Councillor Robinson - Coronavirus.

[Malcolm Robinson]

 

 

 

 

I have been pressing NCC for information about how council intends to tackle this viral infection threat.

We now have an extraordinary all members meeting after the council’s emergency committee meets tomorrow.  I hope this will give some answers to some of the questions I am getting.

 

I have also asked about what might happen if our schools have to close, especially in respect of school meals and exams.  Here is the initial response off our cabinet member for Children’s Services, for which I thank him.

 

 

1. There is no HM Government directive YET to close our schools. This may happen in the next week or so but as it stands – they remain open.
2. I have been involved with Children’s Services on Continuity Planning and asked for detailed plans to be put in place on some key areas of work with children.
3. If schools are ordered to close we are developing plans for how we offer online learning portals.
4. We are looking at how we can offer food/ meals to the most disadvantaged pupils who may be impacted over the loss of the school meals service. This detailed work includes how we can open kitchens, work with supermarkets and restaurants.
5. We are awaiting information from the Dept. for Education on exams and how these are managed.
6. Coms work is being prepared to manage messages over the coming week.

[Canny lass]

Over 70s are now in home-quarantine for two weeks here (to begin with) . Dug the Scrabble and the Yatzee out yesterday. Fortunately we stocked up on wine on a w/e in Germany a couple of months ago. Also hoping for a bit of good weather (we finally got snow that stayed, a couple of weeks ago) so that I can get some gardening done without interruptions.

[Canny lass]

Home quarantine, day 2:

It's amazing how much you can get done when life isn't getting in the way. By' life', I mean going to the gym, singing in a choir, a bit of retail therapy, fika (going out for a coffee), night classes, a bit more retail therapy, popping out to visit someone, someone popping in for a 'quick' visit, going to the dentist (won't be missing that).  Today we cleaned our windows! All 16 of them inside, outside and even inbetween (our windows have four sides). Would have taken a week normally.

[Vic Patterson]

Pine lodge quarantine, day 3, No one in, no one out....... except Vic can still visit Dot! ahhh nice eh!

 

[Canny lass]

1 hour ago, Vic Patterson said:

ahhh nice eh!

I wonder if we'll still be saying that after 2 weeks, Vic! I'm surprised you're being allowed to visit Dot. All visiting to hospitals and homes for the elderly is forbidden here.

[Vic Patterson]

3 hours ago, Canny lass said:

I wonder if we'll still be saying that after 2 weeks, Vic! I'm surprised you're being allowed to visit Dot. All visiting to hospitals and homes for the elderly is forbidden here.

 

3 hours ago, Canny lass said:

"ahhh nice eh! "

Not that they are in isolation but nice that I'm allowed in to get her settled into her new home, still without phone, TV or any communications, Yes this may change at anytime and could last a long time. This way I'm still making many of her meals, and doing much of the housework. Dot is the only recent resident.

Yes there is still some compassion amongst this chaos. Stay healthy everyone.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

21 hours ago, Canny lass said:

I wonder if we'll still be saying that after 2 weeks, Vic! I'm surprised you're being allowed to visit Dot. All visiting to hospitals and homes for the elderly is forbidden here.

Same here. As from yesterday only one person for palliative care cases; one person seeing the critically ill ,and the one I can't understand - Birthing Partner allowed to be present at the birth. I wonder if they will be testing the birthing partners for Carona virus or just letting them cough onto the new born. 

Yesterday - North Tyneside/Rake Lane Hosp at the daily visiting slot - 14:30 to 16:00 - the wards went quiet.  

[Canny lass]

Home quarantine, day 3:

Finally had time to give the cupboard under the stairs a good going through! I've been threatening to do it for ages! . Even had a chat to my other half. Seems like quite a nice guy!

#Winning at social isolation!

At government level: New law passed today, allowing primary and junior schools to be closed if required. Non-compulsory education establishments, uIniversities and high-scchools, already closed.

Edited March 19, 2020 by Canny lass

[Canny lass]

2 hours ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

Birthing Partner allowed to be present at the birth

What is it that you don't understand? The newborn presents no health risks. It's been socially isolated for nine months. 

[Canny lass]

Home quarantine, day 5:

Temperature 3 degrees, blue sky and sunny. Lovely day for gardening! I've managed to prune most of the bushes, everything except the Forsythia and roses. Too early for those. Morning and afternoon coffee outdoors on the south side of the house, sheltered from the wind. Lovely!

I've also gathered up five wheelbarrows full of Birch twigs blown down by the fierce winds we've had lately. I wonder how many days that job would have taken without the help of the corona virus.

#Winning at social isolation (and Scrabble)!

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

On 19/03/2020 at 23:04, Canny lass said:

What is it that you don't understand? The newborn presents no health risks. It's been socially isolated for nine months. 

But surely the father might. I just can't understand with all the restrictions the hospitals are putting in place eg. no visitors that they would allow a birthing partner into the delivery room in the current climate. Why take the risk, the newborn will never know the mother only had the hospital staff to welcome them into the world. 

[Canny lass]

Sorry Eggy! I was being facetious and making light of a very serious subject.  Sorry if I offended.

Of course there's a risk, not just to the baby but to all in the delivery suite, mother-to-be and midwives included. But giving birth, for quite a lot of people can be a very frightening experience - akin to dying alone. So, if one person can sit with the dying it seems reasonable that one person can sit with a woman in labour. I remember the time when fathers weren't allowed in the delivery suite. I also remember the time when their presence began to be allowed. They were not welcomed by many midwives who deemed them to be 'in the way'. However, ante-natal care has come a long way since then with many fathers-to-be attending pre-birthing classes with their partner. They receive an education there that makes them a valuable asset in the delivery suite, comforting, encouraging and assisting with prophylactic breathing techniques - time consuming work previously the duty of the midwife. Effectively they can release another midwife for more important things, maybe another birth occurring simultaneously.

Then there's the experience itself to consider. For many it may be the only birth they can be part of. One child families, voluntarily or otherwise, are quite common. There's no re-run, no second chance. The risk of cross infection is minimal in a delivery suite as everybody, including the birthing partner, dad, mum, sister, best friend or doolah, is gowned- and scrubbed up and the air is changed every few minutes. Better than in a side ward or a four-bedder on the ward.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

14 hours ago, Canny lass said:

Sorry Eggy! I was being facetious and making light of a very serious subject.  Sorry if I offended.

 

Offend - never.

I remember when our youngest was born, a Tuesday tea time, I was in such a hurry to get to the pub as we had a darts match that evening I forgot to phone, from the hospital, the in laws to let them know they had another grandchild. Only remembered when i was half way to the pub so I had to stop the car, find a phone box and ring them. 

By the time I got to the pub the match had started -  and I had been replaced. 

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

On 21/03/2020 at 18:09, Canny lass said:

Home quarantine, day 5:

#Winning at social isolation (and Scrabble)!

Had to give the Scrabble up about four ago - involuntary reflex actions of the legs kept knocking the coffee table and destroying the board.

Changed games and now play an online version of Scrabble =  Words_With_Friends and the board stays intact.

[Canny lass]

Thanks for the tip! I had a look at this in the app store but there are several different versions. Which one do you have? Mind you, we have a third dimension to the game here. We have the English version of the game and we toss a coin to decide which language we use for the game. It can be very interesting as the most common letter in English is E but here it's A so there aren't enough A:s to go round if we choose his language. Also, his language has three more letters so the O:s and the A:s have to double up for the missing letters. It doesn't help that Y is a vowel here, either but it does make it a lot more fun!

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

2 hours ago, Canny lass said:

 Which one do you have? Mind you, we have a third dimension to the game here. 

Unfortunately I have no idea. It was installed within Facebook on my old Windows Vista Desktop PC and it still keeps it's dictionary up to date but the version/release number is not displayed anywhere. I said above it was four years ago but I think it's more like six + years as the stats show I have played over 4,000 games.

When I switch on my Windows 10 PC I will see if that gives the version number. Don't hold your breath, I'm struggling to get out of bed at the moment - my diary is more like Ann Franks = Day 1 Hid - day 2 Hid - Day 3 Hid........................

[Canny lass]

6 hours ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

I'm struggling to get out of bed at the moment -

... I hope that's because of involuntary knee jerks and not an overactive cough reflex! Seriously, I hope you've cut the missus loose from the kitchen stove so that she can pander to your every need and have you up and about soon!

[Canny lass]

Home quarantine, days 6-10:

Keeping the home-fires burning in 2022. There are two more behind me.

#Winning at social isolation!

 

[Canny lass]

For those who may still be confused, this may - or may not - help. personally, I think it's more relevant to social isolation than social distancing: