Funny how the people who plan to isolate themselves expect everyone else to keep working.

[LucheroTena]

This.

People on here prepping to isolate themselves and their families. Taking kids out of school, not working. For how long, 18 months until a vaccine is available??

The same people expect others in the service sectors to keep working - supermarket workers, NHS staff and so on. Going on about getting all their shopping delivered and so on.

Some of the preppers / self isolators on other threads were berating NHS retirees for being worried about being asked return to work, and telling NHS nurses who were voicing worries about isolation and childcare that they should lose their jobs.

Selfish irrational weirdos. I don’t know anyone in real life like this but seems like there are dozens hiding away on here.

So true @londonlassey.

As a teacher (0.8, don’t work Wednesday!), although not an essential service, I’m always a amazed at the threads where it seems to be parents vs teachers, as though the two are separate. It’s like some people can not comprehend that people who do certain roles will be parents themselves.

I didn’t read that thread but hope that poster had some support too!

That nurse also said IIRC something along the lines of that she didn't care if she was infected, she wouldn't quarantine as other peoples health wasn't her problem.

I’ve seen at least one person on a thread who has already deregistered her children from school and is self isolating
ah, I've not seen these posts. That is bonkers and completely unsustainable.

I'm looking at it as, I am working to be organised enough that IF there is an issue, I can look after my immediate family at home without taking resources from others. DH and I can both WFH if necessary (although from something I saw earlier today, my device may be required by others if my needs are not high enough priority - in which case, I can get my emails on my phone, send home to my gmail enough useful docs for a week, and work on my Mac instead - and then start badgering my boss who would likely still have his device, to email me more docs which can be done remotely).

I have looked at resources that would be useful for DD - and we have already warned her that she would be doing projects etc and keeping up her schoolwork that way, even if school don't set any work beforehand or remotely. She is not an exam year, but has State exams next year so plenty to work on.

I have decent storecupboards anyway, due to our busy lifestyles. I am trying to make sure to keep sufficient fresh stuff at the moment, like milk (DH and DD drink litres of it each week!! They're like calves!). But I have some alternatives, like a bottle of almond milk for coffee, and a couple of tins of evaporated milk to add water back into. Even without doing a massive shop on my way home to lockdown, we could manage a fortnight relatively easily I think.

I have filled the scripts for myself and DD, and got my GP to give me a course of steroids "just in case". The reason being my GP is near my office in the city centre, and the out of hours doc is also city centre for that practise. As I am asthmatic, I have needed them a few times in recent years, so I now have them in my possession and, if need be, I can ring my GP for advice and be able to avoid going in to her. Or else, I would need to go to a local GP who doesn't have my history - which is not ideal. But the theory is that this should reduce pressure on medical resources if there is a problem, because I can manage at home for a while and start treatment plans myself (under medical advice by phone).

Yes, having others still working would be useful, to get fresh food delivered, get medical advice, or other kinds of help.

But first and foremost, I will work on trying to be as self-sufficient as we can be for ourselves and take pressure off the other services. Admittedly, part of my plan involves a quick trip to the supermarket on my way home if we get a lockdown situation - to get fresh milk, cheese, eggs, fruit and veg, and some meat to cover a few days at the start - as who knows how long it would go on for and my home supplies are not inexhaustible. But that is all I would be looking for. And it would mean not needing to look for others to come to our aid for at least 2-3 weeks if I did that.

IheartNiles
Yep there are people who are pretty virile on here in slagging off your average prepper who is taking responsibility for themselves and their families, yet are convinced that if they had to self isolate themselves that the world would just keep them supplied with whatever they needed so they dont need to bother doing anything by themselves.
Glitches in supply chains, people i.e. supermarket workers, friends, relatives, etc getting ill, arent going to affect them no sireee, someone will have to bail them out because they are sooooo much smarter important than the rest of us.

Has anyone watched Cobra recently? Its' fascinating watching that, while also watching CV unfold in real life....

Sorry, last point - I think that it's not really right to call the people you are talking about "preppers" in this context.

Preppers prepare beforehand to deal with whatever emergency is thrown at them and to NOT need to panic buy or otherwise meltdown.

The people who are out clearing out shelves at the moment are the Panickers, who HAVEN'T thought about it beforehand, don't tend to have ideas and some useful supplies on hand about how to cope with various kinds of emergencies, and who literally go out with a shopping cart to clear the shelves in an "every man for themselves" type of reaction.

Please don't give proper Preppers a bad name because of the reactions of the Panickers.

I don't bloody expect that, op.
In fact I've just raised it at work about our zero hours contract cleaners when I overheard a conversation between them.
Also set up a thread specifically asking people to write to their MP about this.
Here's the link www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/

I'm a general prepper. Slag me off as much as you like. Waste time on MN doing it. Still write to your MP when you've finished.

I’m having a riot around my cupboards and freezer to check we have enough food in case we catch it (DH high risk due to chemo drugs but not chemo therapy) and have to isolate to stop us spreading to others.

In the gov plans they have noted that the school holidays reduced the spread of swine flu so I am mentally preparing for that to happen and wishing we had a larger garden.

Also mentioned on here loads of times - do you think delivery drivers aren't going to affected ?
I've been called fucking mental on here for even suggesting people should be a bit more self reliant if they can.

I think most people should assume they might have to self isolate for a fortnight at some point so should prepare for that. I have the basics in case deliveries are not possible during that time.

I am not planning to leave London and live in a cave for the next 18 months.

The only people I have seen talking about self isolating are people who have very obvious anxiety, and those with severe health problems who are worried this will kill them. It is common anyway for people with severe issues such as undergoing chemo, to be careful about avoiding places with lots of people.
Others are buying food so if they get ill they can stay at home for a few weeks. A lot of people do not keep enough food in the house ordinarily to do this.

It will help if people who can do. If you can easily work from home then there will come a time it makes sense to consider it rather than continuing to travel to work

I agree. My work are organising this for us now. But that’s sensible. Taking your kids out of school and giving up their school place for no real reason at this juncture is madness and not proportionate

And yes re the difference between prepping and panic buying. If preppers keep an eye on stuff and are just well organised and well prepared over a period of time, that’s not the same as PB, fair play and well done, I wish I was so organised. Although I am slipping an extra pack of coffee beans into my shop frequently ;)

I dunno if it's the gin but this is a really weird thread. You seem to be really angry at preppers because you think they expect to continue to get their shopping delivered should they self isolate. That isn't going to happen. Preppers won't need a delivery as they bought everything weeks ago.

I'm really irritated by the people who stubbornly refuse to take any responsibility for themselves or their families. It's these people who seem to be under the impression that Ocado are at their beck and call.

I'm a single parent with a disabled kid. If I become ill there's no other adult around to get supplies or medication in for us. I prep ahead for Christmas. I save up for birthdays and annual bills. You can be absolutely certain I prepped for this! I'll be the one lying in bed reading my book while those of you stamping your feet and whining are fighting over the last tin of beans.

I'm largely housebound and have enough food that providing I can cook it I could survive a few weeks (maybe eating basic stuff in strange combinations but I would survive). So if I hear there are cases very nearby I will stay in. What is the point of me going out, adding to the risk to myself, and by extension others if I get it? If I ran out of food and there were still people doing food deliveries I think a short contact with someone delivering food (and we could mask up) would be less risky to all concerned than a wander round a busy supermarket.
We can't get rid of the risk, but we can reduce it. For ourselves and others. So why wouldn't we?
Even slowing the spread down, by any small amount, would give the health services a better chance of coping.
However, I think a lot of people are just not joining up the thinking, so they are trying to protect themselves, and maybe others, without thinking it all through.

Agree totally OP

I can't work from home as I work in a the busiest Royal Mail Centre in the UK. The self-isolating folk will 'work from home'. Their sick record will go unblemished. Meanwhile they will be on the internet buying all manner of plastic shite from China which we process!

I am far more annoyed at the elderly who are carrying on as normal but are reliant on others to look after them. Whilst I don’t think it’s necessary to hide away, I also think it’s important that people take precautions to protect themselves and others.

ByeMF
That's a common theme on MN people by who dont understand prepping or who dont want to becayse it suits thier agenda. Blaming peppers for everything under the sun while not doing a damm thing for themselves except sneer at others to make themselves feel superior.

OP are you thinking people are talking an opportunity to swing the lead?
Every individual is entitled to take precautions as they see fit in my book.
Why the critical judgement?

YANBU OP

DD1 works in a hospital where there are confirmed cases. Under "prepper" rules she should isolate herself, as should everyone else who works there.

And then what?!

If a prepper gets ill, DD wont be there to administer the anaesthetic for the appendectomy. But that wont matter because the surgeon and nurses and HCA's wont be either. But that wont matter because the GP wont have been at work to diagnose them, the paramedics would all be isolated so no transport to hospital....

All these preppers rely on someone else to take the hit so they wont have to!

I asked about NHS cleaners and self isolation on another thread

Got radio silence!

@HelenaDove

Funny that......