Current Affairs

[Manoverboard]

You don't get presented with a bill at the end of the meal in your house

I note you didn't say in ' our ' house

[Stephen]

You don't get presented with a bill at the end of the meal in your house

I note you didn't say in ' our ' house

Full Christmas dinner including drinks £200 per person. Bookings being taken now. Please bring warm outdoor clothing.

[david63]

I presume that's because you wouldn't be the only 12 there and every group may not be as cautious or compliant in applying the restrictions as you are.

But in a restaurant there would be social distancing which there would not be at home. When moving around a restaurant you would be wearing a mask which you would not at home.

If Covid does not have a day off at Christmas it also does not distinguish between family and non family.

I really don't know how the Government expects the hospitality industry to cope for the next four months with not knowing from one two weeks to the next whether they will be open and with what restrictions.

This whole business has become Government by media.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I presume that's because you wouldn't be the only 12 there and every group may not be as cautious or compliant in applying the restrictions as you are.

But in a restaurant there would be social distancing which there would not be at home. When moving around a restaurant you would be wearing a mask which you would not at home.

If Covid does not have a day off at Christmas it also does not distinguish between family and non family.

I really don't know how the Government expects the hospitality industry to cope for the next four months with not knowing from one two weeks to the next whether they will be open and with what restrictions.

This whole business has become Government by media.

I think this debate shows the whole conundrum the government faces.

Purely for health we'd stay in strict lockdown for however long it takes until a majority are vaccinated.

Purely for the benefit of business, and specifically the hospitality industry, we'd say okay, scrub lockdown, scrub social distancing, cram in as many as you can as fast as you can and let's not worry if a few thousand die. (The biggest outbreak round here was when 300 crammed into a pub with no social distancing and no masks - not someone entertaining their granny to lunch!)

Government has to find a middle path and there will always be those on either side of the centre ground who don't like it for entirely opposite reasons. And the media are programmed to not like it whatever way it goes.

The Christmas rules are a compromise. Opening schools but not pubs was a compromise. Compromise never pleases everyone.

But we'll be five people from two households for Christmas lunch and we're grateful that's allowed.

[towny44]

Can somebody please explain the logic of being able to have, say, 12 people in your house for Christmas Dinner but are unable to go to a restaurant for Christmas Dinner

There will be more than 3 family groups in a restaurant, and with each group the transmission increases exponentially.

[barney]

Our son and daughter in law have a rather unique situation.

The DiL works part time in the family business.
Her father is the chairman, her oldest brother is the MD. Her next brother is the marketing manager.
Her mother also works there part time as does two of her sisters in law.
There are about 17 other employees and all of her direct family work there so she she's them pretty much every day.

However, they cannot meet in each others houses (bar one) and cannot, for this year, have their traditional large Xmas at the parents house, with all the kids.
So, they can meet at work, but not at home ?

[Mervyn and Trish]

Our son and daughter in law have a rather unique situation.

The DiL works part time in the family business.
Her father is the chairman, her oldest brother is the MD. Her next brother is the marketing manager.
Her mother also works there part time as does two of her sisters in law.
There are about 17 other employees and all of her direct family work there so she she's them pretty much every day.

However, they cannot meet in each others houses (bar one) and cannot, for this year, have their traditional large Xmas at the parents house, with all the kids.
So, they can meet at work, but not at home ?

They could make 25th December "Bring a turkey to work day".

[Happydays]

Oh Merv, you did make me laugh with that comment

[david63]

The latest "R" estimates are the the UK is now at around 0.9 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55105285)

So why is it that the North West that has got the lowest R value at 0.7 to 0.9 is in tier 3 when London which has an R value of 1.0 to 1.1 is in tier 2? Don't suppose it would have anything to do with London being where Boris et al are residing!!

This is another example of the great North/South divide.

[oldbluefox]

Can't figure that one out at all. I'll get my friends Laura, Robert and Beth to find out.

[Mervyn and Trish]

The latest "R" estimates are the the UK is now at around 0.9 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55105285)

So why is it that the North West that has got the lowest R value at 0.7 to 0.9 is in tier 3 when London which has an R value of 1.0 to 1.1 is in tier 2? Don't suppose it would have anything to do with London being where Boris et al are residing!!

This is another example of the great North/South divide.

The official answer would probably be that the R rate is only one factor in the decision. However.......

My puzzle would be how come our area, which had only just gone into tier 2 before lockdown, is in tier 3 after lockdown? Lockdown must have worked really well here.

[david63]

The only difference as far as I am concerned between "lockdown" and tier 3 is that in tier 3 I can get my hair cut!

[barney]

Our son and daughter in law have a rather unique situation.

The DiL works part time in the family business.
Her father is the chairman, her oldest brother is the MD. Her next brother is the marketing manager.
Her mother also works there part time as does two of her sisters in law.
There are about 17 other employees and all of her direct family work there so she she's them pretty much every day.

However, they cannot meet in each others houses (bar one) and cannot, for this year, have their traditional large Xmas at the parents house, with all the kids.
So, they can meet at work, but not at home ?

They could make 25th December "Bring a turkey to work day".

Toyed with the idea of making Xmas dinner the works do

[barney]

Our R rate and infection rate is very low but we are tier 2 due to not many hospital beds, apparently.
Exeter Nightingale ?
Zero patients, ever.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Our R rate and infection rate is very low but we are tier 2 due to not many hospital beds, apparently.
Exeter Nightingale ?
Zero patients, ever.

The problem with the Nightingales is not beds or patients it's staff. It's the same with ICU beds and ventilators. You can open as many beds and buy as many ventilators as you like but if you don't have enough trained staff they're useless. The idea of the Nightingales was to divert non-Covid not very sick patients to free up the main hospitals. But even not very sick patients need someone to look after them.

[Kendhni]

Our R rate and infection rate is very low but we are tier 2 due to not many hospital beds, apparently.
Exeter Nightingale ?
Zero patients, ever.

The problem with the Nightingales is not beds or patients it's staff. It's the same with ICU beds and ventilators. You can open as many beds and buy as many ventilators as you like but if you don't have enough trained staff they're useless. The idea of the Nightingales was to divert non-Covid not very sick patients to free up the main hospitals. But even not very sick patients need someone to look after them.

Exactly. Back in March/April they were (unofficially?) asking for anyone with medical training to help out at the hospitals. It brought some nurses, doctors and dentists out of retirement.

I really hope we have done enough to keep this under control for Christmas. Sadly I think the government missed the opportunity to help the High Street - there will be a lot of mail order Christmases this year (ours included).

I still suspect there may well be another nationwide lockdown early next year.


PS: I notice that our company has posted that our work's Christmas do is in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to hearing what they have planned since we will obviously still be in lockdown (it is normally a full day of festivities, games, drinking and eating).

[barney]

We’re fully expecting another lockdown soon after Xmas so we’re opening on Sunday as well in the run up.
Mrs B will probably be wiped out by Xmas day so I’ll do my bit and peel the spuds

[david63]

How can anyone take messages seriously when this is being suggested? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55107473

Surely this breaks the sex discrimination acts - anyone else making such comments would find themselves in court pretty quickly.

[towny44]

How can anyone take messages seriously when this is being suggested? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55107473

Surely this breaks the sex discrimination acts - anyone else making such comments would find themselves in court pretty quickly.

I have no idea about the latter, but the former seems eminently sensible to me.

[Manoverboard]

The only plan we ever drew up was when to watch ' Fools and Horses '

[towny44]

The only plan we ever drew up was when to watch ' Fools and Horses '

Sometime after Xmas in our case, since we rarely watched TV on Xmas day, at least not since the BBC used to have TV film premieres on Xmas day, which was before Sky was born.

[Manoverboard]

The only plan we ever drew up was when to watch ' Fools and Horses '

Sometime after Xmas in our case, since we rarely watched TV on Xmas day, at least not since the BBC used to have TV film premieres on Xmas day, which was before Sky was born.

Dinner, more food plus booze, F & H and Yahtzee were the main drivers but in any order

[screwy]

Father in law passed away this morning with COVID, he was admitted to hospital 10 days ago with another matter and tested positive 5 days later after an initial negative test when admitted.
Served in the Navy during the war. Sunk twice and served on Lct on D-Day, Shoreham to Gold Beach....He deserved a better end....Bugger, bugger bugger..

[oldbluefox]

Truly sorry to hear that screwy. Condolences to you and your family.

[Manoverboard]

A bugger, bugger, bugger from me too ...