What if everyone in the world isolated for the same three weeks....

[Rissole]

.....or whatever time period was deemed appropriate. Wouldn't that rid us of Covid once and for all as it would die out?

All we would have to do is get enough food in for the time period and stay in. A collective whole world self isolation. Job done!

What about all the various types of people on meds that they are only allowed to pick up daily?

And who’d look after the patients in hospital, police the streets and care for those in care homes?

Who’d deliver the food and milk the cows etc? Come on, OP.

I feel like we did that already....

And where would all the doctors and nurses sleep? There aren’t loads of spare beds in hospitals - that’s half the problem!

Who’d look after the children of medics if all their parents stayed at hospital for two weeks?

Hmm it's an interesting idea hypothetically. But what about the animal reservoir? All the animals that could carry covid would also have to isolate.. so no, not possible for covid unfortunately. But IF you could do it, you'd probably find a lot of other infections might disappear..? Maybe..?

How many elderly/ disabled/ vulnerable people would die from things like infected bedsores, forgetting to eat, lack of medication.
How many more would die of abuse and suicide.
How many would die of childbirth, medical emergencies, fires etc.
How many would die of hypothermia, dehydration, contaminated water etc as utilities cut out. (And no zoom or banana bread avaliable)
Many people barely exist in poor conditions as it is. Families in cramped, overcrowded, small flats, houses and emergency accommodation.

The death toll would really put Covid into perspective.

It's not a stupid question. I reckon we could get quite near it, if people were willing to be selfless, and have a really strict lockdown. People could be given notice, so they could plan food, part of the arms budget could be diverted to pay for food delivery, and just the emergency and health care in operation, and with precautions. I wonder what a workshop conference of the right people could work out?

@VestaTilley

And where would all the doctors and nurses sleep? There aren’t loads of spare beds in hospitals - that’s half the problem!

Who’d look after the children of medics if all their parents stayed at hospital for two weeks?

Doctors and nurses are also just one part of the running of hospitals. They wont be able to do their jobs without all the other staff there too. So all staff would have to stay in work. They would be shoulder to shoulder.

You’d also need hospital cleaners, porters, pharmacists, cooks, caretakers… where would they sleep?

Please engage at least one brain cell

It’s not just a case of “organising things”

Even supposing everyone was compliant (unlikely given the refusal to do something as simple as wear a mask), societies can’t just stop. Essential services have to continue (power, medical, emergency services, all the services which support those services like fuel tanker deliveries),

Couldn't get this country to organise a piss up in a brewery. I'm sure some other countries would do marvelously, like Australia did at first and I do wish it were possible.

@Duckrace

It's not a stupid question. I reckon we could get quite near it, if people were willing to be selfless, and have a really strict lockdown. People could be given notice, so they could plan food, part of the arms budget could be diverted to pay for food delivery, and just the emergency and health care in operation, and with precautions. I wonder what a workshop conference of the right people could work out?

Could you tell us more about how the 700 million people in the world who live in extreme poverty could plan? Because it's not immediately obvious. Nor do all individuals on the planet have room to store 3 weeks of food even if it were given to them. If there's one thing we should all have learned by now, it's that this thing is global.

And once the healthcare and emergency workers plus those running the infrastructure they need to keep functioning are out and about, it becomes pointless anyway.

Please engage at least one brain cell

This. It's total unworkable.

There are many, many people who need to get their arses into work to keep society going. Not just medical/emergency services but food production & supply chain, energy providers, pharmacists, carers, defense.

Even if you could isolate all those people (you can't), it would take closer to 8 weeks minimum.

Plus you need to do this globally. Barely functioning societies with people living hand to mouth, minimal infrastructure and support, all on board, no exceptions.

It's a ridiculous notion.

Millions of people live in slums or refugee camps where covid would likely spread faster in a three week shutdown than without it. There are communities which are not even on the map where it would be difficult to communicate the idea of the shutdown to them (one issue in polio eradication is actually knowing that settlements exist and haven’t been vaccinated). At any point in time there are natural disasters somewhere in the world and civil wars which necessitate people moving from their homes. Terrorists groups and criminal would likely take advantage of the shutdown possibly to catastrophic effect.

People in developing countries would starve if not immediately then due to limited farming and distribution taking place for 3 weeks. Distribution chains probably couldn’t supply every person with all they need for three weeks anyway.

You could never eradicate covid this way and would kill millions trying.

How can a firefighter or ambulance driver stay at home, where would all the millions of health and care workers stay and get fed and watered

OP you’ve gone bonkers my love.
I’ve heard some daft ideas in my time but this one has to be the winner!

Ignoring the fact that many people wouldn’t be able to, it would have to be for longer because it would still be spreading within households at a staggered pace during that time.

@HugeAckmansWife

Everyone beat me to it. If someone has a heart attack or falls down stairs do we just leave them nailed in their houses like 14th Century plague victims?

Ah you know it! Just a bit of collateral damage....nothing to see here 😎

Theoretically, yes a few weeks of literally everybody in isolation would work.

In practice, its incredibly unworkable. People would still die of very many other things. I just about managed to keep my marbles from the first lockdown - I really can't do another. Its not about being selfish, its about being realistic.

Even theoretically it wouldn’t work. As a pp pointed out there are animal reservoirs.

Added to which, for everyone to isolate would essentially be a purge of the weakest. A lot of people’s sudden illness would go unnoticed in the home (eg. Sudden heart attacks, falls) and I’m pretty certain the worst of our society would take full advantage of no police to loot and do whatever the hell else they’d like.

It’s not selfish to leave your home because it’s flooded / burning down/ being attacked or because you have no clean water or food which is the reality for an awful lot of people in the world. The West sees covid as a catastrophic problem (which it is relatively) but it pales in comparison to what a lot of the world live through every day.

I voted YANBU because I have thought of the same thing. However, in reality it couldn't be done. Also if you are a large 🏠 you might end up some members isolating neater to 6. Good idea though.

People would still be in and out of hospitals and hospitals need staff so no it wouldn't

The West sees covid as a catastrophic problem (which it is relatively) but it pales in comparison to what a lot of the world live through every day.

Exactly. The first world privilege being exhibited here is shocking.

As a thought experiment yes it would probably work but at what cost?

Mary slips and bumps her head. Can't go anywhere to get it seen. Has an intercranial bleed and dies 2 days later, in the house she's isolating in with her two toddlers. Neighbours hear screaming what will you do. Finally two weeks after she died they kick the door in and find her and the kids...
So also people having cardiac problems, strokes, significant fits etc as well as accidents.

Or we let Mary call an ambulance, where they're all sleeping. Along with loads of nurses, doctors, surgeons, catering staff, cleaners, HCAs.... The ambulance needs petrol so there's a few select petrol stations where the staff live on site... And now there's also petrol tankers working. And someone needs to get fresh produce to the hospital. You'd need so many people. to live at work, what about if there isn't someone to have your kids for a month?