Protect Scotland Covid app launched

Ayse, we all have to make a choice, by weighing up the advantages and risks and then come to a decision, which I have done.
It's too important to just go by a gut reaction, either way.

A couple of technical things about the app:

1) The reason it won't work on older phones is that the Operating Systems on those phones don't include have the technology required to send the Bluetooth signals between phones, so there's not much that can be done about it unless your phone can be upgraded.

2) No data is taken regarding your location or even who you are. The phone only communicates with other phones over Bluetooth and stores details of the phones you have been close to. It doesn't care who the phone belongs to.

3) Someone above said it was a problem that there was no signal in large parts of Shetland so the effectiveness was less. Bluetooth doesn't need an internet connection to work, so as soon as you are in an area with coverage it will update all the information it needs to.

My 85-year-old dad just texted me to say he'd downloaded the app. Put me to shame

The FM certainly won’t have done herself/SNP any harm in the polls! With an election on the horizon no other parties have the same airtime so yes, things are a bit slanted shall we say? She has also made a few sideways moves into political territory - organisation of air bridges from England called ‘shambolic’, insistence that stopping English visitors at the border was not necessarily out of the question are two instances that whilst they can be interpreted as ‘protecting’ Scotland, actually don’t do the Indyref cause any harm. She has also been given a fairly soft ride by Scottish media - no real tough questioning on the Nike conference or the decision to discharge elderly from hospital to care homes with no Covid testing. Government has not been held to account over these.

Yes, daily briefings were extremely useful-even necessary at the height of the pandemic - but not at the moment, there are insufficient rapid changes in guidelines to justify daily briefings. I think many of us are suffering from Covid overload/fatigue, constant input of difficult news is not beneficial to our mental wellbeing and it also serves to dilute the message. People will just stop listening.

Twice a week is probably sufficient for the moment - if people are desperate for daily stats they can be found in numerous places. Standard local news bulletins also provide information. It doesn’t all have to come from the FM.

I do not support either Tories or SNP so this is purely my take on things.

I was in contact with several friends last night Katek all who have parents in their 80's and 90's who watch the broadcast every day .Its the only comprehensive information they get and they are livid at losing it .My MIL is stuck in a house on her own and has been since March with visits from us few as we live quite far from her .They TRUST what thet hear on the bulletins unlike the Downing ST briefings they are clear and concise.I believe the BBC have pulled their camera crews and journalists from the briefings from Monday .They would prefer we get our information from the WM circus .Another slap in the face for the Scots who ELECTED the SNP ,apparently democratically electing a party doesn't count anymore to the WM dictators

I have downloaded the app, and must say I’ve been surprised at how few people I’ve seen online complaining about infringement of their liberty, so it looks as if it will be successful.
As for the accusations of First Minister/ wee Jimmy Krankie ( delete according to your persuasion) using the briefings as party political broadcasts, all I have seen are the accusations that she is doing so, and not once have I recieved a reply when I asked for just one example.

DH and I downloaded the app. yesterday.

Regardless of my political leanings I do think Nicola Sturgeon has done a remarkable job, clearly and articulately conveying all updates and changes daily. I very rarely see hear read what she has to convey unlike other political leaders who appear to need a script whenever they ask questions, more often items already clearly covered!
I no longer trust what I hear from Westminster

It’s now pretty much the same information every day though paddyanne. I too have a 92 year old FIL and he is totally fed up with the plethora of Covid related items on TV. As he says there are also other things happening in the world. Please don’t assume either that people in their 80s/90s are not tech savvy - FIL happily uses his iPad and laptop and orders all sorts of things (he loves Amazon!) plus his groceries, sends emails and makes video calls. There are many over 80’s - and over 90’s - on this site who are technologically adept so it can be learnt.

As for trusting information- I personally wouldn’t without examining source evidence. . No political party or politician (with a few very rare exceptions) enters politics out of altruism alone. I don’t know how much trust in the government your relations would have if they knew that at the outset of the pandemic the guidelines for community nurses were to only offer palliative care to Covid patients in care homes. I’ve mentioned this before, but few people seem to realise that this was almost, but not quite, euthanasia by default. I found it quite shocking.

There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors in politics - things aren’t always what they seem.

As adults we have a choice.
If you don't want to listen to the daily briefings, then don't watch, but the authorities should continue to make them accessible to those who wish to watch and to listen to them.

As for pallitive care only for Covid patients in care homes, I as a shielder with comorbidities was advised that a hospital admission and access to ICU, probably wasn't going to be an option if I caught Covid. I wouldn't survive it anyway.

The briefings are very political in that NS has used them to take action against certain areas. Where I live in the NE people are firmly of the opinion that she has used Covid to punish the NE for not aligning with the SNP independence agenda.

Why was Aberdeen closed down with all bars/restaurants/cafes shut except for takeaway and a travel limit imposed? The infection rate was far below what it was before she brought in any restrictions in the Glasgow area yet Glasgow hasn’t had to close their businesses or been subjected to a travel limit.

Why is all of Scotland being limited to groups of six (excluding 11yrs and under) when the problem is mainly in Glasgow? People here in the NE are angry about the way we’re being punished, from here, it looks vindictive.

As an aside, I note that Shetland is to examine the possibility of their own independence from Scotland. How they feel about the SNP is pretty much how many people in the NE feel about them. uk.news.yahoo.com/shetland-council-votes-overwhelmingly-to-explore-independence-from-scotland-131214602.html

Hi SueDonim, I'm from the North East too. I understand why the approach between Aberdeen and Glasgow has been different, as do most of the people I know. Spread in pubs vs. spread in people's homes. I suspect the travel limit was to stop Aberdonians getting in their cars and going to a pub in Stonehaven. If you take Glasgow out of the equation, the cases per 100,000 in the rest of Scotland is now 15. I expect the Scottish Government would like that to be reduced, hence the new restrictions.
If Shetland wants independence, good luck to them. I hope if that's what most of their people want, then they can get it.

I started a separate thread about the briefings so that this one could stay on topic, you might want to continue this conversation there?

Thank you Alegria, for trying to get this thread back on track.
It's been well and truly diverted from the original question about the app.

I do understand Sue Donim, that you feel very strongly, but have to say I'm surprised that with so much on her mind, NS actually has taken the time to sit and think of ways to punish the NE.
As far as I'm aware, Glasgow and Aberdeen are different scenarios, requiring different measures.

Whilst I have every sympathy for your position marydoll, there is a vast difference between an individual clinical assessment and a blanket advance directive based on expediency and not clinical need.

Downloaded app (along with about 700 000 others).

Emailed bbc director general complaining about this wholly political move (Tim Davie is fervent Tory and brexit supporter so was easily persuaded by anti-snp msp's).

Signed the petition.

I think NS has very carefully avoided being drawn into overtly political discussions despite the efforts of some journalists.

Her constant and calm demeanour have shown up BJ's idiocy, prompting the demand to cut her appearances.

Katek, at the beginning of the pandemic, I watched an interview with a London based professor, working in Covid ICU, whose name escapes me.
He made a comment, directed at those who were highly, clinically vulnerable and suggested that such patients should have a do not reucitation discussion with family and that those patients wouldn't be considered as candidates for ICU.
Written off I would say and I don't mean just me.

I'm not surprised at what you are stating, but is there any written evidence of this directive? It would be interesting to read.

What I also meant to say, we can only add to this very emotive discussion, with information based on our own experiences or concrete evidence. I've not raelly explained it properly .
Hearsay and speculation, should play no part in this discussion.
How do we even know that the statistics are genuine? We don't! It's a minefield of conflicting information which keeps changing.

What I do know is that we can only beat this if everyone concentrates on supporting each other and stops thinking only of themselves.

We in Ireland have this app about a month. It averages about 2m a day very informative and tracks regions hospital admissions and icu cases. It also tracks regions where there is a spike in cases

I think that its unlikely that I will download the app when its available in England. I dont trust the privacy and I don't want to be tracked and traced by anyone. I dont want to be anxiously looking at the app all the time. I have also got myself a PAYG sim card for an old phone and will use this number if I have to sign in anywhere. Its unlikely that it will be switched on very often and certainly won't be answered.
However I will continue to be careful and wear nasks etc.

I do observe all the guidelines but I'm not tech savvy and don't have a mobile phone. I havent downloaded the App.

Bbnan have there been any reports of the app telling people they should isolate when they don't need to? Like Hebdenali I have this concern that I would be fixated on the app.

Personally I don't have any worries about the privacy side of the Scottish app, technically its not tracking you. But I can understand that people are concerned about it and anything is possible with the UK government's approach to technology. They made a mistake calling it Track and Trace, it gives the wrong impression.

I downloaded it and feel it is a useful tool as part of protecting people. Nothing much can be done about the fact that older phones don't support it. It's better to have a tool that works for a large percentage of the poulation rather than not add it to the toolbox. As the First Minister said, it is part of the system for protecting us all and not the only tool being used. Test and protect has manual contact tracing as a crucial part of it.
Mistakes have been made across the board, but we all have a duty to follow guidance and comply with legislation and use every method at our disposal to avoid spreading the virus and to protect each other.

Something to think about.

Hopefully the app will be accepted by most. As for the BBC reduction in broadcasts I don't see the problem. I am sure Nicola 'will be clear' in her reports in the Scottish Parliament and the BBC is going to report on the major changes. I did watch quite a number of Nicola's 'being very clear' reports but they just like others became tedious with figures even though they were 'very clear' most of the time. And let's face it no matter how 'clear' a report the nations are becoming complacent in accepting the information on such a regular basis, intermittent reports may be accepted more readily. Of course they will have to be ' very clear'.

I couldnae get it to download - hurrah ! Decision made for me .

I agree with Marydoll that the people who won't download it, are the people who don't bother about the guidelines anyway. Poor Nicola Sturgeon looks exhausted. She has been working so hard to try and get us clear of this horrible virus

As a GoodSam volunteer I have the NHS Covid-19 app on my iPhone. It works in the background. It will be better when more people have it. So far I haven’t been near anyone with Covid.