Would you self isolate?

[janemaster]

The advice is to self isolate if you have travelled from certain areas abroad, even if you have no symptoms. We know in other countries that not everyone has followed this advice.
So be honest, if you had no symptoms but were told to self isolate for 2 weeks in the house, would you? This would mean not leaving the house at all and staying in a separate room from anyone else living in your house.

YABU - No I would not
YANBU - Yes I would

I’ve been following this thread with interest the last couple of days, and must say, I think this is the most hilarious thing I’ve read so far:

A) A few weeks self isolation is not going to mean your children starve! Almost all jobs can be flexible if it comes down to it, and almost everyone has annual leave and sick leave, or benefits, or whatever.

Oh my, some people really have no critical thinking skills, do they?

So two weeks with no rent means no money.

So then they go back to work.
But they don't get paid till the next month.

So that 2 weeks is now 4. Or even 6.

And then they finally get paid.
But they desperately need food so that takes priority. So now they don't have enough to pay the rent in full so now it's even more overdue.

Then council tax, water, gas, electric, car tax, petrol all need to be paid.

So they still can't afford full rent.

Are you hoe story so sheltered that you can't see how catastrophic no money could be for somebody. 2 weeks is everything to some people.

And God have mercy on them if they're on UC. Because that could be a 6 week delay on payments straight away.

Also, @bellinisurge, you’ve made some great suggestions on these threads, so thank you very much for that. Good points all round, including writing to MPs.

@itsallthedramaMickiloveit I am on a zero hours contract. If I have to self isolate then it is for good reason! I have stocked up my cupboards with pasta, tomato sauce and cheese which will last me and my children for two weeks easily. It cost me £10. I would also contact my employer if I had to self isolate, if they are not willing to help by squashing hours then I will lose two weeks pay.

However:

• my health, my children’s health, my frail older parents health and my friends with health problems health is more important. I’d like to think I did what was the minimum necessary in order to prevent my 80+ parents from dying (14% chance for their age group) - they have a good few years yet!
• I do have a credit card and I’d put the two weeks rent on that. Really it’s no more than an unexpected spate of me getting the Coronavirus and having to take two weeks off unpaid anyway. Most of us on zero contract hours do go on the odd holiday to look after our kids and we do get sick. However in all likelihood my employer would be able to find me more work outside of the isolation period to make up for it. Especially if they have other people who need to self isolate.

We do live in a world full of grown ups! Some of us anyway. Who don’t just look to everyone else to parent us.

@itsallthedramaMickiloveit Before I worked for the NHS, I was a housing officer for a local council. I used to spend approximately one day a week in court trying to get repayment agreements with tenants or, where all else had failed, the house back. I can tell you now, NOONE EVER had a house taken off of them for two weeks rent arrears. People could pay their arrears off at a couple of pounds a week for years. You really are being overdramatic.

@Coolcucumber2020 so you had enough money spare to buy more food than you required.

Lucky you.

Some people don't have enough to feed them now. They are already hungry.

@SirChing you're really not getting it.
Some people couldn't play catch up. They wouldn't have enough to pay the rent access because they wouldn't be able to pay the rent in full. They wouldn't get back on their feet.

Are you hoe story so sheltered that you can't see how catastrophic no money could be for somebody. 2 weeks is everything to some people

No. I was a conveyancer so slightly more realistic about the housing situation.

Plus. You can't control a LL. They're not a charity. So they can serve a no fault eviction and get bailiffs it necessary.

You mean the housing crisis?

I hope that the modelling assumes that many will not self isolate.
I would because I am lucky in having enough funds to keep us going.
10/15 years ago when we had massive mortgage? Not so sure.

You mean the housing crisis?

No. I mean the situation erroneously outlined by you because apparently you’re getting off on frothing.

So how would somebody living hand to mouth, skipping meals. Having to live without heating afford to catch up on rent when they can barely scape by anyway?

@itsallthedramaMickiloveit honestly?!

So if someone contracted Coronavirus and was told to self isolate, then you’d want them to go to work?

Because of some extreme view that they are going to starve in the two weeks they had off sick? If you feel like that then give some money to a charity for these potentially starving people or local food bank. If you have money spare, which I presume you have.

@AJPTaylor I hope so too. Self isolating is I assume about slowing the spread of the virus so the NHS can cope.

Well if they get the Coronavirus they're just fucked. They'll be to ill to do anything.
They won't have a choice.

Not destroying my life is worth a damn sight more than the death of a stranger

Just because I see a problem. Doesn't mean it's my problem to solve.

You can't control a LL I think you will find they are controlled by small things called laws.

Believe it or not, people have experienced the shit hitting the fan with no warning, whilst they are already in poverty, for YEARS. Literally NOTHING you have said cannot be sorted out. You may need help from citizens advice, the money advice centre, Shelter etc to sort it all, but it is sortable. Loads of my tenants had shit happen when they were suddenly out of work with no income. It is able to be dealt with.

The issues may not have been coronavirus, but I am actually embarrassed for you that you think these issues have no solutions and that no one has ever been in that situation before. If you actually took the time now to ask various agencies what would happen, you might be pleasantly reassured. And markedly less dramatic.

You mean the law that allows a no fault eviction?

Ha! Yes quite. So self isolating is the most responsible thing anyone can do to prevent the poorest people getting ill. So stop making excuses to not do it! Can’t have it both ways.

Well if they get the Coronavirus they're just fucked. They'll be to ill to do anything. They won't have a choice.

@SirChing you're really not getting it

I'm sorry, am I too busy stating reality rather than buying into your completely factually incorrect rant?

The issues may not have been coronavirus, but I am actually embarrassed for you that you think these issues have no solutions and that no one has ever been in that situation before

I'm embarrassed that you don't realise how quickly somebody can have their entire life destroyed by one missed bill. How it can escalate. And be impossible to catch up.

How people do get evicted when the LL feels they're no longer a safe bet.
Because who wants a tenant who is so unreliable.
It's a owners market. It's easy to get another tenant.

You mean the law that allows a no fault eviction

Not within a two week time frame.

Al lot of words for not answering the question.

How are people who are unable to pay the bills they have. Who live in the red and use overdrafts supposed to play catch up with rent?

Honestly I think you just need to inform yourself better about how viruses spread and how to manage risks. I am well aware thanks.

To address your other points.

My husbands job is not flexible, he cannot work from home, he does not get paid by his company when off sick, his annual leave is basic, some of it must be taken at a set time when whole the company shuts down. Benefits take many weeks to arrange you can’t just rock up and instantly receive them.

I think maybe you need to inform yourself on this because many people will be in the same situation as my family.