Husband wants to go to the Cheltenham races despite COVID concerns and I am pregnant

[JKD1982]

Hiya. I am 26 weeks pregnant and have been worried about catching COVID so have been avoiding large gatherings. Nothing dramatic just what I’d say is safe behaviours.

My husband has tickets for the races on Friday and wants to go. Despite the fact most European countries have cancelled any events with 1000+ people but the races continue because the industry is worth £100m’s.

I’ve asked him not to attend, considering the risk on passing it to me. It’s only the races just go another year??

Am I being unfair?

I live nearby and I think they should have been cancelled. But it was never going to be because it's worth so much money to the local economy. I am limiting how much I go out this week and for the next few in case we see a bump in diagnosis.

Our infection rate is on the rise most definitely. Put him in quarantine for a fortnight

No point in taking the risk. Yanbu.

If you believe the government, outdoor events don’t carry much risk. However, I think he should cost at home if it’s going to make you worry.

What a selfish arse. Whatever the risk, he should be respecting your worries.

I could’ve written this post! DH doesn’t see a problem with it either.

I do think you are over reacting. He could just as easily catch it from one person in the corner shop and you’d never know. Not belittling your anxiety..of course you want to protect your baby..but we have to trust the latest medical advice.

I’d be v unhappy about it too. Tell him he’s an idiot.

This is precisely why Britain is going to be in a similar situation to Italy in a few weeks - and a much worse situation than Italy after that - no-one is taking it seriously enough and the government’s priority is money / not causing panic instead of prevention. It’s as if they think we’re all going to get it anyway and are so used to privilege that they can’t imagine that they’ll be personally affected. (Johnson isn’t going to be using any NHS services now is he?)

I don’t give the government advice much weight. These are the same people who advised the queen to unlawfully prorogue Parliament and I didn’t think much of their campaign ‘truthfulness’ either. Plus BJ’s been sacked for dishonesty in the past. Their priorities are not mine and their track record at pretty much everything is rubbish.

Mix as little as possible, avoid crowds, wash hands frequently and gargle salt water at the end of the day.

Good luck.

Based on the latest updates today on number of cases and actions other countries governments are taking, I think it’s a disgrace Boris hasn’t enforced it to stop opening. Football matches and other outside events have been. There are thousands of people expected in big crowds all day. Far worse than day to day contact

From the RCOG
“
Pregnant women do not appear to be more susceptible to the consequences of coronavirus than the general population and there is no evidence that the virus can pass to a baby during pregnancy”

And for some unknown reason, the Coronavirus seems to not be affecting children either.

But coronavirus is not affecting young people, pregnant women or children and babies.

The illness/deaths are affecting people over 50 or people with underlying respiratory or immune issues.

Just tell him if he goes you wont go within 1 metre of him for two weeks. Hopefully he will get the point.

@AntMansVan yep ,exactly

Whether or not it affects you, you can still transmit it. As a pregnant woman she's going to be attending medical appointments in places where there are vulnerable people. It's called chain of infection. In order to break that chain, dh can settle for watching it on the telly. Current estimates are that up to 30% of NHS staff may end up having to go on sick leave or self isolate. It's not just about Op and dh, it's about those they come into contact with. A lawyer working in New York became infected. He then travelled home and infected his whole family, in the end a total of 108 people infected could be directly connected to that one source.

I dont know, I think in 6 months' time the criticism maybe that we didn't give the economy enough priority in all this. A deep recession will cause a spike in deaths too. You could take the view that he's being aulturistic to support such an important (economically) event.

I think we need to accept there's going to be a very deep financial impact here and we do need to minimise that where possible or the deaths from the virus will pale into insignificance compared to the suffering that's to come.

Dh has a serious underlying condition and hardly any immune system he went on tuesday for the day!

I live in Cheltenham and a lot of us here are bloody pissed off that the races are going ahead. Money is being put before safety. Thousands of people pouring into our town from abroad as well as the UK (they come from all over the world). They aren’t just standing at the races, they are in the shops, hotels, cafes, bars and restaurants. Personally I think it’s reckless. There are plenty of vulnerable at risk people here. Dh and his other doctor colleagues are horrified that the races have gone ahead.
OP yanbu.

Absolutely staggered to here that tonight's football match Liverpool versus Madrid is going ahead. All those people flying in from Spain and locals travelling from all over the North West. We're going to be in complete lockdown in the UK in a few weeks time if these kind of gatherings aren't stopped.

There is no additional risk to pregnant women or babies so you being pregnant has nothing to do with it.

We're going to be in complete lockdown (whatever that turns out to look like) within a few weeks anyway user, which is why it's important to carry on as usual for as long as possible. The economy and the public won't be able to cope with more than a short period of restrictions

There is no additional risk to pregnant women or babies so you being pregnant has nothing to do with it.

Except a pregnant woman is likely to have multiple appointments etc in GP surgeries and hospitals, so if they're carrying the virus, they may spread it to other people who ARE at risk, especially in those settings.

Missy is that because DH and his doctor friends fully expect to get paid throughout this crisis? He might feel differently if this were the most important event in his financial year.

If he goes, keeps his hands in his pockets or wears gloves and does all the hand washing etc is the risk going to be higher than being in an office include proximity to the same people all day? I thought you had to have contact of over 15 mins and exposure to fluids or whatever.

I don't know the answer but if being part of a huge but moving change crowd a higher risk than Tube travel?

Personally I wouldn't be happy with my partner putting me at risk like that because he wants to go out.

Even if there is no extra risk to pregnant women, you should still do everything you can to avoid getting sick.

YANBU.

DoubleAction it’s because they put the health of the community they work in before money. And they struggle already at our local hospitals with the lack of beds and resources, they have significant fears about coping with an epidemic. It’s all very well for people who will just get a temperature or a cough, a little different when you’ve ran out of intensive care beds for desperately ill patients.
Oh and they work many many hours a year unpaid, so no need for insuations about selfishness.