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!

Ugh it is just frustrating. I live in a beautiful but rural community - our two ‘local’ hospitals struggle at the best of times. Thankfully there’s no second homes round here (too impoverished). I work in a small hospital which is normally at capacity with their own population - it certainly wouldn’t cope with a load more.

Pleased to say our local shop is not doing too badly - every one is keeping schtum about it and avoiding Tesco’s/sainsburys

AutumnRose, I honestly wouldn’t go, lonely is better than having CV. Can’t you ring twice a day?? I’m doing that with my parents. Even set up Skype and talk that way?? You won’t isolate with her for 12 weeks I suspect, so every time you go off to get a food shop, top up petrol, have a walk around you could be bringing it back with you. Just why run that risk???

Also just for info - of course the advice to not go to pubs, theatres, anything else non-essential applies outside London too. What kind of twat would think it's magically different here ffs?!

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

It wasn't gone, I was getting something for it. I am now getting nothing and won't be able to afford to rebook and the company gets £400.

Of course, if they cancel (or even try to rebook) everyone who cancels in the next 3 months, they probably won't be around to book with next year as it will bankrupt most companies.

I appreciate that but if they offer no goodwill then they'll probably lose a lot of repeat business when things improve. As I said before I've spent a fortune with them over the years but would look elsewhere if they aren't flexible.

Whatever happens we won't be going, but £400 is a lot of money for me to throw away.

Assholes. There is one major hospital in Cornwall. Devon has two. Both counties have an above average number of elderly. We really do not need rich Londoners putting extra pressure on the limited resources we have.

Please consider that the people refunding you for your cancelled holiday are individuals not big companies with huge resources.

If I refund everyone who has booked with me I will go bust, and most likely lose my business and potentially my home.

I think a 50/50 loss is fair. So you get half your money back, I keep half which means I can eat. It really is that serious.

Containment. Tell them to stay where they are in the hotspot. East Anglia doesn't want them

This happened in Italy as others have said - people rushed to their holiday homes in Sicily / Corsica from Lombardy.

It's really selfish behaviour & only serves to spread the virus.

Pitchforks at the ready

@twillow but how is a. even possible? Drive for hours without stopping for petrol, food etc? No human contact at all?! I just can't see it.

@Peachypips78 our little shop does this too. Uses Lidi stock and sells it for 3x the price!

Well they'd better not expect a warm welcome when they get there. The local population won't be impressed.

Idiots. Clearly people have not taken the unnecessary travel part of today's statement on board. Also I think I would prefer to be in a deserted London close to hospitals and lots more resources should rather than more rural areas that will not have anywhere near the support.

Selfish and stupid. London far better served for health care for a start.
Rural communities like mine, with a much older population than London, and inadequate health care at the best of times. This will kill people.

It defeats the purpose of a shutdown if people are going to flee.

They are silly really, as the holiday areas have shit funding, massively under resourced hospitals, whereas the london hospitals are really well funded. Transport is rubbish in the holiday/coastal/rural areas, whereas London is not a massive place to get about. Also the large supermarkets in the holiday areas are not actually that large and are few and far between, so supplies are harder to get hold of.

I think I commented on this scenario a couple of days ago, following the experiences of Spain and Italy, closing the schools would make it worse. Will parents be 'fined' if their school stays open but they take their child/ren out?

This is how it spread out of Wuhan.

I would definitely prefer to be in London. However I am in a village, with increasing numbers of second homes and holiday rentals, and a struggling hospital an hour away.
Most of my neighbours are over 70.
These people travelling will spread the virus and cause deaths.

I don't get it. The PM said, don't travel unless necessary. Do people think he only meant planes?

Staying near a large London hospital seems common sense to me, but I have experienced an eight hour wait in a rural Welsh hospital casualty dept on a perfectly normal Saturday.

This makes me so angry. This is why we should be officially locked down. You cannot trust people to not just think of their fucking selves and fuck everyone else. (Says me in self isolation on gps orders and can't even get a fucking online shopping delivery for 12 days and I didn't panic buy so now can't get essentials)

I was due to go up to my parents next week with my 5 month old baby, I have told them I won’t be coming anymore as it’s safer for me to stay in London and self isolate as much as possible than risk taking the virus up there with me. They’re quite upset I won’t be going as obviously they want to see me and DS, and possibly won’t see him for several months now, but I’ve still told them no I’ll be staying here. I’d far rather them be disappointed & well than sick; I think anyone upping sticks and leaving London now is incredibly selfish.

It’s everywhere already , they won’t be spreading it it’s already spread to every corner of the country you’ll see in the coming days and weeks.
Can’t get away from it now. Too little too late

My god that so irresponsible, why the hell would you go from London, with all its healthcare provision, to remote country areas with struggling hospitals?

It's worse than stockpiling - these people will have blood on their hands spreading the virus and draining the NHS provision