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!

How much more ‘heroic effort’ do us (and other professions) in the NHS have to make? We’re burnt out, we’re done. I’ve got colleagues with PTSD, half my work place are off with stress and we’re having to cover. There is a huge staffing crisis. And you think we should now spend 3 weeks at work? As my DH and I both work in hospitals, who will be looking after my children? Where will I sleep?

Give your head a wobble.

Maybe while we're doing global agreement we could agree that every single person on earth has a shaved head at all times.

No more combs or hairbrushes. No hair accessories. No plastic bottles of hair product. No straighteners or dryers using electricity. No chemicals from the hair products. No animal testing. No more pulling manky hair out of the shower drain.

It could be the solution we've all been looking for.

Obviously nits will be extinct, but they're no-ones favourite animal.

I think it's interesting in that it shows why some people thought lockdowns could solve the issue of covid and couldn't see the harm they would cause.

But it is essentially a proposal that we commit genocide on the developing world to give developed countries some (very low) chance of living covid free. And if by some miracle some western countries did achieve zero covid in the three weeks, that state would be so hard won that it would justify them locking out those developing countries indefinitely NZ style (no refuges, no aid workers, no trade etc.). So they would be abandoned to the state the lockdown had left them in with as much covid as they ever had plus a load of new problems.

Could get on board with a worldwide effort to eradicate nits though.

Absolutely. It's interesting as well at what point, if any, would people start to agree to it. If Covid killed 20% of people who caught it, or 50% or 100%? Or if it killed the same number but it was the young not the elderly who were the ones who died? I think most people have got a tipping point where their concern for other people starts to diminish (see panic buying as an example).

Who would look after the children of all the NHS workers doing their 3 week shift in hospitals, I'd be interested to know?
Same with all the care home workers
What about all the domestic violence victims shut up in their home with their abusers, but now even the police aren't allowed to attend?
What about all the people who rely on home help every day?
Ambulances and paramedics? Fire officers?
And of course all of those people, who presumably would be exceptions to your wonderful plan (unless we just decided to let them all die for the greater good) would then need petrol to travel to do their necessary work so some petrol stations would have to be staffed. Plus as others have said someone would have to be involved in collecting, investigating and disposing of all of the thousands of people who die every week.

Plus if all the supermarkets closed for 3 weeks that would be a huge amount of rotting food wasted. Even more if we closed down all the freezers - because if we left them on we would need essential workers in to maintain them. Same if bins aren't collected for three weeks....

Don't forget all those working in water plants, sewage treatment facilities, electricity and gas maintenance - unless you want us all to freeze and starve to death in our homes. And of course those maintaining all the phone and TV infrastructure so we can actually work, entertain and interact with each other during the 3 weeks.

Basically we have too many 'essential' services for this to be in any way feasible. As we learnt during the first lockdown so no idea where you've been for the past 18 months.

Sure, so don't read/post

As I said, I was interested in the OP. That’s why I read/posted.

@VikingOnTheFridge like you'd be in a position to! 😄

[quote Duckrace]@VikingOnTheFridge like you'd be in a position to! 😄[/quote]
Nothing you've posted in this thread suggests you'd be capable of noticing.

@ThePoisonousMushroom

Sure, so don't read/post

As I said, I was interested in the OP. That’s why I read/posted.

Of course. I just don't want you to be bored! And you've said you weren't interested beyond the OP and we're 200 posts in now! The OP is gone it seems.

Ah so kind but don’t worry about me .

Is it the nit chat that's reignited your interest? That's interesting right?

Doubt my service users would appreciate being left in bed for 3 weeks without anything to eat or drink and no way of getting to the toilet or being able to empty their commode if they can manage to get to it. Plus medication couldn't be administered either, and realistically I couldn't store 3 weeks worth of food well not unless the government are going to provide us all with a large chest freezer as well. It would be one big chaotic mess. People would definitely be panic buying. It was bad enough during the first lock down and retrospectively if locking the entire world up for 3 weeks did work. It would be much much worse in the build up to it. Plus it would put added pressure onto our already hard working HGV drivers to put enough stock into the stores in order for it to happen.

The bed bound would need to isolate with someone.

Food supplies would be tins/dried incase the electricity goes out.

I am wondering who would enforce everyone staying at home.

@PickAChew

I am wondering who would enforce everyone staying at home.

In this imaginary scenario there has been global agreement so everyone just stays in.

Maybe government forces in full protective gear if people didn't? People's ring doorbells turned against them!

The issue is that many privileged people had an equally privileged experience of lockdown. But they haven't the faintest notion what it would be like if we did strip services right down to the bone.

Limited power, no wifi, no broadcasting, nothing but basic food packages, very limited essential services, restricted policing, etc, etc. Most of the most pro-lockdown types wouldn't last two minutes if we stripped right back to actual 'essentials'.

And that's before we get to convincing developing nations (who have far more pressing concerns than covid) of this great plan.

People's ring doorbells turned against them!

Is this the absolute pinnacle of first world privilege speaking?

What percentage of the global population have ring doorbells I wonder?

Is this comment just a pisstake?

Obviously a whole bunch of people would die, but would it be less than the numbers who will die of Covid?

@Saz12

Obviously a whole bunch of people would die, but would it be less than the numbers who will die of Covid?

It would be more... given that the people that would die from Covid would anyway because they would not be able to seek help due to this daft lockdown.

Logistics aside, it wouldn’t work because there are almost certainly people who will remain infectious for longer than the isolation period.

Plus- no it’s mad.
No rubbish collection
No dog walking so shit everywhere
No communications, no emergency response, no banking, no supply chain

Then you open up and 3 weeks of pent up demand for medicine and food, explodes into a world with complete supply chain failure?

No ta.

YABU and a bit ridiculous

The idea that staff should just stay at work. And where exactly do they stay? My ward, one of over 20 in a hospital has more than 30 staff. So do we all stay and work normal shifts or are the same ones expected to work 24 hours. Who cares for their children while this is happening? Don't you think HCPs and carers in homes have done enough. What's about those being cared for at home, do they still get a carer call?

What happens to our dead, do we just let them build up. I doubt the country has infostructutre to hang on to 3 weeks worth of bodies, the backlog for burials and cremations would be huge after.

Plus where do we get 3 weeks worth of food and how on earth do we store it in a domestic kitchen. Most people shop for a week at most.

And that's in this country.

How do you enforce isolation in an Indian slum or in a favela.

It's just not a workable option

@MorningStarling

It could be done, it's just there isn't the will to do it. Some people would flatly refuse to comply and it would be impossible to contain them.

Most "reasonable" objections could be overcome though. Doctors/nurses etc could stay in hospitals. If the fire service are called out, they and all involved are subject to another three weeks quarantine. I genuinely don't believe the argument that anybody doesn't have the room to store a three week supply of food - not the food they might like, but tinned and dried goods will suffice. If people can't afford to buy three weeks food in advance just provide every adult with three week's worth of benefit payments in advance. Would be cheaper than Covid.

What about paid carers who visit people's homes? Police to deal with non compliance?

@EverdeRoseThe NICU my son was at had 120 nurses, let alone other staff!

I love the idea. Hypothetically obviously as this would never happen. But.. I love it non the less