Would you still see close family members?

[Gruffalosandbuffalos]

My parents are early 60’s, fit and well. They live round the corner and work full time. We see them regularly and it would absolutely traumatise my children to not see them for months on end.

My sister has a toddler and we usually see them once a fortnight. The thought of not seeing them is difficult but we could manage if we had to.

How strict are people being on seeing other family members if you are all fit and well?

[willdoitinaminute]

Imagine a game of tag in a school playground. One child is ‘it’ every time they tag someone they become ‘it’ as well. It doesn’t take long for a group of children all to be ‘it’.
The virus transfer is passed around like the above game of tag. The more contacts we have the more ‘its’’ we will have moving around the community.
Don’t be a ‘tit’ and end up an ‘it’.

[Gruffalosandbuffalos]

@HesMyLobster I would say this is better than them attending school- if both families are very strict on the distancing rules at all other times then the risk should be lowered.

[HesMyLobster]

What about this scenario:
My DBil and DSil are both Key Workers. (So am I) Their small village school is struggling to offer places to all key workers' children due to staff shortage.

My DD17 has today offered to look after her cousins (7 and 5) for the 2/3 days per week that their parents' schedules clash.
We can't decide whether this would be considered unnecessary contact?

But surely it's better than the children mixing with multiple other kids at school?

[Inkpaperstars]

Although your parents are going out to work and so on, it is still important not to see them because every bit of social contact you can cut out helps in reducing overall transmission. The chances of them getting it rise with every contact they have. It is also about chain of transmission and breaking the chain. If someone in your parents' workplaces has it the chain may spread from that person to your parents. If they then see you it then spreads to you and then all the people you have to come into contact with. Then all the people they come into contact with...but if your parents went only to work and didn't see you, they break that chain and prevent so many cases. Similarly if you had it and saw them...they then pass it to colleagues...etc etc.

If you lived with them it would be different because then you would likely share some exposure anyway so wouldn't be adding to the chain too much, although the advice recently has been to try and avoid in household transmission too which is definitely worth a try.

We are all at risk from this, there is no age group in which no one requires hospital treatment. However it does rise with age, and for the age group 60-69 Imperial college data suggests 16.6 % of those infected will require hospitalisation, with 27.4% of those requiring critical care. For cases in the 30-39 age range the comparable percentages are 3.2 and 5. So obviously when it comes to reducing strain on the nhs, as well as protecting themselves, it is particularly important for those more likely to need nhs care to try and avoid catching this wretched thing.

I get it, it's really hard

[TeaAndDarkToast]

better to do it through a closed window. Take the spare key off her too. She's a liability. If she really cared she'd respect your boundaries and stay away.

[WotchaTalkinBoutWillis]

I'm all for not seeing parents (in 60s, great relationship, see weekly) indefinitely if it means keeping them safe.
They understand too.
MIL on the other hand,was here today, here yesterday, been out and around town several times, seriously won't stay put unless forced despite being well into 70s.
Should I start locking the door and shouting "We're not in!" through the letterbox?!

[TeaAndDarkToast]

If you truly loved them you will not visit them.

[Wingedharpy]

For those that feel it's ok to visit because they are well and not in at risk group, Google asymptomatic transmission.
More than 10% of patients are infected by someone who has the virus but no symptoms.
Many children are spreaders in this way.

We are being told to do take these steps to protect the NHS.

If every bed, in every hospital is occupied by a patient with this virus, which is not beyond the realms of possibility given the speed at which it spreads, there will be no capacity to care for any other patients with other conditions.

Stay home for everyone's sake.

[Yellowshirt]

Why do people on mumsnet jump down others throats?
Someone was asking for advice probably having listened to Boris and bbc news all week. I've had 5 live on everyday and there contradiction is panicking and confusing people.
@SingleDadReally I look forward to your post explaining unnecessary.

[Escapetab]

Don't have any visitors OP. You don't want your kids to get this. I know kids' symptoms are supposed to be milder but I'm pretty sure my son has it and milder isn't nothing. He has a high fever, he's coughing, miserable, and it's terrifying for me waiting to see what happens to him and my DH -and me. People in their 30s and 40s die less but they can still end up in hospitals and on ventilators and feel fucking awful. Protect yourself, protect your kids.

[heebie]

No. I'm very close to my parents and they to my kids. My dc spend their summers abroad in their other house. Now we wrap the door and say hello at a distance, I would never want their illness on my head

[Pixxie7]

The key word is essential, what’s not to get.

[MindyStClaire]

This is the official social distancing guidance everyone should be following, summarised in a handy table. Everyone, regardless of risk level, is advised against having visitors to the house.

[Greendin]

In Scotland we have been told (by Nicola Sturgeon) "do not see your Grandchildren if you want to be alive to see them grow up". You are risking people's lives if you go ahead. Stop being selfish.

[RoseMartha]

I will have to see my elderly parents as I am a carer for them. Will aim to leave the kids in their back garden if fine or in my car if raining while I am in the house.

One dc has asd and not able to be left in my home without an adult . I am divorced so will have to bring them along.

My sibling is a key worker, is dropping hints about me to have their dc when working. I am not sure about this, we are a close family and I often help out and see her problem but I feel this is a bit of a stupid thing to agree to. They have got an older child, older teen in fact who is refusing to help.

Plus i need to work from home three hours a day. And home school kids.

[kittykat7210]

We are visiting my husbands parents for one last dinner on Sunday until the measures get reduced. None of us are sick, but we feel it’s important to say a proper farewell whilst we still can. After that it’s Skype/FaceTime until I go into labour and we have to drop our daughter round before heading to hospital!

[Apirateslifeforme]

Video chats are as close as I'm getting to anyone right now.

[StormyClouds]

I think a lot of people are misunderstanding the advice that has been given. The instruction is to 'reduce social contact' not to self isolate. This does not mean that you never leave the house.

Visiting a parent who is not in an at risk group at home for mother's day, having washed hands, is perfectly compatible with reducing social contact. It is about changing how we live, so eating at home rather than in a restaurant for example, not locking the doors and throwing away the key.

Even Boris himself said that he was hoping to see his mother at some point on Sunday.

[PumpkinP]

I’ve just tried to explain this to my sister again as when I spoke to her earlier she had just got back from her friends house, she wouldn’t have any of it, said she would rather die than not see her friends or family. She said how comes it’s ok to go out to a supermarket or work then I tried to explain the difference between essential and non essential but like I said she refused to listen.

[MigginsMrs]

Going to work and buying food are essential activities. Seeing grandparents is not. No one will be bloody “traumatised” by not seeing family members for a few months fgs. Seeing them in hospital will be what’s traumatising

[Etinox]

@Chewbecca
When this is over we can pat ourselves on the back- we may have saved some lives.

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

@lemonjam. You’re not social distancing effectively if you’re having non essential contact with people who don’t live in the same house as you.

What’s so difficult to comprehend?

[ScribblyGum]

I went and saw my mum today. I sat on the patio with a coat and a hat and a thermos of coffee. She sat inside and had a cup of tea. We has some very efficient double glazing between us so I had to shout a bit
It was a normal visit to see my mum and have a catch up, but I didn’t inadvertently kill her by doing it.

[Scandimama]

PS - I think the key to social contact in these circumstances is being outside. The majority of infections pass on through close contact and touching surfaces. Being outside eliminates most of the dangers, just make sure no touching and teach the children that too.

[Scandimama]

Hello OP, just to say, I get you. Live in Denmark, where stricter measures came in about a week ago, here the guidelines are keep two meters distance to anyone. So I consider it safe to meet my elderly parents in a park or for a forest walk, keeping distance and absolutely no touching, sharing or passing any items or walking close to each other. The likelihood of any germs passing when following those rules is pretty much zero, unless one of us was actually sneezing or coughing so that droplets would land on them, but would never see them if we were sneezing or coughing.

I think it's important to be cautious, but no reason to go above and beyon the guidelines from actual health authorities?