Type what you're thinking about right now (11)

[Merritt]

When I saw my mum the other day, I felt like a right killjoy suggesting that she should probably think twice about having her usual nights out until all this blows over, what with being over 70. Now they're talking about people her age possibly having to stay indoors completely for months. I've probably got my priorities all wrong, but my main worry is about how completely bored senseless she's going to be.

[Appear]

Whether to leave Cardiff and go back to the parents' in anticipation of a lockdown.

Other than the Welsh one I see, I don't have anyone close by I'm able to rely on in case I need supplies, etc., if it came to it. And the thought of having to stay in this flat alone for weeks is also fairly horrible.

I'm tempted to wait it out and see how things progress this week, but my parents are fairly desperate for me to come back.

[Professor Willow]

^ I would be heading for home, I'm currently giving serious consideration to going back to my parents, as my partner is making very little effort to protect himself or anyone else from this shitty disease.

[choirgirl]

My dad is out of the country. Instead of enjoying having the place to myself, I wish he was here because of the virus. He refuses to come home early. Also, this sounds like a tiny thing to worry about, but I'm anticipating having to pick him up from the airport so he doesn't have to go on public transport, which means driving on the motorway for the first time. Eek.

[Appear]

Originally Posted by Professor Willow

^ I would be heading for home, I'm currently giving serious consideration to going back to my parents, as my partner is making very little effort to protect himself or anyone else from this shitty disease.

Originally Posted by biscuits

^^ maybe go back to your parents' place then that eradicates most of those worries. And you can always return to Cardiff whenever.

Ugh. I can't decide. I don't want to go back and then there not be any lockdown for a while, meaning I'm there even longer than needed. Especially if when it does come into force it goes on for weeks and weeks.

The only thing I'm really worried about is being stuck here alone, but that's probably quite unlikely as a lockdown wouldn't be immediate so I'd have time to get back.

Think I'll be playing things day by day atm.

[Jen.]

Yeah, it does make more sense to hold off for a while, I think. I would wait until you know what's actually going to happen since you'd hope they'd give people at least a day or two to move around if they need to. People are already talking about locking themselves inside from now for a few weeks, but that seems strange when the peak of this is expected to come in 12 weeks or something (unless their idea is to actually stay inside for six months, but I doubt anyone would do that). It seems like there's going to be a lot of people staying at home for two weeks, getting bored, then going back about their business and getting ill.

There are some interesting animations here that show why the UK's approach to this probably isn't very good: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...ona-simulator/

[choirgirl]

^I dunno, lockdown could happen quite quickly. See what happens tonight and tomorrow. Apparently in Spain it was pretty much straight away. But who knows. Hopefully it would be in stages.

[Professor Willow]

If I have learned anything from the Covid19 outbreak it's how much I normally touch my face.
It's not until you shouldn't be doing something that you realise how much do it!

[Toxic]

This whole virus thing seems to have taken a turn today.

It went from lets just ignore it, I'm sure it will be fine..ride it out..few of us get it, wait for vaccine..on we go.

Now its avoid evvvverrryything possible. I got home from work and was BREAKING NEWS plastered over the TV like they had just announced a war.

It's my birthday in 2 weeks, I mean rarely are they "big events" but I do try and do something! This time is looking like a dressing gown and PS4 week

[Mo34]

^ Yeah everything seems to be ramping up at quite a pace.


Still haven't heard whats happening with work but picked up a work email today from my manger telling us that one of the medical centres we use (for rooms) has closed so I'm anticipating that more and more of the community facilities we use will perhaps shut down.

Had an appointment with my counsellor this afternoon, whilst she and I are well we are going to continue as normal but may have to move to phone sessions or sessions over Zoom (never used before). Walking back from counselling today (it's quite rural) I saw ppl cross the road rather than pass me by and an elderly couple distance them self as we passed one another. Not that I blame them but strange times.

Have no idea what the **** were going to do at both animal sanctuary's if we go into total lock down though.

[Mo34]

Well I spoke too soon. Just picked up an email saying all the libraries in West Sussex are closed until further notice. Was supposed to be working at a nearby library tomorrow.

[Dougella]

^ Looks like pretty much everywhere where people congregate is going to be shut soon. The government seems to have become more serious about things today!

[Mo34]

^Yeah they seem to have.

I dunno if that means homeworking for me tomorrow or having to go down to head office. I hope not the latter :/

[neilm]

^ ^ ^
Just found this out now!!
Ive been expecting this for the last few days, but didnt think it would happen so soon. Id expected another few days grace , but 'cest la vie'

Met my brother only this afternoon, for a Coffee at a Costa. We do this 2/3 times a week. Its mine and his only Social contact. and given he wont use the phone (for Anxiety reasons), it would appear I wont be having much spoken conversations with anyone for sometime!!

Pretty grim stuff, but thankfully (and sensibly) people will still be allowed to go for walks/jogs/runs (on their own) for exercise. If that gets stopped too then I think, Ime going to end up Climbing the walls and Swinging from the chandeliers for exercise. And I dont mean by choice either!!!

Things have become very surreal very, quickly....

[Dougella]

^ Maybe you and he can still meet, if you're both in good health ofcourse. You could always go for a walk or meet at one another's homes, if coffee shops are still open I think you're probably still 'allowed' to do that if you don't have any underlying health conditions.

[Mo34]

^^
Yeah things have got very surreal and a little scary.

[neilm]

Originally Posted by Dougella

^ Maybe you and he can still meet, if you're both in good health ofcourse. You could always go for a walk or meet at one another's homes, if coffee shops are still open I think you're probably still 'allowed' to do that if you don't have any underlying health conditions.

Havent checked the details yet, but id assumed most places would close 'by choice'? Guess we wont know that till tomorrow anyhows.

Yes, we will still be able to meet for a walk I think. For the time being anyway. I could be wrong , but I think Spain may have stopped even that and i know China did (in the Wuhan Region). This Despite there being no real Scientific risk on Solitary Outdoor Exercise RE this virus.

Oh well....

[Tembo]

Im feeling rather panicky about all this! Probably doesn't help that I had poor sleep last night.

[Jen.]

Originally Posted by Dougella

^ Looks like pretty much everywhere where people congregate is going to be shut soon. The government seems to have become more serious about things today!

I notice they're just discouraging the public to go to places though, rather than forcing them to close... is this so the government will get the same result without having to pay out for lost earnings?

[neilm]

Originally Posted by Jen.

I notice they're just discouraging the public to go to places though, rather than forcing them to close... is this so the government will get the same result without having to pay out for lost earnings?

Cynical, (but possibly true)

[3stacks]

Can I still go to the dentist's tomorrow lol

[blancmange]

^ I'm thinking the same thing!

[Dougella]

Originally Posted by Jen.

I notice they're just discouraging the public to go to places though, rather than forcing them to close... is this so the government will get the same result without having to pay out for lost earnings?

Yes.

[Moksha]

If this spirals out of control, I wonder if the NHS will call for volunteers? Obviously I have no training in medicine, but I could push trolleys, or whatever.

[Dougella]

^ I think volunteers might be needed in all sorts of ways, delivering shopping or prescriptions to people, sorting out food and delivering it to all the families who usually have school meals if the schools are shut, walking people's dogs who can't go out of the house...

[Toxic]

dont have a clue what I'm suppose to do. I live with someone who would be classed as a high risk. A few of them at work presume I'll have to start working from home first because of it. My boss on the other hand..in his own little fantasy world seems to think I care more about my job than my limited families well being. Hes in for a rude awakening..I didn't really appreciate spending the day with someone who has a chest infection - I'd be a lot more annoyed if he didnt just get them every march without fail anyway.

Its killed my very very small social life, its going to cost me a lot in wages - if not my entire job depending on how long it lasts (the phone rang once today)..don't need any other drama!

I was in the "oh its just a bit of flu" camp. Its going to be more like the walking dead at this rate with our asshats in charge, a dystopian future, exchanging goods for 3-ply quilted toilet roll sheets!

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Toxic

Its killed my very very small social life, its going to cost me a lot in wages - if not my entire job depending on how long it lasts (the phone rang once today)..don't need any other drama!

I was in the "oh its just a bit of flu" camp. Its going to be more like the walking dead at this rate with our asshats in charge, a dystopian future, exchanging goods for 3-ply quilted toilet roll sheets!

Somebody on the news just said “people haven’t yet grasped that this is an economic crisis as well as a health crisis”.

[Mo34]

Well we are shutting down at Mind. Have had to go down to head office and have a mini meeting with my team. But all the services are closing to the public. Were going to have to try and support ppl remotely by phone, email, txt and maybe Teams.

Most ppl are home working but the office is open for any of us to use. Not sure which I will gravitate towards in the next few weeks. At least I do have the choice of home working I guess and still getting paid. I feel sorry for those that are self employed and zero hour contracts or in the thick of it at the health service or working in Tesco's etc...

When I left home my internet was down I hope it comes back I'll go nuts without internet access. Talk Talk was showing an outage across London and the south East. Probably overwhelmed from ppl home working

[Moksha]

I would like to help someone out if I could. I have been listening to phone ins this morning and it’s just so ****ing sad to hear the stories. One woman has cancer and copd, but she’s a single mum with three kids. If she gets it, she said, it will be a death sentence. But it’s her kids she’s thinking of. Then someone else phones in from Yorkshire. Her home was wrecked in the floods and ate up all her savings. Now, as a physio who works mainly with old people, her business is about to fold because no one can risk her coming into the house. Again, she is a single mum with kids who depend on her. Another woman has a daughter who is an NHS Doctor. But she also has anorexia and other health problems. The mother (who also has chronic asthma herself) said “if my daughter goes into work it will be the end of her - her immune system is so weak, and she gets so stressed, that the virus would finish her.” Almost no one phoned in because they are worried about themselves; it’s always their mum or their brother or their grandad or their kids, etc. This crisis has brought it home to me just how deeply human beings are capable of loving one another.

I so want to help those people. The calls really upset me. I’m just terrified of catching the damn thing and passing it on to my mother (who I live with). If it wasn’t for that, I would volunteer. If things get really bad, I wonder if I could do something that didn’t involve face to face contact?

[Mo34]

Back home. Still no internet