Elderly mum collapsed non covid related but lives alone 250 miles away - can I travel to see her

[ACautionaryTale]

I’m really not sure what to do

She’s 76 and in good health but sometimes gets very aneamic die to two medications she takes for arthritis and a slight heart murmur. Neighbours found her on the floor this morning and looks grey and tired. Last time this happened she was so aneamic the hospital thought she had internal bleeding.

I have no family near her other than two elderly relatives who are both in the shielding group.

Anyway, Neighbours are going to check on her and I said to either call her doctors or an ambulance is she’s not looking better or worse. She has really good neighbours - five or six houses will all check on her and help her.

Normally I’d go up and stay for a couple
Of days. I can’t relocate up there for lock down as I work from home and have a lot of IT equipment it’s would be difficult to move for a couple of days.

But I feel really bad at the thought of not seeing her at all as an only child and my dad died a few years ago.

I’m not allowed to go though am I?

Is it inflammatory arthritis she has OP? If so, it's possible the medication she takes has had a protective effect.

I hope it's the case but at this early stage when so little is known still, how can doctors know for sure whether or not Covid causes permanent lung damage?

I'd caution her case being used as a justification to lift lockdown early. We're already on course to having the highest death rates in Europe. Millions of people in the UK are at increased risk. The longer term damage the economy would be far worse too than short-term disruption.

I hope your mum has a good and speedy recovery.

@ToffeeYoghurt what do you mean when you says you'd caution against her case being used to lift lockdown early?

OP talks of economic suicide. I assumed she meant lockdown and wants it lifted. I could have misinterpreted. I'm tired. And obviously we all have different views. Mine is that there would be far greater economic damage if we allowed the virus to run unchecked through our population.