Gobsmacked by UK response

[Aspoonfullofjam]

Stay at home for one week if you’ve a cold (even though all evidence is that incubation is two weeks)

People over 70 don’t go on cruises.

WHAT!!!

134 new cases in a day and no action. 13 EU countries have closed all schools, another 11 partial closures but apparently no action needed in Uk.

Jesus.

Schools are still being prepared to close imminently.

Which schools and by whom?

I was, once again, impressed by CMO and chief scientist, I like that they are taking am evidence based approach. It is a gamble, but so are the actions and plans of all the other countries, and I hope that the gamble pays off. If it does pay off though, Boris Johnson is going to be insufferable!!

I've had emails from my DC's schools that they are preparing distance learning, in case of closure. South East.

No, they've all just seen posts on Twatter and Facecloth and think they know best

People are frightened and feel as though there are unanswered questions following the press conference.

Being an arse and implying that people are thick isn't exactly helpful.

To address the replies to my previous posts: I do understand that there are some vulnerable people who may decide that staying at home is the best thing to do. I think this will be the next stage of advice, I think that at this time the risk of catching the virus is not great, and these people will face the same (and more) challenges in isolating themselves as everyone else. I accept the government could do more to support vulnerable people who wish to remain at home. But this doesn't equate to a nationwide lock down and closure of schools, as some seem to be suggesting.

If this is politically motivated, then why are the Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish governments not doing different things? None of them are Tory, they all have their own CMOs yet they are all implementing the same measures as England. The only slight difference is the Scottish ban on large gatherings, which the FM explained was not to reduce the spread, but to reduce demand on the emergency services.

I think it was good to see the PM being honest (for a change), explaining that people will die.

NB - anyone who does want to stay at home can simply claim to have a cough. You don't need a sick note. For most parents this 'excuse' would see them through to the Easter holidays.

I don't know about you but I am already getting sick of washing my hands

The problem is, we can't control what other people do. I was in the office today - in the loos, I only saw one person give their hands more than a token 5 second splash. Walking through reception, there was a used tissue lying on the floor. People sneezing without covering their mouths.

We can control what we ourselves do - but only if we are given official sanction to do it. While our workplaces etc. don't allow us to isolate ourselves we are forced into contact with others who are less responsible or, who are 'low risk' and don't give a hoot about others.

We have science, rationality and some of the best brains on the planet deciding on the best way forward given what we know and with what resources we have. And then we have Mumsnet. I know which one I have to trust in this instance.

I think the government is waiting another week so that they can close schools 2 weeks before most break up for a two week break for Easter anyway- so they can merge it into a month closed in total.

Don't go on a cruise though- laughable advice!

Neckpain - the Torres have always been happy to sacrifice the masses and Boris is a fucking liar - This.

Let's just be open here. Lay it on the table. Boris is a serial adulterer and lying is so engrained in his psyche that even his siblings are shocked, and his four grown up children, who are now old enough to think for themselves, won't talk to him.

A government in conscious, jovial denial.

A government looking out first and foremost for themselves.

They've looked at the obvious action to be taken and thought fuck no ... that will cost ...

@Cam77 I am still washing my hands, I have OCD so I have always washed them a lot. If you read what I wrote properly you would know that. I am saying that the simple practice of "wash your hands more" is already starting to grate on people - people are getting sore hands, most aren't doing it enough, some aren't even doing it at all even after using public toilets. That is the public's response to being told to wash their hands more - most aren't listening. Now if you tell people they have to stay in their homes, they aren't going to listen.

On the plus side of all this, how much is this stopping us from worrying about a load of other crap going on in our lives?

The problem is, we can't control what other people do.

I agree. At least 5/6 young women on my fb getting all dressed up for the races.,

Yes, and they seem to be saying they’ll only test people in hospital. Which will conceal the actual prevalence in the population. Deliberately?

Private schools close earlier than state schools, don't they?

Most of the world has closed schools we wash our hands and sing happy birthday

It's a joke.

We are spending so much time trying to ensure children are washing their hands but I can't watch all of them so I can't say their hygiene is better managed at school.

Couple of things I would like to be clear on is this.

Will rules be relaxed on school attendance on both sides. Schools with poor attendance trigger OFSTED and parents get fined for unauthorised absences. They will not be able to get Doctors notes for absence in the next few months.

What about school staff who have health issues that make them vulnerable? If they have to take time off it will have an impact on other staff but could also trigger absence from work protocols.

How many cases do there have to be for a school to close? Now they are not testing we won't have the information.

As a teacher I know how bugs go round and how vulnerable I am to getting them but I suppose I am just collateral damage to protect the economy as much as possible. I know that is an extreme view but is an honest reaction.

I am sceptical of hand washing anyway (still doing it though)

Unless you have a motion operated tap, what do you do?

turn tap on with dirty hand
wash hands
turn tap off again, thus touching tap that has been touched by hundreds of other dirty hands.

Purplewhitelie Don't forget, we cancel our cruises too (but only if we're elderly).

Its airborne

I'm living in Holland and feel exactly the same about the Dutch governments response! Lots of people super blasé about the whole situation here too

They're not bothered if the old and ill are at risk. They are just collateral damage. This is dreadful.

Is the position with everything staying pretty much as is likely to change or is that just the plan for now and they'll reassess once we've hit the peak? Surely once we've hit the peak, any attempts to prevent spread are pointless anyway?

Most of the world has closed schools we wash our hands and sing happy birthday

Most of the world has not closed their schools.

I think the scientists explained the rationale very effectively.

And in fact their approach is not at odds with all other countries - France and Germany have not had as rapid an increase in cases as Italy and they have not rushed to as drastic measures as China and Ireland. They have only recently closed schools in cluster zones. The first cases in the UK occurred at the same time as Italy and France and Germany.

I think its very human to want to have someone to blame but assuming that politicians (who rely on trust and popularity for their jobs) want to kill people is a bit nuts. And to think its only about the economy misses the point. We need to keep our society running, our care homes, hospitals, GPs, police, fire service, prisons, courts and schools running, we need farms and factories, lorries and trains to keep running to sustain supplies of food and medicines. We need to be able to get to the shops and pharmacies and we need people to be able to feed their families and employers and businesses to stay open beyond this year's Corona outbreak. So trying to minimise long term harm to jobs and livelihoods matters to for all of us. Most of us do need to work to feed our famillies. We cant all sit at home for 4 months and assume the shelves will remain stocked with food and medicine. They wont fly in via teleporting by themselves.