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!

@AutumnRose1 Better hope you don't infect her then.

Can someone explain to me why London will be locked down and yet children remain at school?

Its not lockdown yet & when it does the school will close.

There has only been 1 death in Taiwan. They have had experience of SARS and are limiting the spread very effectively.
Our government is incompetent,They are not learning anything from these countries experience.
fortune.com/2020/03/15/greater-china-coronavirus-cases-taiwan-hong-kong-macau/

Are they also transferring their resources to the Norfolk and Norwich? I am not sure they are set up to serve all the extra people.

PLEASE people in London. STAY AWAY!

the coast will still be here when this is all over (unless your bolt hole`s in Happisburgh).

You have better healthcare where u are etc. We are very limited. Plus you really are bringing this disease with you probably. Who will serve the cream teas and make the nice food/ ice creams/ chips etc if we`re ill??? The delivery drivers from the supermarkets will roll up to your cottage and then take the lergy to the next address........

By the way the queen elizabeth hospital now has a cv confirmed case.

@Rosehip

She’s not bothered. I had to call out an ambulance for her atrial fibrillation once already after dad died. If she’s left alone, she’ll keel over from that again.

I really don’t know what to do.

Yes, as many others have said - due to shutting down very many services and relocating and centralising healthcare our local hospital runs a very basic service. Not in the slightest bit prepared for a big surge of people coming from afar.

I should add, mum is technically not in London but is just outside, so the nearest hospital is a London one.

west end theatres shutting down just read

Getting sick with corona while pregnant in a less familiar place will be good for no one.

I baffled why someone would think this was a good idea.

Exactly @Oakmaiden We're having to make some unpopular and uncomfortable decisions at the moment. If we refund everyone who decides not to come, then we won't make the summer, let alone next year!
I'm staggered at the amount of people who don't have holiday insurance as well. Yes, it won't cover you if you decide not to come, but should the govt ban travel and lockdown, then I would imagine some, perhaps not all depending on their policy, would be covered. I couldn't afford to lose upwards the kind of money people have paid for these holidays, yet people seem to have such a cavalier, 'it'll be ok, nothing would stop me going on holiday in the UK' attitude.

I’m glad I live in a crappy little midlands town...

Well I'm staying as close to all the great London hospitals as possible. Crumbs people are dumb.

@AutumnRose1 Sorry all these selfish elderly saying they are "not bothered about getting it" are idiotic. They damn well will when they are desperately ill or dying as they can't breath

Aside from the fact they taking all steps to avoid getting it may help the NHS melting down. Brilliant for the cancer patient, serious car crash victim, seriously ill mother and baby that can't access an ITU bed or care due to selfish gits.

I doubt Norfolk wants them either....

Sorry @roarfeckingroar it is. I understand your thinking as I don't think any of this is people deliberately being selfish, but the impact it will have down here is huge if everybody does that. My area of Cornwall is remote. But we still need to shop and at present there's very little in the way of essentials. Hopefully this will change when people calm down but we are the end of the line.
Plus, the more remote you are the more stretched maternity services are. If the shit really hits the fan those services could become even tighter. Midwives aren't immune. My pregnant friend and relatives are already concerned. We have one hospital. They do their best but they struggle on a good day. There's a huge elderly population that will need the limited health care we can provide. And as I've already said, we have it here. It's definitely not in numbers as low as 5 in the county. Several children from my dc's nursery are apparently self isolating or have been sent home due to symptoms.

They are taking the bloody bog roll with them!!!

Hope someone mugs them for it.

I doubt Norfolk wants them either....

Oh I dunno. It might help with the gene pool.

This makes me so fucking angry.

My parents live in an isolated part of Norfolk where it is really hard to get care or see a Dr.

They are frail, and old.

I was thinking to go next weekend and give my sister a break as she has been bearing the brunt of looking after them...but will probably not go because I do not want to go from London into an area where infection is extremely low at present, and infrastructure is almost non existent.

And yet stupid selfish wealthy second homers will drive their germs up the M11, putting my parents and their carers at risk, the N&N is already in special measures and understaffed.

And what part of 'non essential travel' doesn't apply to stocking the XC90 to the gunnels in Waitrose and rocking up in Norfolk?

Fucking twats.

And you fuck off too, @Mockerswithnoknockers

Not as hilarious as you think you are.

Oh great.

@RuffleCrow aye, that’ll fettle ‘em!

My mum is 82 and doesn't want me to go as it's safer that way - she's right!

I bet everyone in Italy and Spain who legged it thought that they wouldn't be the ones carrying the virus too - but somebody was.

I'll send her a bundle of books, organise grocery deliveries and speak to her younger neighbours while we look out for neighbours here, phone/facetime, and generally help her stay safe while following advice not to travel. It's shit but it's better than helping the virus to spread.

Fucking wankers,my very lovely MIL and FiL live in the west country and my FIL is over 70 and even without his age he's in the high risk group and my MIL is a manager in an old peoples home and the last thing she needs is anyone else taking the fucking corona virus there.

Some people are so fucking selfish and bloody stupid!

Personally, I think it depends on
a) escaping to family/second homes in the country to continue self-isolating
or
b) escaping to family/second homes in the country to carry on as normal.

b) is stupid and selfish.