When did you start taking it seriously?

[LuxLFC]

For me it was January when the W.H.O declared it a public health emergency, although I was already aware of it by that point. I stocked up about 3 weeks later. It has been interesting to see people around me so dismissive of the situation until that first press conference with Bozo & the other 2.
What about you or the people in your lives?

January - when they locked down Wuhan, and when we first started getting cases over here.

January.

Thank goodness I did, haven't had to step foot in a shop for the last two weeks!

In January. Despite being surrounding by the it's only flu brigade. I desperately wished they were right but knew they weren't.

A couple of weeks ago. I’m lucky that I bulk buy lots of things anyway (get my toilet roll in an amazon delivery every couple of months etc) so I bought a few extra shelf foods back then before people were really panic buying. Means we’re not struggling now the family is in isolation (DD and I both showing symptoms)

Straight away because DH and I lived and worked in Asia during SARS back in 2002. I hoped, like SARS, it could eventually be contained but was very very concerned from off (both DH and I are ‘vulnerable’). Sadly this has spread far wider and quicker than SARS. It was only a matter of time. I don’t live in fear as such, but every time there’s been mention of the possibility of this kind of virus, I do sit up and take notice. I started social distancing long before the government advised it.

I was aware in early Feb as there was a false alarm locally.

Then my son was skiing in North Italy over half term when it locked down some cities.So Feb 19th?

When he came home I sprayed and washed everything!

Then I came on here and Preppers and Worried About threads were invaluable.
I built up my supplies.

My boss didn't take it seriously until this week, colleagues either "just flu" DH has been rolling eyes for week and my relations are carrying on as if nothing's wrong.

Oh and Strawberry
I think I remember you from the 'worried about' threads?

a few weeks ago. Most people around me were dismissing my concerns, saying that people were overreacting, that it was just flu, that life would just carry on etc. I thought we were almost definitely heading to closures, lockdowns etc.

I was watching but when the govt failed to track and trace those returning from Italy I thought it was going to get out of control here.

Early February when cases in Italy started to grow. OH can be a bit of a conspiracy theorist sometimes but he said it to me to add a bit more to the shopping over the next few weeks to make sure that we were well stocked in the event it spread as far as us. I didn't pay much heed but did get lots of non-perishables, soap/ cleaning products that I would use up anyway. We are well stocked.

Honestly, this thread is so reassuring to me. I've been feeling like I've been going completely mad. I've been following from when the planes brought people back from Wuhan. I didn't entirely trust the Chinese press but as soon as I started reading of it spreading in Italy I finally defrosted my freezer so that I could restock it, taking everything out of packets so I could fit more in. I also did a big supermarket shop of pasta, tins, etc (weeks before any panic buying started) and made sure my medicine cupboard was fully stocked. I didn't tell anyone around me what I was doing as everyone I knew didn't seem bothered or were saying it's just flu. I felt like it was just me being completely paranoid. I even went out and bought a new printer for my computer 2 weeks ago as I was knew I would want it to teach my children from home.
I still have friends who don't seem to have realised what's going on and still planning group outings now that their children are will be home. It's nice to know I wasn't alone in getting prepared.

January here too. Listen to the World Service and had a very bad feeling about this early on.

Mid Jan. It was clear it was more infectious than SARS as it was spreading very quickly. Plus being more mild, but still deadly, usually means higher contagion.

One poster was arguing on a thread that it wasn’t going to be as bad. I remember thinking it was going to surpass the SARS deaths very soon. That was 23rd Jan. I couldn’t believe the government weren’t stopping flights from affected countries.

In January when the first news came out, I started adding to my shop every week then!! Even so though nothing smacked me in the face more than this video.... this has scared me!

When they said it was contagious for up to 2 weeks before symptoms. It was completely clear in that instant that it would spread worldwide.

I’ve been aware since it was first appeared in China & they closed down, but I started to get really concerned by Italy, there are 3 high risk/vulnerable in this house. One with COPD, so anything lung related sets off alarm bells for me anyway. The reports of 30% loss of lung function coming out of China terrifies me.

Three weeks ago the IBD nurse told me it was only flu, (DC on immunosuppressants) but no need to worry about it! 🤦‍♀️😷

Ten days ago took the kids out of college, & we’ve only left the house for supermarket & medical appts since then.

After the first press conference.

Since January when we saw what was happening in China and they starting building the hospitals. I started adding a bit extra to my shopping Each week even though I thought I might be overreacting as everyone else was carrying on as normal. My son thought I was going mad but he’s glad now. Even Just two weeks ago someone I know said she thought my worrying was massively overreacting!

First heard about it back in Jan, and they were making rescue flights. There were lots of other things going on such as the storms and floods and I got distracted by that. Then Feb half term i started to hear about Italy, and that when I started taking it seriously and got a few extra with shopping but tbh I didn't expect the shit that is going on in the supermarkets at the moment.

Was aware but not worried until it came to northern Ireland end of February so less than 3 weeks ago. Went from worried to downright panicked about 8 or 9 days ago.

Watching Jeremy Hunt's face in that interview he gave. That made me realise that our response had been very inadequate.

About a month ago, and then made a 500 mile trip to see my Dad as I was worried if I left it any longer I wouldn't be able to go. I've been saying for weeks though that it would come here and we would get it. It wasn't until this week that I realised how thin NHS resources are.

Yesterday when I realised come next week I'm not working for months

I've been taking it seriously from near the start. I'd say I really started to get concerned though when I saw the timeslaps of China building hospitals in days. When I saw that I knew shit was about to get real.

Similar to lisa SARS and swine flu were things that I read about and were sad but ultimately had no bearing at all on my life. I just assumed this would be the same.

I have a friend that totally called this epidemic but probably up until 8 days ago I thought it was all a huge over-reaction. I was definitely one of the 'it's only flu' brigade - I feel like a bit of a dick now.