Self Isolation

[BernardSmith]

Not a doctor but I think the issue is close proximity to others with the virus. Those "nomads" are not doing anything if they drive from point A to point B and then stay in their caravans or RVs.. I live in upstate NY and the governor of NY State is telling people that if they have come from NY City to any other part of the state they must self isolate for 14 days. And that makes good sense. The other good sense is that with all its faults the federal govt is about to send checks (cheques) to everyone for about $1200 to tide them over; has called a moratorium on mortgages for a year and a moratorium on rents for a year too. People will still have to pay what they owe but they are being given that year to refinance and/or pay what they owe. Of course, here the BIG problem is that we do not have the medical equipment and the beds and the morgues to deal with the numbers of victims we have...

[Flo]

Of course, here the BIG problem is that we do not have the medical equipment and the beds and the morgues to deal with the numbers of victims we have...

I suspect that there will be other countries with the same problem.

[ina]

Of course, here the BIG problem is that we do not have the medical equipment and the beds and the morgues to deal with the numbers of victims we have...

I suspect that there will be other countries with the same problem.

True. And of course, our dear country has refused to join an EU scheme to get more ventilators - because we are now free and don't need help from the pesky Europeans, and because our car factories have already started developing new ventilators...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52052694

[Flo]

On the practicalities of things - self isolation could really be enforced. The provider of local buses has reduced all its services as the customers have disappeared (laid off, not at school, pensioners staying at home, nowhere to go). Last week everything went mostly to Sunday services with rural villages like mine getting Saturday services as we don't get Sunday buses. Still no customers. Result - the bus company wants to lay off 80% of its drivers (they will be on call to cover sickness and whatever) and just keep 20% working. That's fine and the new timetables have been on the website for 36 hours. However none of the drivers have been told what's going on. So if they aren't told by close of play today and no-one turns in tomorrow self isolation will certainly be enforced as a lot of us older ones don't drive in this village.

[Odsox]

Enforced self isolation here now since midnight.
Only allowed out for food shopping, and apparently I have got to be "cocooned" although I don't quite know what that entails. Presumably wrapped up in something until I become an adult, or mummified.
We certainly do live in interesting times.

[Flo]

Came home from the allotment (still allowed to go there at present) and saw people wearing face masks as they walked towards the local food store. Now this is a route in a rural setting well away from the larger communities.

[Viper254]

Ahh, face masks... looking hilarious and doing very little :)

I've stopped going to the Park allotment for now - too many of the other users are quite elderly and I don't want to make any more risk for them.

I'm concentrating on what's out the back of the house for now :)

[Flo]

My co-working minions went to the allotments yesterday on foot and said they saw no-one at all. Not surprising given the weather. But security on a gate needed attention. They stopped to do some work (cutting grass, shifting bags of compost) and picking the last of the purple sprouting broccoli and then walked home again. They are certainly taking the self isolation seriously. Mind son-in-law is updating the cellar with major works as it lets in more cold air than they want - been needing the work for years, as his self employed orders have all been delayed. Daughter is working from home so they still have income. Apparently the next major operation is sanding the sitting room floor.

[Weedo]

In will be going into Isolation from today - apparently I am in a high risk category (post 65 - chronic heart disease) and the fact that a group from an infected cruise ship moved into the doss house (syn. Air BnB) next door for 4 weeks dictates my social imprisonment. Locking up the town house and moving to the farm (intermittent net connection) so posts from me may be very sporadic for a while

[Green Aura]

Moving to the farm sounds like a great idea, Weedo. Keep safe.

[Flo]

Whilst I was elsewhere (allotment) today the son-in-law reglazed the greenhouse damaged by earlier gales so that there will at least be tomatoes, peppers, aubergines if the lock down gets to the point where the allotment is out of bounds although it's within the 1 kilometre of home.

[ina]

I didn't know they'd now put a distance on it - shouldn't it depend on where you live? I'm sure the farm where I could buy eggs is more than a km away...

[Green Aura]

Likewise, ina. I have a T4sc0 click and collect booked for next week (booked on 23/3!). Trouble is, our nearest C+C is in the next village - 20 miles away.
As there's nothing but sheep and deer between us and them I think it's unlikely we'll get stopped, although I do have to pass the police house.
If you don't hear from me after that you'll know I've been locked up.

[ina]

If you don't hear from me after that you'll know I've been locked up.

Locking you up would be too dangerous - they'd have to get too close to you!

I think it would be the same here. Although I'll have to pass some houses on the way to the farm, and I would probably pass some dog walkers, I should be able to swerve around all that. After all, we need to get our protein from somewhere! The local butcher has closed down, which I don't really understand. The animals still have to be killed and sold somewhere; the Coop can't keep up with meat supply.

[Green Aura]

You do have to wonder how many of these small local businesses, or indeed services to small rural communities, will stay gone after this is over.
Our local recycling centre is shut, all the huge skips removed. It was an unmanned site and only emptied every few weeks, so I'm not sure what the H+S issue would have been but I'm guessing it's gone in line with the staffed centres in the bigger conurbations.