Shielding chat continues - thread 2

[AuntieSocia1]

Shiny new thread for anyone shielding.

You can vent/moan/cry/chat/lurk whatever you need.

No, I'm in Ceredigion.

I've just read the Sun article (forgive me) and the first quote they have is from someone at Age UK! How many times...this isn't about being old.

But the second quote is from Gemma Peters of Blood Cancer UK, who I rate. She talks a lot more sense.

Hi everyone, I've been a lurker for a while on this thread but this is my first post.

It's day 111 for me, I'm shielding for my youngest DC with my two older DC and DH. This evening I'm feeling particularly low especially after watching the daily update where we weren't mentioned by BJ yet again, it just feels as though we've been totally forgotten while the world just gets on with life. It feels as if we don't even exist anymore.

This evening's One Show was really the icing on the cake though with that upbeat woman telling everyone how much support there is for shielders, what a load of rubbish. I was called by the shielding line today, just someone reading from a script to check if we were still needing food parcels, it seems to me that's the extent of it. What we need is to feel remembered and as if we're actually a part of society.

We got the shielding call today as well. Doesn't it seem suspicious that loads of us have received calls today - making sure the government save their pennies not sending food parcels anymore.

Anyone know a journalist or how to get a member of the public question put at a press conference. I want to ask:

‘You will have seen the Twitter leak and I hope appreciate how badly that went down with many in the shielding community because it is the second time important information has just appeared on social media. So could you please clarify the following: the government set shielding to end when the country was as level 1 on the alert scale. Does this announcement mean that the government confidently expects the country to be at level 1 by end of July? If not, what is the expected alert level by then, and what is the medical evidence for moving the end of shielding to a different category

Follow up: please would you reaffirm that those who are shielding are in that category for medical reasons and there are no age-related categories. Some organisations have taken to advising the shielded to contact Age UK which is wholly inappropriate for young and, until lockdown, active people - who now feel very overlooked. It would be helpful if the government could set a lead by ensuring that the full range of people in the shielding group is always acknowledged, especially the social and educational needs, and schooling of the country’s most vulnerable children

Excellent questions ivampire.
Can you tweet it to someone...anyone...loads of people? I can copy and paste to my MP with whom I gave been having some dialogue on the subject.

Feel free to nick it and pass it on!

I barely have a presence on social media, so don’t think I can gain much traction that way, but happy for others to try. Especially if you have a good ‘in’ to one of the charities which has been active in raising shielding issues with the government

I don't do Twitter, which seems to be the most immediately way of getting a response.

When we got our last call from the shielding chap..I said I was having difficulty getting support. He told me to contact Age U.K.

Confused me somewhat considering we are shielding for my 2 children aged 14 and 11!!

iVampire very good questions. You can submit a question here.

iVampire

here’s the gov ask a question link

Good questions - what if we get as many people as possible to copy and paste them and bombard the link?

Great questions iVampire! I've submitted a similar version (and for some bizarre reason ticked the 'will record video' box so hope they don't choose me 🤣)

I thought this would be all over the news this morning. Nothing.
Out of sight out of mind.

I’ve just gone on the government link and posted your question @iVampire. Good idea about bombarding them. Even if they don’t choose the question they must read through them.

I’ll be definitely tuning in at 5pm with fingers crossed!!

We have been in the press quite a bit this morning television wise. The Gov has denied the reports and stated that it is still being reviewed, the articles have now reworded the July thing.

Hancock said we are being updated very very soon and that as the risk levels become lower we will hopefully be able to do more, he didn't say that we would return to normal and I think thats quite significant. He also said all decisions made for the group are entirely clinically led, we will have a public update followed by letters outlining all of the detail.

Thanks for the link @10brokengreenbottles and @WwMILd. Brilliant question @iVampire, I've also cut and paste it onto their web page. Like others have said, the more of us that send the message may get through to someone.

All day at work I speak to people and all I hear
"I'm still in lockdown, being over 70"
No, you're not
It's no wonder people think shielding are all elderly

I've also posted the question and sent it to my MP as well.

QueenCT There is an article on one go our local news sites at the moment talking about the shielded group and they state that over 70s are shielded regardless of medical needs, they then link to the bloody information which shows they are not! I couldn't help but comment. Sloppy lazy reporting. It worries me that there are people going through this because of the misinformation when they don't need to be. If they are making a choice through informed processes then thats great, but there may be many suffering who don't need to.

Just got really cross with a friend on social media who posted that is was now easy to identify selfish people as they were the ones not wearing masks. I linked her to the Asthma UK information about masks being potentially problematic for some people (I have no idea yet whether this applies to me as I haven't been close enough to anyone to wear one). She got all defensive that I was missing the point.

I had about 4hrs sleep last night, I am not in the mood for people making assumptions about things they don't understand!

Not that I'm going anywhere anyway, but I have five out of the six reasons I've seen linked for not wearing a mask!

@Is2020OverYet I am SO with you
I'm grumpy, wanting to know what's going on and I can't sleep at night. Once I'm asleep I don't wake up but getting to sleep is a nightmare. Knackered because Ive just been diagnosed with hashimotos

I need to but our family masks - can anyone recommend a type that is worth buying?

Not that I am planning on going anywhere but in case we have to wanted to be prepared. I have asthma, but rest of household should be ok - apart from the children. Do children’s masks come smaller?

I also have not tried one and would like to see what I can manage in case end up in hospital and have to wear one.

A child has a medical apt in July so thought having our own masks would be better?

Shielding being addressed in parliament now (on bbc news)..