To have not done anything about the c virus?

I think the internet and social media are far more to blame here than the press itself. Even on MN we have a whole topic full of scaremongering threads where people are whipping each other up into a frenzy unchecked. MN needs to crack down on this kind of thing IMO because no good can come of it.

Experts on radio this morning saying that mass isolation actually has the opposite effect in that the virus then won’t spread meaning that when it recurs we wil be back in the same position we are now. What actually needs to happen is that some do need to catch the virus and that way herd immunity will also happen and reduce the spread of the virus to those at greater risk.

They also said that school closures are actually at the very bottom end of the plan because as a rule school closures do nothing to halt the spread as children will get together and probably in far more public spaces, or will travel to stay with grandparents etc by means of childcare and thus the virus will spread.

I have a serious heart condition and the steps such as not coming into contact with people who have cold symptoms are precautions I take anyway.

We should all be washing hands anyway as standard, and if people actually feel they need to wash their hands more then they clearly weren’t observing decent hygiene in the first place.

I was amused to discover though that when I did my online shop yesterday one of the products which was unavailable was red wine 😂

I keep switching from mild concern to worry. I think it’s being hugely overhyped by sensationalist newspapers. However I do think that the percentage of hospitalisations is a concern. If everyone could recover at home that’d be fine, but the pressure on the NHS is a worry. But I’m not putting my life on hold and don’t want to buy into all the scaremongering.

On the fence a bit about the news coverage. On one hand yes it’s making people panic but there is a risk that if you didn’t highlight the seriousness then people who really should be isolating wouldn’t bother because they didn’t think it was a big deal.

I'm fine with people not doing anything or preparing for an epidemic. Just don't come crying on here that you can't buy what you want because other people did think ahead.

It's like having sanpro. I don't wait till I bleed before I buy sanpro, I buy a packet before I need it. Same goes for some paracetamol, loo roll and basic foodstuffs. I always have something in the cupboard. Not related to corona, I always do this.

@bingbangbing I think you might be reading more into my post than was intended.

Nobody can force you to do anything differently and no one will care if you don't.

Re paracetamol and ibruprofen, there have been shortages for months due to reduced production.

I’m happy that you’re so relaxed OP and I truly hope that the vulnerable person in your home doesn’t catch this, but I’ll keep reading what WHO has to say about it and they seem to think the governments aren’t taking this seriously enough. Let me think, 🤔 should I listen to uneducated poster (regarding knowledge of this virus) or the World Health Organisation?

mobile.twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1235635005415739393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1235635005415739393&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldometers.info%2Fcoronavirus%2F

I havent really changed anything because of the virus. Havent stockpiled or anything yet and dont plan to.
I did meet up with a friend this week and we originally planned to take the kids to a big indoor playground. We changed our mind about that one though and played at home with them.
I dont want to go crazy because of it, but i definitely dont want to challenge our luck either.

I visit my grandparents a couple times a week, so im mainly worried about passing it on to them. I asked them if they would prefer us not visiting for a bit since they are in the risk group, but they were not happy with that and looked at me like im insane.

DH & I have underlying medical conditions. A bad cold can cause problems, so flu could really cause us issues. I’m not anxious, but I am concerned about interrupted supply lines, ability to get hold of medications and having to self isolate.

I already stockpile toiletries, loo roll and cleaning products whenever they’re on offer, simply for cost reasons, but I’ve been adding extra bits to our normal shop for a few months now and will carry on doing so. I think that planning on relying on shopping being delivered in the event of having to self isolate is short sighted.

@LASH38 there were shortages which were starting to stabilise, no chance of that continuing now.

My Dd has asthma and additional needs. She’s a poor patient at best of times as can’t swallow meds.
I have diabetes and lung problems. The C virus is a huge concern to us.

We haven’t got a bunker full of stocks but have got a few extra bits over the last month with our normal shopping so that if we need to isolate for a bit we probably could. I dont think that’s unreasonable, though others disagree.

If you’re healthy enough that you can just carry on as normal then that’s fantastic, but for my family.... that would be foolhardy to say the least.

The only thing I’ve done differently is take my brown asthma inhaler ( the preventer ) as often as I’m supposed to
I often don’t bother , and miss taking it for days on end
We use good old fashioned bar soap as a rule , don’t like the messy liquid soap , not bothering with sanitiser
Just keeping on as normal , catching a long distance train tomorrow for a weekend away , DD working in Spain and happily flying back and for , and we have a holiday booked for April

Not worried at all, to be honest. I might catch it, I might die, I’ll take my chances. Gotta die sometime. And I’m sure I’ve enough tins in the cupboard to make it through if the shops close for a bit.

I sort of agree with you OP, but then I do think it’s attitudes like yours that could potentially cause us problems. We do need some level of attitude and behaviour change. Even if the symptoms are mild in most the economic fall out of widespread infection is worrying.

Like the other poster said if your love was weakened in some way and at risk of dying from this you would be thinking differently.

I think stockpiling is madness. However, I think staying at home or keeping children at home if you or they have a sniffle is very sensible. Especially if you get sick pay, DH and I have just been discussing this, I’m late 30’s and he’s mid 40’s we’ve never worked anywhere that didn’t offer paid sick leave. I know there’s a lot of places that don’t but if you do you should help protect those citizens who don’t. Socially as well if you are feeling a bit sniffly just asking yourself, do I need this beauty app, do I need to go soft play, the supermarket - can I order online those are just really sensible things to make considerations about and could help slow down and delay the spread.

I've not done anything different. I wash my hands regularly anyway. Neither me nor DS are high risk groups.

Some of us don't have the space to stockpile either. I live in a small flat.

I'm living life as normal regarding public transport and going out and will continue to do so until official government advice. I can't WFH anyway in my job.

My main concern is possible school closures. As a single parent I need to go to work to keep a roof over our heads and I don't have anyone who can do childcare at short notice.

You should be grateful if people who are isolating. If it does turn into a thing, they’re less likely to be stressing the NHS if you happen to need it.

Not too worried but keeping an eye on the news. Colds can turn very nasty for me and I have one right now, I feel dreadful so I’m glad I keep a good supply of food and OTC medicine in because I won’t be going out for the next few days feeling like this.

I've had to do some things a bit differently to the norm. I work with the general public and I'm in an 'at risk' group. My employer has been very clear about what we need to do to protect ourselves, mainly because they want to keep us well and at work which is fair enough.

Lucky those who can carry on as normal, but it is mainly down to luck more than judgement, so there's no need to put yourself up there as a paragon of logical thought.

I've got diabetes, OH has cancer. Both at high risk due to impaired immunity. So we're taking sensible precautions.

We run a business and first thing we've done is cancel all non essential meetings - phone and email used instead - worked well so far. We've also not booked ourselves on any training courses, which are usually lots of people in small spaces - again, unnecessary short term - we can catch up later. In the few meetings we're having, no hand-shakes (pointless and unnecessary at the best of times) and we're keeping them very short and to the point.

At home we've never "stock piled" but always had full cupboards, i.e. maybe 2/3/4 weeks supply of non perishable packets/tins etc - it can in very handy during Storm Desmond when out town had no electric for a week and most of the shops were closed!

DS normally goes to school by bus (typically crowded with kids and OAPs), but seeing as he passed his driving test last year, we've started letting him drive our car to/from school so he can avoid public transport. He's upper sixth so has lots of free periods - he's staying away from the busy common room & cafe. If he gets it, he won't be badly affected, but it could be fatal to us if he passes it on. He knows this and is adopting a very mature attitude of trying his best to stay away from crowds etc.

Carryiing on as normal here too! I confess to be a bit more diligent with extra handwashing though for all of us.Other than that its normal rules apply regarding work,school,shopping and socialising.

Some of the prep threads on here are beyond irrational, as said pp there was no panic like this over previous virus’

Haven’t read all the prep threads, so you may be right about them. But it was apparent from quite early on that swine flu wasn’t especially serious. Ebola was easier to contain purely through excellent hygiene and was never widespread outside specific parts of the world. Bird flu so far, has not spread between people at any significant level.

Which previous infection are you comparing this with? On current evidence, this virus has far more potential for serious impact, even if only in terms of many people being ill simultaneously and a high risk to older people and those who are chronically ill.

Neither me nor DS are high risk groups.

Trouble is, if you're not taking precautions, and you get it, you could be passing it on to high risk people around you, i.e. friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues etc. I think everyone needs to take precautions to protect the vulnerable around them.

I haven't seen any evidence of panic in rl. My local supermarkets still have plenty of paracetamol. The shoppers are not pushing trolleys piled high with long-life foods and toilet roll. Kids are in school as usual, everyone's going about their normal business.

Having said that, I don't see what's so silly about stocking up a bit. It is likely many people will get ill. Having more supplies to tide you over if you're stuck at home for a while is perfectly sensible and does not constitute panicking.

@KazzyHoward I understand that but what can I possibly do other than what I'm already doing? That's my point. As I said, I cannot work from home and I need to use public transport as I have no car so I come into contact with lots of people every day. I can't do anything different.