To be more confused after BoJo's press conference than I was before it?

[Fev11]

I watched all of today's press conference as i have family members who fall into at risk groups.

The guidance before today was clear to me- self-isolate for 7 days if continuous cough or fever

but now I am not at all clear what it all means. That started with not even being clear at what time the press conference would actually take place!

Surely in a time of global crisis our government should, above all, aim to communicate their plans clearly with specific guidance?

AIBU?

A friend with diabetes has a public facing job, but has been told sh e needs to go in. It is confusing.

I didn't understand whether if someone in a household has symptoms, and then someone else catches it and develops symptoms towards the end of the fourteen days, do they all isolate for another fourteen days from the time the last person had symptoms?

That advice is shit!

14 days isolating a whole family because one of them has a cough while NOT TESTING them to find out if they actually have C19. Potentially a couple of months for a family of five in isolation while a cough travels through all of them that might not even be the virus.
Then what?
They have the false belief that they've all had it?

WE NEED MORE TESTING! It's a fucking disgrace it isn't happening, South Korea managed it.

Clear as mud. And completely devoid of any support or responsibility.

I thought BoJo was quite clear. These measures are to slow the spread to the vulnerable.
The government will anticipate there being idiots who won’t follow the guidance. They aren’t implementing a mass lockdown because they still need to virus to spread in order to gain more that are immune to it.
But they want the virus to spread at a slower rate which won’t overwhelm the NHS as much as it would if there weren’t idiots in the country.
So by all means ignore the clear advice. Much more info is available on the governments website.
But those that do ignore it are contributing to the spread and infecting the vulnerable who will require hospital treatment and may very well die.
I really don’t see what the confusion is.

I thought it was quite clear. But saying to avoid large gatherings when there are huge schools open like the comprehensives etc near me seems contradictory. They all go for lunch at the High St chicken shops in packs of 10+, then to all the local newsagents for sweets at 3.30,so that's not going to help contain things.

Guidance is all here and very clear IMO:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

YANBU he needs to spell things out more clearly. Comes across as a bumbling idiot

Where did you find it @Yugi?
I can see it’s official. It should be the first thing that comes up.

They aren’t implementing a mass lockdown because they still need to virus to spread in order to gain more that are immune to it.

And some of those they want to catch it will DIE.

Nope. I don't get it either.

I have no symptoms.

I live in a house with two other adults.
I work for the emergency services (not nhs) and would much rather not take time off work but if i go in, im putting co workers at risk.

The other two adults in my house are not leaving unless they really have to. One works weekends only and their place of work will probably close, the other doesn't work at all. So by my going into work I'm putting them at risk?

They're not in the vulnerable categories but neither are in good health whereas I am. I'm petrified to be honest, not least because our government not only are being lax but also seem to not have a CLUE what they're doing. I feel unsafe.

Probably the same reason, come to think of it, that people are being asked to shun theatres and pubs etc: so staff lay-offs cannot be attributed to the government maybe? There'll be some financial reason at the heart of it.

Protecting the insurance companies.

One of the most effective defence mechanisms we have is denial; and denial is, in turn, very effective at preventing us from fully understanding even the simplest of instructions.

• If anyone in your household has a cough OR a temperature, the whole household isolates for 14 days

• If, during that time, someone else contracts a cough OR a temperature, then that deadline is extended by another 14 days

I think it was a bit of a fail really, as press conferences go.

I don't blame the press, because they need to ask questions and the questions I saw were fair, but it muddied the waters a bit.

I think maybe it ought to be daily briefings, where someone just tells us the important information as clearly and concisely as possible.

It wasn't clear at all. I can't believe some people think it was

I'm a little baffled too and like others will follow advise if it's clear. My employer will not pay me to work from home (which means not doing large percentage of my job) unless someone in authority says do NOT go into work. I am vulnerable so am not really sure where I sit. Plus confused about why my kids can go and spend all day with other kids but would be advised against having one person back for a play date?!

agnesnitt if you are a careworker and you have a new cough and temperature PLEASE STAY AT HOME.

I have Type 1 diabetes and although I will be able to work from home, if the schools are open and dh has to go to work I don't physically see how I can self isolate for 12 weeks and get ds to and from school because dh is frequently unavailable to do that. In addition if dh and ds are out and about there seems little point in me completely self isolating. I'm not going to be able to stay 2 metres away from them for 12 weeks!

WE NEED MORE TESTING! It's a fucking disgrace it isn't happening, South Korea managed it.

THIS

@BertiesLanding
It might be clear but without testing it's shit advice. People need to know if they've had it or not.

However, those classified as high risk on earlier websites includes those with hypertension and autoimmune

They’re in the flu jab category.

if those who can work from home do so and those who do not need to go out socialising stop doing so, it will slow the rate of infection to make it more manageable. I work in an acute hospital and currently across our 2 big hospitals there is only one confirmed case and a handful awaiting results. A&E has slowed right down because the normal time wasters are keeping well away. (Unfortunately there are likely to be unwell people also avoiding hospital who might then get very unwell at home)
If the rates increases slowly and is evenly spread across all of UK we have a much better chance of managing. If healthy people including kids are getting it and recovering then long term our population will get safer

I’m baffled as to how anyone can be confused
The advice was very clear and reiterated more than once along with the finer points highlighted on the breaking news ticker below

@etinox I found it via the nhs twitter account. Someone else linked to it above

The headline is different to the follow up.

If you live by yourself, then self isolate for 7 days if you have the symptoms.

If you live in a household, then the whole household isolates for 14 days - which gives enough time for other people to catch it.

That is not clear in the headlines - and was picked up in the Q&A