Over 70s to self isolate

[Dodie66]

Over 70s are going to be told to self isolate even if they don’t have the virus and this will be coming in 5-20 days and last 4 months
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-coronavirus-over-70s-told-21694397?fbclid=IwAR2k9MqPf7vOzNcnqfVroLXVp0sQjYRmihHKBiL9pvdhSi5780WpYkgFNnI

So why are the government not announcing it themselves

A trial balloon? Putting it out there and seeing the reaction

Hmm.
My parents live with us, they are over 70. How is this going to work for multi-generational families?
They stay in - but do I still go to work? Do my kids go to school?

So why are the government not announcing it themselves?

This govt is run by a lying, lazy clown so who knows.

It's been leaked - so it may be true or may not (TBF Peston I've found is usually reliable)

Trial balloon is a possibility I suppose.

My dad is 72 and still works full time. Ain't gonna work. Unworkable

I don't know and my grandparents are likely asleep now so I will have to ask them tomorrow
Literally I was told by text from my grandmother 'your grandad just got an alert on his phone saying those over 70 need to stay at home for 4 weeks'
Could have been from his Dr or NHS.
Could have been a news alert for all I know.

I got a text alert today too from NHSnoreply today telling me not to visit my Dr's surgery with flu like symptoms.

I'm not surprised by this. I've never seen so many elderly people out and about over the last couple of days. I understand how they feel, but they can't be allowed to crash the NHS.

Clearly this won't work for everyone, but as a general strategy, I think it is sensible.

People have screamed murder that the government isn't doing anything, they are screaming murder now that their plans for some quite severe targeted restrictions are being revealed.

There is no getting around this, our lives are on hold for the next year or so.

This is a mad response, when every other thread on here is demanding lockdown and schools shutting. Would we give the over 70s an exemption from that too? Any lockdown won’t be effective if it lasts weeks, it needs to be months. They are the most at risk by a significant margin, so should be taking extra precautions anyway.

We don’t have the details anyway, so flapping about people being left with carers is premature. All flapping on this is premature.

Do people who think this is a good idea actually have any caring responsibilities for vulnerable 80+ year olds?!

So how is my frail 95-year-old relative supposed to cope? She can't manage on her own without daily support from family.

Folks, the fact that there are exceptions for whom this is unworkable, doesn't change the fact that for a lot of over 70s it's perfectly feasible, sensible, and desirable.

How will they get food? (don't say online delivery- mine live in a large village with limited retailers that deliver and non have any slots for 2 weeks at least)

So on one hand the gov may want nhs workers to come out of retirement (presumably many of them over 70) and on the other they've to self isolate

It does make more sense to me to ask those who are most vulnerable to isolate than to shut the whole country down.

If the whole country's closed they won't be getting visitors either.

I think this has been leaked so when they officially announce it but for a lesser time they are more likely to comply,

True or untrue, it's unworkable

Bloody hell 4 months my Mum (77) will kill my Dad (82) if they ate cooped up for 4 months!

Lol, mine too, actually 7ts not funny as they really struggle to cope with each others company. My Dad (81) still works and thinks it is all ridiculous. My Mum (70) is always out and about, at the gym etc.

Though I do agree with social contact limited as far as practicable for the very frail. My DM barely leaves the house anyway, but she wouldn't cope physically nor psychologically completely on her own; we've had a conversation about managing the risks and are doing as much as we can.

I feel like I'm screaming into a hurricane here.

Again - it doesn't matter if your parents work.

If they don't self-isolate they may die a very horrible drawn out death on their own.

How are people not comprehending that?

It makes more sense than shutting the schools.

Even if half do it, who can. It may reduce the pressure on the NHS? Whilst hopefully we get some herd immunity (I know this is an assumption at this stage).

I am sure there are loads of individual issues but as a general strategy for a population it is a genius solution. We keep the ones that are most likely to suffer from the virus away from it. That stops the NHS getting overwhelmed. We then all gain some kind of immunity as a population and the beds in the hospitals are freed up for the unusual cases. Sorry but this makes most general sense to me.

But bear in mind it is a four week long drawn out death

Is it? We’ve only had it here for a couple of weeks and there have been several deaths. And who said the dead won’t have funerals? I wish people wouldn’t just make things up.