03-14-2020, 01:02 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-14-2020, 01:02 PM by barq2.
Edit Reason: clarity
)
I'm in the UK where there are lots of cases. The government seems to be taking a curiously laid back approach to the virus: it is no longer tracing cases and hasn't cancelled anything. All it has done is stay home if you are ill (duh!) and elderly people shouldn't go on cruises.
In reality many companies, event organisers, sports organisations, etc have taken it upon themselves to cancel events or arrange working from home. There is a lot of pressure on the UK government to explain why it is following a different strategy to just about every country in the world. They say they want people to acquire herd immunity i.e. for the majority of the population to get the virus, just not all at once to avoid swamping the health services. The trouble is that being a new virus we don't know what level of herd immunity is needed to halt an outbreak, how long immunity lasts, how quickly the virus might mutate into a different form to which we are not immune. There's also the small problem that if you intentionally allow 60-80% of the population to catch the virus then you will get a lot of deaths. A lot of people are very unhappy with this approach and it is possible the government will be forced to change tactics.
My elderly parents have isolated themselves from the outside world. As the scientist in my family, I arranged a large delivery of alcohol hand gel, and ordinary medicines, a thermometer and a blood-oxygen meter. The latter is something you might want to look into if you are in a vulnerable group or just worried. It clips on the end of a finger and gives you a reading for pulse (BPM) and blood-oxygen as a percentage so very easy to read. Mine was £18 ($22USD) from Amazon although I'm sure the prices will start increasing.
There is a lot of panic buying. I wouldn't normally describe myself as a prepper, but maybe I am... I'd already stocked up on tins and dried foods because I thought Brexit could disrupt food supplies and the subsequent panic buying would strip the shelves bare. With this virus, supermarkets themselves seem to have taken on responsibility for getting extra supplies and limiting purchases e.g. you can only buy two bottles of hand gel. Of course it doesn't stop you from going back and buying a couple more an hour later, but it does stop people buying all the stock and then putting it on ebay at 10x the price. It is odd what people buy in a panic... the thing that's been running out is toilet tissue/rolls.
It seemed obvious hand gel would run short in the shops so I went to a chemical/lab supplies company who sold 5 litre tubs of the stuff. I've been refilling my small portable bottles - and I have enough to offer to friends, family and neighbours.
On the whole I'd say people in the UK are organising themselves. Some ignore it completely, but most people have stocked up on something or made some plans for what happens if it gets really bad. As I see it the first function of government is to protect its citizens and on that the UK government is failing badly. When this is over I fear a lot of people will blame the deaths of loved ones on the government.
Not sure why Trump is still allowing flights from the UK but banning the EU. We don't have as many cases as Italy or France, but it'll reach 1000 today. However, if you have community transmission of the virus already then locking down the borders won't do much. However I understand the instinct to pull up the drawbridge but I suspect it will only delay things by a few days.
Lastly, I wish the media would publish the numbers who have recovered rather than just the infected and dead. This is quite scary enough anyway, so where there is good news let's hear it!
In reality many companies, event organisers, sports organisations, etc have taken it upon themselves to cancel events or arrange working from home. There is a lot of pressure on the UK government to explain why it is following a different strategy to just about every country in the world. They say they want people to acquire herd immunity i.e. for the majority of the population to get the virus, just not all at once to avoid swamping the health services. The trouble is that being a new virus we don't know what level of herd immunity is needed to halt an outbreak, how long immunity lasts, how quickly the virus might mutate into a different form to which we are not immune. There's also the small problem that if you intentionally allow 60-80% of the population to catch the virus then you will get a lot of deaths. A lot of people are very unhappy with this approach and it is possible the government will be forced to change tactics.
My elderly parents have isolated themselves from the outside world. As the scientist in my family, I arranged a large delivery of alcohol hand gel, and ordinary medicines, a thermometer and a blood-oxygen meter. The latter is something you might want to look into if you are in a vulnerable group or just worried. It clips on the end of a finger and gives you a reading for pulse (BPM) and blood-oxygen as a percentage so very easy to read. Mine was £18 ($22USD) from Amazon although I'm sure the prices will start increasing.
There is a lot of panic buying. I wouldn't normally describe myself as a prepper, but maybe I am... I'd already stocked up on tins and dried foods because I thought Brexit could disrupt food supplies and the subsequent panic buying would strip the shelves bare. With this virus, supermarkets themselves seem to have taken on responsibility for getting extra supplies and limiting purchases e.g. you can only buy two bottles of hand gel. Of course it doesn't stop you from going back and buying a couple more an hour later, but it does stop people buying all the stock and then putting it on ebay at 10x the price. It is odd what people buy in a panic... the thing that's been running out is toilet tissue/rolls.
It seemed obvious hand gel would run short in the shops so I went to a chemical/lab supplies company who sold 5 litre tubs of the stuff. I've been refilling my small portable bottles - and I have enough to offer to friends, family and neighbours.
On the whole I'd say people in the UK are organising themselves. Some ignore it completely, but most people have stocked up on something or made some plans for what happens if it gets really bad. As I see it the first function of government is to protect its citizens and on that the UK government is failing badly. When this is over I fear a lot of people will blame the deaths of loved ones on the government.
Not sure why Trump is still allowing flights from the UK but banning the EU. We don't have as many cases as Italy or France, but it'll reach 1000 today. However, if you have community transmission of the virus already then locking down the borders won't do much. However I understand the instinct to pull up the drawbridge but I suspect it will only delay things by a few days.
Lastly, I wish the media would publish the numbers who have recovered rather than just the infected and dead. This is quite scary enough anyway, so where there is good news let's hear it!