Yes you need to cancel parties, weddings, book clubs, holidays, concerts. Stop asking the same Q over and over.

[bubblesforlife]

Just that.
You need to cancel everything in the coming weeks, possibly 1-3 months at a minimum.

Enough with the constant stream of posts asking the same daft questions.

No holiday
No parties
No weddings
No concerns
No theatre
No classes
Etc
Etc
Etc

@quirrels, same boat. We're meant to be having my mil funeral tomorrow, we've been waiting over a month for it anyway. We're going ahead but I can't go because I'm pregnant.
Funerals are such an important part of the grieving process. I don't know how it's going to mentally affect me that I can't go.

Thank you for this post. Things exploded in central Europe because people couldn't accept that their personal freedom and social life must be limited. It's gutting to lose money on cancelled events or travel plans but that's the best strategy to prevent those nightmare images from Italy where people are left to die alone surrounded by hazmat suited nurses holding a mobile phone.

That will happen in the UK if people don't stop limiting social contact or holding events that enable people to have contact. Some carriers of coronavirus are ASYMPTOMATIC and that's what's wreaking most havoc. They realised this after testing all passengers on a rescue flight. The handful of people feeling ill were actually negative yet two perfectly healthy people were positive. They would have completely flown under the radar under normal circumstances.

Yes, schools or public transport may remain open and are not ideal. But that's not mutual exclusive to someone voluntarily staying home/cancelling events which reduces the absolute risk of human contact. How fucking selfish must someone be to justify "Well just because schools aren't closed means I can still go out and come in contact with the 4-5 people I could potentially infect or get infected from". If you stay home you reduce your personal social footprint to 0.

@quirrels I am really sorry. and @anotherypasswordtoremember So Sorry both of you are in this position.

Council run leisure centres are still open and touting for business

Yes - they are being exceeding irresponsible.

Council run leisure centres are still open and touting for business

Just because they are being irresponsible, it doesn’t mean you have to be.
Non essential social contact is pretty clear.

Quirrels and anothery so sorry for your loss. A huge celebration of their lives when all this is over is in order. I think there will have to be many ceremonial moments when we come out the other side to give thanks, remember those we have lost, giving thanks to emergency services etc...

Perhaps you can create an online memorial for now. I know there are sites that do this. You put up photographs and people can comment. I thought they were a bit over the top before this but I think in these circumstances they would be perfect to communicate and remember your loved ones if you cannot physically come together and chat and remember. Just an idea.

@FoxtrotSkarloey only if you both promise to cough in each other's faces repeatedly.

@quirrels I'm so sorry. What about holding a memorial service when all this is over?

You're not wrong but remember this is unprecedented stuff, uncharted territory. Yes people are asking a lot of the same questions over and over again but a lot of people are still unclear especially with schools remaining open and things like that.

No need for sniping and unnecessary nastiness at this stage. There'll be plenty of time for that in the coming weeks I expect!

I'm in the same boat re funeral, it is my mother in laws on Friday, deciding today that will be immediate family only to release anyone from obligation to go, so so hard. Got to decide now whether to take the kids (11 and15) who are at school and pose risk to father in law and aunt.

@Cocoandclive27
No nastiness here, just helping people clarify the realistic position.

I'm really sorry for your loss, @quirrels , and that the service won't be the one you hoped for.

For crying out loud people! If you already have even mild symptoms, then STAY AT HOME. Do you really want to be responsible for killing other people?

Going out for coffee isn't essential!!!

I think the reason the Government can't tell places to close yet, is that they can't legally do this, without a formal bill and Parliament agreeing. However, we can stay away now. The more people who do this, the better the situation will be for all.

why am I still being told to see clients face to face in close proximity for work yet I shouldn't go for dinner at the weekend with a friend.

You're being told to work from home if at all possible. I watched the press conference yesterday and nowhere did either Johnson or the medical officers tell anyone to see clients in face to face meetings. If your employer is telling you to do this they are arseholes.

For the PP who mentioned the elderly were going shopping early

Yes supermarkets have started doing early openings for the elderly

Not sure how this fits in with advice to self isolate though

Got to decide now whether to take the kids (11 and15) who are at school and pose risk to father in law and aunt.

That's an easy decision, surely. They are a risk so no.

On this topic, we have had an email form the primary school asking us not to 'congregate at the school gates' and simply turn up after 8.30 and drop DC

@bubblesforlife No concerns?

People saying yoga and gyms are "essential" in their lives gets me - if you end up on a ventilator you won't be thinking "glad I did that set of squats!"

@quirrels
So sorry for your loss. That must be very hard.
Perhaps you could have a memorial service with a wake at a later date to celebrate her life then.
I am in Austria and a friend's father has just died. There are no church services permitted at the moment so he is going to be cremated and there will be a Requiem Mass at a later date.
Burials and cremations are permitted but only with immediate family and no service in the churches. It's really awful but better than someone potentially infecting a lot of other people.

Wishing you a lot of strength to get through this horrible time.

My 79 year old FIL reckons he's still going to the theatre later this week. Deluded 😂

I think a lot of people are hanging on before cancelling in the hope of getting deposits back. I can understand asking in the hope that someone else has a great solution where customers get a refund but the business doesn't go bust. Sadly, there is no great solution.

I’m so sorry @quirrels and @anotherypasswordtoremember

We are dithering about DD's wedding. It is the smallest wedding in the world (them plus 2 witnesses) followed by small family dinner. It is currently set for 3 months time. To cancel or not to cancel, that is the question.