Why are the supermarket workers not getting sick?

[bulletjournalbilly]

So tell me this ...if supermarkets are a "danger zone" why aren't the supermarket workers all dying and getting sick with this "killer virus"?

[bulletjournalbilly]

Exactly Quim. My point is, if this is a killer disease to the masses and we've closed the country down, why is not causing an issue for operational businesses?

[bulletjournalbilly]

75% have recovered. Again, exactly so WTAF is everyone's fear of never leaving the house again!?

[bulletjournalbilly]

And before anyone says you haven't lost anyone, FOUR of my family members have died in the last 2 months. None to Covid, 2 to a tragic accident and 2 through long term illness.

People have lost ALL perspective

[flibbertmygibbert]

@gingerbreadslice the families and friend of the 351 people who died YESTERDAY can’t say the same unfortunately.

[InMySpareTime]

Carers, nurses, bus drivers, all need specific training for their roles. If a load go sick you have to disrupt services while you train or recruit new ones.
If a supermarket worker goes sick, you can have a new one manning the checkout within a minute, and staff levels back up within the hour.
That's why nobody has noticed the supermarket worker sickness levels, they all look the same to shoppers.

[SimonJT]

A Sainsburys local near us had to close due to staff being ill with covid.

While shop staff will come across lots of people in a day they spend very little time with those people, where as a hairdresser for example will see fewer people but they are in contact with those people for a significant amount of time.

Also, bus drivers are most likely reported as another way to encourage people not to use public transport, but the press doesn’t want to scare people away from supermarkets.

[DianaT1969]

Oh, this is another 'what's the point of lockdown' thread. I thought it was interesting for a moment.

[gingerbreadslice]

@bulletjournalbilly You know what I don't even know anymore either.
At first I had to come of Mumsnet because it was so scary and I was petrified I even told my husband to quit work and we'd sort out something else.

Then when people started catching it from work and recovered the fear went, then I started going out and stuff and reading the right things on statistics and it sort of made things feel less scary.

I don't read newspapers no more and I rarely watch the news I feel ok but every single person I know will read the papers or listen to Facebook people and that's it, you can't get through to them. I obviously don't want to get this virus at all but it doesn't feel like the end of the world anymore.

A lot of people I know think they are going to walk in to a cloud of it or something it's ridiculous. I even let the kids go out now to the park and pick up sticks again and do cartwheels on the grass as long as they sanitise their hands what's the issue?. But my friends just see horror

[gingerbreadslice]

@flibbertmygibbert It wasn't 351 yesterday the figure is made up from several days previous. It's sad but it's not literally 300 people dying a day anymore. Might be 62 Wednesday and 40 the day before that it's when the certificate is in the number is produced isn't it?

[IncrediblySadToo]

Well, supermarket bosses aren't exactly going to be in the 6pm news highlighting the issue are they?

We have no idea how many have died.

WTAF is everyone's fear of never leaving the house again!?

I'm diabetic and have high blood pressure - I'm 52 & overweight

Is that an acceptable range of Comorbidities for me to be taking extra precautions?

[MorganKitten]

They are, so are teachers but it’s not being widely reported.

[bulletjournalbilly]

Sorry you are over weight and diabetic, but then you should be shielding as to not put yourself at risk. Common sense?!

[AlecTrevelyan006]

I think it’s a fair and reasonable question to ask. Supermarkets have been pretty much the only place where anyone can go. It took a while for them to introduce social distancing measures so you would have expected the numbers of workers being infected to be way above average but there appears to be no evidence of that happening.

[RedToothBrush]

Just because you have not seen something reported doesn't mean something isn't happening.

1. You simply might not be aware of the reporting. If it's not something the media think will interest the public because they don't care about the subject enough it won't generate as many column inches / minutes on the news.
   
   
2. It could mean it's not being studied but is happening. Gaps in data show an institutional level lack of interest / funding in a concern.
   
   Where there are gaps in data its something we should pay attention to, because it often reveals as much if not more than things we do know about.
   
   In this case we do actually have some data from the ONS.
   
   This tells us that deaths amongst shop workers from covid-19 have been above average and higher than for health workers and teachers (but not carers) and all cause mortality for shop workers has been above average too.
   
   This tells us that the media does not think shop workers are as important as NHS workers. Carers are more at risk but they are better valued and there is a nice story about PPE shortages there. Shop workers also haven't had PPE but they remain invisible in the media. There is a narrative going on with decision making within the media here which is something that is worth noting because it helps to explain how politics has worked over the last few years and how politics is currently working.
   
   But yes, shop workers are dying of covid-19.

[IncrediblySadToo]

@gingerbreadslice. No it's not that day they died, it's the day it was reported. It doesn't mean it was vastly different though because in days to come there will be deaths reported that day that actually occurred yesterday.

[Whatsthis1515]

@IncrediblySadToo
Your chances of surviving it are still so so so SO much higher than not. Do you stay in all through the winter for fear of the flu, or sickness bugs or anything else?

I am type 1 diabetic btw. I am not remotely scared anymore. People have lost perspective

[Lweji]

Are you saying that no containment measures have been applied in your supermarket?

No distancing, no hand washing or disinfecting, no shields?

[MotheringShites]

It is absolutely a fair question to ask. We need to be asking more questions.

[epythymy]

Because we're mainly reporting deaths? Supermarket workers are probably getting it and surviving. Around here they are mainly middle aged white women (therefore lower risk).

[masonmason]

Sorry you are over weight and diabetic, but then you should be shielding as to not put yourself at risk. Common sense?!

Shielding is for the clinically extremely vulnerable. It's fuck all to do with 'common sense' and everything to do with specific categories

[RedToothBrush]

It took a while for them to introduce social distancing measures so you would have expected the numbers of workers being infected to be way above average but there appears to be no evidence of that happening

You mean the ONS data on deaths from covid-19 and occupations is just a figment of my imagination?

Nope, there is evidence its just people are choosing not to show it or to see it.

[KuckFnows]

Well I know shop workers who have had it.

You are making a sweeping generalisation there op.

[RedToothBrush]

You'd expect supermarket workers to be in a similar risk category.

They are.

[AlecTrevelyan006]

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/deathsregistereduptoandincluding20april2020

Coronavirus deaths and occupation

[IncrediblySadToo]

@bulletjournalbilly

Sorry you are over weight and diabetic, but then you should be shielding as to not put yourself at risk. Common sense?!

Read what you wrote, read what I wrote then tell me how this makes any fucking sense at all