Reading all these threads about Covid-19 is worse than the reality for me - so far. A view from the UK.

PS Just to keep it on topic, UKA has banned all competitions and all organised training. I believe all leisure centres and tracks are shut. I know all pubs, bars, restaurants and most shops are shut.

It's going to be a long summer holiday, starting this week.

U say that now because u is not the one sufferin from it.

There was another thread on here last week re that organised training shut down - completely ignored by the Edinburgh Uni running club in the Meadows (our biggest central park). I couldn't believe it - they were all just standing about beside each other (closely), coming and going as they did intervals.

They'd all go home to various student shared flats in the city, which are mostly in tenement flats which have a mixed population including a lot of older people.

A lot of younger people / students basically don't care. Even yesterday I saw a lot of groups in the same park, groups of 2/3 sitting drinking in the sun, then 2 or 3 more come together, then another couple. Absolute recipe for disaster in this town. A lockdown is probably already too late...

Exactly. I am classed as in the high risk group due to having fairly severe asthma and repeated pneumonia. I also am on medications that suppress your immune system, and I recently had surgery, and spent time in hospital last year. I'm saying AT THE MOMENT, the threads are worse than the reality. Not what the future holds.

Yeah this is my point, Angry. Do people not understand? They are not just putting themselves at risk. Say they are healthy and well, but they touch the doorhandle on their accomodation. Then an eldery person with serious health issues does. Or they go in a shop, and someone who is very unwell is in there. They need to think of them and the elderly.

For what it's worth, I am not going to my medical appointments. I have put the letters away. I think it is MORE of a risk to go into a medical centre or hospital at the moment than to stay out of it.

Why? We have been a society that did not care about millions of death from starvation or heart disease or cancer or auto accidents. Even the doomsday estimates of deaths from this virus will only be a fraction of those other preventable deaths, so why change our entire way of life to save this fraction? Is it because it us the rich elderly white males who are at the highest risk of death from it? Most of the 7 million deaths from starvation are poor blacks. Most of the deaths from heart disease are poor and middle class. Most deaths from shootings are poor blacks.

Student A, who shares a flat with B & C goes meets his friends, D & E.

Student E's flatmate(Student X) has given him Coronavirus, he doesn't know it. He gives it to A.

A goes home and gives it to C - who has been totally decent and considerate and been staying the whole time.

Student C's dad comes to visit - just a quick visit, "don't worry I don't have it!" - catches it from C then goes home.

Couple of days later Student C's dad visits his dad, Grandad C, to check he's ok, deliver some food supplies, etc.

Grandad C catches it from dad C. Two weeks later he is dead.

Nice day out in the park with his mates for Student A...

Angry Edinburgh Runner wrote:

A lot of younger people / students basically don't care. Even yesterday I saw a lot of groups in the same park, groups of 2/3 sitting drinking in the sun, then 2 or 3 more come together, then another couple. Absolute recipe for disaster in this town. A lockdown is probably already too late...

A lot of old people don't care either.

I came to work today in the city centre and there were loads of older people just doddering around town, not looking like they were up to anything crucial.

I don't think this sort of selfishness is restricted to young people.

trollism wrote:

Angry Edinburgh Runner wrote:

A lot of younger people / students basically don't care. Even yesterday I saw a lot of groups in the same park, groups of 2/3 sitting drinking in the sun, then 2 or 3 more come together, then another couple. Absolute recipe for disaster in this town. A lockdown is probably already too late...

A lot of old people don't care either.

I came to work today in the city centre and there were loads of older people just doddering around town, not looking like they were up to anything crucial.

I don't think this sort of selfishness is restricted to young people.

The problem isn't the risk of death for most of us. The problem is that there are only 4200 intensive care beds in the UK for 70 million people.

As someone who has sat up all night for many nights struggling to breathe, feeling like drowning, physically fighting to take each breath, that is what scares me the most.

Selfish? Do you have a car or a cell phone? Do you go out to dinner or take vacations? Rather than do those things, you could have save thousands of starving kids in Africa but you were too selfish. That was a known thing. Walking around is only a risk, not a know that you will transmit the virus. Why are these older Americans so much more important than all of the lives lost every year that actually could be saved from less selfishness.

I hear a lot of people throw around, “If we just did what China had done and locked down...”

First of all, China hid the truth about the virus for over a month, suppressing and silencing doctors who tried to speak out.

Secondly, Their subsequent lock down is not something that can be implemented in Europe or the United States. We don’t have an authoritarian government. People literally had locks put on their apartments, with armed guards. The price of groceries went up 3-4x what was normal, and the government assigned grocery deliveries to certain areas. Many Chinese people who were working class and out of a job could barely afford to eat. Some people starved. Others had family members taken out of their homes and thrown into isolation places with no information as to where they were going or when they’d be back. Oh, and the government has control over the 3 large mobile carriers and early on were tracking the travel routes of infected citizens to find and quarantine those who had been exposed. That massive infringement on personal freedom and rights wouldn’t fly in a free nation.

tester of sick wrote:

Selfish? Do you have a car or a cell phone? Do you go out to dinner or take vacations? Rather than do those things, you could have save thousands of starving kids in Africa but you were too selfish. That was a known thing. Walking around is only a risk, not a know that you will transmit the virus. Why are these older Americans so much more important than all of the lives lost every year that actually could be saved from less selfishness.

Spotted the old dodderer.

This is a thread about what's going on in the UK, by the way. Unless all the old people bumbling around my town were American tourists or something, would be weird.

trollism, do your local shops have these limits?

- 3 protein items

- 3 dairy items

- 3 fruit items

- ONE item of bread

This is a big chain I am talking about.

Just wondering if it is everywhere.

No shortage of idiots on this side of the pond either. I saw people frolicking on the beach last week, as if on holiday. For sobering statistics on Italy read this (scroll down):

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/italy/

Stores here are getting restocked but there is no entry protocol whatsoever. We are completely screwed and hell, I live in CA.

track chick wrote:

As someone who has sat up all night for many nights struggling to breathe, feeling like drowning, physically fighting to take each breath, that is what scares me the most.

Words are small comfort but hang in there lass.

Given we can all see the Italy data the whole situation is completely nuts.

The analogy I gave to Mrs Angry Edinburgh Runner yesterday was that it was like we can all see this massive tsunami in the distance off the coast hurtling towards us but we're all looking at it going "Na, you know what it probably won't hit the beach. We're all going to be just fine here..."

Madness.