How many people actually understand what a lockdown would involve?

[Bearbehind]

I realise there’s outrage about our governments handling of this but, on one hand we appear to have countless people insisting schools must shut now

And on the other hand we have people who-

• think they could still participate in their hobbies
• think a lock down would be over in a fortnight
• think they could go on a cheap holiday while the kids are off

How many people genuinely understand locking down now will be for months and you won’t be classed as ‘exceptional’ or ‘special’ - you’ll be expected to actually stay inside for the duration otherwise it achieves nothing.

Lockdown isn't one thing, each country has implemented something different and also varied it according to the stage of the crisis. Lockdown is also different to self-isolation and quarantine, all of which might be happening simultaneously.

In Italy lockdown is basically enforced social distancing. You can go for a walk/run alone, to walk the dog, to food shops/supermarkets/chemists/newsagents, to the dr's (by appointment), to work. You are advised to leave the house as little as possible to avoid eg parks full of people. Previously bars and restaurants were open with restrictions. It's policed by the police! They stop people and ask why they are out, and verify it (eg calling your work or the Dr), breaking the rules is punishable by a fine or prison.

So people are actually allowed to go to the doctors and supermarkets several times a week, as it’s essential. Got

@ShanghaiDiva thank you - that's really tough....

So people are actually allowed to go to the doctors and supermarkets several times a week, as it’s essential.
But not if you are ill or live with someone who is - hence people being stuck in flats with their dead relatives.

In my city you could still walk your dog and go outside for a walk.
Exceptions to what I detailed above is if had to self isolate at home. Self isolation has nothing to do with symptoms in this case, but is for people arriving back in China,
This involves 14 days at home without leaving and the local govt comes to your house twice a day to take your temperature. Your door is taped up so it is clear if you have been out. You are helped to organise food deliveries.

Butterwhy The surveillance was there before CV. Facial recognition on the streets etc.

I've already decided I'm not going to leave the house other than to buy essential food or in an emergency. Luckily I can work from home and luckily my company is a sight more proactive than the government and has encouraged us to do so.

What we should currently be doing is social distancing. Lowering the number of people we have contact or regular contact with. So wfh where possible, last contacts with the older generation, set up skype etc. Vulnerable population members allowed to social distance more seriously

And when people fail to obey because they don’t think the advice applies to them? Like the patient sat in our Drs, who had walked past the big “stop do not come in if you have a cough..” signs, who sat there coughing because they feel entitled to see the Dr or the lady who blew her nose, picked up a magazine flicked through it, blew her nose again, then put it down and got another magazine.

as I was thinking of taking dc’s to one of the quiet beaches around here if we have a lockdown. I expect everyone else will do exactly the same though!
Oh dear god. Isn’t that the exact reason Spain & Italy have their problems now? They shut down the cities and so people went off to the coast taking the virus with them so spreading it nationwide

Couldn't pop to my doctors. Its closed for face to face appointments

No-one knows what a lockdown would involve because it hasn't happened yet in the UK and our government has yet to put measures in place.

It could mean anything on the spectrum from just shutting schools, public transport, and enforcing WFH, or it could mean closing all but essential services (medical care, utilities) and keeping people in their homes whilst the military deliver food.

Even in Italy, supermarkets and pharmacies are allowed to remain open. Sure, people have to queue to get into the supermarkets so that they're not crowded, and the amount you can buy is restricted to ensure there's enough for everyone, but they're still receiving deliveries and serving customers.

there would not be the numbers of police to police a lockdown, all officers have families (many are married to other emergency workers) and if schools close there will be a dramatic effect on staff levels

also it depends on the area

as I was thinking of taking dc’s to one of the quiet beaches around here if we have a lockdown. I expect everyone else will do exactly the same though!

This has pretty much proved exactly my point 🤔

Yes, some measures were very straightforward to implement in China eg all compounds have security anyway so refusing entry to anyone who is not a resident is quite simple and does not require any additional help. I don’t see how that would work with houses in the uk/Europe.

as I was thinking of taking dc’s to one of the quiet beaches around here if we have a lockdown.
Now, why were you thinking that would be a good idea, or even an acceptable idea? Or were you not thinking at all?

My friend in hk goes to her local shop and the family go for a hike in the hills each weekend. Her kids mix with two other families in their apartment complex but no more. They’ve been off school since Chinese New Year. It’s not complete house arrest there.

Italy clearly had massive issues very early on

The fact that so many other cases were traced back to there made that obvious

Their infection rate per million is way higher than anywhere else in the world and they are recording the highest mortality rates per day ever

What they are doing isn’t enough and it’s nothing like what China did

That’s my point

It’s either really really tough stuff or don’t bother

People thinking they can go for a hillwalk a or to an empty beach are not stupid. They’d be a hundred meters or more away from another person at all times and no surfaces to touch and infect.

But lots of other people had the same idea. The beaches were packed.

People thinking they can go for a hillwalk a or to an empty beach are not stupid.

So how do you enforce that?

How do you say that people can go put if they know they’d always be 100m away from anyone but unless you can guarantee that you can’t?

@neversleepagain it’s not horrendous it’s just not pleasant. Horrendous is over a million people dying in the UK which is what Boris is aiming did with his her immunity plan.

@thenightsky not to that extent though. As we don't have the digital infrastructure for that, just wondering how it would work here. We definitely don't have enough police or military to physically try and enforce it.

Online shopping may not be the answer. I tried to do my online shop tonight and there are no delivery slots available for 11 days. I keep a pretty good supply in my cupboards but I would be scraping the barrel by the end.

I’m assuming that’s the case for those who insist on closing schools now because it’s a long haul solution

Closing schools and total lockdown are worlds apart.

You cannot out into the fresh air, just stay away from other people. Easier in the countryside obviously.

somewhere, someone said that UK supermarkets literally can't do all the deliveries being suggested. They dont' have the capacity to deliver to everyone. Going to real shops will still be required.