to ask you to write to your MP and how financially hard it is for some people to self isolate. The common good.

[bellinisurge]

Really struck by many voices on here saying they can't afford to sell isolate. At first I was a bit cross with them but I was wrong. Late bill payment can be a disaster for many. That's the least of it. Self isolation is for the common good. What if you can't afford to act in the common good.
Please write to your MP now. Ask them to pressure the government to make a statement about this. www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/

@Samcro

I agree with you about carers. If I, for example, cared for my gran by visiting every day and I had to self quarantine, there’d be no way in a month of Sundays that adult social care would be able to get care in that quickly. It is a worry.

Yanbu.

There's a lot of rural poverty here. Farmers can't afford to pay wages to self isolating staff. Not to mention the government isn't going to adequately arrange back up care for humans, it certainly won't be doing for livestock.

I have about £10 to stock up for myself and for hay and pellets. a bag of pellets lasts a month, so that wouldn't be so bad, I guess. The GPs cannot eat frozen veg though. or cooked or canned.

Schulyer yes, It took me nearly 2 years to get the care package I needed. Even after some serious episodes.

Being at home and not being paid would be disastrous for our family, not able to pay mortgage etc.

What worries me more and I fear is far more likely than self isolation is schools being closed, so technically being able to work but can't because I need to be home for dc. Can't split the load with dp because he works for NHS and will be needed there.

My work have said if we decide not to come in we don’t get paid. So that’s great. Weirdly I don’t have enough money saved in case of a pandemic to just not work.

@GuineaSomethingGood , I don't know what GPs eat but I wonder if they eat dandelion leaves which are starting to come out now. If there are any right next to your home, would they do?

Obviously ones that hadn't had weed killer anywhere near them.

Guinea pigs would survive off hay and pellets for 2 weeks.
They don't need veg to live. There vit c in pellets and 80% of diet should be hay.
In terms of doctor appts you wouldnt be allowed in a gp surgery and any non emergency medical appts would be rearranged as they can't risk it spreading in hospitals.

itsbetterthanabox and bellinisurge that is true- 80 per cent of diet is hay and their pellets are top of range. They do get grass and dandelions and groundsel/chickweed too.

That doesn't solve the issue re: my needing care and being a vulnerable adult/ blood sugar issues, so need to eat/ gas/leccy for my oxygen machine/CPAP etc but writing to GP may help

I am just glad somene has suggested something constructive we can do (eg write to MPs). Helps relieve a fraction of the worry in some ways. But am not counting on it. Am grateful I have a tenner though for soap and water (I hear they run out of handwash) and basic food for myself.

2 weeks? 2 weeks may be doable. it is months I am worried about.

Dandelion leaves only in small amounts, bellinisurge.

However cabbages, red and white/green could be bought and kept for a while, they seem to last ages and peppers keep well in the fridge, and a pot of basil and a few carrots (which keep well in foil in the fridge). Celery too.

Those might be enough for a couple of weeks, depending on how many GPs you have @GuineaSomethingGood. Hopefully you won't need to do it, but maybe start buying a little bit more when you can , just in case.

www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200303_01/

Govt. announces income compensation plan

Japan's government says it will pay up to about 80 dollars per person per day to businesses as income compensation for parents taking leave from work in response to temporary school closures that began nationwide.

The health and labor ministry on Monday revealed the details of a new subsidy system as the government strives to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

The ministry will pay the subsidy of up to 8,330 yen per person per day to businesses if their employees take paid leave to take care of their children due to school closures.

It'll also offer stipend in cases where employees care for people suspected of having been infected with the virus
The measure will cover regular and non-regular workers who take leave between February 27 and March 31.

The ministry plans to determine and announce soon how the system will be implemented.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/dwp-urge-coronavirus-hit-benefit-21617489

Benefit chiefs have urged any Coronavirus-hit welfare claimants to contact their Jobcentre to avoid being sanctioned.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) today insisted none of those directly affected by the global outbreak will have their benefits stopped.

However, DWP staff must know about the situation. They must also deem that claimants had a good reason for missing an interview or a work appointment

It is thought this will be judged in terms of whether or not claimants are following official public health advice on when to self-isolate

Currently, NHS advice states people only need to self-isolate "if advised to by the 111 online coronavirus service or a medical professional."

A DWP spokeswoman said: "Our staff are ready to support people if they are affected – we urge them to contact us by phone, or their Work Coach via their online journal, to explain their situation.

"Anyone not eligible to receive sick pay is able to claim Universal Credit and/or contributory Employment and Support Allowance."

A memo to Jobcentres seen by Sky News helps explain to DWP staff how to cope with the outbreak.

It says there is "no change to the normal arrangements", and claimants cannot simply fail to attend because they are afraid of interacting with other people

The advice says: "If a customer does not attend a scheduled meeting, for example, the normal 'failed to attend' arrangements will apply

It adds: "Government advice is 'business as usual' and we should not change our customer services whilst the level of risk remains as it is now.

"This will be kept under review."

It came as MPs demanded an emergency law tonight to stop Coronavirus leaving thousands of zero-hour workers penniless

Statutory Sick Pay, worth £94.25 per week, is available to zero-hour workers but only covers those on more than £118 a week - after they've been ill for four days

More on UC and Coronavirus.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/backlash-coronavirus-isolation-patients-told-21624080

So gig economy workers being told to claim UC if they cant get SSP

Paul Treloar
@PaulieTandoori
·
34m
BREAKING NEWS!!! DWP Covid-19 plan announced
I'm self isolating, can't work, zero hours, what can I do?
DWP: claim Universal Credit
Great, when do I get paid?
DWP: 5 weeks
But got no money and rent to pay
DWP: advance payment!
How do I get that?
DWP: Come to Jobcentre
Sobs...

Channel 4 news are going to do a segment on low paid workers and self isolation this hour.

YANBU Bellini. So many people do live hand to mouth with zero hours contracts and lack of sick pay. There are many so dependant on food banks too. Self isolation could prove to be very difficult for them. I’ll drop a missive to my MP tomorrow. I’ll also bring up the issue of key meters/prepay meters after the posts from GuineaSomethingGood (Regarding Guineapigs I used to supplement mine with some dandelion leaves and chickweed)

evolvepolitics.com/tory-health-secretary-refuses-to-deny-benefit-claimants-could-be-sanctioned-if-they-catch-coronavirus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tory-health-secretary-refuses-to-deny-benefit-claimants-could-be-sanctioned-if-they-catch-coronavirus

www.mirror.co.uk/money/wilko-slash-sick-pay-21000-21636538

Wilko to slash sick pay for 21,000 workers amid coronavirus outbreak
EXCLUSIVE: Letters seen by Mirror Money show that from 1 April 2020, employees will no longer receive sick pay from their second absence. It comes as the number of people affected by coronavirus reaches 90 in the UK

In November I had a nasty chest infection. I couldn’t take time off work as I didn’t get sick pay. I worked myself into pneumonia and pleurisy and hospital. I couldn’t go in then and I had to claim SSP.

I ended up losing my home as £94 a week was obviously not enough to pay rent and bills.

This is why people will continue working. They can’t afford time off.

@Connie222 I'm so sorry and appalled to hear that, how are things for you now?

So disgusting the state of humanity these days. Employers nor the government have a care for anyone but themselves.

@aroseaday we had to move 200 miles away to a place where we could survive on Dh wage alone. And we were lucky to have family here to put us up while we found somewhere to rent it we would have been stuffed quite frankly. I don’t know what we would have done. One wage didn’t touch the sides where we lived before (luckily he can work remotely so didn’t have to look for a new job). It’s been tough, two children one doing A levels had to be pulled out of school.

I say I’d never work at a place without sick pay again, but as a minimum wage care worker, there’s not much choice. Thank god that Dh job would pay sick pay.

When I heard Borris say that SSP would be paid after the first day I let out a hollow laugh. It’s nothing and there would be many people like us who went under.

@Connie222 that’s awful 😫 pleurisy is horrible. I hope your kids are doing ok. Sometimes even though it’s upheaval Things can work out better than we expect. Bet they’ll smash the exams and will be stronger people for it !

Unfortunately I don't think this will work that well. I think there are too many people that would take the government money and still go to work anyway, how could you stop them, or at least not completely self isolate as they would still go shopping etc, they'd just treat it as a two week paid holiday. As things haven't got really bad yet I don't think enough people would take it seriously,and even if thru did their kids and partners would still be going to school / working. It really only works if whole households self isolate.