Prepping For Pandemic ..... 10

[ItsNotJustTheFuckingFlu]

Just quickly starting new thread as @wheresmymoji is busy. Special thanks to @ofwarren for the updates and special thanks from to everyone posting useful info and being supportive.

SorryIt does sound awful. Wish I'd worded it better. Like others say, these type events including sporting ones should all be cancelled & banned now. All schools & colleges & events like these ARE being shutdown in the worst affected countries. It WILL happen here but we're just prolonging the inevitable

witchDoc do you think your plan is feasible long term. How long do you envisage this going on for? Can you really isolate yourself long term? I don’t know how the children would cope with that. I am not saying you shouldn’t do it just wondering about how realistic it is.

I'm told by business contacts that HSBC office in London is being closed today due to CV.

@avocadoincident totally agree I really can't see why the games going ahead when others have either scrapped the game or playing behind closed doors. Surely it's not a level playing field anymore. also can't bear the thought of losing

Am slightly nervous as DS of to common wealth service on Monday in London so be public transport involved but am hoping that there be strict checking considering so many heads from common wealth states

I think @witchdoc plan is totally feasible. Chris Whitty has said that we will have 95% of cases within 9 weeks so it's going to hit hard and fast.
My kids are already out of school. What's a few months out of their lives compared with losing a relative, or the ill ones like my son, possibly dying themselves.
It's a no brainer to me. If you can stay and home, why wouldn't you?

@alliwantisagoodnightssleep I prepped for Brexit so have just increased stocks here since I saw what was unfolding mid Jan & reckon I could feed us very boringly for 3-4 months.
I understand what you're saying but with the DC out of school it's only DH I have to worry about catching it & bringing it home. Lessing the risk by 1/3rd.
Them being bored & eating boringly is not my top concern. Them watching a parent with high blood pressure or an elderly grandparent die is. Harsh but true

2/3rds sorry

Something else that might seem harsh is I packed our DS 21, who lives with his girlfriend a bag full of vitamins, fruit juices, water, hand gel ect and sent him on his way. Quarantined is quarantined and he's an adult now. I love him dearly but unless he moves back soon, he's on his own as I can't put the people who live in this house at risk. What would have all the prepping been for?

I completely understand your reasons for doing it and have no criticisms I was just wondering how long you were planning on keeping children off. I think this will last much longer than 9 weeks. We live in a major tourist location, tourism is the primary economy and I am dreading the influx of visitors. There is no way where we live is going to not become affected.

I'm expecting mine to be off till probably September.
We have a huge garden thankfully and we are going to buy some large play equipment.
The days will have to be scheduled and I know it isn't going to be easy but I feel I have no choice.

The truth is I don't know, I don't think anyone does or how it's going to affect things like schools & businesses in the long run. My prepper brain and every fibre of my being is telling me to take the kids out now and deal with the consequences later. I don't say it lightly as DD is in GCSE yr but is sitting her final mock today. With schools being completely shut in other countries I'm assuming that will happen here eventually they'll just end up using her predicted grade?... I'm hoping someone wiser might know the answer to that?

Our other DC is Y8 and will do as we say, regardless of tantrums. There's 2 other secondary schools around here if this one won't let her back, again hoping someone wiser will come along with preparations being made for secondary schools.

I haven't fully made the decision yet, I'm almost in a mind to let it play out until Sunday evening, take it over with DH & make a decision then. Just getting my thoughts all out there in case others are feeling similar & we can put our heads together

Witch doc that does sound pretty harsh!!

Hello everyone

Just about keeping up with all the posts. Thanks again to all the regular posters for the information, advice and moral support.

Did anyone else hear health minister (Edward Agar? Hadn't seen him before) on tv this morning saying CV isn't being spread in the community even though it had been confirmed on Friday that it is and then saying we are still in the containment phase about forty minutes before the Chief Medical Officer told the HoC we are now largely in the delay phase? How scary that a government health minister is being wheeled around the media displaying his lack of knowledge of something he should be on top of.

I know most of you are finished with your preps but I just wanted to mention Gallo instant risotto is well worth having. Comes in mushroom, four cheese or saffron flavours. You just add water, stir for 12 minutes, then stir in a little butter at the end and top with Parmesan and you finish up with a pretty convincing risotto. I tend to have the mushroom version and add a little blue or goat's cheese, spinach and walnuts. It's a great no effort store meal.

Worth checking tissue supplies at home too. We're hearing a lot about toilet paper and gel, but tissues are really important. If you get a snotty bug you can go through them really fast!

Jeremy Vine is discussing stockpiling on his show this lunchtime.

Don't worry WitchDoc. I get what you're saying. Like I said, we probably won't go (will save me a fortune anyway!) but dh who thinks I'm crazy has said he'd take them to a point to point instead
Probably less risky as outdoors but still plenty of people.
I'm not taking girls out of school though.

Many thanks for the risotto suggestion Singing. I've been looking at our cupboards and we have enough to keep us going for several weeks, but I may never want to eat pasta and sauce again in my life. Any suggestions for other meals are welcome! We have very limited freezer space so I have bought tinned chilli and curry, fray bentos pies, lots of rice and flavoured cuscous. Yesterday I bought Idaho powdered mash which was recommended on here and Beanfeast bolognase. I haven't eaten that since I was at Guide camp several decades ago.

Against my judgement dD is on theatre trip with school on basis of rest of them get it she will too as all at school together.
Cancelled my concert as too many going but will go out as less than 15 of us tonight.
It’s starting to get very real at work with everything being cancelled

Bloke on Vine show saying there's some great bargains on overseas holidays right now, especially Northern Italy! Idiot.

DS1 goes on his residential theatre trip tomorrow. It's not filling me with joy given that they're travelling everywhere by train and tube.

Prepping question: I have tins of Carnation 410g I think they are, how much water would I need to add to a tin to get "normal" milk that we could use in tea and on cereals? Does anyone know?

Debating my holiday at end of August to Cyprus. Should we cancel or not, would you go? Think we are going to wait a couple of weeks and see how things pan out. We dont have insurance, cannot get it due to health probs.

I've actually calmed down with the germ phobia now as I'm sort of resigned to getting it. Still handwashing lots and using gel, but realised on a recent trip into London just how many things I touch and how much air we share on tubes and in offices. I'm now prepping for 'when we get it' with lots of ice gel packs, lozenges, biscuits and drugs.

We used to use evaporated milk quite a lot when younger in the 70s to make up "milk". It doesn't taste the same. Its sweeter. But we would do roughly 1/3 'vap' to 2/3 water

Funkycats thanks for the reminder. I seem to have a mental block about tissues. Just added some to my next online shop.

I'm now stressing about not being able to buy hand gel. I've used it for many years. Every single year from the age of 18 to about 30 I suffered from awful chest infections with uncontrollable coughing that would last for weeks on end at least once a year. I then started using hand gel and have only had the same sort of infection/ cough perhaps once or twice in the last twenty years. About a year ago I started buying alcohol free anti viral foam and have a few in the cupboard. Didn't really worry about the fact it's alcohol free as it's specifically marketed as anti viral. Felt quite content we already had sufficient for ourselves and could leave what was in the shops for others. The last day or so however it's really starred to get to me that we keep being told hand gel must be at least 60% alcohol and we can't get any! The logical part of my brain is saying 'stop stressing, they can't market it as anti viral if it isn't.' The (much larger) illogical part of my brain is making me anxious 😩