Feeling so so sorry for everyone who is anxious about this. I'm not saying it's not serious, it absolutely is, but in a bad year of flu around 20,000 people die and it NEVER hits the media. Everyone in my city is whipped into a frenzy of panic buying - and we have only had 2 confirmed cases which has stayed stable over the last 5 days.
Now I know, we have to do social distancing. We have stopped everything. Church, Scouts, swimming, drama, choir, orchestra, running club (there are 4 of us including adults that do these things in case you think my kids are shunted from pillar to post!) and meeting with friends. Everything other than school and work. I already wfh. So I know it's serious but I do think we (including me, who has been awake since some awful hour stressing in bed but not wanting to wake everyone) need to get some perspective and I especially need to stop checking the news every 10 minutes.
FWIW, I am worried. I am worried about the breakdown of society, I am worried about elderly people with the likes of dementia having to self-isolate, I am very worried that when the time comes for schools to shut (which it will) there will be children who live in horrendous conditions who will have horrendous times at home, I am worried that the amount of domestic violence will soar, I am worried about my elderly parents and yes, I am worried about our jobs. To date, we've lived very comfortably but DH is on zero hours contracts in school-based roles and is already being laid off to avoid cross-contamination between schools, and I work in travel insurance - which is ludicrously busy at the moment but in about a month is going to come to an abrupt halt - no-one travels, no-one buys travel insurance. I am also worried that as we haven't given in to the panic buying we are going to be reduced to buying the Daily Mail in lieu of toilet roll but still, probably the best use for it
All that said, I have to focus on the positive. Have to. We are OK at the moment, my kids are well and healthy. DS is making timetables for the "lockdown" and DD is not worried. We are making an effort to keep in touch with elderly people we know from church and with elderly family members. Despite the fact we've had to cancel two holidays and are sad, we will book for when times are better.
Let's use this horrific situation to generate a different kind of community, a non-physical one, to look after our elderly and vulnerable in whatever way we can and to spend loads of time with our family!