State of Emergency, Coronavirus (part 2)

[Musicman]

The best news is that after 2 weeks of internet but no telephone we had our telephone fixed. We had, at various points, between one and three engineers with us for 5 hours, replacing the cable between the front of our house and the street. I then tried phoning two friends to tell them the phone was working and neither of them was at home.

Martin

How do you know they were not at home?  If your name and/or number was shown then perhaps . . just sayin' 

[ankerdine]

I rather suspect, despite the advice given in that work of fiction, namely the "Protect and Survive" booklet, that should you have seen those bright flashes in the sky or anywhere else, then you would not have had a home and, should you have survived initially, you would have not lasted very long thereafter.

It has become quite fashionable to mock "Protect and Survive", but some of the comments are based on a misunderstanding of what it was really about. Obviously you won't survive if you are very close to a nuclear explosion, but for people further away it was important to know what to expect and to use simple mitigation techniques to try to maximise the chances of survival.

I am not mocking and I understand what it was meant to do but the fact is Protect and Survive was the biggest load of rubbish ever produced. It was meant to reassure rather than be of much practical use. If the blast didn't get you then radiation sickness etc., etc. would eventually get you. Furthermore, it wouldn't have been just one bomb and there would have been utter devastation across the country; every city, every military installation, every seaport and airport
I am not entirely ignorant of what would have happened and what the result would have been. Today's problems pale into insignificance compared to those which would exist as a result of nuclear attack.
I am fully aware of the plans because I was one of those who would have been required to do his bit, but whether or not I would have been safe is highly debatable and I rather suspect that I, together with my colleagues, was expendable. Furthermore, we were never told what would happen to our families whilst we were out there trying to preserve law and order anywhere we were required across the country.
During our "Protect and Survive" training, such as it was, the consensus of opinion was "in the event of a nuclear war stick your head between your legs and kiss your a*** goodbye". Despite your protestations, this thought is something which, even to this day, I cannot argue with.
I am also aware that the authorities will have action plans in place to deal with our current situation and, I would suggest, these will be more easily implemented than those which were in place in the event of nuclear attack.
 

A Dutch friend of ours, who is over 90 years old, still has an emergency sealed tin which was given to the family during the 1950s/1960s nuclear crisis. Now she is in isolation she may open it finally. 🤔
 
Judy

[suey]

No rhyme or reason to anything in all of this.  I was able to walk in to both local chemists today picking up prescriptions. However, went to vet to collect the dogs meds and was banished to the car park where I waited for half an hour. I was allowed in to pay of course.  The only saving grace was the friendly conversation with others in the queue and the wonderful cherry tree in full blossom outside the surgery 

As for the tv doctors advising stay home and take paracetamol, I’d actually like to be able to find some. It’s a toss up which is rarer, those or the elusive loo rolls  . Oh, and btw who has all the toothpaste? Shelves empty today!

[Gillg]

Our 2 village pubs have set up a home delivery service for locals, offerering  various meals, also the Friends of the Surgery group have registered a willingness to deal with shopping and medications.....but what will happen when the volunteers themselves become infected or have to go into isolation?  My daughter and her family are self -isolating for 14 days after her husband's mother was taken into hospital with coronavirus (so far, OK).  Luckily my son will pick up bits for me and we are well stocked in dry goods, tins and toilet rolls.  Daughter gets veg boxes and deliveries from local farm butcher, so will be hoping to have some of her leftovers.   But wait, a reporter on the tv news said yesterday that we should wash everything that we buy in soap and water!  Salad, fruit, newspapers, etc.?

[delen]

b]DENTISTS[/b]

Despite the BDA announcing routine check up are cancelled my local dentist was still seeing people,
seems they are not heeding this announcement. Really I ask you dentists are really in your face anyway so I would not feel comfortable with this.
I made sure my son cancelled his routine check for this week and they re-booked him for July - hoping it would be OK  by then !!!!

[josey]

We know that doctors and nurses are working flat out, but very few people are first-hand witnesses to it.

Having spent 43 years working in NHS hospital laboratories, I know lab staff often get forgotten. They'll be coping with huge amounts of extra work too.

[Familysearch]

I've cancelled my dental appointment for 1 April. Got the impression that if I had not phoned them, they would have phoned me. (I am over 70)

Still not sure whether we are allowed out, or if it is just a suggestion to limit ourselves in places where the virus might be spread. Whilst I have a reasonable supply of food, come next week I shall have no fresh meat or vegetables. Tins and frozen stuff to use. Am I allowed to go to Tesco which is walking distance?

Reading the other posts on this thread - I have books, family history to update, spring cleaning, a garden. I also have a group WhatsApp and we are keeping each other up to date and generally encouraging one another. I am making sure that I make as many phone calls out, as well as receiving calls and messages in.

FS

[Rishile]

Just done an 'inventory' on our "other stuff" (food inventory was conducted and topped up to normal levels on Monday).  In our mid-70s, and healthy - i.e., no underlying conditions.

Books - piles of them waiting "when I get a Round Tuit".  (It appears that the Round Tuit is now available.)
Packs of cards, Scrabble, draughts, dominoes and Yatzee dice.
Houseful of chores (awaiting said Round Tuit)
Good-sized garden - currently STILL too wet to work but good weather is apparently just around the corner.  Contains greenhouse with fairly good stock of seed.
One pair of legs each, in good working (or walking) order (save my knees, which gamely put up with whatever I throw at them - mainly paracetamol).

Have I missed anything?

How about some Family History?  That should keep you busy for a while.

Rishile

[Rishile]

Oh, and btw who has all the toothpaste? Shelves empty today!

Guilty as charged M'lud.  I bought two tubes last week because we were booked to go on holiday this coming Tuesday.  I don't need them now.  Well, I probably do...

Rishile