Prepping for Pandemic... 14

[FuckThisWind]

OK folks, we have been prepping for a Pandemic for 13 threads now. And a Pandemic we now have.

I think we all know this has gone beyond prepping now. And most of us agree that the UK Government has not really stepped up to the mark. We have had shared advice here from our Italian residents and those in other countries who have taken much more stringent measures.

So this thread continues to be about us being prepared. But it is more than that. It is about support, sharing of information and advice. It is now a community. A community who acknowledged a long time ago that this was always 'Not Just The Flu'

I thank you one and all for being here. We have tough times ahead. But we are all still here. Please share, rant, whatever. The great thing about these threads is that they have always been supportive and non judgemental. I like to think it's a safe space for all of us who are concerned. And trying to do our best. For ourselves. For our loved ones. And for our community and beyond.

[pemberlyshades]

@wraptrap
I agree it's a very strange atmosphere out there, like when the birds go quiet during an eclipse.

The tension is palpable.

[84TinsOfBeans]

@ofwarren what I need most now is a kitten picture

[peachgreen]

@Nofoolfornoone Which nebuliser did you order, if you don't mind me asking? DH is asthmatic so I've been considering it.

[FloggingMoll]

@Singlemum31 Your questions aren't stupid, they're perfectly valid and if you follow the thread you'll get loads of answers and support.

I'm a part-timer and self-employed to boot, so don't have a lot of money. I've been trying to pick up things for months during every weekly shop, and have been doing so since the beginning of last year when the Brexit stuff was in everyone's faces.

I've picked up tins of things that my DD likes fresh (peaches, carrots, peas etc) which you can get quite cheap in Tesco. Soups, tinned veg, curries and minced beef, chilli and the like. Loads of Pasta n Sauce and noodles - I go to Home Bargains and Poundland for them. If needs be, get UHT milk, nappies, Calpol. Paracetamol and ibuprofen. Lots of these will be sold out though (they certainly are at my local shops).

In Italy the food shops and pharmacies are still open so even in lockdown people can still go out if they don't have symptoms.

Hope that helps.

[pemberlyshades]

Great post @MoreCoffeeNeeded really great. Thank you for explaining it so eloquently.

This is why I prep. I am prepared. I can handle what is to come- this has become my mantra lately.

[WrapTrap]

Also organised my utility room this evening and found a tin of azeera I didn't know I had - winning!!

[ofwarren]

@84TinsOfBeans
It's so hard to get a good photo!
He wasn't happy 😂

[Nofoolfornoone]

@peachgreen I got this one. I’ve never considered it before as they do safe inhalers with a spacer are just as effective and you should only get a nebuliser if you are advised to but I’m just so worried about getting this virus and what it could do to my asthma. I’ve started checking my peak flow daily too so I can monitor any changes.

medimport.co.uk/products/nebuliser-machine-for-home-care

[peachgreen]

@Sprayitall Not just a possibility but a probability that at least 20% won't be impacted. And of the potential worst case scenario 80% who aren't, over 40% will have genuinely mild, barely noticeable symptoms, 40% will be pretty miserable but not require medical treatment, 15% will need treatment but not ICU and less than 5% will be critically ill. I know this is of little comfort to those with immunosuppressed or elderly loved ones (myself included) but it IS important to remember and try to put it in to some kind of perspective.

[peachgreen]

Thank you @Nofoolfornoone, I appreciate that.

[peachgreen]

Those numbers could be totally wrong - maths has never been my strong point...

[MidsummerMeadow]

@ofwarren thank you, I think we all needed that. Give him a kiss from us all collectively and apologise on our behalf for his inconvenience!

[InconvenientPeg]

Thanks for the new thread and the intro @fuckthiswind and all the threads. 💐

I've always prepped and always been 'wrong' so it's a bit of a shock to suddenly have been right this time, in the worst way.

I think in one sense it's worse if you've prepped. We're all ready. My cleaners came today and one of them hadn't even realised it was serious. I was advising her on what to buy as they left. So in one sense, there are a lot of people like her who are in no way ready for 12 weeks in lockdown.

DH being really supportive, wants to talk about how we manage our expectations as a family. Need to get thro next week, DD has a school show and unless official advice changes we'll let that happen, but after that I might pull her out. She's already got the y6 blues and is crying a lot, so would be a relief to not send her. Tho I would have to be the iPad police!

Ds is GCSE year so not so straightforward. Will just have wait and see.

Thank you all for these threads tho. I"ve been lurking since about thread 2 and it"s been a little corner of sanity for me. Oh and thank you to who ever it was that reminded me about paper to go with the ink! We have lots of paper, but not lots of printer paper!!

[MidsummerMeadow]

@Posharmchairs that sound like such a lovely hamper. My folks aren’t elderly but they are both in the high risk group and close to retirement age (how I wish they didn’t have to work right now).

[Swimbikerunmummy]

@sideorderofchips I’m still here from Guernsey!
Quite impressed with the advice from our government today to avoid all but essential travel. Just hoping it gets taken seriously. Aurigny are refunding all flight costs up to 9th April too.

[SistemaAddict]

Hi, please can I join? I'm a brexit prepper and glad of it now that this is happening. I'm worried but it feels so surreal. to all those who need them.

[beargryllshasabigrope]

I'd like to delurk to ask a question about child imms, if anyone could possibly help.

I know this isn't technically prepping related (lord knows I've done enough of that), but I suppose it is health prepping, in a way!

My DD is booked in for her preschool imms next week.

She is pretty under the weather as of late. Bad cough, snot, the works. I'm both worried her having the jabs given her current health, and any knock on effect the vaccinations would have on her immune system and potential ability to cope with CV.

I'm swinging between being reassured that children don't suffer badly, and thinking it's probably not worth getting them done for the time being. But as this could be around for a long time, I'm really not sure what to do.

[TipseyTorvey]

@FuckThisWind lovely opening post and so true that we've moved from prep to support now. @ofwarren thanks for kitten pics, just what's needed😊

I think we all need to try and get a good night's sleep. I was incensed earlier but now am convinced events will overtake Bojo and he will be forced to act. He's followed Trumps playbook of 'it's not real' in the hopes it would go away and it hasn't, so I suspect by the weekend the message will change.

[ofwarren]

beargrylls our practice nurse won't do immunisations on a child who is poorly, so you may find they won't do them anyway.

[divafever99]

All ready here, managed to top up the freezer today. Really shocked schools were not closed today.

[itsnotjustflu]

@ofwarren You have definitely made the right choice. I just don't get dh's stubbornness. Why risk fines/jail when we can just deregister. Anyway will see what the week ahead has in store - although with no one being tested unless in hospital it won't be an indication of the truth

Now I have to tell DS he's not going to school tomorrow.

Who else is ignoring Boris and taking their kids out of school?

[ifonly4]

ofwarren loved the photo of the little cutie. He's a cat waiting to happen!

Obviously still keeping stocked up on fresh goods, but am so glad I don't need to panic buy items, or go shopping and find they've already sold.

[itsnotjustflu]

I have this list of countries that are closing schools for anyone pulling their kids out before Boris says we can....just a little something to fight our corner

Denmark - www.thelocal.dk/20200311/denmark-to-shut-all-schools-and-universities-to-fight-virus

Ireland - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-51850811

Greece - neoskosmos.com/en/160021/coronavirus-and-greece-school-closures-as-toll-climbs-to-89-with-increases-expected-in-the-next-two-weeks/

Spain - www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/spain-coronavirus-latest-news-travel-17900063

France - www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/coronavirus-france-macron-covid-19-schools-a9398516.html

Norway - www.thelocal.no/20200312/norway-shuts-all-schools-and-universities-to-fight-coronavirus-pandemic

Lithuania & Latvia - www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-lithuania/lithuania-and-latvia-close-schools-ban-large-public-gatherings-over-coronavirus-idUSKBN20Z25W

Moldova - uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-moldova/moldova-closes-schools-universities-to-prevent-virus-spread-idUKKBN20Y0VP

Austria - www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-austria/austria-closing-schools-over-coronavirus-as-border-checks-take-effect-idUSKBN20Y2YC

Czech republic - news.expats.cz/weekly-czech-news/breaking-czech-republic-closes-all-schools-bans-events-with-100-people-over-coronavirus/

[Michaelbaubles]

Schools in the UAE and Qatar are closed, and they’re closing in Ontario for two weeks too.

[CakeOnMe]

@itsnotjustflu www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/12/how-do-coronavirus-containment-measures-vary-across-europe