Escaping London ‘Lockdown’ before ‘too late’ ?

[Stircrazyschoolmum]

Since the announcement at 17.00, I’ve been pinged by 3 different mum friends/associates telling me they are escaping SW London to Norfolk / West Country whilst they still can. (There seems to be an opinion that London will lockdown imminently although that wasn’t how I read the press conference.)

To be fair, they all had plans to be away over the Easter holidays but now are saying they will go ASAP (one already packing car) and won’t necessarily return until the peak in London dies down.

I kind of thought avoiding non-essential travel meant you weren’t supposed to travel and misguidedly (?) thought restrictions on pubs/theatre etc wasn’t just a London thing? One family is staying with parents (healthy but still?)

I’m not passing judgement as everyone has to do what they believe to be best, just curious whether I’ve misinterpreted the guidance!

we run a glamping site (all the units are completely self contained, even with own water and toilets) and a holiday cottage.
Im imagining we are going to get cancellations.
Im imagining that, as its near the beginning of the season and we have debt from upgrades/repairs etc that we are going to be sailing very close to the wind. The bookings are in the holiday cottage are all AirBnB so they will refund the guests straight away.

Glampingsite would probably be a nice safe option for people, we did tons of work to make them that way, but non essential travel is non essential travel. I make most of my money in this 6 months doing hampers, running courses and running forest school. All of thats off the table.

If it goes on for long and banks dont offer a mortgage break this could end us

I think a lot are headed to Cornwall. I work in holiday lettings and loads of owners have now booked their own houses out, some for months, to come down. Selfish on two fronts as we now cannot make any money letting them out commercially and if they are ill here, our already overstretched health services won't cope.

Fuckers!! I live in Cornwall and with all these extra people we will not survive if we get sick. We have 1 hospital in the county and it struggles on a good day!!!

I'm so cross. All these people coming down here and possibly bringing the virus with them!! 😡😡😡

Bloody hell that is so bad what are they thinking

Your mates are the kind of people who have emptied stores of bog rolls and pasta. Selfish.

HOWEVER
I dont want people coming down and spreading the virus.
All Im suggesting is that to an individual, a cancelled holiday is obv a PITA and a one off payment for a weekend / week away is also a PITA
AirBnB doing automatic refunds and travel companies refunding means we are losing much more than one weekend break. We are losing every weekend break, every holiday break, every unit. every cottage.

Your site sounds lovely NettleTea.
If my DH survives this we will come and stay 😊

Do they think we're such bumpkins the virus hasn't reached the Westcountry then? It has, lots of people brought it back from half-term skiing holidays in Italy.

I don’t know if ECMU respiration machines are essential for the survival of those worst affected by COVID19, but it seems that the designated centre for the SW region is the Royal Brompton Hospital... in London.

Agree with pps, why leave London & its relatively world class medical expertise?
I understand the impulse to head-for-the-hills, but it may not be the best move.

Essential is such a subjective word isn't it ?

all Grundy thank you xxx
sadly tempting for the 'out of Londons' as in East Sussex.

I know some will still come but they are doing self check in as my daughter is extremely vulnerable

Emmets should not be prioritised by health services. If your GP is elsewhere and you have no good reason to be here I don't think they should be treated. Fuck em.

That is what happened in Italy ... It spread to Emilia Romagna from Lombardy as everyone went to their beach house... But Italy has more hospitals and beds per head compared to the UK heading to Cornwall is really daft seeing as theer is 1 hospital --- MAdness .....

OP show your mummy friends this thread.

Contact them. I had booked a supposedly non refundable room with Marriott for a weekend away in the U.K. with an elderly relative as a treat for them. The hotel have agreed to no cost cancellation and were really understanding. Good luck OP - hope you can cancel and get your money back.

CumbiaVillera Mon 16-Mar-20 19:38:49
Don't come to Norfolk!!!!
.......
Don't worry, I won't (though do have a flat in Wymondham until I sell it), I'm quite content in my little corner of S E London where I have enough food and household tissue to last a while, and there are no cases of Corona Virus in my vicinity at the moment. Not being smug, just stating facts, we all know everything could change over night.

I have a more elderly cousin living in Sydenham and am a little concerned about her. Usually she does go out, walking with a stick, but she does have some respiratory problems. I sent her some supplies and waiting to hear from her. There's another, even older, cousin near her but she has three grown up children, two of whom don't live far away, who I know will make sure she is alright.

Norfolk is gorgeous though, had so many lovely holidays there. I'm feeling nostalgic, a sign of old age. However I will content myself with television and Netflix until it is safe to go out again.

We are heading to a remote cottage in Cornwall where I'll be at far lower risk (pregnant) than in London. Neither of us have symptoms that we are taking with us. Is that considered selfish too?

Oops - wrong thread. Sorry. For what it’s worth - selfish to go away and risk spreading the virus.

can't afford to lose £400 as we won't be able to rebook if we do but I can't see how I'm going to get a refund as the government has only advised against non essential travel, not banned it.

You haven’t lost 400, you’ve lost a holiday. The money was gone anyway.

Nettletea, I notice on the government site they are offering payment holidays for mortgages and loans, maybe that will help small businesses weather the storm?

erm yes roarfeckingroar. no symptoms means you could still have it lol!

Going off to your parents house is bloody selfish. My mum and dad live in Devon and I will not go near them until this has passed, although I vaguely thought about driving down one day early so I can wave through their window and talk to them through glass. That makes me so sad. I would not run the risk of turning up there to stay though, would never forgive myself. Bet they still go out and walk and stop for icecream etc and run all those risks.

PLEASE don't come to Cornwall, our one hospital is a bit shit at the best of times in the sense that it's wildly oversubscribed, we don't need more people coming into the county and bringing CV with them. Please for the love of God just stay home. This is an impoverished part of the world with a large elderly population that will barely cope as it is once it starts spreading here (as it already is, even more cases today...)

Thanks for all the responses.. I might subtly signpost the mums in question to this thread!

I do think this is partly Borris’s fault.. he has left a window of opportunity for people to ‘escape’ and claim ignorance. (Not my thinking, I’m staying near the hospitals!)

NettleTea, when all this is over I’d love to visit your site. Sounds lovely.