Prepping for a pandemic...12

[wheresmymojo]

Thread 12!

I can't seem to carry over the clicky links in the OP of the last thread. Can anyone else?

@inmylifeIlovedthemall not alone....I feel and fear the same

oh crikey even the health minister....and yes Boris will have been with her. That is scary how long it's taken for her results.... even more scary they are currently only testing those that have been to badly infected areas. So Trump potentially infected and Boris

I'm going to write this in the hope I don't get shot down in flames. Have been following/contributing to this thread since the beginning and found the prepping advice super useful to get me in a position of readiness so I appreciate all of the fantastic advice that has been posted here.

However the whole thread turning into castigation of the govt for not handling things the way some think is right is becoming quite jarring (and trust me I am not pro Boris - far from it). There is clear advice and a clear plan on response to COVID19. I check it daily as a school leader. It is all on PHE.

The CMO and SAGE have access to the highest scientific expertise in managing this and their advice is that we stall lockdown for a bit longer. Their analysis and modelling I'm afraid counts for more than anecdotes. Why do they want to stall? Damage to the economy - yes I expect so. Inability of the population to cope with too prolonged a shutdown- yes- we do not have the systems of China in the UK to enforce without buy in.

Prioritising the economy over lives - it really is not that binary a decision. The economy grinding to a halt affects lives pretty quickly when there is no money to pump into the NHS, social housing, adult social care, children's services etc. I too have people with health conditions or who are elderly who I want to protect but the govt needs to safeguard the future of the whole nation.

I fully support individuals having the right to take the precautions they see as fit on a personal level e.g. keeping children at home, particularly if they or someone else in the family have a vulnerability. But to extrapolate from that that the government should mandate this approach for all to my mind is not the right way. I think this is a time to trust the experts (the scientific and medical ones that is!)

If they shut Parliament I'm pulling my son

The lack of response from the government has got me putting my tin foil hat on and triple questioning everything. For instance, it's convenient an MP has the virus right now because it justifies closing down parliament. 😩 my head is fucked.

@pegase the chastising of the government comes from unclear instructions....changing of who they test and how poorly managed this is becoming. Mixed messages leave to unrest and disgruntled people

Hm...is discarding rational science and the factual evidence from other countries a symptom of CV? If so Bojo needs to go into self isolation IMMEDIATELY!

Who would step in his place though? Who hasn't had contact with Nadine Dorries?

I'm coming round to agreeing with you, @Pegase. I've been very critical of the government's apparent lack of response, and willingness to move swiftly and early to stop the spread of this thing. But I'm now beginning to think that there is more method in the apparent madness than I thought. For me, now, the main problem is the lack of fuller information and sharing of plans. If only they would say "We will plan to shut schools if x, y, z conditions are met" or "We have been told that shutting schools is not an appropriate response because blah". As it is, we see Italy in meltdown and countries across the world applying much more stringent measures with far lower numbers than us, and it simply doesn't inspire confidence.

@Pegase

Not going to shoot you down in flames! I appreciate your balanced viewpoint; I am aware I am reacting with fear right now.

I was strangely reassured by the governments last press conference... but I am not reassured at all by their lack of transparency / honesty/ integrity. By trying not to scare people, they have divided people into two camps of either very scared or "not bovered".

That’s it ! The threshold is reached I think. I am not sending dc If only there is a deciding person who is reading all this in mumsnet board..

Why would it justify closing down Parliament? There's cases across the country that, according to the UK government, don't warrant closing schools or mandating work from home for all who can. Can't have one rule for them, another for us.

@Pegase It just seems strange that our CMO appears to have access to information different to that accessed many other countries around the world. Europe, the gulf states, Israel, Saudi, even the US, have done more than us.

The government recently talked about closing down parliament... not government. Sorry for confusion

Presumably the government will still function in self isolation as they would take their laptops home?

My last message makes no sense! The government recently stated that parliament may be shut down because of all the influx of MPs from different areas of U.K. which totally goes against their decision to not close flights from Italy.

Yes, government would still function and be able to work on laptops... but it's still one rule for them, one rule for us.

When BoJo AKA BoZo did the first downing street live Q&A, Prof Witty kept on saying 12 weeks which seems to fit with China so far for the major part of the outbreak?
Dec it's out there in the community
Jan its discovered and spreading
Feb lockdown
March start to lift lockdown

So Jan -March the major SHTF stuff. I guess we are about Dec in China terms moving into Jan.

We wont see all of the predicted % population infected in the next 12 weeks, I predict ( based on no solid facts mind you) but I guess the first wave is about to start and if we go into lockdown then we could see another smaller peak just after the lockdown stops but it would be less numbers as the immunity firebreak starts so fingers crossed some naturally immunity will start. Another issue I guess is the length of time people are ill for. It seems a drawn out virus.

But that's just my musings. We dont have the outbreak centre here so it wint be like Wohan, but if ymthe Gov doesn't time lockdown right we could have big numbers. If they dont lockdown at all then maybe we are looking at that 60% infected in the next 12 months?

So many unknowns it's hard to say but we are in the non traveler to non traveler infection phase now. That I'm confident of

The problem is there is no need to close institutions but allow people an option. individual families have varying levels of challenges. Some might have to care for an elderly or a vulnerable person and some might be a high risk themselves. This authoritarian send your child to school thing is not the apt or humanitarian thing to do at this time of the crisis. If you don’t want to close educational institutions give the parents an option. It’s upto them with their kids best interest to choose , if they want they should be able to make their kids stay home and choose online education for a period of time, have periodical assessments and what not. We are not living in 60’s .. ffs every one has internet. So there is no reason not to encourage that.

@Pegase it's a peppers thread critical thinking especially about those in power is an essential part of being a prepper.

Gov has also said 1 in 5 off work at its peak so again I'm only guessing but I presume that's coming

I think this is a time to trust the experts (the scientific and medical ones that is!)

In fairness to the thread, @Pegase, most medical experts agree that the government is signally failing to act on the lessons Italy should be teaching us.

The case numbers are totally wrong Redlentilyellowlentil and massively understated.

Only people who have been in an infected area or have had contact with an infected person are being tested.

@sprayitall

Well said 👍🏻 it's crazy we can't be in control of our children's attendance/ non-attendance at this time.

Health minister Nadine Dorries has tested positive for COVID19. I think this is when the real panic starts, when well known faces or people in power are affected.

I'm a sort of accidental prepper. As in I would never get down to one teabag or tin of beans. And I have a thing for buying cheap/on offer/interesting looking bath/body stuff. Which has come in VERY useful despite my dad mocking me about "how much soap can one person need?"
I may have sent him a photo earlier with "not laughing now ARE YOU"
If it's on offer or reduced and I use it, I buy it. And after a bout of flu where I was in bed alone for 2 weeks and nobody to get me anything, I always have paracetamol at the minimum

Feel like I've posted this loads (I don't work for the company, I got one in a beaut box and checked their site as a brainwave)
62% alcohol and loads in stock
https://uk.mercihandy.com/collections/the-hands?page=1

Ok it's not the cheapest but it's in stock, available and they haven't raised the prices