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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

345 replies

Rissole · 02/12/2021 14:32

.....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!

OP posts:
XenoBitch · 02/12/2021 17:13

The only people who could lockdown would be those who can WFH, the unemployed, and people on furlough.
Hmm, basically like previous lockdowns then.

BeaMends · 02/12/2021 17:30

There'd be no news, no tv or radio, no internet, no phones, no emergency gas engineers or electricians, no plumbers or utility workers to fix water leaks, no Mumsnet...

What could possibly go wrong?

Grin
Rissole · 02/12/2021 17:36

@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?
This. A mass effort of collective heroism.

When you think that most countries have fought wars, this would be relatively easy by comparison. I agree it would be hard but not impossible.

OP posts:
Rissole · 02/12/2021 17:44

If you described what happened in any war in any part of the globe by the terms described on this thread, it would have seemed an impossible task too but wars are still fought.

With super levels of organisation and people helping each other, I believe it would be possible in 90% of the cases. It would be for three weeks not six years like WW2.

OP posts:
SpudleyLass · 02/12/2021 17:48

@Rissole

If you described what happened in any war in any part of the globe by the terms described on this thread, it would have seemed an impossible task too but wars are still fought.

With super levels of organisation and people helping each other, I believe it would be possible in 90% of the cases. It would be for three weeks not six years like WW2.

People still went out into the world during the war. Society was still kept running.

What you are suggesting is unprecedented and people have explained why its unfeasible.

What ultimately would be the point if yes, Covid deaths and hospitalisations plummetted, but other causes of deaths rose?

Like is happening? Just this week its being reported the NHS is facing a massive backlog of undetected cancer cases.

XenoBitch · 02/12/2021 17:53

A mass effort of collective heroism

Seriously? If your idea came to fruition, more people would die than have done so from Covid.

VikingOnTheFridge · 02/12/2021 17:54

Why are you not bothering to engage with the points about the billion plus desperately poor people in the world OP?

Kendodd · 02/12/2021 17:55

While we're doing this can we supply everyone with nit killer and rid the world of head lice as well. Smile

SleepingStandingUp · 02/12/2021 17:55

When you think that most countries have fought wars, this would be relatively easy by comparison. I agree it would be hard but not impossible. it isn't comparable. Essentially if people go off to war, the world continues with fewer resources.

You'd need nurses and doctors available to cover for people who have accidents, ambulances to drive them, cleaners to clean the hospital, petrol stations to fuel the ambulances, catering staff to feed patients. Pharmacists to dispense medication.
Hospitals will already have patients in, they need to continue to be cared for so add dieticians, physios etc too.
Midwives and assoc staff so also NICU etc staff.
There needs to be provisions for power failures or issues in the hospital, maintenance issues etc.
The fire service would also need to be fully operational and the police on at least a reduced staff.
People will still die so all the staff linked to that (you can't just stockpile bodies for three weeks).
Power plants etc so we have gas and electricity.

Yes you could survive three weeks on not-fresh food, but who's going to make sure people who can't afford to buy that in one go have enough food? Is the govt going to supply every house with a specific volume of food per person? That they have the skills to cook food that doesn't reply on sandwiches, toast, fresh food etc. Even in a basic issue, three weeks worth of nappies for three kids and three weeks worth of formula for two fat kids costs a fortune.

And how are they getting to work? Not everyone drives, not everyone can walk, so we still need buses and taxis and petrol stations.

So you could close entertainment, education and shops. Not much else.

SleepingStandingUp · 02/12/2021 17:56

@Kendodd

While we're doing this can we supply everyone with nit killer and rid the world of head lice as well. Smile
I'll give you a hell yeah!
VikingOnTheFridge · 02/12/2021 17:56

That's a good point actually, what are we doing with the corpses? There's going to be thousands of the things.

ThrobbingToothacheOfTheMind · 02/12/2021 17:57

😂

Genius idea! Get on the phone to Boris, Biden et al

RobinPenguins · 02/12/2021 17:57

What if you are dying.
What if you are giving birth.
What if you set your house on fire.
What if you are needed to keep the power on.

Etc
Etc
Etc

It’s a completely ludicrous suggestion. It’s not about “taking some organisation”, it just literally could not be done.

I’m so sick of “just” stay at home like it wasn’t a really destructive, expensive, unnatural thing that we all went through last year.

XenoBitch · 02/12/2021 17:59

@VikingOnTheFridge

That's a good point actually, what are we doing with the corpses? There's going to be thousands of the things.
I am waiting for someone to suggest that we could eat them.
RobinPenguins · 02/12/2021 17:59

@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?
This is one of the most naive paragraphs I’ve read on here, and that takes some beating.
VikingOnTheFridge · 02/12/2021 18:01

I suppose that's one option xenobitch, if the selfish sods will insist on dying.

QuestionableMouse · 02/12/2021 18:03

There's no way I could stay at work for three weeks. No showers, nowhere to sleep (well, I could use the car I guess) and it'd be impossible to keep a full staff level because we rotate through 100 staff on shifts because we're open 24/7.

JustLyra · 02/12/2021 18:10

@Rissole

If you described what happened in any war in any part of the globe by the terms described on this thread, it would have seemed an impossible task too but wars are still fought.

With super levels of organisation and people helping each other, I believe it would be possible in 90% of the cases. It would be for three weeks not six years like WW2.

It working with 90% of people wouldn’t be enough though.

The 10% of people still moving around and spreading covid would keep enough of it that as soon as you relaxed your lockdown it would boom again…

luckylavender · 02/12/2021 18:13

@Rissole - people are telling you it's just not possible for a whole number of listed reasons. It's not just a question of organisation.

StopSkrikin · 02/12/2021 18:14

Can confirm that I am not willing to stay at work in a nursery for 3 weeks, I don't think the kids of the NHS staff, Prison officers and Police we look after would like it either.

ThePoisonousMushroom · 02/12/2021 18:18

Do you realise OP that in a lot of countries, Covid is pretty low down on the list of risks they face every day? They’d be pretty pissed off I imagine if billions of pounds were ploughed into them isolating for 3 weeks to eradicate covid when they haven’t had that same resource given to them to try and fight the famine and disease they face on a daily basis.

Keepingtheseatwarm · 02/12/2021 18:19

Tbh I think it's what the government and many others had in mind the first lockdown.
It took people (like many on this thread) to point out that it's not quite as simple as it seems.
My town FB page was full of posts from people being disgusted at seeing cars on the road.
There was a story about a woman having the temerity to get into her car every day and drive off in it. Somebody slashed her tyres.
She was a district nurse!!

SleepingStandingUp · 02/12/2021 18:22

@StopSkrikin

Can confirm that I am not willing to stay at work in a nursery for 3 weeks, I don't think the kids of the NHS staff, Prison officers and Police we look after would like it either.
Go on Stop, be a hero. They don't need their parents, other kids survived War 🙄
Namenic · 02/12/2021 18:22

OP - I think it would be feasible in a small location (eg island with small population) with lots of external support (eg workers from outside go in and airlift out medical cases). Strict control at borders and quarantine.

Maybe China has come closest to this? I don’t have insight - not having lived there - but I think at the peak of the 1st wave they did get army etc to enforce restriction of movement? On the one hand there were awful scenes that we saw in the media and a lot of suffering, but in such a densely populated place you could argue that tough action likely also saved lives. The scenes from Italy and in U.K. times during the 1st wave where people weren’t able to say goodbye to family members in hospital were also horrific.

I don’t think people would support this in U.K., let alone co-ordinating with other countries. Once you open the borders, it would come in again.

XenoBitch · 02/12/2021 18:24

@Keepingtheseatwarm

Tbh I think it's what the government and many others had in mind the first lockdown. It took people (like many on this thread) to point out that it's not quite as simple as it seems. My town FB page was full of posts from people being disgusted at seeing cars on the road. There was a story about a woman having the temerity to get into her car every day and drive off in it. Somebody slashed her tyres. She was a district nurse!!
Yep, FB community groups were an absolute cesspit for stuff like this during lockdowns. There were nurses having nasty notes left on their windscreens in my local group. And constant "why is xyz open?", when it was things like solicitors.... the legal system didn't stop during lockdown.