Coronavirus (COVID-19) General Chat

[Birdman]

Sunak statement coming today amid growing rumours of another U-Turn with an extension of furlough going to be packaged up as something akin to the German scheme. Oh and he's scrapped the budget under the guise of the growing Covid-19 crisis.

If an extension is announced, I'm pretty sure the Scottish Government will have pubs, restaurants etc closed again up here sharpish given her rhetoric over the last couple of days.

 

[Tom]

Rishi Sunak has announced the Job Support Scheme. The policy, to begin in November, means the government will top up the wages of workers on reduced hours...

• Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces a new Job Support Scheme, starting in November
• It replaces the 'furlough scheme' and means the government will pay part of workers' wages who have lost hours
• The worker must do at least one-third of normal hours, and the government and employer will pay one-third each of the lost hours
• The cut in VAT to 5% for the hospitality and tourism sector will be extended until 31 March
• Firms that took government loans during the crisis will have longer to pay them back
• And companies that deferred their VAT bill will no longer have to pay a lump sum in March

 

[Gemma]

 https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1309455873144741890

New records today. Highest daily case numbers since the pandemic began and 9.5% of those tested returning a positive result.

God knows what has caused the huge surge in infections in the last month. Hopefully, they get to the bottom of it soon!

 

[Alex]

Well that's the panic buying resumed in my local Asda, only toilet roll this time not cleaning products. 6 months on we know definitively that shops will remain open in all circumstances and you do not get the shits with covid.

 

[Deleted member 63]

God knows what has caused the huge surge in infections in the last month. Hopefully, they get to the bottom of it soon!

Most of Canada (except our Atlantic coast) is having a surge right now, too. Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and BC all seeing higher new case and active case numbers. Atlantic provinces (Maritimes and Newfoundland) are presumably being spared because they put themselves in a bubble. People can travel freely among them, but people coming from outside (even other Canadian provinces) have to quarantine for 14 days.

Here in Ontario, it seems to be a mix. In my city, a lot of it is university and college students returning and having parties without observing mask and social distancing rules. However, in our big cities, like Toronto and Ottawa, there seems to be more going on than just that given the caseloads.

 

[Gemma]

Number of hospitalised Covid cases in Scotland has doubled in 2 weeks. 99 as of today albeit "only" 11 of those in ICU.

11.5% of those tested yesterday were positive. More than 700 cases confirmed in a day.

Time to stock up on wine again

 

[David76]

The university situation here has been shambolic and baffling. Surely everyone knew that the majority of teaching, if not all of it, would be online this year.

Is it just a case of universities trying to get more money in the form of rental for halls or what? Can't believe they weren't told to keep students away until at least after Xmas.

 

[Soffie]

The university situation here has been shambolic and baffling. Surely everyone knew that the majority of teaching, if not all of it, would be online this year.

Is it just a case of universities trying to get more money in the form of rental for halls or what? Can't believe they weren't told to keep students away until at least after Xmas.

I think governments throughout the U.K. were in a Catch 22 on this. Damned if they let students back, damned if they didn't.

 

[Deleted member 63]

The university situation here has been shambolic and baffling. Surely everyone knew that the majority of teaching, if not all of it, would be online this year.

Is it just a case of universities trying to get more money in the form of rental for halls or what? Can't believe they weren't told to keep students away until at least after Xmas.

The problem here is international students who rely on residences for housing. Our universities are becoming increasingly dependent on the revenue from international students since those tuition fees are unregulated, whereas fees for domestic students are regulated by the government (since the universities get tax revenue from both provincial and federal governments, provincial for education and federal for research).

 

[David76]

Positive cases continue to rise and further restrictions could well be implemented, so what do we reckon they are going to recommend restriction wise?

I'll plump for a "central belt" travel limit of up to 5 miles with hospitality to be takeaway only in these areas and no meeting of other households indoors or outdoors apart from childcare or usual exemptions.

For the rest of the country, travel into these areas for essential purposes only and takeaway hospitality only.