Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Lots of “needless to say”s but anyone quite like idea of quarantine?

160 replies

Bringringbring12 · 08/03/2020 17:23

CDC say maximum quarantine period is 14 days.

Me and the children (9 and 7), chilling out an home, pottering, catching up on lots of jobs around the house, some school work, board games, films, yoga at home, runs around the garden and children on trampoline etc

I have lots of lovely food for two weeks

As I say lots of “needless to say”s that I won’t list here.... but really, 2 weeks at home, kind of appealing!

OP posts:
Rockybooboo · 09/03/2020 10:46

My friend is going through Chemo and is on her own enough as it iis without having to self isolate. What about people who live in flats with young children. This thread show's what a selfish society we've become. You can self isolate whenever you want but it's awful that you're happy for others to suffer.

Kahlua4me · 09/03/2020 10:52

Maybe it would be a good idea to ask everyone that can to self isolate with their family to do so as that would reduce the risks of it spreading, albeit marginally.

If people that could did so then the transmission of the virus would slow down and nhs have a better chance of managing it.

Personally, we would manage it as dh and I work at home anyway and kids would be fine. They may get bored but I have lots to keep them busy! I am happy to do it if it will help my community...

BarbaraofSeville · 09/03/2020 10:54

Nevermind IT systems for people working from home, I wonder if Netflix can cope with the spike in demand from mass self isolation?

Humina · 09/03/2020 10:57

Surely you can go in your own garden and not speak to any neighbours? Communal gardens, I get would be tricky, but I can't see why you couldn't go in the garden.

I guess there's a difference between quarantining if you aren't ill to flatten the peak and self isolating because you actually are ill. I can't imagine how you could manage the latter. I think most people imagine the first scenario. Home but not ill.

Seventyone72seventy3 · 09/03/2020 12:12

What about people who live in flats with young children

That's most people where I live. You just have to cope.

I guess there's a difference between quarantining if you aren't ill to flatten the peak and self isolating because you actually are ill.
Definitely. I wonder if we are going to look back on these past few weeks and think how lucky we were!

OchAyeThaNoo · 09/03/2020 12:18

I woke up with a nasty feeling chest infection. Struggled to get breath and I feel like I've gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. Aching everywhere. It's not Coronavirus, just a bog standard chest infection with a bit of a cold thrown in but I have self quarantined as if it is. Sent the kids off to school and decided a day all alone with just me, some disgusting lemsips and a bit of zombie fighting on the Xbox is just what I need. I reckon I could manage a couple of weeks in a proper quarantine, even with the kids,

Guttersnipe · 09/03/2020 12:24

Purely from my own selfish POV, as long as I could get my 2 kids home from university first, I would be quite happy to hibernate for 2 weeks. In fact, even without the uni kids, I would be happy to do so. I have just started a job I am very unsure about, and 2 weeks to really weigh up my options would be great.

Rockybooboo · 09/03/2020 12:34

Seventy. I realise people will have to cope but there are people on this thread including the OP who are actually gleeful at the prospect of the country having to self isolate and clearly don't give a shit that it will be harder for people who will struggle.

ineedaholidaynow · 09/03/2020 12:46

Rocky I don't think this is meant to be a serious thread, so OP is asking if everything else stays the same eg income, health, could you do it?

Monkeybunkey · 09/03/2020 12:54

I'd love a couple of weeks at home. I'd finally get round to the ever-increasing list of DIY jobs that I never seem to have time to do!

Butterwhy · 09/03/2020 12:57

@Seventyone72seventy3 why aren't they back at school?

Fluffiest · 09/03/2020 13:03

This thread show's what a selfish society we've become. You can self isolate whenever you want but it's awful that you're happy for others to suffer.

I don't think anyone on this thread is happy that coronavirus is happening or that people are suffering. But if slowing the virus down and self isolating could protect the more vulnerable members of society, surely it's not wrong to consider the silver lining of spending an unexpected two weeks at home?

For me, I think my work would pay me, DH could work from home. We have a four year old that would need entertaining. My plan would be a loose structure for the two weeks, with one fun different activity to do each day and one house decorating job to do each day.

We also have a big garden to run about in, so would have that advantage too.

Lllot5 · 09/03/2020 13:06

Been off work all week just annual leave. Haven’t seen anyone since Sunday any way. Easy peasy.
Back to work today could if quite easily done another week.

Rockybooboo · 09/03/2020 13:07

Fluffiest what about the people who don't have those things in their life.

ApplesAndCheese · 09/03/2020 13:13

Have you read the thread title, Rocky? It's not a serious thread and posters are well aware of the many, many caveats.

A couple of years ago I lived with ds and dp in a small flat with no garden, and had a job I couldn't possibly do from home. I expect I might have felt differently about self-isolation then.

People are allowed to talk about light-heartedly about their current situation, though, without having to don a hair-shirt.

Rockybooboo · 09/03/2020 13:18

And people who are worried sick about self isolation are allowed to express it.

ApplesAndCheese · 09/03/2020 13:24

And people who are worried sick about self isolation are allowed to express it

Of course they are. Who has said they aren't? The board is heaving with the worried sick.

Isolation would clearly be horrible and disruptive for some people, for a wide variety of reasons. Other people would probably struggle less. Some people might actively welcome it, again for a variety of reasons.

Are we not allowed to try and take any tiny sliver of positivity from this situation at all, now? Is this the new MN orthodoxy? You may only discuss the impact of coronavirus if you are a) terrified or b) miserable or c) preferably both?

Rockybooboo · 09/03/2020 13:33

No I don't expect peopleveryone to be miserable bit there are people on this thread who are actively wishing (fingers crossed) that we are forced to self isolate.

BiddyPop · 09/03/2020 13:37

I would be working. DH would be working. DD has been warned that she would be doing projects useful for school, even in advance of an email last week from headmaster that they are looking at arrangements to continue schooling remotely as far as possible.

We would not have the commute which would give us back 2 hours per day each (DH and I).

OTOH, DD would have no sport so would be driven up the walls (and likely drive us up them too!!).

I also have a lot of sewing to catch up on, plenty of food to slow cook, baking to do, letters to write, paperwork for various groups to complete....and a large stack of unread books by my bed. So I might make some inroads into some of that. And possibly even get the garden planted for spring (veg) - but given DD being up the walls with no sports, the small garden may be a no go area for us (or at least planting veg) as she'd be kicking her ball around there a lot.

Our neighbourhood is very sociable, so while we wouldn't be having any gatherings, there would likely be an arrangement of "group shopping" - each house (which is able to) taking turns to do the supermarket run for everyone, for the basics, and also making sure any who had illness had supplies dropped at their door to bring in afterwards. If we were all generally well, we might have gatherings in gardens where we could be spaced out and outdoors, but still catch up with each other.

I suspect though that the reality would be fairly dull and boring, work grind (and a load of problems to deal with because of working remotely and most of my staff at least not being able to - DH's workplace are better set up so all staff can work remotely, but he'd have a different set of headaches). And keeping DD occupied enough. We might get to relax more in the evenings with no groups or meetings to attend, and less commuting etc - so we might actually catch up on some sleep and hobbies at home. But I don't think it would be a picnic....

(I can also see us, if we are all well, possibly trying to get out into the mountains for a long walk one day - they are not too far from home, but tend to be pretty quiet most of the time, and as I have masks, we could do it without being a major risk to others).

Donkeytail · 09/03/2020 13:39

The thought of being trapped with my husband, kids and dog makes me want to cry tbh. I'll be buying a lock, putting it on my bedroom door and locking myself in there.

BiddyPop · 09/03/2020 13:40

OOps, I read the first few posts and didn't realise I had stepped into a bunfight....backs quietly away again

Porcupineinwaiting · 09/03/2020 14:05

@Rockybooboo there are people on this thread who are saying they would be happy if they had to self isolate. They are not wishing it on anyone else.

HoffiCoffi13 · 09/03/2020 14:21

I actually think it would make me suicidal.

Rockybooboo · 09/03/2020 14:22

It doesn't work like that. Isolation will affect everyone whether they like or not. t so please don't wish for it. It's going to be very hard for a lot of people.

WhereverIMayRoam · 09/03/2020 14:28

Obviously the “Needless to says” are in fact needed by some Hmm...

So assuming all those needless to say caveats are ticked off, then yes I’d be really happy for the four of us to stay home for two weeks. The dc could do some school work and interesting projects to keep them busy for a few hours a day while dh and I did some WFH.

The house would get a thorough spring clean for once Grin.
We’re all readers and have plenty of unread books.
DC have lots of art & craft stuff, science kits, board games etc plus they enjoy baking and cooking so could do more of that then they currently get time to.
We have a LOT of shows in our Netflix list!
Assuming we could go into our garden there’s the trampoline and swings, if indoors we have retractable table tennis, lazer x and a couple of other things to keep everyone a bit active.

Of course we’d probably eventually get fed up but I think it would be nice for life to be a bit simpler for a little while.