heated.

The whole situation regarding keeping doors and windows open is utterly ridiculous. The people religiously sticking to this government guidance instead of using common sense need a good shaking.

 

[Domh245]

Probably not, just goes straight out into the playground. Hence it's Baltic in the classroom.

That's slightly less of an issue then - I had initially thought it was an internal fire door which must be kept closed (or on automatic closers) to prevent the spread of fire. It's good to see it's just 'bonkers' instead of outright dangerous.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Some of it is just bonkers and makes no sense at all. My son has to take his Christmas cards in a sealed plastic bag. They are then dished out 3 days later.
Ludicrous in so many ways.
Someone has to touch them to give them out, so how does that work?
They all spend all day with each other anyway.
If objects spread covid then how come the entire population hasn't got I'll from buying food and products that have passed through many hands from field to factory to logistics warehouse to shop stock room to shelf?

There is so much utter, utter nonsense going on. It makes people miserable and less inclined to comply with things that might actually make a difference.

My son is also sat freezing cold all day because the fire door and windows are open. Meanwhile the school is burning 20,000l of heating oil a week in a vain attempt to keep the place heated.

Thats way ott. The only covid related gift rule that we have at my school is that if parents want to drop off gifts for teachers (e.g. alcohol that the kids can't carry) then it has to be done at school reception, in the past it would of been given directly to the teacher.
All other gifts, secret samta, sweets etc is as per normal

 

[trainophile]

And when the kids get coughs and colds from sitting in freezing classrooms they will no doubt make the whole year group self isolate “just in case”.

 

[py_megapixel]

My local optician's is displaying a large poster which bears the wording, "Please do not wait in our waiting room!"

 

[kristiang85]

Some of it is just bonkers and makes no sense at all.

I honestly think there are people out there in authority who are using COVID as an excuse to make other peoples' lives a misery just because they can and they get a kick from it.

And when the kids get coughs and colds from sitting in freezing classrooms they will no doubt make the whole year group self isolate “just in case”.

This is what I find so bonkers about all the outdoor rules at this time - exposure to the cold reduces peoples' immune systems, which surely you don't want during a viral pandemic? Yet in the nice spring, when people should have been outside getting as much sunlight and vitamin D as possible, we were all told to stay inside.

 

[Richard Scott]

We were told in our place can't have Christmas jumper day in case someone doesn't have one as it'll cause someone to go shopping for a non-essential item. Oh please, how utterly ludicrous. Person who made this up would do well in government.

 

[PHILIPE]

And the pupils who had to eat their lunch of Mash and Yorkshire Pudding with their fingers in case they got infected from the cutlery which should be sterilised anyway.

 

[trebor79]

I honestly think there are people out there in authority who are using COVID as an excuse to make other peoples' lives a misery just because they can and they get a kick from it.

[/QUOTE]
I don't think that's the case. Well meaning clueless idiots is a more likely explanation for most of this.

his is what I find so bonkers about all the outdoor rules at this time - exposure to the cold reduces peoples' immune systems, which surely you don't want during a viral pandemic?

Is that actually true? I thought being out in the cold just makes you cold and might give you hypothermia if it's really bad and prolonged.

 

[duncanp]

And the pupils who had to eat their lunch of Mash and Yorkshire Pudding with their fingers in case they got infected from the cutlery which should be sterilised anyway.

Please tell me this is a joke.

PS.

Having Googled it, no it isn't a joke.

The lunatics really have taken over the asylum.

I hope the council who made this rule don't read the story about cabin crew on a flight who were advised to wear adult nappies to reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 when using the toilet.

And no, that isn't a joke either.

Cabin crew in China advised to wear adult nappies over Covid fears

‘It’s recommended that cabin crew wear disposable diapers and avoid using the lavatory,’ reads the advice

www.independent.co.uk

Cabin crew in China are being advised to wear disposable adult nappies on charter flights to high-risk destinations and avoid using the toilet to reduce the chance of catching Covid-19.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) makes the recommendation for crew flying to destinations where the rate of infection is higher than 500 people per million.

In its recently released updated list of guidelines, the CAAC says: “It’s recommended that cabin crew wear disposable diapers and avoid using the lavatory unless in special circumstances to reduce the risk of infection,” reports the Hindustan Times.
Other PPE recommendations include wearing medical protective masks, a double-layer of disposable medical rubber gloves, goggles, disposable caps, disposable protective clothing and disposable shoe covers.

The CAAC also advises dividing the aircraft cabin into four distinct areas: a clean area, buffer zone, passenger area and quarantine area, with each separated by disposable curtains.
The three rows at the back of the plane should be used as an emergency quarantine area, according to the guidance.
Crew’s mental health should also be taken into consideration, according to CAAC recommendations.

 

[joncombe]

. sorry previous poster posted the same story.

 

[Scotrail12]

I'm hearing that Royal Caribbean cruise lines are now mandating masks in all parts of ships when they return to service. They are of little use inside but outside? That's taking the michael, surely?

There are some company employees posting on forums thinking that everyone would be perfectly fine with wearing masks which is a tad deluded if you ask me.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

This really is a candidate for the most bonkers use of face coverings yet.
Giving birth? Wear your mask !

Women in France forced to wear face masks during childbirth

Mothers in France are required to wear a mask throughout labour, a practice which is not followed in the UK or the US, in some cases leaving them too weak to push and needing Caesareans.

www.dailymail.co.uk

French mothers have expressed their outrage at the mask requirement, pointing out that someone exercising in a fitness centre in the country is exempt from wearing one, but pregnant women must wear one during childbirth - a practice which is not followed in the UK or the US.

 

[adc82140]

I'm hearing that Royal Caribbean cruise lines are now mandating masks in all parts of ships when they return to service. They are of little use inside but outside? That's taking the michael, surely?

There are some company employees posting on forums thinking that everyone would be perfectly fine with wearing masks which is a tad deluded if you ask me.

I've seen the lines of Royal Caribbean ships off the Dorset coast looking forlorn and draining the company's finances. If they want to kill off the cruise business for ever they are going the right way about doing it. They have the task of shedding the image of being floating petri dishes, which is difficult enough without mandating masks everywhere and de facto admitting that they are a hot bed of disease.

From a selfish point of view it means more bookings for my caravan on the Isle of Wight. But I feel sorry for the staff who will be affected by the cruising downturn.

 

[bramling]

I'm hearing that Royal Caribbean cruise lines are now mandating masks in all parts of ships when they return to service. They are of little use inside but outside? That's taking the michael, surely?

There are some company employees posting on forums thinking that everyone would be perfectly fine with wearing masks which is a tad deluded if you ask me.

Masks are the solution to everything.

My place is interesting. We have two offices occupied in our building, on separate floors. One office (not mine!) went absolutely mad on the Covid measures back in the late-Summer, putting in a one-way system in the building, hand sanitiser everywhere, posters up on every empty space possible, and of course making a huge thing about masks. Meanwhile our office hasn't - we just sanitise our hands occasionally and clean the desks when sitting down. Guess which office has now had *three* Covid cases, and which one hasn't had any...

 

[trainophile]

The only thing I am happy with is the abundance of hand sanitiser dispensers everywhere you go, it's not a problem to use them and they probably do help to kill off any germs on people's hands. Everything except this is just over-reaction. I am glad I've had my last train trip for the year as it was doing my head in hearing the constant "masks masks masks" announcements and even seeing the spacing marks on (usually empty) platforms, not to mention the huge posters referring to £6,400 fines. Talk about wanting to beat the public into submission and incite paranoia about our fellow citizens.

 

[kristiang85]

This really is a candidate for the most bonkers use of face coverings yet.
Giving birth? Wear your mask !

Women in France forced to wear face masks during childbirth

Mothers in France are required to wear a mask throughout labour, a practice which is not followed in the UK or the US, in some cases leaving them too weak to push and needing Caesareans.

www.dailymail.co.uk

I just have an image of a midwife slipping a mini mask on the newborn baby just as its head pokes out...

 

[Bikeman78]

I've seen the lines of Royal Caribbean ships off the Dorset coast looking forlorn and draining the company's finances. If they want to kill off the cruise business for ever they are going the right way about doing it. They have the task of shedding the image of being floating petri dishes, which is difficult enough without mandating masks everywhere and de facto admitting that they are a hot bed of disease.

From a selfish point of view it means more bookings for my caravan on the Isle of Wight. But I feel sorry for the staff who will be affected by the cruising downturn.

How many people will pay a grand per person to wear a mask for a week? Time will tell I guess.

 

[Scotrail12]

I've seen the lines of Royal Caribbean ships off the Dorset coast looking forlorn and draining the company's finances. If they want to kill off the cruise business for ever they are going the right way about doing it. They have the task of shedding the image of being floating petri dishes, which is difficult enough without mandating masks everywhere and de facto admitting that they are a hot bed of disease.

From a selfish point of view it means more bookings for my caravan on the Isle of Wight. But I feel sorry for the staff who will be affected by the cruising downturn.

I think it's going to be a difficult comeback for them - the more I read into their post COVID rules, the less I want to cruise again for a considerable time (and I love cruising). They're going to alienate people for sure. That said, nothing much they can do about the ships, they have to sit somewhere.

 

[Bantamzen]

This really is a candidate for the most bonkers use of face coverings yet.
Giving birth? Wear your mask !

Women in France forced to wear face masks during childbirth

Mothers in France are required to wear a mask throughout labour, a practice which is not followed in the UK or the US, in some cases leaving them too weak to push and needing Caesareans.

www.dailymail.co.uk

This is shocking, especially as doctors may refuse to deal with mothers-to-be if they don't wear a mask. Pure maskivism at it's absolute worst, those doctors should be struck off immediately.

The only thing I am happy with is the abundance of hand sanitiser dispensers everywhere you go, it's not a problem to use them and they probably do help to kill off any germs on people's hands. Everything except this is just over-reaction. I am glad I've had my last train trip for the year as it was doing my head in hearing the constant "masks masks masks" announcements and even seeing the spacing marks on (usually empty) platforms, not to mention the huge posters referring to £6,400 fines. Talk about wanting to beat the public into submission and incite paranoia about our fellow citizens.

At some point in the future, we may have to face the environmental impacts of all these extra chemicals sloshing about in our ecosystem.

 

[DustyBin]

I haven’t read this thread for a while but things seem to be getting more and more bonkers!

A colleague of mine recently lost his father and the family weren’t allowed to visit him in the funeral home because he had tested positive for covid before he died. Apparently my colleague’s sister asked (sarcastically) if they couldn’t just put a mask on him! I know some people derive great comfort from saying their last goodbyes in this way so it seems a particularly heartless rule. And I’m not convinced a deceased person can spread a respiratory illness?!

Incidentally, he was counted as a covid death despite contracting it in the hospital and having been admitted in an already dying state. Talking to my colleague the whole thing sounded a right shambles, it was a real eye opener....

 

[Skimpot flyer]

I haven’t read this thread for a while but things seem to be getting more and more bonkers!

A colleague of mine recently lost his father and the family weren’t allowed to visit him in the funeral home because he had tested positive for covid before he died. Apparently my colleague’s sister asked (sarcastically) if they couldn’t just put a mask on him! I know some people derive great comfort from saying their last goodbyes in this way so it seems a particularly heartless rule. And I’m not convinced a deceased person can spread a respiratory illness?!

Incidentally, he was counted as a covid death despite contracting it in the hospital and having been admitted in an already dying state. Talking to my colleague the whole thing sounded a right shambles, it was a real eye opener....

As I keep telling people: read the subtle clues in the daily death statistics, particularly on the BBC News.
The headline figure of deaths is stated, but look at the graphic behind the presenter, where it states ‘deaths within 28 days of a positive test, from any cause’.
Your colleague’s father died with coronavirus, not from coronavirus. Why are the overwhelming majority of the public unable to appreciate that subtle - but highly important - distinction? Counting in this way distorts and inflates the death figures, and keeps the fear factor high. I really can’t think of any rational explanation as to why government are behaving this way.

 

[DustyBin]

As I keep telling people: read the subtle clues in the daily death statistics, particularly on the BBC News.
The headline figure of deaths is stated, but look at the graphic behind the presenter, where it states ‘deaths within 28 days of a positive test, from any cause’.
Your colleague’s father died with coronavirus, not from coronavirus. Why are the overwhelming majority of the public unable to appreciate that subtle - but highly important - distinction? Counting in this way distorts and inflates the death figures, and keeps the fear factor high. I really can’t think of any rational explanation as to why government are behaving this way.

Yes I’ve been saying this for months.... Why nobody is challenging the government and the media over this subtle but critical difference I have no idea. FROM and WITH, two very different meanings!

 

[DB]

As I keep telling people: read the subtle clues in the daily death statistics, particularly on the BBC News.
The headline figure of deaths is stated, but look at the graphic behind the presenter, where it states ‘deaths within 28 days of a positive test, from any cause’.
Your colleague’s father died with coronavirus, not from coronavirus. Why are the overwhelming majority of the public unable to appreciate that subtle - but highly important - distinction? Counting in this way distorts and inflates the death figures, and keeps the fear factor high. I really can’t think of any rational explanation as to why government are behaving this way.

And the other important figure which often gets ignored is the excess deaths - when that's not much above normal, those people recorded as dying with covid would mostly have died in the same timescale anyway.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What's the current year to date total number of UK deaths (all causes) compared with the equivalent figure for 2019?