Aibu to ask why we should bother?

[Blossomspring]

Lots of threads on here about people not taking CV seriously and I’m just not sure I get it.

How can you expect people to take it seriously when the government does not impose a proper lockdown?

Also lots of people sitting in judgement of those still trying to work, keep businesses open who haven’t been covered by the government’s income protection. How can you sit in judgement of people who might lose everything, who are being forced to choose between their health and their families as well as others and earning a wage to survive? Another sign the gov aren’t taking it seriously or allowing people to take it seriously.

If you want people to self isolate to protect themselves and others then you need to provide them with the income to do that and also force people to stay at home.

Im self employed and have now lost 6 months worth of work. Most people in my sector saying there won’t be work now for months. None of us covered by the measures announced yesterday. My death and even that Of my family’s is of less concern to me than not being able to survive and losing everything. It might be an unpopular view to publicly say but it’s not an unreal view.

You can only die once even if it is miserable and sometimes life is worse than death.

As long as my income isn’t protected and I’m forced to choose I will keep going out to try and find work and move around.

Exactly Pixley

I think the point is people shouldn't be making decisions based on money right now, I know it's hard I've had financial difficulty and have only just managed to come out of it in the last year so now all that hard work has gone. I'm classed as high risk aswell beacause im a few weeks away from given birth. so my partner has decided to isolate with myself and children and is not going to work next week. Even with the uncertainty money wise but that's the risk we are going to take. However I'm also classed as a key worker so would potentially be the one to go back to work if this goes on a long time instead of my partner as we would rather me go (Even though my wages are less) in a hospital rather than him when his job isn't classed as essential as we don't want to be part of the problem. So maybe look into getting a key worker role so that the risk is outweighed by the fact you are actually contributing to helping everything keep going. I think if people know that if they are given the money to self isolate by the government they would, then that is what should be done regardless of money. Otherwise they shouldn't even be helped with money in the first place if they need to be given an incentive to stop non essential tasks to help protect each other and take the stress of the health system. if they really don't like they thought of reduced money then get a key worker role should be looked into. Just to give you options to be apart of the solution you could easily go and help out in the many roles that need it right now ? I don't know what your job is but it's not essential to the country and you also don't want to loose income then there is loads of key workers positions that need to be filled right now. Sorry it's so long also not judging at all just wanting to give a potential solution.

People moaning on and panicking are those less likely to be financially hit.

That’s a load of nonsense. What a stupid generalisation.

I have family members in the same situation as you. Except their self employed business also employs other people. If they fail, several livelihoods are impacted. They still aren’t deciding to put others’ health at risk because of it. They are implementing business continuity, adapting their skills to help in the situation rather than taking a selfish woe is me attitude.

I see plenty of people on SM with plenty to lose who are moaning and panicking.

The government is not going to allow 15% of the workforce to suffer just because they are self employed. Just be patient, they will announce something soon,

It's a balance with no particular answer. Life will need to continue through this and out the other side. We need a fuctioning economy to be restored. The economy supports those public services ploughing on to deal with those in most need and keep us functioning through this weird suspended phase.

Avoid and protect the most vulnerable. Avoid unnecessary interractions. Do what you can to keep yourself going with as few social consequences as possible. Adapt as much as you can.

I understand, of course you are panicking, and if I were in your shoes I would be too. To the doctor who posted, thank you for what you are doing from the bottom of my heart. The OP is representing the tip of an iceberg here though, I am seriously worried about the mental health - and longer term economic health of our nation if the government doesn't step up with a proper plan to help and reassure people in the op's position.

*if it's not essential to the country right now I mean, not assuming it isn't.

Did I hear on the news this morning that 40,000 new jobs are being created in the food retail sector, basically people needed to stock shelves etc. Not to everyone's taste of course, and maybe a drop in the ocean, but it's still something.

Yes there needs to be more to provide for self employed people. Is there the option for The OP to go into a key worker role?

However, the mental health effects of a healthcare system on its knees, with no provision for people in crisis and most likely everyone at least knowing someone who died. Well that’s just way worse isn’t it?

If you need support, ask. Call a friend, post on here, whatever you need the British public has already sent a wave of good intentions and thoughts and I am sure would be there for anyone who reached out right now.

@Blossomspring I really think we need a proper universal basic income now to protect everyone and to enable us all to do the right thing to protect each other.

If we isolate or if we don’t we are going to have a recession. The economy at the moment is the back burner, lets get through this with as many of us unscathed as possible and then rebuild.

Excuse the cheese guys but I don’t want anyone left behind. If we all do our bit we CAN and WILL get through this. And we will be a better country for it.

I find your views very shocking OP.
Few will find this all easy. But we all have to make the best of it.
Many will struggle with MH and we need to be supportive of each other. But your woe is me / I'd rather get covid rather than go back to the poverty I had in childhood IS ...... I don't know what to call it? Defeatist. Selfish?

OP, do what you have to do. It's pointless arguing with posters because at the end of it, everybody is selfish, everybody looks out for themselves and the people they love. That's it really.

The posters blethering on about moral obligation have no room to talk if they are still shopping for food. Not a degree of moral superiority there.

This is likely to be long term and we have to get through it as best we can whilst trying not to actively put ourselves and other people at risk.

We're not in 'lockdown' yet. Follow government instructions.

If you are concerned about your mental health, stay off here and other social media because if anything will bring the country's mental health onto its knees, that will be the source.

Best to you and to anybody else not in the 'I'm alright jack' camp.

Both my DH and i had our own businesses, we both worked dam hard to make sure we had enough money to keep going for at least 6 months, both for our employee's and ourselves. Same as in our domestic life, we saved bloody hard, we didnt waste money, we thought about every penny we spent, no takeaway coffees/lunches etc, no weekends away just because our friends had done it, no new car or huge T.V. People make choices in life and need to stand by them. OP think back to how many times you spent when you could have saved

Blossomspring please contact your mortgage provider as many are giving people three month breaks, which they can either pay off later or add to the life of their mortgage. Good luck. I know how difficult and frightening it is, as I grew up with nothing and my business is practically none existent now.

So your determined to keep working, despite the fact it could kill you, your family and anyone who comes in to contact with you. What a,lovely person.
Then you think the country should be on lockdown. If we were you wouldn't be allowed to work so how would that help you? You've contradicted yourself. Or do you think the country should be on lockdown but you should be allowed to work.
I k know how horrendous being on benefits is, I have done it but doesn't mean I would risk other people's lives.

People make choices in life and need to stand by them. OP think back to how many times you spent when you could have saved

So you want the OP to feel even more shit because she didn’t or possibly couldn’t save? Well done you. You go ahead and wear your smugness on your sleeve, while others will try to give the OP practical advice. I had easily six moths wages saved, but ended up in an accident so had to pay others to keep the business going, to keep the flier s happy. Unfortunately I had another accident within the year and the same happened. I have no savings because I spent them paying someone else wages, but I dare say that was my fault too. 😒

I've read the rest of the thread now and it's good to see that not everybody is rushing to tear the OP to pieces.

There are some really nasty posts everywhere on this board at the moment from posters who really get off on it too. Ignore them all, OP.

moths=months
flier s= customers

Blossomspring sending you, and everyone, all good wishes

I think we'll be ok in the end. It seems to me that (and, obviously, this is just an opinion) that the government is doing a slow roll-out of herd immunity. It's a bit like Spanish Flu being in the environment all around us now but nobody reacts to it because we have developed an immunity to it. We do need to develop an immunity to this new virus. The difficulty is in how best to achieve this. Barricading everyone in will just push back the illness into a second wave (when everyone emerges again). Letting everyone keep going will overwhelm medical provision. This virus is a nasty bugger (it's contagious and quite lethal) but it's still not that much different to other flu viruses. We know that over 80% of people who contract Covid will get it mildly. It is particularly bad for people who are older, and who have respiratory and pulmonary issues (and, most older people do have those). Seasonal flu and cold viruses do kill older, compromised people. This one is not, at the moment, that much differently to other flu. I hope that we get back to normal sooner than we might all think.

Ok while theres life theres hope if you carry on infecting others and spreading the virus as you propose then not only will our health service be unable to cope with the cases but also if anyone..like you..has an accident or heart attack they will get no help...that I think is too high a price to pay for keeping a business open ...look at ways to diversify to what people need and what you are allowed to do - deliveries, takeaways etc etc ...supermarkets etc are taking people on ??

Are you mad ? this is VERY different to flu - its double interstitial pneumonia NOT FLU ......have you SEEN the footage from Italy ???

Oh how sensible. So OP, according to some, is not allowed to go about her job - but should in fact go and get another job where she's in more regular and concentrated contact with other people...

I think people should actually STFU and go off and practice what they're preaching without pillorying other people. Government instructions, follow those.

"My death and even that Of my family’s is of less concern to me than not being able to survive and losing everything."

The more pertinent question is: if you prioritise what you have in life over the actual life of another, why should anyone bother about what you lose?

So the people who stay in are not going to kill anyone, only if you never go out surely, you could get it and still kill people just by going out once to a supermarket

The government really needs to help the self employed not become destitute