Clashing with husband over coronavirus

[User24689]

Hi all. My DH is driving me nuts and I need a sounding board. He has read everything there is to read about coronavirus. We have cupboards stocked with enough food for 2 months. He has said he doesn't want to go to his nieces first birthday in 2 weeks as his parents are going and they have just returned from Rome. He's massively anxious about it all.

Whats annoying me now is he doesn't think I should be taking my youngest to playgroups etc and need to stay home with him. I'm a SAHM and groups are the only time I catch up with friends, basically. He's talking about working from home and we have just had a huge argument because he wants me to take our reception age child out of school. She's below compulsory school age so be thinks it's fine. I have explainee she will lose her school place if we just stop sending her and he keeps banging on about how in no time at all the school will be closed anyway. I really really don't want to take her out, she loves it and if I can't even take them anywhere (apparently) out of the home wtf am I meant to do with them both for the next however long he deems it necessary!
When I argue with this, he asks me what has to happen for me to decide it's time not to send her. When I said it's when the school closes he just scoffs at me as by then apparently it will be too late.
Is this normal behaviour?!?! Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with him/ calm him down?

You know in all Zombie/Plague/Apocalypse movies, there are a few themes?

One is the Husband imprisoning the wife and children. He usually ends up dead.

Another is where people start fighting amongst themselves, usually with the result that someone either opens the gates to run away/let the infection/radiation/killer robots/monsters in or alerts the Bad Thing to their presence. And they usually end up dead.

They're dramatized versions of human nature when under pressure. There's even films where the twist at the end is that there isn't a threat in the first place.

This is a real life example - there's the incredibly over anxious husband wanting to lock the wife and children up away from The Big Danger and the group fighting amongst themselves.

I suspect that, in the worst case scenario, the most likely outcome is that, like in The Walking Dead, everybody will have the virus in the end - some succumb to it, some don't - but the biggest danger is from People and how they react to it.

But it's not a Zombie Apocalypse.

I didn't read all the post. I just think BBC yesterday made this 80% will catch it, 1% dead headline is responsible for this sorts of fear. It is ridiculous to put the worst case situation on the headline news like that. Lots of people may not read thoroughly, then got this impression, it's so serious. This certainly fuel people's fear.

On the issue OP mentioned,I sort of agree with your husband. On current situation, I would avoid indoor's playgroup, you don't need to stay at home, you can bring him to the park, meet your friend outside.

@newleafinspring Is outside the magic way to avoid it?

The worst case scenario ( which I don't believe will happen at all) will result in 80%. Of the UK population getting Corona virus That is 50million people . 2% of 50million is 1million extra deaths in the UK. I am NOT saying it will happen . Just if you quote 80% of the population getting it you need to understand what that means .

I did understand. My point was that the very very worst case scenario is 80% of the population getting the virus, which is just very very unlikely and that the death rate will vary depending on age, sex health etc. You can't just say that 2% of all those infected will die, it's just not as simple as that!

OP - glad you and your DH compromised. This made for an interesting (if lively!) thread.

None of us really know what's going to happen, all we can do is stay calm and wash our hands as some chap said on TV...

@MadamePewter I am not an expert, but read lots of the information. The virus don't last long in open air,blow away by wind, the density of virus will be low, unless a patient coughed into your face. But indoors, the virus may stay in the air , attached to the furniture surface. And rooms with air condition is even worse, that's why the diamond cruise had the big trouble. The virus is circulated.