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Posted by: Klaus 14th March 2020, 10:19 AM

Continue with updates on the spread of the virus, countries responses and how it is impacting on your lives in terms if work arrangements, social gatherings etc

Rather than double/triple/quadrulpe post, just edit your last post if no one has replied since. If you’re a repeat offender, your posts will likely end up getting merged anyway

Any discussion for panic buying goes here: http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=231440

Posted by: Jack 14th March 2020, 10:24 AM

Are other people starting to not go out?

I'm trying to let it not affect my life as much, still going on nights out and cinema etc but I am being cautious about it all.

Posted by: *Tim 14th March 2020, 10:25 AM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 14 2020, 11:24 AM)

Posted by: Jack 14th March 2020, 10:27 AM

Oh god

Small businesses are really going to feel the major effect of this aren't they?

Posted by: dan.G 14th March 2020, 10:30 AM

my parents are/were going to travel to France this Easter but that's looking less likely by the day so we'll be keeping a close eye on what they're doing.
I wasn't going anyway but was looking forward to a week to myself.
main hope is that my grandma doesn't get it anyhow as she's over 80 with a pre-existing condition. if she does I'll probably never see her in person again as she's in Australia.

Posted by: FUTURE NOSTALGIA 14th March 2020, 10:36 AM

just cancelled my trip abroad

Posted by: Jack 14th March 2020, 10:37 AM

QUOTE(FUTURE NOSTALGIA @ Mar 14 2020, 10:36 AM)

just cancelled my trip abroad

Posted by: J00ps 14th March 2020, 10:41 AM

I'm trying to go for coffee every few days bc my impulse is to stay completely locked in like a hermit

Posted by: Chez Wombat 14th March 2020, 10:48 AM

I’m trying to avoid going anywhere on public transport on the weekends, especially Central/busier parts. I’m debating whether or not to go to the cinema, I can get there in walking distance, but it seems more and more risky every day and I’ve seen advice against it. I’m certainly keeping using the gym though as exercise is still important (and I am paying for it!)

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 14th March 2020, 10:50 AM

I'm literally just going about my normal life, if I get it I get it and I want to enjoy being able to go out and do stuff whilst I still can.

My parents both work for the NHS though so they're feeling the stress.

Posted by: *Tim 14th March 2020, 11:03 AM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 14 2020, 11:27 AM)

Oh god

Small businesses are really going to feel the major effect of this aren't they?

Posted by: T Boy 14th March 2020, 11:13 AM

I’m carrying on as normal at present until I’m told not to do something. So I am still going to work and swimming. I may go to the cinema if I fancy it but there’s not exactly much on. I am trying to avoid supermarkets because of morons rather than the virus but I will go to my local Spar if I need to. My mum has asked me not to visit until the schools are closed so I will have to FaceTime my parents and just drop off a present and a card outside the house for Mother’s Day.

Posted by: J▲hq 14th March 2020, 11:15 AM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 14 2020, 10:24 AM)

Posted by: Klaus 14th March 2020, 11:44 AM

I’m living my life as usual at the moment, although conscious that things are easily changing on a daily basis. I’m still going into work and I usually work from home at least once a week anyway. I’m currently at uni for one day a week but they’ve now moved to online teaching, so that’s the major difference I’ve experienced so far even if there were only two weeks left anyway.

I’m conscious about buying tickets for stuff though. There’s an event next Saturday which I want to go to but I’m aware it could be cancelled at the drop of a hat so putting off buying ticket for now. Otherwise I’d be happy to go.

Posted by: blacksquare 14th March 2020, 11:47 AM

Posted by: Liаm 14th March 2020, 11:52 AM

I've got to come into contact with so many people at work everyday, so if I'm gonna get it it'll be there I feel For that reason I'm not gonna let it stop me doing things, but my friends, boyfriend etc. all seem to be panicking way more so if we do anything social usually someone will drive and we'll go to their house or stay at mine because people don't want to do things.

Posted by: Wall 14th March 2020, 12:14 PM

I’m living my day as if it was my last and live my day as if I had no past

Posted by: I. :II: z 14th March 2020, 12:31 PM

Still haven't been properly outside in almost two months now argh. Some of the things around the city (like malls) are starting to re-open and the push in China seems to be that the worst of the virus is over. But there's still no update from about when schools will re-open and it could still be a while yet before that happens, if there is a school to go back to.

From what I can tell they're being INCREDIBLY stringent with anyone arriving back into the country to ensure it doesn't start up again, but there's still a little way to go before normal life resumes. So this is how I'd estimate European life looks in early June if the peak is in May.

Posted by: awardinary 14th March 2020, 12:36 PM

Went out this morning but it was the first day I actually felt very anxious about going outside. I came into close proximity with a couple who were coughing a lot and it got me a bit paranoid. I’ve come home now but I’m not sure I want to go back out again at the moment.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 12:40 PM

QUOTE(awardinary @ Mar 14 2020, 12:36 PM)

Went out this morning but it was the first day I actually felt very anxious about going outside. I came into close proximity with a couple who were coughing a lot and it got me a bit paranoid. I’ve come home now but I’m not sure I want to go back out again at the moment.

Posted by: awardinary 14th March 2020, 12:42 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 12:40 PM)

Posted by: Dobbo 14th March 2020, 12:59 PM

Well im most certainly not gonna book ANYTHING until the day itself now. Will have to cancel my trip to Albania in 2 weeks and worse still, my one to Mexico in May. Likely losing over 600 quid but not too bad because I'll be saving lots over the coming months with nothing to spend it on.

On a day to day basis I'll be fine as can work from home and have plenty of stuff to do to the pass the time otherwise. No Sport for the foreseeable future is a toughie for me however! One big positive is being able to spend more time with my gf I am very conscious of visiting family over Easter tho, grandparents being in the vulnerable age category although neither have things like asthma or diabetes etc.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 01:01 PM

EMERGENCY LAWS TO BE RUSHED THROUGH PARLIAMENT

From The Mirror.

Police will be given powers to detain people with coronavirus under new emergency laws set to be announced next week.

The sweeping measures also allow the government to force schools and nurseries to stay open if they are deemed to have closed 'unnecessarily'.

Both police and border officials will be able to detain people for a 'limited period' if it is feared they could spread the deadly virus, The Times reports.

The drastic package of legislation - which has been seen by the paper - is due to be pushed through Parliament in the next fortnight and will remain in effect for two years.

It was warned yesterday that up to 10,000 Brits may also unknowingly be infected with the virus, which has now been declared a global health pandemic.

Care for the elderly is also likely to be reduced.

Under the new laws, councils will be allowed to strip back services offered both to people in care homes and in their own homes without legal challenge - so long as they do not cause 'serious neglect or harm'.

Local authorities can also relax standards in care homes, to allow for staff shortages.

In order to maintain border security in the event of customs and immigration officers falling sick, ministers will be given the power to close ports if there are 'insufficient resources'.

The government will also be able to stop any vehicle, train, vessel or aircraft.

Worryingly, the legislation warns that the country's 'death management' industry could be rapidly overwhelmed should worst-case scenarios become a reality, and measures to speed up cremations and burials have also been proposed.

The draft reads: "In a reasonable worst-case scenario the death management industry will be rapidly overwhelmed.

"There is a significant gap in body storage requirements to ensure we are prepared for the reasonable worst-case scenario."

Doctors will be permitted to detail the cause of death on medical certificates without seeing a deceased person's body - with other senior health professionals allowed to sign death certificates.

Requirements for coroners to hold jury inquests will also be lifted.

However, the government has stopped short of declaring a 'state of emergency' under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which would have allowed ministers to force through new laws without the approval of Parliament.

Care home visits have also not yet been banned.

Meanwhile, as part of efforts to bring retired NHS staff back to work if needed, registration requirements for doctors, social workers and pharmacists seeking to return to practice will be relaxed.

Care workers close to finishing their qualifications will also be allowed to register.

Finally, the levels of doctors required at clinics under the Mental Health Act are set to be lowered to allow staff to be diverted to hospitals.

Posted by: Mack. 14th March 2020, 02:35 PM

Just simply carrying on with everyday life that is what I am doing.

Posted by: Cqmerqn 14th March 2020, 02:48 PM

Over 1.1k confirmed cases

21 deaths (+10)

Posted by: Wall 14th March 2020, 02:50 PM

Ffs it’s genuinely not going to get any better

Posted by: T Boy 14th March 2020, 03:14 PM

What’s a few (tens of) thousands of lives if we can save a few quid, eh?

We are such a f***ing stupid country.

Posted by: Jack 14th March 2020, 03:18 PM

I'm going to have a awkward semi confrontational conversation with my manager saying I want to work from home on Monday. It's really triggering my anxiety and I have to get on public transport that's always busy to get there .

Posted by: RabbitFurCoat 14th March 2020, 03:28 PM

QUOTE(Cqmerqn @ Mar 14 2020, 02:48 PM)

Posted by: Jack 14th March 2020, 03:54 PM

QUOTE(RabbitFurCoat @ Mar 14 2020, 03:28 PM)

Posted by: Atonement 14th March 2020, 03:55 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 14 2020, 11:25 AM)

Posted by: Doctor Blind 14th March 2020, 03:59 PM

The fear factor is going to absolutely hammer the hospitality industry sadly- however, that said - Wagamama in Tunbridge Wells was RAMMED last Saturday night. Took about 15 minutes for us to even get a table so it hadn't changed people's behaviour too much last weekend. This weekend may be a different thing altogether of course..

Posted by: Suedehead2 14th March 2020, 04:05 PM

There were reports earlier this week that Italian restaurants had taken a big hit in the same way that Chinese restaurants suffered when the coronavirus story first broke. That persuaded me to go to my (excellent) local Italian restaurant on Thursday just to show support. It was definitely quieter than normal. I just hope they can get back to normal levels of business soon.

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 04:05 PM

OK I know the school closures are a bit more debatable, but still no plans to stop indoor gatherings over 100 people (which is not debatable at all imo in terms of it helping to reduce the spread).

I know many of you have said they are trying to live their lives as normal by going to social events etc. but I think for the good of everyone we should be doing their bit to reduce the spread by reducing those activities for the next few weeks. Plenty of time to go to cinema or bars once things get better again and we get a vaccine.

I am certainly halting my social activities from now on, but then as I said before my father is 58 with type 1 diabetes so I am terrified that I will get the virus and spread it to him.

Posted by: T Boy 14th March 2020, 04:10 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 04:05 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 04:27 PM

QUOTE(Wall @ Mar 14 2020, 02:50 PM)

Posted by: T Boy 14th March 2020, 04:37 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 04:27 PM)

It's a bit more debatable because a. a lot of parents may work in the NHS and couldn't do so to look after children and b. teachers can ensure strict hygiene standards whereas if children are off they will probably meet up with their schoolfriends more outside school where hygiene standards can't be managed as much.

Point a. though can be dealt with if only older secondary children at first are told to stay off, many 16-18 year olds could stay at home while their NHS parents could still work.

Not saying schools shouldn't be closed, just saying its a bit more debatable than banning indoor crows of over 100 which is not debatable at all. I think they should do things like closing all nightclubs, bars and pubs now, with government financial support for these businesses so they don't have to pay rent for a while etc.
My last hope was it was going to reduce with warmer weather in UK late spring but as Spain shows it almost certainly isn't

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 05:10 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 04:05 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 05:20 PM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 14 2020, 04:37 PM)

Posted by: Wall 14th March 2020, 05:25 PM

So Dundee had 7 cases yesterday and today we’ve got 17. Most in Scotland incoming

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 05:32 PM

QUOTE(Wall @ Mar 14 2020, 05:25 PM)

Posted by: Doctor Blind 14th March 2020, 05:32 PM

As the Chief Scientist said on Thursday, it is likely that there are many thousands of undiagnosed cases already and that community spread is rife. I'm not sure how suspending all air travel (as Italy found) actually helps all that much since the virus has now reached most of the world and is spreading within countries - but Trump likes his BIG pointless gestures.

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 05:34 PM

QUOTE(Doctor Blind @ Mar 14 2020, 05:32 PM)

Posted by: Doctor Blind 14th March 2020, 05:38 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 05:34 PM)

Posted by: Wall 14th March 2020, 05:41 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 05:32 PM)

I am sure a few people there are considering going up and camping in the Highlands until this is over!

Posted by: Wall 14th March 2020, 05:43 PM

I was proper chilled until yesterday but we’re all going to get the coronavirus sooner rather than later, I’ve accepted it. It’s not going to get better in the next couple of months. Italy are in lockdown but their death rate is rising rapidly.

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 05:43 PM

QUOTE(Doctor Blind @ Mar 14 2020, 05:38 PM)

Posted by: Doctor Blind 14th March 2020, 05:48 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 05:43 PM)

Posted by: I. :II: z 14th March 2020, 05:50 PM

The idea of saying 'leave it all to herd immunity' is so profoundly stupid and if not, coldheartedly dismissive of the vulnerable people who will be victims of the virus that I can barely believe public representatives are advocating such for something we don't know enough about yet.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 06:01 PM

Trump took the test last night and is awaiting the result. I call bull on this as surely they'd rush his result through in hours. Would they even announce it if he was positive? Maybe not.

Posted by: I. :II: z 14th March 2020, 06:05 PM

Well, lots of people who've been around him, at his resort, at a dinner, have tested positive. Just goes to show that he's the best spreader, the BEST!

He'd never announce it if it was positive, these things are very carefully managed.

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 06:06 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 06:01 PM)

Posted by: Houdini 14th March 2020, 06:13 PM

I am not scared of potentially catching Coronavirus and I am going about my business as I normally would and I refuse to be scared. This surely can't be on the scale of a world war where just popping out of your house for 2 minutes could have got you killed.

Pretty much all of what is being said on TV and the news is designed to scare the living shit out of everyone and I am not buying into it. Washing your hands is common sense and it shouldn't have taken a virus to realise that.

Posted by: Cqmerqn 14th March 2020, 06:18 PM

There are 5 cases in a hospital I work at... I’m scared omg

Posted by: Doctor Blind 14th March 2020, 06:19 PM

QUOTE(I. :II: z @ Mar 14 2020, 06:05 PM)

Posted by: Doctor Blind 14th March 2020, 06:29 PM

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 14th March 2020, 06:33 PM

I was out getting a few bits and pieces - moisturiser - couldn't even find my usual one!!!! - solution, pet treats, face wash, etc - ans I was looking at the charity books near the door. The next thing I know, some charver with one of the last toilet paper packs bundles it under his arm and charges out! He was gone and the women on the tills were like they knew he was going to do it. So yeah. Just seen someone steal toilet paper.

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 14th March 2020, 06:34 PM

QUOTE(I. :II: z @ Mar 14 2020, 05:50 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 06:37 PM

QUOTE(Doctor Blind @ Mar 14 2020, 06:29 PM)

Anyone else think that Trump does look a bit off colour (i.e. not orange) ?

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 06:39 PM

QUOTE(Doctor Blind @ Mar 14 2020, 05:32 PM)

Posted by: I. :II: z 14th March 2020, 06:39 PM

I'm fairly certain Trump did cough quite audibly during his presidential address.

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 14 2020, 06:34 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 14th March 2020, 06:40 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 06:39 PM)

Posted by: Wall 14th March 2020, 06:45 PM

The person who ate the bat, died.... right?

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 06:46 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 14 2020, 06:40 PM)

Posted by: Euphorique 14th March 2020, 06:49 PM

QUOTE(Wall @ Mar 14 2020, 06:45 PM)

Posted by: Suedehead2 14th March 2020, 06:53 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 06:46 PM)

Posted by: Addy K!ng 14th March 2020, 07:06 PM

Hi Iz,

how's situation in China right now...are numbers still going high or it slowed down?

Posted by: *Tim 14th March 2020, 07:17 PM

France is going into lockdown as well

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 07:22 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 14 2020, 07:17 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 07:28 PM

From BBC News:


Concerns about crowds certainly seem to have struck shoppers, with a number of shopping centres and high streets noticeably quieter than an average Saturday.

Birmingham's bull was kitted out in full St Patrick's Day garb but the usual selfie-taking shoppers gathered around the local landmark were nowhere to be seen.

The city's Bullring shopping centre was markedly quieter than usual early on Saturday.

In London, there were still plenty of shoppers in the capital's major retail areas like Oxford Street, but things were quieter.

The same goes for tourism hotspots like Buckingham Palace where visitors could be seen taking in the sights wearing face masks.

London's public transport system - known for its rush hour crowds - has been emptier in recent days.

Retailers in Above Bar, Southampton's main shopping street, said they had been feeling the impact.

Boots optician Carol Betts said five of her patients had cancelled on Saturday morning, which she put down to fears about close contact.

"I haven't seen any patients for more than two hours.

"We can't keep hand sanitiser in the store for love nor money - as soon as you put it out, it's gone."

Stall owner Vinnie Singh said footfall was down and blamed news coverage.

"You can see it today. The media is making it sound worse. Scaring and frightening people is not the way forward," he said.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 14th March 2020, 07:29 PM

Catholics in my diocese (and across Ireland) have been dispensed from going to Sunday Mass for the next few weeks, so will be web-camming Mass for a few weeks, and no Eucharist.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 07:32 PM

If they announce a ban on all gatherings over 100 surely all Sunday masses will have to be cancelled. Most get over that I'd have thought.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 14th March 2020, 07:35 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 08:32 PM)

Posted by: I. :II: z 14th March 2020, 07:37 PM

QUOTE(Addy K!ng @ Mar 14 2020, 07:06 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 07:47 PM

QUOTE(I. :II: z @ Mar 14 2020, 07:37 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 07:57 PM

France shuts all bars, cafes, pubs, night-clubs and restaurants until further notice. Now 4,999 cases there.

Some will never re-open. Same here if the same happens soon. They still have rents to pay whilst closed so won't be able to survive long.

Posted by: Silas EU Later 14th March 2020, 08:02 PM

I think I’m a step or two behind France in Germany. Things are changing rapidly. We very rapidly went from banning gatherings of more than 500 people to banning anything more than 50. A lot of the controls are on a state rather than federal level here so I can’t talk for what’s happening elsewhere but Berlin has really really ratcheted up the stakes in the past 36hrs. Schools are closed and effective immediately this afternoon they forced all bars, clubs, gyms, brothels, sports centres, pools, pubs, restaurants that qualify as “smoking” under the anti-smoking rules, theatres, cinemas etc etc etc all so shut. So there goes my workout plans while on mandated WFH.

We were due a public transport reduction, according to the schools closing announcement of Friday morning, but that was reversed Friday afternoon. I’m not sure we will make it far into next week before the BVG starts shutting off some if not all services

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 08:08 PM

QUOTE(I. :II: z @ Mar 14 2020, 05:50 PM)

Posted by: Mart!n 14th March 2020, 08:25 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 14 2020, 07:17 PM)

Posted by: awardinary 14th March 2020, 08:37 PM

Can someone please share the link again where you can check number of confirmed cases in your area?

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 08:37 PM

I see The Horror Channel has pulled tonight's film at 9 too, about a family trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world wiped out by a virus. Suppose we can expect the main channels to pull such films too from now on. They pulled one last night at 9 too.

Posted by: Klaus 14th March 2020, 08:40 PM

The 2012 Contagion is climbing the charts on Amazon and iTunes. Not sure if people are trying to learn lessons from it

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 08:44 PM

QUOTE(awardinary @ Mar 14 2020, 08:37 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 14th March 2020, 09:09 PM

I have just read the lockdoon document from the Spanish government. Man aliiive!! Massive queues for supermarkets this morning before they opened.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 09:10 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 14 2020, 09:09 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 09:29 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 09:10 PM)

Posted by: Suedehead2 14th March 2020, 09:35 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 09:10 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 09:40 PM

QUOTE(Suedehead2 @ Mar 14 2020, 09:35 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 09:41 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 14 2020, 09:29 PM)

Posted by: Klaus 14th March 2020, 09:57 PM

There’s a separate thread for panic buying.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 10:21 PM

From ITV News.

People over 70 will be instructed by the government to stay in strict isolation at home or in care homes for four months, under a "wartime-style" mobilisation effort by the government likely to be enforced within the next 20 days.

All care home and hospital visits will be banned with police or troops on duty at hospitals if necessary to ensure only staff can enter.

It is part of a series of measures being enforced by new laws rushed through Parliament next week and prepared by the Prime minister, health secretary, chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser to prevent the health service from "falling over" and to save lives as Covid-19 becomes an epidemic in the UK.

Other measures already being planned include:

The forced requisitioning and closure of hotels, guest houses and other buildings as temporary hospitals;

The requisitioning of private hospitals and clinics as emergency hospitals

Temporary closure of all pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants - some time after next weekend's ban on mass gatherings which is likely to be announced this week.

Emergency manufacture by several companies of respirators that would be necessary to keep alive those who become acutely ill;

the closure of schools for perhaps a few weeks, but with skeleton staff kept on to provide childcare for key workers in the NHS and police.

Posted by: dan.G 14th March 2020, 10:21 PM

QUOTE(dan.G @ Mar 14 2020, 10:30 AM)

Posted by: T Boy 14th March 2020, 10:24 PM

Ugh, school is NOT childcare. Why don’t people understand this?

Posted by: Jack 14th March 2020, 10:25 PM

I'm hearing a lot of what will be happening but not a whole lot of what is happening. Actions speak louder than words, the utterly incompetent government need to deliver answers and solutions now.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 10:26 PM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 14 2020, 10:24 PM)

Posted by: T Boy 14th March 2020, 10:29 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 10:26 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 10:30 PM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 14 2020, 10:29 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 10:31 PM

The Queen has left Buckingham Palace for Windsor which is more isolated and in the country. She will remain there as long as the virus is rife. She is in constant touch by phone with the PM apparently. All other Royals are leaving London for less populated areas and are expected to cancel public engagements. Only a bare skeleton staff will remain at the palace for administration and security of the building.

Posted by: T Boy 14th March 2020, 10:34 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 10:30 PM)

Posted by: Jack 14th March 2020, 10:38 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 10:31 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 14th March 2020, 10:49 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 14 2020, 10:38 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 14th March 2020, 11:11 PM

What happened to that person on here who flew to America for Disney World and would only get a refund if it shut? It's shut now

Posted by: Klaus 14th March 2020, 11:16 PM

So our Health Secretary has written an article providing more detail on the next stage of the plan.

Only problem is that it’s behind a paywall on the Telegraph website. How considerate of him at such a crucial time. 🙃

Posted by: The S***e 14th March 2020, 11:18 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 10:21 PM)

Posted by: Rooney 15th March 2020, 03:36 AM

Isn’t the issue that so many of us probably have or have had the coronavirus but don’t even realise? I’ve had plenty of the symptoms for example but I still feel ok, when before I’ve had the flu it completely knocks me out. It does seem it differs between person to person massively.

I’m currently in New Zealand and I’m starting to get a little concerned. It seems countries are shutting borders and transit airports are also banning passengers so if they decide to shut any airports with little warning I’m pretty screwed...

Posted by: dhwe 15th March 2020, 04:07 AM

that's the thing that keeps me up at night, knowing I might have it but feeling ok enough to go out. I'm a smoker so I have a pretty consistent cough but don't feel sick otherwise, apart from normal springtime allergies. it's so hard to distinguish between the symptoms honestly.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 10:32 AM

QUOTE(dhwe @ Mar 15 2020, 04:07 AM)

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 10:57 AM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 14 2020, 08:40 PM)

The 2012 Contagion is climbing the charts on Amazon and iTunes. Not sure if people are trying to learn lessons from it

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 10:59 AM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 08:37 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 11:09 AM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 14 2020, 10:31 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 11:13 AM

QUOTE(Rooney @ Mar 15 2020, 03:36 AM)

Posted by: *Tim 15th March 2020, 11:20 AM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 11:32 AM)

Posted by: 🍆 15th March 2020, 11:24 AM

There was some religious thing in Russia the other day where they line up to kiss something. I don't know the word for it but yeah 100 people lining up to kiss some saint's remains or whatever... on the same spot. Most of them were the COVID-19 "target audience" so yeah... common sense has officially left the chat.

Posted by: troublepink 15th March 2020, 11:55 AM

For me the worst thing about this is knowing that my 80 year old granny with dementia is absolutely terrified of what she is seeing about 'this disease they keep going on about on the telly'. I don't live nearby but she has lots of other family around to help her. And now with this staying indoors for 70+ year olds makes me think she's going to be worse. When she's stuck inside on her own she struggles, and has occasionally gone out at night time thinking its day time. She needs to go out to church on Sunday for company, being around other people helps her. And she needs her routines such as going to church, weekly shopping etc.

I agree that we need updating about what is going on, but the media need to think about vulnerable people when they are constantly talking about the panic buying, the number of cases and the lockdowns.

I don't know, my head feels such a mess about this whole situation because of my Gran. I want to watch the news and keep up to date with the latest, but all the time I'm watching the news I just wonder if my Gran is watching it as well.

Posted by: J00ps 15th March 2020, 11:59 AM

I definitely had an awful cough last year where I coughed so hard I hurt my ribs. Hard to say tho

Posted by: Suedehead2 15th March 2020, 12:17 PM

QUOTE(troublepink @ Mar 15 2020, 11:55 AM)

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 01:29 PM

Must be worst for you father who's 92, is he healthy Enough?

Posted by: Suedehead2 15th March 2020, 01:41 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 15 2020, 01:29 PM)

Posted by: awardinary 15th March 2020, 02:06 PM

Posted by: Silas EU Later 15th March 2020, 02:28 PM

Posted by: Cqmerqn 15th March 2020, 03:41 PM

1,372 confirmed cases

35 deaths

Posted by: T Boy 15th March 2020, 03:42 PM

Counting the cases is pointless now that they’re not testing everyone.

It’s scary how fast the deaths are building up though.

Posted by: Cqmerqn 15th March 2020, 03:44 PM

Yeah definitely, it’s the deaths we should be looking at

Posted by: J00ps 15th March 2020, 03:50 PM

Re the deaths we should be wary of, for lack of a better word, lack-of-kniwledge bias. It's entirely possible any other strain of bad flu or any other single cause - diabetes, any specific C word - kills just as many every year & it just isn't reported because we're accustomed to it.

Obviously this is no reason to not still be cautious & take care, but at the same time becoming paralytic with anxiety & stress isn't helpful either & may put undue pressure on your immune system which is directly unhelpful.

I think the media are trying to strikea balance between helping people stay proactive and actually causing undue panic. Once again its quite possible that many or all of the deaths so far were already at death's door where any kind of flu, SARS etc. would have done for them the same way. Doesn't make it any less sad & upsetting, but it is crucial context.

Posted by: Cqmerqn 15th March 2020, 03:51 PM

Of course, but it’s the growth that’s concerning. It has doubled the last 2 days.

Posted by: Mack. 15th March 2020, 03:52 PM

The number of coronavirus deaths in Spain has more than doubled in a day to 288, with nearly 8,000 infections now confirmed in the country.

Posted by: Suedehead2 15th March 2020, 03:53 PM

Just in case anyone still doubts that this government is allowing anti-European zealotry to override the national interest...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/coronavirus-vaccine-delays-brexit-ema-expensive?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Posted by: *Tim 15th March 2020, 03:57 PM

The Netherlands is closing all schools, bars, restaurants etc from tomorrow

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 03:58 PM

I'm finding the whole condescending attitude of people telling me not to worry really annoying, I'm not doing anything stupid like panic buying or completely quarantining myself but I am taking more precautionary measures.

Also, I have anxiety and this has definetly triggered it further - telling me to 'not worry' really really isn't helpful.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:02 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 15 2020, 03:57 PM)

Posted by: J00ps 15th March 2020, 04:05 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 15 2020, 03:58 PM)

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 04:06 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:02 PM)

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 04:07 PM

QUOTE(J00ps @ Mar 15 2020, 04:05 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:12 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 15 2020, 04:07 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:14 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 15 2020, 04:06 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 15th March 2020, 04:16 PM

They have. And in Spain and Italy you can't leave your house.

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 04:17 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:12 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:18 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 15 2020, 04:16 PM)

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 04:20 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:14 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:22 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 15 2020, 04:20 PM)

Posted by: Cqmerqn 15th March 2020, 04:22 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:18 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 15th March 2020, 04:24 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:18 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:25 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 15 2020, 04:24 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 15th March 2020, 04:26 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:25 PM)

Posted by: 🍆 15th March 2020, 04:33 PM

so they decided to cancel the party i was going to next friday. it would have more than 1k people I assume so I guess it makes sense

Posted by: *Tim 15th March 2020, 04:38 PM

QUOTE(Cqmerqn @ Mar 15 2020, 05:22 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:40 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 15 2020, 04:38 PM)

Posted by: T Boy 15th March 2020, 04:49 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:14 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:54 PM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 15 2020, 04:49 PM)

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 04:57 PM

Someone on DS asking if all restaurants are forced to close here, would that include McDonald's, Burger King, Nandos, KFC etc. I would think so, anywhere that you sit inside to eat.

Takeaways would be very busy. You could catch it whilst queueing there though!

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 05:05 PM

QUOTE(Suedehead2 @ Mar 15 2020, 01:41 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 05:11 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 04:18 PM)

Posted by: J00ps 15th March 2020, 05:16 PM

How daft are people. Honestly starting to be a bit annoyed with the amount of people not getting that quarantine means quarantine. (You would think that wouldn't be rocket science for the Brexit means Brexit crowd...)

Yes, no restaurants, no fast food, no shopping, no "but what about". It is to keep vulnerable people safe! Anne Frank didn't have Netflix and whole libraries to read from the comfort of her own sofa.

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 05:20 PM

There's a thread on Mumsnet about how people are turning on each other in supermarkets. A woman saying her hubby's a security guard and he's having to throw aggressive men out of the shops, women pulling other women's hair over loo rolls,. It's the worst he's ever seen and he can only see it getting worse when we go in to lockdown. Police will be needed then. People telling anyone coughing they should be at home not out shopping. Society is starting to break down. One woman with no loo roll at home got the last pack and got abuse from a man with his trolley full of it.

Security, heavily outnumbered, had to try to break up a huge brawl at a Tesco Extra customer service counter over loo rolls, as police vans rushed to the scene. That was on Sky News. Several arrests for public disorder and store closed by police.


Reports of people buying 10 loaves and dozens of eggs each.

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 05:35 PM

QUOTE(Crazy Chris @ Mar 15 2020, 05:20 PM)

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 05:38 PM

Some people have hayfever at this time of year or just a tickle in their throat? Doesn't mean they have Corona

Posted by: Mart!n 15th March 2020, 05:45 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 15 2020, 05:35 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 05:46 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 15 2020, 05:38 PM)

Some people have hayfever at this time of year or just a tickle in their throat? Doesn't mean they have Corona

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 05:51 PM

A good point about the US. Remember most people have guns there so what will happen if there are shortages, particularly food. Not just brawls but maybe people shot too.

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 05:52 PM

QUOTE(Mart!n @ Mar 15 2020, 05:45 PM)

That's a bit silly how can they tell, people who smoke often cough as well

Posted by: Suedehead2 15th March 2020, 06:07 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 15 2020, 05:05 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 06:13 PM

Posted by: Crazy Chris 15th March 2020, 06:13 PM

QUOTE(Suedehead2 @ Mar 15 2020, 06:07 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 06:25 PM

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 07:03 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 15 2020, 05:38 PM)

Some people have hayfever at this time of year or just a tickle in their throat? Doesn't mean they have Corona

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 07:07 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 15 2020, 07:03 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 07:12 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 15 2020, 07:07 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 15th March 2020, 07:18 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 15 2020, 05:52 PM)

Yes, sadly I have realized its an idea that would decline the spread of the virus but could lead to deaths from starvation and poverty

I read that UV light can stop spread of viruses, maybe they should introduce UV lights to supermarkets - but of course the problem is it can cause skin cancer if overused

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 07:21 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 15 2020, 07:12 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 07:24 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 15 2020, 07:18 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 15th March 2020, 07:28 PM

The. Whole. Reason. We. Have. Suncream. Is. To. Prevent. UV. Light. Damage. Do. Not. Douse. People. In. UV. Light.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 15th March 2020, 07:28 PM

The Republic of Ireland has closed all its pubs, two days before St Patrick's Day. That's how real things have got.

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 07:33 PM

QUOTE(Brett-Butler @ Mar 15 2020, 07:28 PM)

Posted by: Euphorique 15th March 2020, 08:02 PM

Italy had its deadliest day so far, with 368 people passing

Posted by: dandy* 15th March 2020, 08:03 PM

That's a lot of people So sad to read

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 08:10 PM

QUOTE(Euphorique @ Mar 15 2020, 08:02 PM)

Italy had its deadliest day so far, with 368 people passing

Posted by: Euphorique 15th March 2020, 08:13 PM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Mar 15 2020, 08:03 PM)

That's a lot of people So sad to read

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 08:20 PM

QUOTE(Euphorique @ Mar 15 2020, 08:13 PM)

Posted by: Harve 15th March 2020, 08:25 PM

QUOTE(Euphorique @ Mar 15 2020, 09:02 PM)

Italy had its deadliest day so far, with 368 people passing

Posted by: Silas EU Later 15th March 2020, 08:43 PM

QUOTE(Brett-Butler @ Mar 15 2020, 08:28 PM)

Posted by: dandy* 15th March 2020, 08:54 PM

Next we know, England will be shutting down Wetherspoons and Pound Shops.

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 08:57 PM

Urban Outfitters is one of if not the first shop to announce its closing its stores within the UK until further notice.

Posted by: Silas EU Later 15th March 2020, 09:31 PM

Wow! Wonder if like Apple there’s is worldwide? Apple stores in China are the only ones open now

Posted by: Brett-Butler 15th March 2020, 09:33 PM

My gym has announced that it's closing for the next two weeks, which means no personal trainer. Not sure if I'll be able to run outside for a few weeks either, which means that if rationing does indeed happen, I'll be very much glad of it.

Posted by: *Tim 15th March 2020, 09:59 PM

QUOTE(Silas EU Later @ Mar 15 2020, 10:31 PM)

Posted by: T Boy 15th March 2020, 10:06 PM

So we’ve postponed our parents evening tomorrow night. We’ve been told not to discuss possible closure with the students if they try to engage us in such discussion. Talk about the impossible.

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 10:30 PM

QUOTE(Brett-Butler @ Mar 15 2020, 07:28 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2020, 10:32 PM

QUOTE(Brett-Butler @ Mar 15 2020, 09:33 PM)

Posted by: Harve 15th March 2020, 10:34 PM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 15 2020, 11:06 PM)

Posted by: *Tim 15th March 2020, 10:43 PM

QUOTE(Harve @ Mar 15 2020, 11:34 PM)

Posted by: Jack 15th March 2020, 10:43 PM

Kehlani and Madison Beer (not major artists I know) have confirmed their albums are to be delayed due to Corona. I wonder if we will see more major album delays and a dry up on the music industry if this continues.

Posted by: SAD + FURIOUS 15th March 2020, 10:57 PM

Another 100 cases in one day in Greece, now a lot of shop owners are voluntarily staying closed starting tomorrow. Meanwhile, thousands of dumb people still went to church on Sunday morning thinking Jesus won't let them get the Coronavirus, so I expect to see a rapid increase in cases in the next few days. The Prime Minister is meeting with the Holy Synod in the morning, so I hope they come to the decision to close the damn churches.

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 11:01 PM

Has the Greek economy managed to recover completely from their economic crisis a few year ago. If not the coronavirus could hit Greece very hard

Posted by: The S***e 15th March 2020, 11:05 PM

QUOTE(SAD + FURIOUS @ Mar 15 2020, 10:57 PM)

Posted by: Jacob :O 16th March 2020, 12:42 AM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 15 2020, 10:06 PM)

Posted by: 🍆 16th March 2020, 12:46 AM

There are claims that toilet paper can be used to make face masks which has apparently been debunked as well. That’s the latest theory why people are going crazy over loo rolls over here lmao. Russia is so slow. I think only now they started to realize the poo panic has been going on for quite a few weeks all over the world.

Posted by: dhwe 16th March 2020, 04:22 AM

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 16th March 2020, 08:21 AM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Mar 15 2020, 08:54 PM)

Posted by: Brett-Butler 16th March 2020, 08:34 AM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 15 2020, 11:32 PM)

Posted by: tommie 16th March 2020, 08:47 AM

Well, this Monday became incredibly short.

Posted by: Steve201 16th March 2020, 10:00 AM

QUOTE(Brett-Butler @ Mar 16 2020, 08:34 AM)

Posted by: Brett-Butler 16th March 2020, 10:02 AM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 16 2020, 11:00 AM)

Posted by: Jack 16th March 2020, 10:08 AM

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/government-response-to-coronavirus-led-by-science-grant-shapps

????? I'm literally SPEECHLESS.

Posted by: I. :II: z 16th March 2020, 10:33 AM

If this was being 'handled by science' then shouldn't there be a concerted effort and continual updates from the government on their strategy? I may not be in the country but I've seen very little evidence of good and strong government reassurance.

Or hell, just look at South Korea who've managed a very good level of control amid a tough level of spreading. By science, you follow the most successful strategy so far.

Posted by: Steve201 16th March 2020, 11:13 AM

It's being handled by politics. They don't want the NHS to be over run and to highlight how short of investments there's been over the past decade. So it's herd mentality all the way so the poor and old will most likely feel the effects.

Posted by: *Tim 16th March 2020, 11:32 AM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 16 2020, 12:13 PM)

Posted by: Dobbo 16th March 2020, 11:33 AM

Yes plus more elderly casualties means less of a pension burden.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 16th March 2020, 11:49 AM

The Craigavon 3/4 marathon I was due to do in April is now postponed.

It would've been the last big test before the marathon in May, so I'm disappointed by that. On the plus side, it means that I no longer need to go to Craigavon.

Posted by: Steve201 16th March 2020, 12:24 PM

Always good not to have to go to Craigavon!

Posted by: The S***e 16th March 2020, 12:26 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 16 2020, 11:13 AM)

Posted by: Steve201 16th March 2020, 12:46 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 16 2020, 12:26 PM)

Posted by: Brett-Butler 16th March 2020, 01:45 PM

As expected, the Belfast Marathon has now been postponed to September. That's 3 months of training that are now going to go to waste. Still, looking on the bright side, I've now beaten my own personal record of longest distance run in 1 go (16 miles).

Posted by: Jack 16th March 2020, 03:00 PM

Primark now closed throughout all Europe!!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 16th March 2020, 03:26 PM

Just got an email from York saying that all teaching and examinations for the Final term are going to be done online (and that first-year exams will be cancelled) however the Uni is still open. Given that there's only four weeks of teaching after Easter this is probably the best part of the year for it to happen, still going to have to revise over most of Easter though.

Posted by: ITz Cody 16th March 2020, 04:01 PM

I’m surprised the US is handling this better than the UK considering how most Americans are anti-science

Schools are closed, supermarkets are starting to practice rationing supplies, hell even the Starbucks near my house is only accepting takeaway orders

Posted by: Harve 16th March 2020, 04:06 PM

France has already closed schools, shops, cafés, restaurants, bars, ski resorts, gyms, closed its borders and severely reduced public transport. The country is basically already shut but Macron is speaking *again* at 20h00 tonight and I don't see what more can be announced other than an Italy-style lockdown where we have to have a reason to go outside and can't leave our town/neighbourhood urgh.

Posted by: Steve201 16th March 2020, 04:26 PM

So the WHO press conference there stated that there should be continued tests on people and social distancing on all possible levels be put in place and yet Boris Johnson is putting the opposite plans in place so far although we are waiting for the dear leader to make his daily statement.

Posted by: Mikal 16th March 2020, 05:32 PM

They’ve announced... nothing

Posted by: Silas EU Later 16th March 2020, 05:48 PM

Posted by: lotita 16th March 2020, 06:00 PM

so i'm lumped into the group who they're announcing that 12 week isolation for next week lmao. gonna buy myself a nintendo switch

Posted by: lotita 16th March 2020, 06:02 PM

omg they've sold out on JL everyone else is panic buying switches

Posted by: blacksquare 16th March 2020, 06:02 PM

QUOTE(Mikal @ Mar 16 2020, 05:32 PM)

Posted by: I. :II: z 16th March 2020, 06:14 PM

So without definite ordered closure and no specific safety net, businesses and jobs aren't insulated from the fallout of closing for weeks... does the government want a collapsed economy?

Posted by: Euphorique 16th March 2020, 06:24 PM

Finally Portugal is closing borders.

Heard a really nasty rumor from an italian medical worker saying that in the hospital he works, they are starting to let people over the age of 75 die

Posted by: T Boy 16th March 2020, 06:28 PM

I can’t believe they’ve said practically nothing. It’s sickening. Maybe it’s just because I’ve had the day from Hell but I can’t believe there are still no enforcements. Loads of kids were missing today because parents just wouldn’t send them in. I’ve started compiling work for classes on google classroom but the atmosphere at school is nuts. I could be off with stress before long.

Posted by: Harve 16th March 2020, 06:29 PM

I don't know from a medical perspective but the UK measures I swear are so dumb from an economic standpoint.

Like, if you only 'recommend' that people avoid pubs and shops then thousands and thousands of businesses - small and large - are gonna go bust and lots of people are gonna lose jobs as insurance will only payout if you're forced to close. Very low footfall ain't gonna mean anything for insurers.

Please just legally oblige places to close, if only so that we only need to bailout the insurance industry rather than dozens and dozens of sectors.

Posted by: The S***e 16th March 2020, 06:29 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 16 2020, 04:26 PM)

Posted by: Euphorique 16th March 2020, 06:30 PM

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 16th March 2020, 06:32 PM

QUOTE(lotita @ Mar 16 2020, 06:02 PM)

Posted by: lewistgreen 16th March 2020, 06:34 PM

Idris Elba has posted on Twitter to say he’s been tested positive for it but has no symptoms yet!

Posted by: The S***e 16th March 2020, 06:34 PM

Useful table there. In the US it will could be even higher though than these figures suggest compared to Italy at the same time in their outbreak because of a lack of testing kits.

Where is the UK in comparison to Italy and the US at their equivalent stage I wonder?

Posted by: blacksquare 16th March 2020, 06:34 PM

QUOTE(Harve @ Mar 16 2020, 06:29 PM)

Posted by: Dobbo 16th March 2020, 06:35 PM

The hell does that latest bulletin even mean? What constitutes "essential" social contact??

Posted by: Suedehead2 16th March 2020, 06:36 PM

Some bands etc. are starting to attract criticism for continuing with live dates. However, others have pointed out that, in the absence of any instructions from the government, the act could be liable for all losses sustained by a cancellation. It is, therefore, not surprising that there is a reluctance to cancel.

Similarly, businesses such as restaurants etc. aren't going to close voluntarily if they have no expectation of being compensated for loss of business. If restaurants are forced to close without any financial help, I suspect at least one chain will go out of business along with many small local restaurants

Posted by: The S***e 16th March 2020, 06:42 PM

Posted by: Klaus 16th March 2020, 06:42 PM

Does a hair cut count as essential contact because I’ll have a mop on my head in 12 weeks time otherwise

Posted by: Euphorique 16th March 2020, 06:44 PM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 16 2020, 06:42 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 16th March 2020, 06:45 PM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 16 2020, 06:42 PM)

Posted by: 🍆 16th March 2020, 06:47 PM

that's the Tory government your country voted for. the government that puts insurance companies' interests over the rest of the citizens.

there's no way IN HELL they didn't consider obliging businesses to close but it's not happening so yeah.

Posted by: Silas EU Later 16th March 2020, 06:50 PM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 16 2020, 07:42 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 16th March 2020, 06:54 PM

QUOTE(Silas EU Later @ Mar 16 2020, 06:50 PM)

Posted by: Chez Wombat 16th March 2020, 06:54 PM

Utterly ridiculous announcement, Boris really is spineless. Don't ADVISE, DO, otherwise people won't stop. There is no sense in keeping pubs and clubs open at all at this stage.

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 16 2020, 06:28 PM)

Posted by: dandy* 16th March 2020, 07:26 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 16 2020, 03:00 PM)

Posted by: Silas EU Later 16th March 2020, 07:32 PM

Posted by: RabbitFurCoat 16th March 2020, 07:50 PM

It's hard to have anything other than a complete lack of confidence in this utterly hapless government. I genuinely despise them.

Posted by: Colm 16th March 2020, 07:53 PM

QUOTE(Dobbo @ Mar 16 2020, 06:35 PM)

Posted by: Wall 16th March 2020, 07:53 PM

Everything’s being cancelled 😭

While I agree, I’ll still cry

Posted by: dan.G 16th March 2020, 08:04 PM

well apparently theatres in London have been forced to close now, my parents went off tonight to try and get to see Hamilton before their inevitable closure but were too late as they went only to find out it'd been cancelled.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 16th March 2020, 08:07 PM

QUOTE(Dobbo @ Mar 16 2020, 06:35 PM)

Posted by: dandy* 16th March 2020, 08:07 PM

I'm annoyed that the government haven't just said that places MUST close. I really can't understand why unless they are putting the interests of the banks and insurance companies above the interests of individual businesses.


edit - although I guess there could be some sort of social science at play here. I guess people may be less resentful of it happening if they feel like they are partly choosing it as opposed to being forced.

Posted by: Wall 16th March 2020, 08:16 PM

I also lost my events job today *.*

Things we love to see

Posted by: Klaus 16th March 2020, 08:19 PM

Part of it is for £££ reasons, looking to protect economy as well but I think they’re reluctant to impose isolation now as we’re probs gonna be in it for a long time which will become hard to enforce.

Posted by: Steve201 16th March 2020, 08:28 PM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Mar 16 2020, 08:07 PM)

Posted by: Mack. 16th March 2020, 08:54 PM

Grand National has been cancelled.

Posted by: Euphorique 16th March 2020, 09:15 PM

well Trump just said if the US does its job, they should be able to "wash through" this virus by July or August

Posted by: Steve201 16th March 2020, 09:17 PM

He also didn't think it was a big deal last week so we shall see!

Posted by: The S***e 16th March 2020, 09:21 PM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 16 2020, 08:19 PM)

Posted by: Jack 16th March 2020, 09:34 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 16 2020, 09:21 PM)

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 16th March 2020, 09:40 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 16 2020, 09:34 PM)

Posted by: Hadji 16th March 2020, 09:41 PM

My holiday to Benidorm this Friday got cancelled. They gave me the option of postponing the holiday, flying to Marrakech instead of a full refund

Posted by: Liаm 16th March 2020, 09:48 PM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Mar 16 2020, 08:07 PM)

Posted by: Doctor Blind 16th March 2020, 09:49 PM

NEW: The UK only realised "in the last few days" that attempts to "mitigate" the coronavirus pandemic would not work, and that it needed to shift to a strategy to "suppress", according to a report by a team of experts who have been advising the government.
The Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team has been advising SAGE
It found from new data that mitigation would "likely result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and health systems (most notably intensive care units) being overwhelmed many times over"
Revised modelling from new NHS data and Italy showed a mitigation strategy would surpass NHS emergency surge capacity by as much as eight times, leading to 250,000 deaths in Britain

"In the UK, this conclusion has only been reached in the last few days"

"We were expecting herd immunity to build. We now realise it’s not possible to cope with that," said Professor Azra Ghani, chair of infectious diseases epidemiology at Imperial.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/coronavirus-uk-strategy-deaths

I know it is not fair to criticise a Government DURING a crisis, but my god are there going to be some repercussions come the summer.

Posted by: Silas EU Later 16th March 2020, 09:52 PM

I’m not a medical scientist by any stretch of the imagination but that just seems like a massive “no shit Sherlock”. Seriously questioning the “experts” on this panel advising the government if they’ve got only just realised that the UKs inaction will kill a shit load of people

Posted by: Envoirment 16th March 2020, 09:53 PM

The whole situation around the virus has made me quite sad. In part due to people's attitudes and that we're likely looking at another shit decade economically, with slashing interest rates and quantitative easing happening once again. It'll likely cause further wealth inequality, further inflate the housing bubble and keep interest rates low - thereby discentivising saving and creating a lot more debt. Perhaps another lost decade incoming - just when I thought things were starting to get better (minus brexit).

One issue with the outbreak is that its timing means we'll likely be having to deal with it until a fairly effective vaccine becomes readily available. It'll likely come back during the 2020-2021 winter season, similar to seasonal flu.

Posted by: lewistgreen 16th March 2020, 09:56 PM

I’ve got to train out our working from home contingency plan tomorrow and I genuinely think come the end of the week that’s what we will be doing. The trouble is the company have selected only a handful of people to be given work laptops and the rest are sat around panicking thinking they’re going to be sent home without pay. This is frightening shit tbh

Posted by: Silas EU Later 16th March 2020, 10:01 PM

Posted by: Suedehead2 16th March 2020, 10:07 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 16 2020, 09:34 PM)

Posted by: Silas EU Later 16th March 2020, 10:48 PM

Posted by: Riser 16th March 2020, 10:56 PM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 16 2020, 02:42 PM)

Posted by: Mack. 16th March 2020, 11:40 PM

Actor Tom Hanks has been released from a Gold Coast hospital after being quarantined with coronavirus,

Posted by: dandy* 17th March 2020, 12:11 AM

QUOTE(Liаm @ Mar 16 2020, 09:48 PM)

Yeah I think this is what they're going for, it's like "you have a bit of a choice" so if you want to "risk" going to see your friend or whatever it's on you, which like WOULD be fine but it's not the time to give choices, suggestions and advice is not gonna work because you give someone that little bit of "freedom" and because pubs etc. are open I think people are gonna go "it must be fine" so still go to places like that.

If the public voted for Brexit and kept the Tories in power, they are gonna do the wrong thing here too

Posted by: Calum 17th March 2020, 01:55 AM

The horror stories I'm hearing from my work is unreal tbh. One of my friends that I worked with in Aberdeen, who is now a branch manager, had one of her staff come back from a holiday in Italy recently and she's made him stay at work because they're short-staffed and the busiest branch in the UK at the moment :')

I've also had a runny nose and a sore head all day today and my manager doesn't seem to give a shit.

Posted by: ITz Cody 17th March 2020, 03:16 AM

QUOTE(Envoirment @ Mar 16 2020, 02:53 PM)

Posted by: Rooney 17th March 2020, 06:01 AM

I’m in New Zealand and while everything is perfectly normal here my fear is I’m going to be trapped here, my flight back is not for 13 days and I cannot get through to anyone to change my flights.. and it probably doesn’t help I’m nowhere near an international airport. First time I’m a bit panicky as I’ve got make a big choice today whether to risk it or find a flight back!

Posted by: Wall 17th March 2020, 07:35 AM

QUOTE(Rooney @ Mar 17 2020, 06:01 AM)

Posted by: HausofKubrick 17th March 2020, 07:47 AM

First human trial for a vaccine is underway in the US.

WHO are now advocating that we protect the young as well as elderly. So schools surely need to close, like NOW? I am so nervous about going into work and the children themselves are terrified too.

Posted by: Jack 17th March 2020, 08:12 AM

Love to see how supportive MP's are in this time of need!

Posted by: Mikal 17th March 2020, 09:45 AM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 17 2020, 08:12 AM)

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 11:35 AM

QUOTE(Hadji @ Mar 16 2020, 09:41 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 11:36 AM

QUOTE(Rooney @ Mar 17 2020, 06:01 AM)

Posted by: Klaus 17th March 2020, 11:40 AM

In these odd times, I think it’s worthwhile to have focus on the statistics for recovery from the virus as well. Even more positively it is highly likely there will be much more from those untested cases:

Posted by: Harve 17th March 2020, 11:56 AM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 17 2020, 09:12 AM)

Posted by: dan.G 17th March 2020, 12:09 PM

rumor has it Covid is now a resident in my home street. coming to our house before long then.

Posted by: awardinary 17th March 2020, 12:21 PM

Heard Carphone Warehouse is to close all its stores nationwide, focusing on online sales only.

Posted by: Silas EU Later 17th March 2020, 12:59 PM

Dominic Raab has advised brits not to leave the country. Some thinly veiled threats to not repatriate people because it’s “expensive”

Germany announced earlier this morning that it was going to spend 50m€ bringing it’s nationals home

QUOTE(awardinary @ Mar 17 2020, 01:21 PM)

Heard Carphone Warehouse is to close all its stores nationwide, focusing on online sales only.

Posted by: Jack 17th March 2020, 01:25 PM

All cinemas now closed as well which is understandable. Hope their employees are being looked after however.

Posted by: J00ps 17th March 2020, 01:28 PM

Benefits assessments face to face now cancelled. However no word from the DWP whether this means they'll be auto-granted or auto-rejected. Going by the government's track record I'm not optimistic...

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 01:43 PM

Interesting to see which countries will do best and which will do worst in this pandemic. Will sub-Saharan Africa continue to escape the worst of it? Will the Baltic states and also Mongolia escape the worst of it because of their complete foreign travel bans at a relatively early stage in case numbers/fatalities?

QUOTE(Envoirment @ Mar 16 2020, 09:53 PM)

Posted by: Jack 17th March 2020, 01:47 PM

Food banks are now shut The vulnerable and poor are really going to suffer.

Posted by: *Tim 17th March 2020, 01:48 PM

QUOTE(dan.G @ Mar 17 2020, 01:09 PM)

rumor has it Covid is now a resident in my home street. coming to our house before long then.

Posted by: Jack 17th March 2020, 01:52 PM

Stanley Johnson has said he would still go the pub – despite his own son’s warning not to do so as part of new social distancing guidance.


The prime minister told the country to “avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues”.


Yet Stanley Johnson, 79, told ITV’s This Morning: “Of course I’ll go to a pub if I need to go to a pub.”


Shocked host Phillip Schofield said: “What do you think your son’s going to say to that – he’s just told you not to.”


Johnson Snr. Replied: “No he said we should avoid going to pubs, but if I had to go to a pub I’d go to a pub.” He also said landlords “need a little bit of people … they don’t want people to be not in the pub at all”.



f***ing hell :')

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 01:55 PM

You don't HAVE to go to the pub!

Posted by: Dobbo 17th March 2020, 02:04 PM

Telling people they can't do something (or rather "not recommend" it) will incite some to do the exact opposite even if they weren't planning on in the first place. Another human trait, the inherent middle finger.

Posted by: Liаm 17th March 2020, 02:05 PM

"If I need to!!"


oh my lord

The sad thing is I think there's gonna be a fair amount of people the same. I'm working a close shift tonight so I'm interested to see if Boris announcing this yday affects how much custom we get today! I heard people yesterday when it broke saying "if it was that bad they'd close it" so advising against something just isn't enough to stop everyone.

Posted by: blacksquare 17th March 2020, 02:11 PM

Oh, wow.

Posted by: Euphorique 17th March 2020, 02:26 PM

The problem is you're never gonna go back to normal anytime soon, not until a vaccine is out. Take Macau as an example, they got it under control, people started to go out again, and the limitations and border restrictions were lifted, and the number of cases started to rise again - so now they're closing borders again. Not all countries are at the same stage of the disease, so lifting restrictions once you start to see a decline doesnt seem efficient.

Posted by: J00ps 17th March 2020, 02:52 PM

Frankly at this point I say let people be stupid. The kind of people who voted for Brexit are the same kind about to risk themselves to go to the pub etc. and also in the at risk categories. Nature is sending a sign. The only way such people will learn if at all is by example.

E: by which I meant bullheaded people, not the exact same group of people who voted for Brexit (& are thus expendable). I don't believe that that's the case.

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 02:57 PM

QUOTE(J00ps @ Mar 17 2020, 02:52 PM)

Posted by: Bré 17th March 2020, 03:29 PM

QUOTE(J00ps @ Mar 17 2020, 02:52 PM)

Posted by: Cqmerqn 17th March 2020, 03:37 PM

I’m now in isolation and I have no idea how I’m gonna cope being indoors for so long. My work are delivering work to my house, so that’s something to do at least :’)

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 17th March 2020, 03:59 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 17 2020, 08:12 AM)

Posted by: HausofKubrick 17th March 2020, 04:34 PM

My headteacher today stated that (from a head medical person apparently not Linda on Facebook) that there is a chance that schools closing/lockdown etc could last until October/November depending on when the outbreak peaks in the UK. This is why they are delaying as much as possible because we really could be in this for the LONG RUN. Obviously closing everything down NOW would reduce the peak but they are biding time until NHS/hospitals are ready.

Posted by: HausofKubrick 17th March 2020, 04:37 PM

I had an open chat with my class today. There was some casual racism which I stamped out (but I understood where their views came from, and they were just innocently assuming things that weren't true). They were also worried about what this would mean for their exams (which they have been preparing for for a year now). I also shared a lot of positive statistics to help calm some of them down. It is a frightening time for US, let alone 10/11 year olds. We really need to protect children's mental health and reassure them wherever possible. But also encourage them to support the elderly and stamp out any misconceptions they have - which were plenty!

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 05:14 PM

Our offices are coded tomorrow but we have to go in and then work from home I imagine.

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 05:16 PM

QUOTE(HausofKubrick @ Mar 17 2020, 04:34 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 05:28 PM

QUOTE(HausofKubrick @ Mar 17 2020, 04:34 PM)

Posted by: Klaus 17th March 2020, 05:33 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 17 2020, 05:16 PM)

Posted by: J00ps 17th March 2020, 05:34 PM

QUOTE(Bré @ Mar 17 2020, 03:29 PM)

I really hope you don't legitimately think this. If anyone is allowed to 'be stupid' it hurts everyone because it spreads the disease further, this post reads like 'I'm ok with the virus spreading if it means that people I disagree with politically suffer'.

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 05:46 PM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 17 2020, 05:33 PM)

Posted by: Addy K!ng 17th March 2020, 05:52 PM

Italy death numbers are really concerning.

In 3-4 days they will actually have more deaths than China with less number of infected people

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 06:00 PM

QUOTE(Addy K!ng @ Mar 17 2020, 05:52 PM)

Italy death numbers are really concerning.

In 3-4 days they will actually have more deaths than China with less number of infected people

Posted by: Calum 17th March 2020, 06:02 PM

What's the official guidance re. underlying health conditions now? I've had a look at gov.uk but it's not exactly clear lmao.

Had to have a one-to-one with my manager today about health conditions, etc and I do have more than one (albeit none respiratory), but unsure what I need to do? Phoned my GP for advice too and he basically said 'it is an underlying health condition so tell them that'.

Posted by: Suedehead2 17th March 2020, 06:09 PM

QUOTE(J00ps @ Mar 17 2020, 05:34 PM)

Posted by: Suedehead2 17th March 2020, 06:14 PM

The Science Museum has just sent out an email saying that it will be closed indefinitely from tonight. Presumably the other major museums will follow suit.

Posted by: awardinary 17th March 2020, 06:19 PM

Center Parcs to close all its UK family parks from March 20th.

https://www.centerparcs.co.uk/village-news/general-news.html

Posted by: T Boy 17th March 2020, 06:36 PM

More kids off today, we will be five teachers short tomorrow, the schools simply cannot last past the end of this week. One school in my area is already closed.

Posted by: Wall 17th March 2020, 06:38 PM

So after being let go of my part time events job due to insufficient work, My full time work seem to be getting ready to close their offices too with only a selected amount based on how long they’ve been there getting to work for home. I’m actually starting to shit myself because I’ve got a lot of bills to be paid and have next to no faith in this government to help.

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 06:43 PM

QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 17 2020, 05:33 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 06:56 PM

Why is the British government a week behind every other EU country in this - they are a disgrace and putting lives/livelihoods at risk!

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 06:59 PM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 17 2020, 06:36 PM)

Posted by: Suedehead2 17th March 2020, 06:59 PM

QUOTE(Wall @ Mar 17 2020, 06:38 PM)

Posted by: JosephInSpace 17th March 2020, 07:12 PM

My school asked all the staff to let them know about any health conditions (those listed by the NHS as being a risk) today and those who replied have been advised not to come into work until further notice - me included as I have asthma. School's open for years 7, 10 and 11 due to a lack of staff available as a result (plus some already self-isolating).

Posted by: Bré 17th March 2020, 08:06 PM

QUOTE(J00ps @ Mar 17 2020, 05:34 PM)

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 08:14 PM

QUOTE(Bré @ Mar 17 2020, 08:06 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 08:20 PM

QUOTE(JosephInSpace @ Mar 17 2020, 07:12 PM)

Posted by: dandy* 17th March 2020, 08:22 PM

If you have asthma then I think you're in the at risk category.

Posted by: J00ps 17th March 2020, 08:26 PM

Guess 2020 is another year where my posts are going to get misread then :')

With respect Bré, I was making a valid comparison based on a shared set of values observed very visibly by everyone in the country over the last 36 months. The category 'people-who-supported-Brexit' was (I thought) the most obvious and accessible example of certain people within the country trusting their own personal feelings over any kind of expert advice, even when the expert advice ran directly contrary to what their pre-existing beliefs were.

That was just one example group. I could have said anti-vaxxers or abstention-only sexual educators.

What I was emphatically not doing was saying that the actual group of people who voted for Brexit ran the risk of being more susceptible to coronavirus and because they supported that we should leave them to it. If that was your conclusion, you've misread me.

Posted by: JosephInSpace 17th March 2020, 08:29 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 17 2020, 08:20 PM)

• chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
• chronic kidney disease
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
• chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
• diabetes
• problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
• a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
• being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)
• those who are pregnant

Posted by: T Boy 17th March 2020, 08:33 PM

My BMI is above 40 so maybe I can work from home from Monday.

I expect the school to be closed by then though.

Posted by: Bré 17th March 2020, 09:01 PM

QUOTE(J00ps @ Mar 17 2020, 08:26 PM)

I really hope you don't legitimately think this. If anyone is allowed to 'be stupid' it hurts everyone because it spreads the disease further, this post reads like 'I'm ok with the virus spreading if it means that people I disagree with politically stupid people suffer'.

Posted by: The S***e 17th March 2020, 09:26 PM

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 10:12 PM

QUOTE(JosephInSpace @ Mar 17 2020, 08:29 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 10:26 PM

Actually anyone else not really scared of gettin this now? They are talking about a low figure of 20,000 deaths now.

Posted by: J00ps 17th March 2020, 10:37 PM

Ok re Bré, with the rephrase - point was just exasperation at people's stubbornness, not literally to completely stop trying. I do believe though that for some people the only thing to get through to them will be tangible consequences. That's just being realistic based on the pattern & being in denial over that imo is unhelpful. That could just be my work talking /shrug

Posted by: Cqmerqn 17th March 2020, 10:40 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 17 2020, 10:26 PM)

Posted by: 🍆 17th March 2020, 10:41 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 18 2020, 01:26 AM)

Posted by: Bré 17th March 2020, 10:54 PM

I'm not personally scared of getting it myself as I'm not in an at-risk group but I would be worried about passing it onto my parents if I did get it (although realistically the only way I'd get it would probably be if someone else in my family gets it first anyway, I don't really ever come into contact with any other people at the moment lol).

Posted by: Steve201 17th March 2020, 11:16 PM

QUOTE(Cqmerqn @ Mar 17 2020, 10:40 PM)

Posted by: *Tim 18th March 2020, 12:17 AM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 17 2020, 11:26 PM)

Posted by: Severin 18th March 2020, 12:42 AM

I'm not worried about getting it personally. I almost feel like it would be getting it over with. I'm young and healthy enough that I'll probably be ok.

What worries me is passing it on to others who are vulnerable or who will be in contact with those who are at risk.

It's all about breaking the chain of transmission

Posted by: J00ps 18th March 2020, 12:43 AM

Would need to know rough death rates for regular flu/pneumonia etc. to really compare if that's high or not in the scheme of things.

Posted by: lotita 18th March 2020, 12:45 AM

my housemate has symptoms so we’re following the advice and going into isolation for 14 days. wish me luck

I’m running out of inhalers so hoping the pharmacy will deliver to me

Posted by: Severin 18th March 2020, 12:48 AM

QUOTE(J00ps @ Mar 18 2020, 12:43 AM)

Posted by: Silas EU Later 18th March 2020, 09:08 AM

Personally I’m not worried about getting it, as others have also said I’m young and healthy enough to fight it off. I’m already on WFH and I’m new in the city/country so don’t have a social life yet to speak of and I don’t have any family members nearby to pass it on to. #SingingAllByMyselfIntoAWineBottle

I do worry about my sister who works in a supermarket and is a student nurse contracting it and passing it on to my dad who ticks a few of the risk categories.

In the meantime, I’m waiting for us to become the next country to enter full lockdown and that’s wholly fine by me.

Posted by: 🍆 18th March 2020, 09:19 AM

It definitely doesn't help I'm showing signs of flu right now oops. Having swollen glands (just one though) for the first time ever so obviously I'm panicking oops. I was wondering if buying 150 TP rolls can help me??1 @CrazyChris

I have a monthly vet appointment tomorrow morning so fingers crossed i catch something x

Posted by: Lukuzz 18th March 2020, 09:43 AM

Hate all the uncertainty of it all at the minute. I work in a call centre for Baclays with 3 packed floors and it's all just carry on as normal unless you have symptoms, but even those who clearly have symptoms have still been coming in. No option to work from home and we're all in close proximity to eacv other.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 18th March 2020, 10:46 AM

Things just got a little bit closer to home for me, as my brother & his girlfriend are now in the 2 week self isolation period after one of them developed a cough. He lives in a different city so I'm not under quarantine at the moment.

Posted by: *Tim 18th March 2020, 11:26 AM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 18 2020, 01:17 AM)

Posted by: 🍆 18th March 2020, 12:25 PM

Russia banned foreigners from entering the country until May 1.

EU is also banning entry for non-EU residents (except if they have non-tourist visas, etc.).

Fun.

Posted by: dan.G 18th March 2020, 12:52 PM

glastonbury has been cancelled today.

Posted by: Silas EU Later 18th March 2020, 01:45 PM

Schools will be closed in Scotland and Wales from the end of this week. Expectations are that England will very soon follow with this measure

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 18th March 2020, 01:49 PM

Eurovision and Glastonbury have been cancelled.

Posted by: Jack 18th March 2020, 01:57 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 18 2020, 01:49 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 18th March 2020, 02:01 PM

QUOTE(�� @ Mar 18 2020, 09:19 AM)

Posted by: BrookeOlivia 18th March 2020, 02:20 PM

2,626 testing positive now, Up 676 from yesterdays 1.950 total.

Posted by: The S***e 18th March 2020, 02:36 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 18 2020, 11:26 AM)

Posted by: Quarantilas 18th March 2020, 02:42 PM

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 18th March 2020, 03:20 PM

Ma dentist is in isolation over it! Ma teeth, ma teeth! Going next week instead.

Posted by: *Tim 18th March 2020, 04:23 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 18 2020, 02:57 PM)

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 18 2020, 03:36 PM)

So this is almost certain you are the first person on Buzzjack to have the virus?

Posted by: Chez Wombat 18th March 2020, 04:39 PM

So my college is finally closing now and will be working from home from Monday (and I expect the rest of England to follow soon). This is such a new thing for my role and for the teachers at college so it's gonna take some getting used to, but I'm certainly glad to be rid of the commute. If one positive comes out of all this, it's that virtual learning and technologies can be fully utilised.

Posted by: Dobbo 18th March 2020, 04:44 PM

Looks like the UK will be in full lockdown from Friday.

Edit: just London

Posted by: Mack. 18th March 2020, 05:19 PM

All schools closed on Friday afternoon to further notice.

Posted by: The S***e 18th March 2020, 05:23 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 18 2020, 01:57 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 18th March 2020, 05:38 PM

QUOTE(Dobbo @ Mar 18 2020, 04:44 PM)

Posted by: T Boy 18th March 2020, 05:47 PM

Closing the schools had to happen. I just can’t believe I have two days to go, kids will be wild if they even turn up.

I’ll be setting weekly work for all if them online. At least I won’t have the pastoral shit for a while, it might help my mental health.

Posted by: BridgeCow 18th March 2020, 05:59 PM

Omfg I’m gonna lose it how is there no solid answer for exams

I’m gonna be at home Monday like??? What is happening I’m so scared

Absolutely praying they don’t postpone exams til the summer that is my complete nightmare

Posted by: Dobbo 18th March 2020, 06:10 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 18 2020, 05:38 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 18th March 2020, 06:53 PM

QUOTE(Mack. @ Mar 18 2020, 05:19 PM)

Posted by: HausofKubrick 18th March 2020, 07:12 PM

Agreed with everything in the government's statement regarding education and keeping schools open for children of key workers and those with special circumstances. Going to be an emotional two days coming up!

Posted by: T Boy 18th March 2020, 07:43 PM

QUOTE(HausofKubrick @ Mar 18 2020, 07:12 PM)

Posted by: Dobbo 18th March 2020, 07:51 PM

I think back to if I was a kid and tbh would have felt like today all my christmases came at once. Obv I wouldn't have appreciated the wider implications and if it was year 10+ that'd be shit, i remember how stressful year 13 and all the UCAS jazz was regardless so my heart goes out to all those in that position now. I truly hope some sort of arrangements/ agreements can be made as that is such a significant bearing on one's life! Can't undermine it.

Posted by: HausofKubrick 18th March 2020, 07:59 PM

QUOTE(Dobbo @ Mar 18 2020, 07:51 PM)

Posted by: T Boy 18th March 2020, 08:00 PM

QUOTE(Dobbo @ Mar 18 2020, 07:51 PM)

Posted by: WhoOdyssey 18th March 2020, 08:01 PM

I'm year 12 so I'm not really impacted by the exams cancelling (other than mocks which can be done at the start of the next school year), but I'm not sure how I'll cope potentially being off from school for 6 months.

And I'm one of those that actually *enjoy* going to school so I'm a bit depressed at the thought of not being in again for ages. I get so much more work done at school, enjoy the camaraderie, and coursework will be massively delayed as I need the school's film equipment for it. So I really hope that it's safe for schools to open again before July.

Posted by: Suedehead2 18th March 2020, 08:10 PM

Teachers at the school where I've been working will all be setting work for their classes. The students are expected to do that work in the time they would normally be in the relevant lesson.

It's the year 11s who are currently being left in limbo. We know they won't be doing their GCSEs in May/June but we have not been given any idea whether they will be taken at a later date.

Posted by: HausofKubrick 18th March 2020, 09:07 PM

Head has emailed us - teaching staff may be required to work during the Easter holidays too, perhaps with supporting at risk children/families or other duties around school to make up for lost time.

Posted by: 🍆 18th March 2020, 09:18 PM

can you imagine if it was holiday time right now. at least people had calm Christmas before everything blew up

Posted by: lewistgreen 18th March 2020, 09:20 PM

I’m now ready to work from home so just waiting for the inevitable announcement but I’m continuing to go into the office, because we’ve been asked to, until we’re told otherwise

Posted by: Chez Wombat 18th March 2020, 09:36 PM

There are students I'm supporting that are final year students that don't take exams, but do a final assessment which determines their grade. The deadlines were set for the start of May so they'll definitely be pushed forward or scrapped, it's manageable for students to do the majority of it at home although it's gonna be hard as they are very media/art based and may be deprived of materials. Really hope they find a way to deal with this as they'll need the grades for universities although it'll certainly be a system-wide thing.

Posted by: coi 18th March 2020, 09:44 PM

My uni closes this weekend as well, actually can't wait to go home

Really interested to see what happens with the exam situation as it still seems pretty unclear at the moment and I was doing those just last year!

Posted by: Houdini 18th March 2020, 09:51 PM

QUOTE(Dobbo @ Mar 18 2020, 04:44 PM)

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 18th March 2020, 09:53 PM

The National Trust are opening up all their gardens for free to encourage people to get out still even though the houses and cafés are shut.

Posted by: zenon 18th March 2020, 10:00 PM

QUOTE(The S***e @ Mar 18 2020, 07:23 PM)

Posted by: WhoOdyssey 18th March 2020, 10:03 PM

TRNSMT is basically T in the Park with a different name anyway

Posted by: Quarantilas 18th March 2020, 10:19 PM

T in the Park died when it left Balado.

Posted by: Wall 18th March 2020, 10:28 PM

Never a truer word spoken

Posted by: Social Hisstance 18th March 2020, 10:57 PM

QUOTE(PeteFromLeeds @ Mar 18 2020, 09:53 PM)

Posted by: Mack. 18th March 2020, 11:29 PM

Local pubs around me still open. As for food, I got essentials.

Posted by: Mack. 18th March 2020, 11:32 PM

TFL have announced that trains and Underground are to reduce certain Services and close 40 Underground Stations from Monday.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 19th March 2020, 11:33 AM

QUOTE(Social Hisstance @ Mar 18 2020, 10:57 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 19th March 2020, 12:34 PM

The number of confirmed cases in Germany has risen to 12,853, with the number of deaths reaching 34.

Politicians, police and prominent figures appealed to Germans to ‘stay at home’, or risk the introduction of curfews as in France, amid widespread evidence that many people are still not sufficiently reducing their movements to halt the spread of coronavirus.


The Robert Koch Institute, the leading public health body in Germany, has said it is planning to track mass amounts of mobile phone data, to establish whether Germans are reducing their movements enough.

Deutsche Telekom is giving it access to the anonymous data of millions of its customers. A data protection ombudsman has said the measures are acceptable, as long as the data remains anonymous. The move would usually raise the hackles of those who recall the mass surveillance of German citizens in the communist east by the state police, the Stasi, but in general it is being seen as an acceptable measure in desperate times.

Curfews could be imminent. Bavaria’s minister president, Markus Söder, said: “I understand that the isolation of many people is very difficult, but if you don’t restrict yourselves, there will be no other possibility. In Bavaria there are more than 1,700 confirmed infections and 14 people have died.

The mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller said he was appalled by the lack of consideration many Berliners were showing. “People do not understand. It is unacceptable that people are actually inviting each other to Corona parties. It is terrible!” he said.

He also condemned the extent to which people were stockpiling, saying there was no need to do so.

A curfew for the 3.6m Berliners could not be ruled out, he said. The German capital has 519 confirmed cases so far.

Posted by: Riser 19th March 2020, 02:22 PM

Germany's stats are interesting. They have more cases than the US, France and the UK, but significantly fewer deaths than all three, so they must be doing something right?

Posted by: Jacob :O 19th March 2020, 02:48 PM

Germans are very health conscious as a rule, my cousin lives in Germany atm and I video called her yesterday. People are much more likely to go the doctors, keep themselves healthy and of course their health service is pretty great.

Not so great at curfews though it would seem.

Posted by: Quarantilas 19th March 2020, 03:09 PM

I haven’t seen the full breakdown of the statistics but I posted the Berlin breakdown a few pages back that showed the 18-50 bracket makes up an unusually large portion of the cases here. The city has said a third of all cases in the city trace back to a single night at a club. Not usually known for its 80+ market

If those numbered are replicated across the nation then that would account for the significantly lower death rate.


A lot of businesses have closed here and restaurants and cafes have adjusted hours but so so so many of them haven’t put any ban on eat-in business or enforced any social distancing. Same for all of the supermarkets and stuff. They’re often small and cramped in the inner city and there’s no social distancing at all. The parks are still very full. BVG, the TfL equivalent, has cut services across the board but all it’s lead to is overcrowded buses. They’re now rapidly reversing some bus cuts. The trams that I saw this morning were very quiet for rush hour. Lots of green spaces, and this is an insanely green city, have massive groups of people in them

It’s already a struggle to get some supplies. (No milk, bread, loo roll, frozen or long life items) so the no stockpiling is being wholly ignored.


Being honest, I don’t think it will be long before we’re on a full lockdown given the volume of people still going about life as normal. I imagine other parts of the country will heed Merkels words more, but a substantial part of Berlins population, especially of the low risk of death but highly likely to be superspreaders, are non-German 18-45 year olds*. A full lockdown is the only way to stop this spiralling out of control.

On that note, I’m going to venture out to the Edeka up the street to see if it has milk. Wish me luck!!!


*myself included. By this i mean there’s a good chunk of people who don’t speak German and therefore a lot of the news and guidance is passing them without sinking in. The Federal government is trying to provide translations but Merkels excellent speech from last night is only available in German except for some short clips on DW with subs. Lockdown only way to really get the message out effectively to this expat population that i am part of in my opinion

Posted by: *Tim 19th March 2020, 03:29 PM

QUOTE(Riser @ Mar 19 2020, 03:22 PM)

Posted by: Social Hisstance 19th March 2020, 04:25 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 19 2020, 03:29 PM)

QUOTE(PeteFromLeeds @ Mar 19 2020, 11:33 AM)

Posted by: blacksquare 19th March 2020, 04:30 PM

Has anyone read the new https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-01/0122/en/20122en.pdf? Authoritarian power grab would be a good description.

Posted by: Social Hisstance 19th March 2020, 04:34 PM

QUOTE(blacksquare @ Mar 19 2020, 04:30 PM)

Posted by: blacksquare 19th March 2020, 04:45 PM

QUOTE(Social Hisstance @ Mar 19 2020, 04:34 PM)

Posted by: Suedehead2 19th March 2020, 04:57 PM

The anti-terrorism laws have to be renewed every 28 days. Even the emergency powers in WWII had to be renewed annually. The government's proposals contain no such provision. That is why people are calling it a power grab.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 19th March 2020, 04:59 PM

QUOTE(blacksquare @ Mar 19 2020, 05:30 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 19th March 2020, 05:08 PM

No, I am really starting to think that common semse has caught it - probably from a panic-buying trip! It's doubly ironic, especially seeing as he did it wrong and bought toilet paper instead of food! But he hasn't been on since Tuesday and hasn't even posted about his victory in the chart thread

Posted by: Bré 19th March 2020, 05:12 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 19 2020, 05:08 PM)

No, I am really starting to think that common semse has caught it - probably from a panic-buying trip! It's doubly ironic, especially seeing as he did it wrong and bought toilet paper instead of food! But he hasn't been on since Tuesday and hasn't even posted about his victory in the chart thread

Posted by: Social Hisstance 19th March 2020, 05:13 PM

QUOTE(Bré @ Mar 19 2020, 05:12 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 19th March 2020, 06:18 PM

Though he was quite quiet for once!

Posted by: Social Hisstance 19th March 2020, 06:21 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 19 2020, 06:18 PM)

Posted by: Steve201 19th March 2020, 06:24 PM

He's just laughable because he plays devils advocat so obviously and when I point it out he sends me a PM to stop it 😂

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 19th March 2020, 06:32 PM

QUOTE(Steve201 @ Mar 19 2020, 06:24 PM)

Posted by: T Boy 19th March 2020, 06:36 PM

So I won’t be as at home as previously thought. It’s likely our school will be a ‘resistance hub’ and we’re all going on Monday to find out how many kids we need to cater for. We’all probably be rota’d on for a day a week whilst still having to provide online work for kids at home.

And at some point I’m sure the government will tell us what we’re actually supposed to be doing with these kids besides glorified babysitting.

Posted by: Steve201 19th March 2020, 07:44 PM

QUOTE(T Boy @ Mar 19 2020, 06:36 PM)

Posted by: 🍆 19th March 2020, 08:31 PM

My neck lymph node has become absolutely huge and it hurts to open my mouth fully. It's most likely not related to this at all but I was wondering if any of the infected people had this as well. I started to experience flu-like symptoms right before that but there's no fever or anything. Clearly I have some kind of infection or it's just flu my body is battling against so my immune system is too busy dealing with that. Therefore I'm feeling weird to go to the doctor now oops

What a time to get sick and overanalyse everything <3

Posted by: Steve201 19th March 2020, 08:35 PM

So have you got it then? I would ring the doctor if your worried.

Posted by: 🍆 19th March 2020, 08:37 PM

Corona? How would I know? In theory it's very unlikely that I got it because I barely talked to anyone IRL since last Saturday but you never know.

Posted by: *Tim 19th March 2020, 08:54 PM

QUOTE(🍆 @ Mar 19 2020, 09:31 PM)

Posted by: 🍆 19th March 2020, 09:02 PM

I had sore throat but it disappeared right away. No fever at all. Sore muscles and general weakness are my two main symptoms.

Posted by: J00ps 19th March 2020, 09:20 PM

QUOTE(🍆 @ Mar 19 2020, 09:02 PM)

Posted by: Umi 19th March 2020, 09:48 PM

I know it's not the end of the world in relation to everything else but what's distressing me so much right now is the hoarding. I am so tired of going into supermarkets recently and either finding them utterly empty or seeing queues out the door. I desperately don't want to be one of those people queueing up at 7am to get in and yet I'm starting to wonder how else I'm ever going to get pretty much any actual food. I'm trying to go at social hours and buy reasonable amounts but it's empty empty empty, and worse every day. You can't tell a virus not to kill people but we *can* control our attitude and the fact that the entire country is making a concerted effort to *not* be even remotely social is just so upsetting to me. Solitary confinement under a pandemic is stressful enough without adding in worrying about actually having food because people are filling entire freezers with anything they can find.

Again, small thing, and I mean no disrespect to the disease that is hanging over all of our heads, but this situation would be at least slightly less disheartening if it wasn't bringing out the worst in eeeeeeeveryone. Seeing people act this way is just destroying me at the moment.

Posted by: Steve201 19th March 2020, 11:21 PM

QUOTE(🍆 @ Mar 19 2020, 08:37 PM)

Posted by: Jαsє 19th March 2020, 11:54 PM

QUOTE(🍆 @ Mar 19 2020, 09:02 PM)

Posted by: *Tim 20th March 2020, 12:59 AM

QUOTE(Jαsє @ Mar 20 2020, 12:54 AM)

Posted by: Addy K!ng 20th March 2020, 01:41 AM

Over 4k cases only in New York City...they just started doing more tests yesterday and this tells me that the virus has been here much earlier than we thought!!!

Posted by: Houdini 20th March 2020, 04:27 AM

Spring break is more important than life or death for some people!

Posted by: 🍆 20th March 2020, 03:34 PM

QUOTE(🍆 @ Mar 19 2020, 11:31 PM)

Posted by: Addy K!ng 20th March 2020, 03:43 PM

QUOTE(🍆 @ Mar 20 2020, 04:34 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 20th March 2020, 03:54 PM

Is Tim a joke to you??

Posted by: *Tim 20th March 2020, 03:56 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 20 2020, 04:54 PM)

Posted by: Addy K!ng 20th March 2020, 04:32 PM

Did Tim tested positive though, or he was just dealing with common cold?!!

Posted by: *Tim 20th March 2020, 05:01 PM

No I did not test positive cause they only test you when you're in hospital here. This was no common cold though so I think this in combination with my lifestyle (very much person to person contact) and hardly ever sick gives me a fair certainty

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 20th March 2020, 05:05 PM

Living for Addy being a rude bitch!!

Poor Tim First he had the corona and now he has shade thrown at him at 1 million miles an hour

Posted by: Addy K!ng 20th March 2020, 05:11 PM

^^ LOL shut up.

I hope you're feeling better now Tim...didn't know it was so serious!!!

Posted by: *Tim 20th March 2020, 05:23 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 20 2020, 06:05 PM)

Living for Addy being a rude bitch!!

Poor Tim First he had the corona and now he has shade thrown at him at 1 million miles an hour

QUOTE(Addy K!ng @ Mar 20 2020, 06:11 PM)

Posted by: Liam.k. 20th March 2020, 05:26 PM

All pubs, clubs and restaurants must close from tonight.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51981653?fbclid=IwAR0IwLqezfrrrSwmUMG2Yh6hpkV4y1KNjJ0PcA2juFYrGvC57PNrmzE7H9o

Posted by: Dobbo 20th March 2020, 05:28 PM

Inevitable that was really. So my last restaurant visit for many many months was a Greek last night!

The closing of gyms & leisure centres is the crippler for me. Gonna have to get me an exercise bike...

Posted by: Liam.k. 20th March 2020, 05:29 PM

It's got me out of doing 5 closes all next week at least!

Posted by: dandy* 20th March 2020, 05:32 PM

The death toll in Italy rose by 627 today, jeeeez

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 20th March 2020, 05:35 PM

MA GYM!!!!

Posted by: Dobbo 20th March 2020, 05:38 PM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Mar 20 2020, 05:32 PM)

The death toll in Italy rose by 627 today, jeeeez

Posted by: Addy K!ng 20th March 2020, 05:38 PM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Mar 20 2020, 06:32 PM)

The death toll in Italy rose by 627 today, jeeeez

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 20th March 2020, 05:41 PM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Mar 20 2020, 05:32 PM)

The death toll in Italy rose by 627 today, jeeeez

Posted by: ElectroBoy 20th March 2020, 05:47 PM

QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 20 2020, 05:41 PM)

In one day?? Poor Italy

If we were just going to shut everything down, why did we not do it sooner?? I don't understand. Italy, Germany, France and Spain reacted much more quickly.

Posted by: dandy* 20th March 2020, 05:56 PM

Remember it hit Italy far sooner than us. I don’t think we can really tell how it’s going until we see the effects of this next period.

Posted by: Dobbo 20th March 2020, 05:57 PM

Yes it is interesting to compare the death rates. As you said us, and an even stronger example in Germany, seem to be nowhere near as bad at present. We're behind on the curve so you just hope this won't follow quite the same surge. Then there's the way cases are reported between different nations that will be playing a part...

Posted by: Addy K!ng 20th March 2020, 05:59 PM

I don't know where did I read but apparently in Italy 51% of population are heavy smokers therefore making it harder for people especially elderly to recover.

I am getting concerned about my dad who is 74 and heavy smoker as well, even though in Kosovo I think they only have like couple of cases so far...matter fact 90% of people in Kosovo smokes!!

Posted by: 🍆 20th March 2020, 06:02 PM

Yeah I don’t believe the virus has so far made its way to the region my mother and sister live so at least that.

Posted by: Addy K!ng 20th March 2020, 06:05 PM

taken from UKMIX

'UK changes announced tonight...
The government will cover up to 80% of people's salaries (up to £2,500 per month, per person).
All pubs, clubs, gyms, museums, cinemas and restaurants are ordered to close indefinitely from midnight tonight.
£1 billion has been pledged to support renters.
No companies will need to pay VAT over the next 3 months.
There will be interest free loans to businesses (12 months interest free).
An additional £1,000 in Universal Credit per claimant per year + an additional £1,000 in working tax credit.'

I wanna move to UK!!!

Posted by: Euphorique 20th March 2020, 06:13 PM

QUOTE(Dobbo @ Mar 20 2020, 05:57 PM)

Posted by: Harve 20th March 2020, 06:15 PM

QUOTE(ElectroBoy @ Mar 20 2020, 06:47 PM)

Posted by: HausofKubrick 20th March 2020, 06:20 PM

QUOTE(Addy K!ng @ Mar 20 2020, 06:05 PM)

Posted by: zenon 20th March 2020, 06:33 PM

QUOTE(Euphorique @ Mar 20 2020, 08:13 PM)

Posted by: Jack 20th March 2020, 06:42 PM

Consider me shook at the UK government introducing this.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 20th March 2020, 06:44 PM

QUOTE(Addy K!ng @ Mar 20 2020, 07:05 PM)

Posted by: Euphorique 20th March 2020, 06:48 PM

Chinese experts helping italians, are saying their quarentine isn't strict enough. Which means Portugal is f***** since our quarentine is more lax than theirs.

Posted by: Klaus 20th March 2020, 06:56 PM

Astonishing move from the Government and very pleasing to see. Some reassurance in some very scary times.

Posted by: dandy* 20th March 2020, 07:04 PM

Such an unexpected surprise from the government there. Will do so much to ease the levels of worry for people during an already difficult time.

Posted by: Suedehead2 20th March 2020, 07:11 PM

I shall wait to see how the government scheme works for people on zero-hours contracts before commenting.

Posted by: lewistgreen 20th March 2020, 07:12 PM

I’m now being classed as a ‘key worker’, have all the provisions to work from home yet I still have to go to the office on Monday??? EXPLAIN

Posted by: Steve201 20th March 2020, 07:13 PM

Always nice to see a Tory government shaking the magic money tree!

Posted by: *Tim 20th March 2020, 07:31 PM

QUOTE(Harve @ Mar 20 2020, 07:15 PM)

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 20th March 2020, 08:09 PM

Having wine and raspberries in me garden on soggy lawn furniture.they can take away me gym, but tha canae take away me freedom ta set ootseed!!

Posted by: Harve 20th March 2020, 08:17 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 20 2020, 08:31 PM)

Posted by: blacksquare 20th March 2020, 08:39 PM

QUOTE(Suedehead2 @ Mar 20 2020, 07:11 PM)

Posted by: HausofKubrick 20th March 2020, 09:28 PM

Meanwhile in the US:

Posted by: jakewild 20th March 2020, 09:48 PM

rishi would get it

also stay safe etc x

Posted by: Jack 20th March 2020, 11:31 PM

Does anyone else have fleeting moments when you really think about what's happening and you're just like .... this can't ACTUALLY be happening??? like surely this is all just a bad dream??????

.

Posted by: Suedehead2 20th March 2020, 11:33 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 20 2020, 11:31 PM)

Does anyone else have fleeting moments when you really think about what's happening and you're just like .... this can't ACTUALLY be happening??? like surely this is all just a bad dream??????

.

Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 20th March 2020, 11:36 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 20 2020, 11:31 PM)

Does anyone else have fleeting moments when you really think about what's happening and you're just like .... this can't ACTUALLY be happening??? like surely this is all just a bad dream??????

.

Posted by: Mack. 20th March 2020, 11:42 PM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 21 2020, 12:31 AM)

Does anyone else have fleeting moments when you really think about what's happening and you're just like .... this can't ACTUALLY be happening??? like surely this is all just a bad dream??????

.

Posted by: Mack. 20th March 2020, 11:54 PM

They'll be stockpiling on booze now with the pubs closing.

Posted by: Toilet Rollo 21st March 2020, 12:05 AM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 20 2020, 11:31 PM)

Does anyone else have fleeting moments when you really think about what's happening and you're just like .... this can't ACTUALLY be happening??? like surely this is all just a bad dream??????

.

Posted by: Rooney 21st March 2020, 04:53 AM

I’m stuck in New Zealand, please take this virus seriously, still have high spirits but it’s a stressful time.

So many people back in the uk are not taking this seriously. The only way things are going to get better is by limiting social contact as much as possible, we need to get through this. Going to volunteer on weekends to help others in need I think once I get back.

Posted by: Purple Kecleon 21st March 2020, 07:20 AM

QUOTE(Jack @ Mar 20 2020, 04:31 PM)

Does anyone else have fleeting moments when you really think about what's happening and you're just like .... this can't ACTUALLY be happening??? like surely this is all just a bad dream??????

.

Posted by: *Tim 21st March 2020, 05:25 PM

Italy reporting nearly 800 deaths in a day :/
They are gonna take a long time recovering from this

Posted by: shadow2009 21st March 2020, 06:07 PM

QUOTE(*Tim @ Mar 21 2020, 05:25 PM)

Posted by: Hadji 21st March 2020, 07:07 PM

One person in my home town of Telford has died due to this pandemic

Posted by: *Tim 21st March 2020, 08:00 PM

QUOTE(shadow2009 @ Mar 21 2020, 07:07 PM)

Posted by: Scene 21st March 2020, 10:21 PM

I'm actually so angry at the idiots in the UK who casually disregard urgent advice. There's a photo doing the rounds on Facebook of dozens of people sitting along a beach drinking beer in plastic cups. Clearly a local business is supplying this to them which should surely be forbidden? People need to realise that if this virus gets even more out of hand, they can't rewind time and change their actions.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 21st March 2020, 10:27 PM

I'm starting to thing that we're only a few days away from serious lockdown in the UK if people don't get their act together ie army on the streets, no leaving the house except for shopping or if you're a key worker, ID card giving you permission to leave your home, that sort of thing.

Posted by: shadow2009 21st March 2020, 10:36 PM

Italy are imposing more restrictions on their lockdowns - all non essential factories closing as well.

Posted by: Mack. 22nd March 2020, 12:04 AM

This is worrying:

Posted by: Calum 22nd March 2020, 12:17 AM

Posted by: Mack. 22nd March 2020, 12:22 AM

Is that Matt Lucas from Little Britain?

Posted by: dandy* 22nd March 2020, 12:36 AM

Yep! It was on the airport based show he and David Williams did, that character was always finding reasons to close early

Posted by: dandy* 22nd March 2020, 12:38 AM

By the way, if anyone is struggling to find any soap then Nuddy are giving away a bar to each customer as long as you pay the £1.97 postage.

I’ve just ordered one as it has to be better than trying to find one in a supermarket

Posted by: Botchia 22nd March 2020, 10:17 AM

QUOTE(Calum @ Mar 22 2020, 12:17 AM)

Posted by: blacksquare 22nd March 2020, 11:59 AM

Posted by: diva thin muffin 22nd March 2020, 12:34 PM

So my roommate works at a home for the elderly. Some idiot came into work while sick (actually showing symptoms and everything) but they haven't been tested yet but an elderly man is now showing symptoms as well so now not only am I possibly going into quarantine later today by proxy (although I have been self-quarantining for a week now) but it's possibly already spread around that elderly home which is sad and could potentially be disastrous

No one has died from this in Iceland yet but there are a few severe cases. We're have one of the highest number of cases per capita (almost 500 cases now in total) but we also have the second-highest number of samples taken per capita (only behind Faroe Islands) so that might explain the high number.

Posted by: Suedehead2 22nd March 2020, 12:42 PM

QUOTE(blacksquare @ Mar 22 2020, 11:59 AM)

Posted by: Jordan Lee 22nd March 2020, 01:08 PM

If I have a dental appointment this week does this mean I’ll have to go by myself to it?

Going there is legit my biggest fear and I can’t go without someone else being there. I don’t want to ring them incase I sound ridiculous but with this going on I feel like if I take someone with me they’ll ask them to go away

Posted by: Suedehead2 22nd March 2020, 01:23 PM

QUOTE(Jordan Lee @ Mar 22 2020, 01:08 PM)

Posted by: shadow2009 22nd March 2020, 01:29 PM

This is completely selfish but I genuinely worry about my mental health if we're on lockdown. I live within five minutes walking distance from my parents/siblings house and my grandparents house and genuinely am considering just getting quarantined at one of their houses instead. My own flat is a dump which I don't mind but I have the most ANNOYING upstairs neighbour in history. She has three border collies and they bark non f***ing stop. She does nothing to discipline them, it's just endless bursts of random barks followed by her shouting "shut up!" all day long from 8am til 11pm. You can hear their tails wagging on their floor and it creates a thumping noise through my ceiling, they run around constantly and it feels like the ceiling is going to collapse and we also share a tiny garden/porch so anytime she lets them out in the garden they're barking aggressively at neighbours madly. I've had so many run-ins with her over the years and even had a dog warden out but nothing changes.

I manage to avoid hearing it when I go to work but on my days off it makes me want to f***ing smash her windows and scream at her to f***ing muzzle the dogs. I genuinely couldn't go on lockdown for months and have to listen to this 24/7 or someone is going to get hurt.

Posted by: Scene 22nd March 2020, 04:00 PM

QUOTE(shadow2009 @ Mar 22 2020, 02:29 PM)

Posted by: lewistgreen 22nd March 2020, 04:18 PM

I've literally just had a similar experience with my previous neighbour whose dog just barked the whole time but wouldn't believe me because they weren't around to witness it :')

Now i've moved my mental health has improved so much because of how much quieter it is. If you can take measure to minimise negative living enviornments especially with a possible lockdown imminent (e.g. staying with a friend or relative) then it may be worth doing so.

Posted by: Mack. 22nd March 2020, 04:58 PM

Germany are to ban more than two people meeting in public for the next two weeks.

Posted by: Cqmerqn 22nd March 2020, 05:22 PM

281 deaths in the U.K.

Posted by: Klaus 22nd March 2020, 05:26 PM

Any deaths are horrible but, minor positive is that it is 80 lower than Italy was at same stage, hopefully relieving those direct comparisons we were seeing.

Posted by: Addy K!ng 22nd March 2020, 05:26 PM

Italy and Spain are hit the worst so far in Europe.

Posted by: Quarantilas 22nd March 2020, 05:55 PM

Posted by: Cqmerqn 22nd March 2020, 06:00 PM

Taking bets on which day next week we’ll be in lockdown.

I’m going for Wednesday

Posted by: Queefantine 22nd March 2020, 06:02 PM

Thursday

Posted by: Jack 22nd March 2020, 06:08 PM

I reckon give it a week, Friday.