Relaxing of restrictions

And here in Spain from today we can walk as far as we like (no restrictions) but our time zones separating the age groups remain in place. I can’t wait for those rules to be lifted!

It’s 11am here, the sun is shining, it’s 25°C but we can’t use the communal gardens nor go out again for a walk until 8pm.

It’s really strict here and we are 2 weeks ahead of the U.K.!

Shops finally open here in Belgium too. Last week actually but we also went into lockdown 2 weeks before the UK.
Long queues the first few days, Ikea was the worst for some reason ??????
SIL taking DGS for new shoes at last today, he has a week off finally.
Museums are also opening but tickets bought online for specific time slots, no gatherings and other rules still strictly enforced.
One Woman on the first day of opening got a 250€ fine for trying to push past the queue outside Primark !!!!

Clearly the Belgians and Spanish have none of our wonderful common sense and have to have clear rules that are enforced.

Just a shame then sw that the Belgians have the worst outcome (per capita) in Europe. Perhaps common sense is good enough and under rated. ‘Stay Alert’ just means ‘don’t drop your guard’. Fair enough.

Squirral5 , I know just how you feel. My DH has gone to play golf. The first time I have been able to do anything on my own for over 2 months. Please don’t anyone say how lucky I am to have him, I know ,but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.............

Assumed the comments after my post were joking but think they might actually be serious.
I hope not, I will explain for the second time today that the reason we have the highest rate is that Belgium has been counting all suspected Covid 19 deaths, care homes, Hospitals, in peoples own homes and in the large convalescent Hospitals we have here.
They expect the numbers to reduce after autopsies are completed.
I am not going to give a lesson in Belgian history and politics on here, but as we all know the UK loves to take a pop at Brussels, which is a city not an institution by the way.

Urmstongran, Stay alert is for England isn't it not for the whole of the UK ????

felice, I have visited Brussels. What a beautiful city it is, and the Belgian people are lovely.

DH went to Dobbies this morning to buy some aquatic plants for a new pond he's creating. He was early and there were only 3 people waiting for them to open. He got what wanted except for miniature water lilies.
When he left there was a huge queue.

Thank you MiniMoon, I love my adopted country.
Still Scottish though, and DD who left there age 7 still has an accent.

felice the message here in Scotland is "Stay at Home".

Had a lovely river cruise through Belgium and Holland all those delicious chocolates?

I know Largolass makes me even prouder of my birth country.

I'm so glad our First Minister has common sense!

Absolutely with you on that largolass!
In the last few weeks we've benefitted from a level of clarity and leadership that hasn't been available in England.

Sturgeon will have to implement much the same as England is doing at some time soon.There is some point to the devolved administrations doing slightly different things at different times ( small populations and more land etc) but Scottish people will also have to use common sense at some time as the rules are relaxed.

Me too Largolass think Nicola has done a really good job on this.

Germany just reported cases up and a stricter lockdown back in place.How long before England follows suit? For now being cautious is the way to go....to save lives.Now we know thats not nor has it ever been the Tory priority but with deaths rising here still by thousands a week maybe they need to think again ."Sturgeon" thats Nicola Sturgeon..democratically elected in Scotland will do whats right for the people who voted her in .Shame you cant say that for Bojo and his circus

Enjoy your new freedom to walk *Urmstongran. *It must be bliss after such a long time indoors.

My late MIL used to say, 'For better for worse, but not for Lunch '! Over the years, all 56 of them I have had to admit that she was almost certainly right!!

Wales and NI are still in lockdown too. I am so glad we haven't gone with the Stay Alert message in England.

What’s that mean then jabber ?

Well done lemon - a real declaration of the bleeding obvious!
It isn't a race and we feel confident that NS's sensible rate is clearer and more reassuring than BJ's (driven by pressure from his billionaire buddies and his ulterior motives).

Thanks maddyone it is! We’ve just been out for our ‘allotted time’ walk. People are sat out on bar terraces - it’s so hot tonight - showing 27°C on the farmacia as we walked past!

Today in Spain family groups can get together of up to 10 people. This afternoon I looked out from the landing at our front door. As we are on the 6th floor I can see into the gardens opposite (Spanish residences are super private - high walls and gates - you can’t see a thing walking past) and I was envious of two family groups in their gardens - grandparents welcoming adult children and small grandchildren no sitand share a meal in the shade under their lemon trees. When the grandmother picked up her small granddaughter and covered her in kisses I was so jealous!

Actually I think Nicola Sturgeon is playing politics (not that I blame her it’s what she’s FM for!). She attends the COBRA meetings and has been given the exact same medical advice as England but she chooses to ignore it just to spite Westminster and ostracise Scotland from the rest of the U.K.

Her only end goal is Independence and she's exploiting this pandemic to push her agenda further and cause more divide.

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