state of emergency

[avm228]

Yes it is all very worrying. My family members would hate it but are lucky to have plenty of space (indoor & outdoor) and me as a willing and able helper within a couple of miles and a quick phone call away. Too many will not have those advantages.

In my community we are already considering how to support locals who are required to self-quarantine.

[Caw1]

I agree entirely with you Groom....we have no family living near us and live in a small village with no amenities at all!
Nearest shop is 3+ miles away so we need a car for where ever we go! Neighbours are same age or much older than us as our must of our friends... what should we do if we can't get out to shop for Four months 😱.... I hate to say it but is this over reaction / scaremongering ......

[avm228]

It is possible that the Government has leaked the four-month idea so that when they actually impose, say, two months it doesn’t sound so bad.

But I do think those who would be affected by this need to take it seriously - it was referred to in more or less detail on BBC, ITV and Sky News tonight. It is more than just a rumour. Matt Hancock in the Sunday Telegraph lays the ground for unpalatable announcements to come.

[Maiden Stone]

My O/H is concerned about walking our dog if we are confined to the house (both over 70) never mind us but he will go stir crazy. Well at least we have a garden.

I'm not aware that you can catch C-19 by breathing fresh air and saying "hello" to people in the street. 
Light-bulb moment! The shortage of hair-dye in shops has likely been caused by oldies pretending to be younger so they won't be accosted when out and told to go home. It's a cunning plan. 
There might be an upsurge in the divorce rate among over-70s next year if they are confined too long.
Perhaps I shouldn't have eaten the contents of my "Brexit cupboard" (a shelf actually). 1st "Brexit cupboard would be a year old now and it was followed by 2 successors. I'm feeling nostalgic for the "Yellowhammer Report" and Brexit panic of 2019. A silver lining to Brxt - it's turned out to have been a dummy run for supermarkets &c. 

[Maiden Stone]

Gadget I'd heard flour was in shortage in the north east but I'm not sure why it would be.

For pies and bread?  Reminiscent of the bakers' strike 1977.

[Ruskie]

Whether it is true is anyone’s guess but I read a couple of weeks ago that in China, people were allowed out twice a week for shopping, so obviously shops selling food were allowed to open.

You would not expect the UK to be stricter than that, and how could it ever be enforced?

It may be that security at the door will limit the numbers of people allowed in the store at any one time, and they will need to stay x metres apart (similar to what Apple did prior to closing for two weeks). This is something I would like to see anyway, coronavirus or no coronavirus. 

[Maiden Stone]

I get as much as possible in the little shop in the next street. Sometimes I'm the only customer. I don't have to use a wire basket, I pick items and put them on the counter. I've paid by contactless card last two visits.

[a chesters]

Saw our daughter two days ago, and were commenting on the panic buying. She saw the pasta aisle was empty of the "normal" pasta, but the kidney bean, and chickpea pasta was still there

That is the pasta she uses

Went to our local supermarket this morning for milk and fruit, no problems there, but the staff had a pallet of loo paper and tissues, and was getting mobbed

We have no need to buy up loo paper, as we buy it on special, and have a few weeks in stock. What they are charging now I do not know, but I bet there are no specials at this time

[Greensleeves]

I have a daughter who is in her twenties; she is seriously ill and is due for major surgery on the 26th March with pre-op assessment on the 18th.  Currently I am trying to run her business for her as well as caring for her.   Jan (Groom) is coming over to Wales next week to be with me to calm my panicking and to  help look after my daughter and me during what is going to be a very stressful period.

Groom and I are both in our seventies;  what happens if we are suddenly told to isolate?  What will happen to my daughter?  Will Jan be trapped in Wales?  If we go out will men with sticks come and round us up?  And why is it that people over 70 are being made targets in this way?  The media are trying to call it 'shielding' but any enforced incarceration of an entire section of a nation is imprisonment.  I have already noticed posts on social media implying it's the over 70s who are responsible for CV; whereas in the UK at any rate most early cases originated from those returning from skiing holidays in Northern Italy.