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

I can’t help feeling I want to support all those independent cafés, bars etc. I won’t though.
Some of them will be closing their doors for the last time this weekend...

@quirrels and @anotherypasswordtoremember - I am so very sorry. It's an awful situation and my heart truly goes out to you both.

I've just had to cancel my son's 13th birthday plans for the weekend. He's gutted and it's such a landmark birthday in his eyes that we really wanted it to be a memorable one, but we'll postpone and he can have a half-birthday outing in September. (Please Gods let this be over by September!)

Are you going to reimburse people who want to postpone weddings but can’t if the venue don’t agree? Because the insurance companies definitely aren’t...

A lot of those are easy and very cheap to cancel. Some of them are significantly harder.

@quirrels I’m so sorry for your loss.

"But it can't possibly mean us, as we've paid for theatre tickets! Even tho one family member has a cough and fever."

From an extended family friend. I despair.

Gyms should close but many are staying open and refusing to refund membership costs or to even pause payments at a time when people are losing work and income hand over fist. The government either need tell these places to close and help them financially or start paying UBI so people can afford to keep paying even if they don't go.

@bubblesforlife

Well I knew all this already, but thank you SO much for these words of wisdom and wonder, and putting us in our place.

They'll probably find very few guests attend anyway. Which is right.

I do support the theory but you can go out if careful, currently I'm a single parent who has no help aside from child benefit and £15 a week tax credits I work in hospitality like many others and if noone goes out thousands like me will be in serious trouble, lose homes get into serious debt and fail to provide for their families. I love my job but looking for anything else right now as my future is uncertain.

I have just cancelled my daughter's 18th birthday party. We were going to go out to dinner with all the family from all over the UK. I have just called the restaurant and cancelled and my heart aches for them. The birthday will be celebrated and happy but I feel so sad for the businesses who are losing revenue and the livelihoods of all those who depend on them.

As someone's who's wedding is booked for May 2nd, can't cancel insurance doesn't cover so if the venue is open it goes ahead with or without guests (their choice) simple as really, unless someone wants to reemburse me my £6000 savings over 10 years. It's easy to say don't do this don't do that but until the government lockdown or forces closure people lose money. Bars, clubs, restaurants can't claim until told to close. And it means bankrupsy or homelessness for a lot. So while I appreciate its not ideal I will continue (selfishly some would say) as normal. The vulnerable should take precautions but with a self employed partner and me being self employed we can't stop. I hope those at a higher risk take care of themselves and do what they need to. I know I have been running errands for vulnerable neighbours, if we all help each other we will get through :) rely on the stiff British upper lip 😀

Council run leisure centres are still open and touting for business

Our council has closed everything. Swimming pools, gyms, art galleries, museums.

For everyone struggling with the difference in working vs socialising this article is really useful. It explains how every degree of isolation helps. The balance is how hard to put on the breaks but even some social distancing has an impact. It's not all or nothing

www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

@LittleYorkshireLass are you having a bad day?
Feel like picking on a stranger on the internet for no reason?
In sorry you feel this way, but please take it to another thread or start a new one!

So sorry for the loss of your Mum @quirrels. 💐

Yes but my Mothers church coffee morning (average age VERY OLD) doesn’t count because it’s “just up the road” and one of the attendees is a retired doctor so surely he wouldn’t be going if it was dangerous

Council run leisure centres are still open and touting for business [] Yes - they are being exceeding irresponsible.

Because they know that when this is over, every single visitor that didn't come will be used as a pretext to shrink their budget even more. So what else can they do.

If you want them to close, you need a government with the guts to order it so and to change the rules to ensure people aren't being forced to risk themselves and others in order to pay the bills.

But that wouldn't be this government. That would have to be a government that was not incompetent and not corrupt.

@bubblesforlife

Not having a bad day at all. Just don't need to be told what to do by some random on the internet who thinks they need to tell people what to do.

As long as people are starting or answering posts with
“Is it still ok for me to ............”
Then yes, I think we DO need reminding

Well said OP!

Bars, clubs, restaurants can't claim until told to close

This is a myth. Most will not have cover in the first place. It was explained in this statement from the Association of British Insurers today:
Insurers: Most firms not covered for Covid-19

In a bitter blow to UK businesses, few will be able to claim on their insurance to cover the trading lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Association of British Insurers has said that typical insurance policies simply don’t cover Covid-19. So even if the government forced pubs, restaurants and cinemas to shut, they’d get no help from their insurer.

An ABI spokesperson says:

“Irrespective of whether or not the Government order closure of a business, the vast majority of firms won’t have purchased cover that will enable them to claim on their insurance to compensate for their business being closed by the Coronavirus.

“Standard business interruption cover – the type the majority of businesses purchase - does not include forced closure by authorities as it is intended to respond to physical damage at the property which results in the business being unable to continue to trade

“A small minority of typically larger firms might have purchased an extension to their cover for closure due to any infectious disease. In this instance an enforced closure could help them make the claim, but this will depend on the precise nature of the cover they have purchased so they should check with their insurer or broker to see if they are covered.”

@LittleYorkshireLass

Well done you for knowing this already.

The tsunami of panicky posts shows that many, many, many posters clearly don't know this already.

I hope those at a higher risk take care of themselves and do what they need to

It’s very hard to protect high risk DH, when people are still carrying on with their plans regardless, and all mixing together.

I wouldn't want to go to a wedding, except that of my immediate family (I mean about three people)! There was a funeral in Spain where 60, yes, 60 people got Covid-19 from this one occasion. Weddings and funerals are really occasions for super-spreading as people are more affectionate/sit together for prolonged periods.

Our leisure centre is advertising that swimming is safe because chlorine kills the virus and that the gym is open offering half price memberships. I don't know how true this is about the chlorine, I doubt that would count in the changing rooms (which don't have cubicles and are crowded when lessons are changing over). Half price memberships would be great if they start once this is all over but they don't. It is so irresponsible.