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

Just cancelled our wedding reception for Saturday. We've rescheduled for a few months time and pray everything will be ok.

What I don't get is the fact schools are still open!

I got a call this morning from a restaurant we had booked for DH’s birthday dinner. In central London. “Hi this is X Restaurant here, just calling to confirm your reservation”

I said we were not coming, obviously.

People just don’t get it. First post on our parents school Facebook group after the announcement last night ‘can I confirm numbers for xxxx’s party on sat please?’, gahhhhhh!

Schools round my way are now beginning to close for the foreseeable future. Two separate friends with children in different schools telling me the school is shut with immediate effect.

Well said @bubblesforlife. People seem to think they are the exception rather than the rule.

It’s not ok to ignore the guidance just because you really really want to do something or because you’ll lose money if you cancel. Really wanting to do something for whatever reason doesn’t equate with it being essential and people just aren’t getting that.

My grandma is in her mid 90s, very stubborn and the typical "cranky old lady" - she still thinks we should all go and visit her as normal. My parents are early 70s and they're distancing themselves from people and not going out, DH is working and DD is at school so we really don't want to go and pass anything on to her but she said this morning just see how things are by the weekend and still come 🙄

Please sign this petition to make the government SHUT THE SCHOOLS. They want us all DEAD and only care about the economy.
Also, I’m going to go and stay in Devon while the schools shit. And let’s all have a quarantine party at mine on Saturday. I’ll do us a nice BBQ 👌

@HoffiCoffi13 I'd love to see that graph please.

I'm a 'vulnerable' but kids at school in exam years . I'm trying not to pull them out, and just send them for a shower them when they come in, but I am uneasy.

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!"

Ironically I would be thinking that, because it is a scientific fact that keeping in good condition does boost immunity and mood.

However I wouldn't be doing it in the gym, I'd get out my yoga mat in the living room (or in the summer months, take it out into the garden). It cannot be " oh but it's only ...."

The fact is there are workarounds that are achievable and safe, but people need to take time to process the enormity of this situation and stop talking about "carrying on as normal". The new mindset is this is not normal anymore, but it's possible to adapt, compromise and survive this shit.

It will involve change and sacrifice.

Our council have closed everything, swimming pools, theatre, museums etc.

Yip exs 88 year old dad is looking forward to self isolating so he can go to golf course more often...

Quirrels Very sorry to hear that ,my condolences .Similar thing happened when my DM died and a lot of guests were snowed in .My Aunty made it though and we had a quiet time talking and remembering her .Think we had a few sherries to help us through .We had a family lunch later on that year .

My kids are invited to a party on friday at a play centre which hasnt been cxc. Feel bad if I cxc as she will lose money

We've already had a go at a younger family member for saying 'i need my social life'. Selfish twat.

@quirrels I am so sorry and hope you can plan something virtual to share memories and feel close to people in a different way, and a proper memorial for when the situation changes.

OP, amen!

My lovely 90 year old neighbour just gave me a cheery wave from the bus taking her into town .

The problem is, I completely get that she might feel she's had a good innings, and want to get on with her life and so be it if it's her time - but I don't think she grasps that if lots of older people do that, other people will die either from lack of beds for corona treatment, or lack of capacity for other types of treatment. It's on all of us (and I say that as someone at greater risk, who's having to be really careful now).

Well we are on the South Coast and our local pool /Sport Centre is open for business ,and none of the Schools have shut! I think this is misleading people .Apparently the Govt want to give Schools a months break at Easter ?! I think they should be shut now ,and a deep clean done .Councils are starved of cash ,so will try and keep going but what better way to spread germs than a swimming pool full of peoples bodily fluids or a sweaty Gym room?!

I am rather tired of these officious nobodies proclaiming what everyone 'must' do. I'll take it from those in authority but some busybody on a forum? Beyond irritating.

We have had to cancel a weekend break this week. As it’s so late I lost the 50% deposit but that’s nothing to what the b&b will lose over the next few months. They have offered us a discount for later in the year.
I can afford to lose the money but don’t really like to. The b&b can’t afford to lose any bookings it’s their livelihood.
I will also have to cancel the dog sitter, the restaurants we have booked, we will not need petrol and a whole list of other businesses we would be supporting.
I think the next 12mnths is going to change so much of what we take for granted.

I've got an invite for a wedding 6 months away, is it too soon to think whether that would be cancelled?

Thanks to the poster above who shared that Washington Post article which had an excellent virus transmission simulator. Really interesting and very scary.

I'll admit I was one of those muppets who, until today, whilst social distancing lots already was determined to go out for Mother's Day brunch with DH and DD this Sunday, unless the place closed. I'm now feeling really uneasy about the fact anyone of us could be a carrier and pass it to a staff member. Or, we could bring it home, not be ill and pass it on. I keep picturing those little dots in the simulator above so bugger it, I'm cancelling.

Plus it talked about making social areas less alluring ... can you imagine by then what the atmosphere in these places will be like?

I say this whilst being absolutely gutted for my social life but mostly for all the poor people whose livelihoods this situation will destroy and worse.

Scary times.

Honestly it just seems pointless though while the kids are still at school.
While I don’t agree I totally understand why you and many other people think the same as you. They have to close the schools!

I have postponed my handfasting

Just to say, about closing the schools: regardless of whether the schools are open, it is still worth carrying out other forms of social distancing and WFH where possible. Because of Graph Theory.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_theory

Every node/vertex you don't contribute to will help to slow the spread.

They are not daft questions, though. It takes time, a great deal of effort and unimaginable amounts of repetition to get people to understand, en masse, what they need to do.

That's not because people are stupid; it's because that is how information is parsed, understood and then finally acted upon in population wide settings.

It's good to see people asking - and they absolutely shouldn't be shut down - because it means they are noticing and engaging with what needs to be done.