To be amazed at how many people are making excuses

[Sunshinesky1981]

Looking through these threads I'm feeling pretty horrified at the amount of people that either dont seem to be able to understand what self isolate actually means or are already making excuses as to why it can't possibly apply to them ?!?
Have read so many.. oh I'm not going to self isolate, I'm pretty sure it's just a cold. Can I still go for a walk. I need to go out for a run or else I'd go crazy, how am i going to walk the dog, I'd only pop to the shop really quickly

No wonder the schools aren't shutting, and we are not banning gatherings. I really can't understand how people are either not getting this or feel happy to just think sod the risk

A situation like this is beyond living memory. So people can’t believe it. Yes people need to go to work etc but they won’t be able to if in a hospital bed!

It’s funny how many people are outraged at the idea they might not be able to go to the pub. It’s “social control”. And yet they are happy for their children to be compelled to go to school - if that isn’t social control I don’t know what is!!

Catspy, I've seen far more people worried about paying their bills than going to the pub to be honest.

I don’t know anyone worried about the pub but I know one person had to cancel their wedding and another a charity fundraising event for their sick child

Thinking of self-isolating has to take into account fiscal consequences especially for the self-employed and anyone in the gig economy.

Banks may say, for now, that they will be sympathetic to home-owners struggling with the mortgage due to the virus but.........banks are enormously efficient at forgetting they said these things!

Government should step in at times of emergency. This is like a war and that’s what they’re there for. So they should be bailing out the self-employed etc.

Worrying about weddings etc is another matter. Do you want the wedding to kill off the guests? Have the party another time. These measures are not being taken to spoil your fun but because they are essential.

In Philadelphia in 1919 they had a parade for the returning WW1 troops and ignored the Spanish flu advice. Around 300,000 people went and within days 5,000 were dead. Let’s not have a situation like that.

Not happened yet, but DH is self-employed and runs his own (small) business. If he and all our employees go off sick with a cough we will lose a lot of work and not be able to pay our bills.

I'm a part-time teacher and I can tell you that there is HUGE pressure on us to send our own children into school and get to work. Calling in sick with a cough for 7 days may be the guidelines, but not being in anyway encouraged or supported. It will leave whole classes of children unable to go to school or two plus classes being put together. It's a hard decision to make and a lot of pressure.

It's not as easy as people on here are making out.

I think it’s time to trial a universal basic income. No strings attached, no interviews, no atos assessment, no reporting changes of circs and administration and waiting periods for endless new claims, no requirement to look for work, no need for appeals, no need to fund investigations about whether mr x can really walk 200 yards or miss y is living with a partner, or ms z is working cash in hand as a painter and decorator on the side. Everyone gets a basic amount. Those that can safely work, cool. Those that cannot don’t have to face difficult choices.

I guess people no longer have to be pissed off people like me need to work to survive. Got an email from the owner of my company today saying hes sorry but it looks like i may be losing my job in the next couple of weeks. So I guess i can starve whilst locked away from society :)

I'm very sorry Geepipe

It's so fucking shit and unfortunately, as is always the case, the more privileged members of society are the least affected (and also the quickest to condemn everyone else).

Thank you JuggleBug. Yeah its awful because people dont understand we cant put off our lives indefinitely. I am due to ttc in the next month or so so i cant even tell dp im going to lose my job. I dont know how i will even find a new one in this current climate. I dont know how benefits work. As i have said before i totally understand why people are scared but at the same time the same people whinging we are all selfish for going out have also not self isolated themselves. So its ok for them to make decisions but no one else can. Hopefuly theres not many like me in this situation although i know there will be millions :(

If we had the shutdown and the government supported those who need it financially through that time it would hopefully get it over with more quickly. Strict isolation is the only way to stop it. Once things are back to normal the economy will pick up. I am extremely fortunate that I can work from home. I also have some savings. I know others are not so lucky and there should be support for them. I will actually be spending a lot less - no eating out, little fuel etc. Just food and domestic bills. I’ve even given up on plans for a summer holiday. It’s never going to happen now. Same for most people.

@Geepipe I’m so sorry about your news. But TTC when you’ve just lost your job and you won’t tell your partner? I think you must level with him or it won’t bode well for the future. Also, being pregnant is an extra risk factor. Maybe wait a few months?

Geepipe, i’m so sorry. That’s shit. I don’t know what to say.

There is absolutely no way I’d be TTC right now, especially if I’d just lost my job. And certainly if I didn’t feel able to be honest with my partner about it.

HoffiCoffi13 dont do it then. No ones making you.

I’m not.

There is absolutely no way I’d be TTC right now, especially if I’d just lost my job. And certainly if I didn’t feel able to be honest with my partner about it.

Why be so thoughtlessly sanctimonious when someone's in through a hard situation? A little bit of empathy goes a long way.

^^ agreed. Shall we not pile in with our opinions right now when Geepipe is in such a hard situation.

It's probably been mentioned already, but there's a great thread about earning money from home. It's been running for well over a year, and there's some amazing advice on there.

It's the earn £10 a day threads in Money Matters. Or search for otterses- she started the threads and has pulled together a list of companies / apps etc.

Some of us are earning much more than that - they've been a life saver for a lot of us.

I think that I was on this thread earlier saying it was all blown out of proportion. I didn't want people to panic, and I really thought it was being blown up in the media.

I popped to the shops three days ago, and now I am very sick myself. My lungs feel like they are on fire. Heavy breathing. I am self isolating.

Please try and keep safe everyone

angell, I hope you recover well.

I wish it didn't take for people to experience something bad themselves, before they believe that bad things happen.

@perkingfaintly that is true.

@angell84

Hope you feel better soon

Me too

It’s like reading the back of a tinder box

In Italy ....it took 7 days to reach 17 deaths then they went into lock down..... and look at how many more have died since.

The UK is not yet in lockdown and over 50 have died... think about how many thousands are out there with it already in the UK!