Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

maxfli65 said:
Is it not more common in Italy for one family house that all generations live in so spread to elderly/vulnerable is easier? Old people here tend to live apart from their children and grandchildren so it may be easier to isolate themselves from infection. Just wondering.
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OK, lets just ignore Italy then, how about Spain having less than 50 deaths just a week ago, now well over 1000.

I'm not saying I know better than anyone else but I've been keeping a very close eye on this for a lot longer than it seems most of you have. Not two weeks ago my son was poo pooing it and I told him I have a bad feeling about this.

It seems to me people are only in the past few days actually listening to what has been getting said for weeks if not months. You just got to hear what Sturgeon said two weeks ago, life is going to change very considerably for all of us in the coming months were her words, no one took any notice, cause...well it was Italy's problem, life was just carrying on wasn't it.

I will be more than happy to be proved wrong.
 
I’ve stayed out of this thread until now. Probably a misplaced arrogance of youth (I’m 30) and living in relatively rural Kent imagined nothing bad will come my way...

I work in theatre. I’m a sound engineer mainly. Tuesday my theatre closed until further notice. Luckily it’s council run so we started our summer maintenance early, but knowing essentially that when we run out of jobs (keeping an 80 year old building standing and working) we may be redeployed to areas with more need in the council.

Today we were all asked if anyone wanted to go and join the crematorium team as a cremator. We all said no. I couldn't think of anything worse.

I've a week of annual leave next week. The mrs and I were due to be on the beach 1500 miles away today and for the next week.

I don't think I've ever felt so low in a job I adore. But yet, Currently all I can be thankful for is that I'm still in a job. The number of friends I have in touring/freelance roles who had work lined up to the end of the year that has disappeared...
 
hairball_89 said:
I’ve stayed out of this thread until now. Probably a misplaced arrogance of youth (I’m 30) and living in relatively rural Kent imagined nothing bad will come my way...

I work in theatre. I’m a sound engineer mainly. Tuesday my theatre closed until further notice. Luckily it’s council run so we started our summer maintenance early, but knowing essentially that when we run out of jobs (keeping an 80 year old building standing and working) we may be redeployed to areas with more need in the council.

Today we were all asked if anyone wanted to go and join the crematorium team as a cremator. We all said no. I couldn't think of anything worse.

I've a week of annual leave next week. The mrs and I were due to be on the beach 1500 miles away today and for the next week.

I don't think I've ever felt so low in a job I adore. But yet, Currently all I can be thankful for is that I'm still in a job. The number of friends I have in touring/freelance roles who had work lined up to the end of the year that has disappeared...
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What part of Kent do you class as relatively rural?.

They've had confirmed deaths of it in Medway & William Harvey hospitals in last 24hrs, several confirmed cases of having it in Maidstone and the images I'm seeing from family shows Kent is suffering from it like everywhere else.
 
Just back looking at dates, around the 25th February I had concerns about activities I attend at our club during the week where we have a games night(table tennis/darts/dominoes etc etc) It troubled me then about the sharing of all these things and at that point the UK had no deaths and only 5 confirmed cases. Fast forward to now and things have barely got started.
 
HappyHacker1 said:
OK, lets just ignore Italy then, how about Spain having less than 50 deaths just a week ago, now well over 1000.

I'm not saying I know better than anyone else but I've been keeping a very close eye on this for a lot longer than it seems most of you have. Not two weeks ago my son was poo pooing it and I told him I have a bad feeling about this.

It seems to me people are only in the past few days actually listening to what has been getting said for weeks if not months. You just got to hear what Sturgeon said two weeks ago, life is going to change very considerably for all of us in the coming months were her words, no one took any notice, cause...well it was Italy's problem, life was just carrying on wasn't it.

I will be more than happy to be proved wrong.
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A lot of what you said I totally agree with. Not sure that Italy is dealing with it better than the UK.. Only time will tell. Italy's average age is a massive factor. I said a month ago a poo storm was coming. I feel we are only seeing dark clouds at the moment with worse to come. A lot worse. Unfortunately having pals in Italy who personally told me what they were going through gave me an insight I would not sooner of heard, but helped me prepare. If you want (the forum) a first class account of what is going on in Italy ask Italian outcast. If memory serves me right the poor sod is in the thick of it near Bergamo. It may not make pleasant reading but just may well open up a few folks eyes.
Thoughts with you at the moment Italian Outcast
 
Very welcome news from the government for my wife and the charity helpline. At 80% grant the charity will be able to keep the helpline going as far as staff costs are concerned - perhaps the charity will be able to take a government loan to top up - but not sure that charities are able to take out loans or indeed whether they would see themselves able to pay it back. Obviously though charities continue to need our support for all their other research activities. But nevertheless good news.

Still trying to work out what it means for my zero hrs contract and sole trader son. He thinks that his contracted employment might apply for a grant to pay him - but he is not at all sure. And can’t see the two companies he contracts for will do anything around paying him a retainer as some are suggesting such companies might. He said that the people who own the companies in the music events sector often do it just for a bit of fun and arent that bothered about the people who work for them and so won’t necessarily have much in the way of an altruistic bone in their bodies.
 
Papas1982 said:
I’d imagine they’ll be paid as per holiday pay. Average of previous 12 Weeks.
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That would be the best outcome for my lad as he’s been on his ‘full’ pay for that period - he’d get £800 / month. That would pay his rent plus council tax (anyone heard what councils are doing on that?) plus gas and electricity for the month. UC will give him £75 a week (maybe a bit more) for food for himself and partner. Not a lot - but he’ll get by as he is used to living on very little.
 
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williamalex1 said:
Forced to go to the supermarket this morning, took all the precautions. Instead of gloves I used our dogs [ unused ] poo bags, wore my Snood, and kept my distances and applied hand sanitiser when I took of the poo bags .
Sadly not a toilet roll in site at 8.30 am :eek:, but the good news is my new smart bidet toilet is up and running, can't wait to have a poo and try it out :ROFLMAO:
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Good thinking on the poo bag front - we’ve got a load in the garage for when the cats were using litter tray.?
 
IanM said:
I am getting increasingly hacked off with the dumbo questions the press are getting away with. The Sky News bloke right now needs a smack in the gob!
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Did you see Trump’s response to the reporter asking Trump to give some words of comfort to Americans given the rising death toll and fear in the population. I’ll go find it and post it on Trump thread. You might despair at some of the things asked or said in our briefings - however thank God I’m not in the US sitting watching Trumps briefings.
 
harpo_72 said:
Couldn’t get any surface cleaner, genuinely ran out. Every time I have been out I have looked for it ... well the once anyway that I had to go out.
Anyway was looking through assorted cleaning products... Dettol mildew spray, bleach solution that kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.. looks like a damn good stand in! Everything will stink of bleach though.
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Whisper it quietly but it may be time to check out mumsnet and the online cleaning woman, forgot her name but it is Mrs something. Anyway they will have threads on home made cleaners. White wine vinegar comes into it quite a bit, if you can get it of course.

Do it quietly, apparently some on here will mock you for it ?

On a more serious note, we sell a wipe at work that contains IPA, a steriliser used in care homes, hospitals etc. Increasingly difficult to get, prices rocketing. Cleaning chemicals, plus their containers, spray bottles etc generally are going to be tough to get for a little while as everyone becomes a clean freak.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Very welcome news from the government for my wife and the charity helpline. At 80% grant the charity will be able to keep the helpline going as far as staff costs are concerned - perhaps the charity will be able to take a government loan to top up - but not sure that charities are able to take out loans or indeed whether they would see themselves able to pay it back. Obviously though charities continue to need our support for all their other research activities. But nevertheless good news.

Still trying to work out what it means for my zero hrs contract and sole trader son. He thinks that his contracted employment might apply for a grant to pay him - but he is not at all sure. And can’t see the two companies he contracts for will do anything around paying him a retainer as some are suggesting such companies might. He said that the people who own the companies in the music events sector often do it just for a bit of fun and arent that bothered about the people who work for them and so won’t necessarily have much in the way of an altruistic bone in their bodies.
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A lot of charities could do with taking a long hard look at the costs of their 'top table' and seek to slash them... Not sure six figure salaries are appropriate...
 
maxfli65 said:
Only been a few days and I already wish they could put me in a medically induced coma like they do for space travel in the sci-fi movies until this all blows over. Feels a bit like being in a sci-fi movie, a bit surreal.

Think the 12 week thing is nonsense given projected spread, they'll get to mid June then it'll be another 4 weeks, then another 4 etc, Bojo has to give us something tangible to cling onto as our tiny minds can't cope otherwise.:censored:
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I think 12 weeks might cover getting the outbreak under control but many months more whilst restrictions are very carefully lifted. So for instance (and this isnt real - it might not be something that would be considered) at some point pubs in a specific area might be allowed to open but only one night a week and pubs in an area opening on different nights. But they might have that running for a month or more to closely monitor for anything happening in the area in respect of infections. Could go on for a very long time.
 
MegaSteve said:
A lot of charities could do with taking a long hard look at the costs of their 'top table' and seek to slash them... Not sure six figure salaries are appropriate...
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charities are monitored for their ratio of ‘money going to cause‘ against income - that has to remain high. Indeed many charities make great play of that ratio - often being over 90%.

Also you need to be aware that charities - especially bigger ones - employ highly skilled people - often coming from highly paid jobs and taking big wage cuts - as well as some of the top experts in their field. The charity my wife works for has some of the top experts on breast cancer in the UK and internationally recognised - and the helpline and support team my wife works on is comprised in the main of very experienced breast cancer and other clinical nurse specialists. They aren’t just a voice at the end of the phone reading scripts.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
That would be the best outcome for my lad as he’s been on his ‘full’ pay for that period - he’d get £800 / month. That would pay his rent plus council tax (anyone heard what councils are doing on that?) plus gas and electricity for the month. UC will give him £75 (maybe a bit more) for food for himself and partner. Not a lot - but he’ll get by as he is used to living on very little.
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I know that’s the understanding at both odeon and Nando’s. Although to think one remaining open will have the easier time in paying staff.

Re council tax, I havent heard anything yet. But if the government are try9ng to keep everyone in work then I’d imagine it won’t be a big change just yet.
 
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