5 day break...

With regard to Nightingale hospitals, there is insufficient staff. Hospitals are struggling with staff shortages due to mental health problems, Covid, and isolating (them and families). It’s not possible to wave a wand and staff appear in Nightingale Hospitals.

Of course you can notright but not everyone is built with the same level of responsibility or intelligence as you or (maybe me)

Quite simply this is all so wrong it's mad.
With the exception of people with elderly or sick relatives we should be keeping away from people until the vaccine is properly rolled out.
There is now bound to be a harsh lockdown after Christmas as in many places hospitals are not coping now AND with only a finite number of health staff things cannot all get done. I suspect vaccination will take far longer than it should because there won't be the staff to do it.
Already the government has proved totally incompetent over schools. Testing is promised but cannot possibly be delivered.
If the government could bring itself to admit the problems and wisely brought in military personnel to help we might be alright.
Otherwise have a safe Christmas and look forward to a much better Christmas in 2021. Be sensible please.

PS. Yes, there probably are people who have died because hospitals don't have capacity. What would you do? Let cancer or Covid patients die? It's a tough choice. Preventing people from being infected with Covid would release beds for patients with cancer and other critical conditions.

The problem with the Nightingale hospitals is that they weren't staffed. Hospitals wishing to send patients to them had to use their own staff.

The Test and Trace system has more or less been abandoned in favour of the latest government bright idea - mass testing. Neither scheme will help if people aren't supported to self-isolate and people continue to ignore safety advice. It only takes a handful of people to be super spreaders. The lateral flow test isn't very accurate anyway and will only pick up positive cases at one given time. People can get a negative test and pick up an infection the same day.

Oldwoman70

Isn't it down to personal responsibility? If the government had imposed a lockdown there would have been many who would have ignored it (just as they are ignoring current restrictions), yet when (not if) there is a spike in infections in January everyone will be blaming the government - not those who didn't take precautions.

As someone said, just because you can doesn't mean you have to. Yes, see family at Christmas but ensure you take the necessary precautions. As for me, I will be spending Christmas alone - I live in a Tier 2 area and family live in a Tier 3 area.

Well said. I agree with you.

My surprise Christmas Gift to both of my DDs and my Sister is an Infrared Patio Heater. This is as much for my benefit as their's so that I can do outdoor, socially distant visits during the cold lockdown months I am expecting. They don't seem to feel the cold as much as I do. They were not very expensive (from a firm that supplies pubs, cafes, etc and I got them on a buy 3 get one free basis. The free one is for ME

Marydoll

I have received a shielding text from the Scottish Govt, basically advising against it. There is your answer!

The word here is 'advising'. If the numbers and the outlook are so dire, then the Governments need to come out and ban mixing.

Precisely! That's what so many people seem to be planning to do, which is why it's hopeless trusting people to use their common sense - some folk don't have any

Simply, NO.

jct1

Precisely! That's what so many people seem to be planning to do, which is why it's hopeless trusting people to use their common sense - some folk don't have any

Many people seem "infantilised" - they need to be told what to do and then they whine like toddlers.

My parents went through a terrible time in the War. They were bombed, they suffered, six years of hell. I was a child born after the War and I never heard them complain about the past.

I'd like to come through the present crisis knowing that I did my best - that I didn't risk my family and friends or strangers or myself - that I tried my hardest to do the right thing, that I didn't whine and complain all the time.

It was a ‘bloody’ wet market, Nannan2. You know, dead wild animals dripping with bodily fluids. Stay outdoors.

LinkyPinky

It was a ‘bloody’ wet market, Nannan2. You know, dead wild animals dripping with bodily fluids. Stay outdoors.

....and live animals that were killed on the spot.

What I haven't said Sarnia, that I have also had advice from my consultant, he is much more forthright. His advice is what I will bear in mind, the final decision will be mine .
I don't intend to blow, nearly nine months ofshielding.

Sarnia government press conference at 4pm today.

i know some say they are getting mixed messages from the government but, i can really get it,they are damned if they do and damned if they dont, i would not like their jobs at all, so so stressful and we all seem to know the answers , i dont think any of us know the answers, I think the gov are hoping that we will our our commen sense as to what we should or shouldnt do,, not working though is it , due , mainly i think, to our own selfishness and i`m all right jack attitude, if we had all done as we should it would have made such a difference, my opinion anyway

I live alone and bubble with family but not very often. I plan to stay with them from Christmas eve for a few days.
I live in the south east and I am now having second thoughts. It's very hard on your own but not worth blowing months of lockdown.

My brother’s elderly neighbour was going to be alone for the first time on his birthday. His wife died earlier this year.

A group of his friends got together and paid a surprise visit so that he would not be alone. Lovely thought.

Three weeks later he died of Covid.

I honestly think that lockdown is not the way forward and this virus will run it's course anyway. We have all had lockdown, businesses closed, social distancing, different tiers, masks etc yet still cases rise as soon as we open up. Sadly I think the vaccine and herd immunity is the only answer. Enjoy Xmas because it's not going to make much difference whatever you do.

Had a phone call today to say that a very dear friend has died of COVID. She had a fall, went into hospital was discharged to a care home and caught the virus. I thought the government had a handle on this after all the deaths at the start of the pandemic but it seems nothing has changed. She was 96 but full of life. On the other hand our elderly neighbour is looking forward to her son travelling up from London for Christmas. He has been working from home and been very careful but will be travelling by train. It may be her last Christmas: she isn’t in the best of health. I wouldn’t want to advise her either way. It’s all getting very close to home for me, now.

MayBee I am sorry to hear that. for you.

My neighbour has 14 people coming to her for christmas day, a real mixed bag of people.

I haven't curtain twitched, by the way. She just knocked and told me. (And she has diabetes and copd)

MissAdventure

My neighbour has 14 people coming to her for christmas day, a real mixed bag of people.

I haven't curtain twitched, by the way. She just knocked and told me. (And she has diabetes and copd)

She is completely mad.

Yes, I realised that some time ago. What can we do though?
The neighbours in our little block aren't very happy that all these visitors will be traipsing in and out of our lobby all day.

I will have dinner with my DS, DDiL & DGC stay for a couple of hours then home but only doing this as they are my Support Bubble. They are very careful at work, shopping, at school etc so hopefully we may dodge the virus. So many people do not believe that there is a virus, others that it will be like a cold if they get it & then the ones that believe rules are not meant for them. Hopefully all GN will get through Christmas & New Year safely & end up getting our vaccines soon after to keep not just us but everyone else as safe as possible. Maybe I should not see my family over Christmas but have had to see them all through this as I live alone & have a disability which means that I need help sometimes. If we are all sensible maybe all of us on here will come out the other side ok.

MissAdventure....your neighbour must be completely stupid and ignorant and selfish....