Covid-19.

[cee-dee]

Reading and listening to the news reports about the spread of the virus, the common denominator seems to be travel?

Surely if travel was halted until the incidences of the virus have "died down", the spread to other countries wouldn't happen?

[astrologica]

'Cos they eat too much and don't move enough. Simples.

[cee-dee]

Usually...... there's the peaceful views of the lake, the birds, the lovely sunshine, the pleasant people who not only know how to behave and keep their distance but also how to speak properly not only to me but to their dogs as well.

If things continue I'll stop going there and go to the wide open spaces well away from them.

[upthecreekyetagain]

How to go shopping, keep your distance and have plenty of room for the loo rolls

[suzieseaside]

Wishing I didn't live in a seaside resort packed with second homes and many miles from an A&E. Now the schools are closed the Down From Londons' are turning up to their holiday homes in droves. With all restaurants and pubs shut I wonder if the limited food shops will cope with the excess needed for them to self-cater now they can't dine out.
I can't blame them wanting to escape from London but it will surely increase the virus spread across the country.

[upthecreekyetagain]

[fallen-archie]

Same here susie, bleddy cyclists cannot manage without their fix and as for the number of motor cycles at devils bridge it has
Been like a battery farm for humans, disgraceful behaviour by so many selfish people😩

[l111da]

My initial post was to point out the confusion that exists with mixed messages being given out that people did not understand - and in some cases such as going out to the pub refused to understand. Thank you Dark castle for going along way to prove that I am correct in what I said.

I hope by now that as others have pointed out, even hours on the road for delivery drivers have changed - so hopefully you are now enlightened!

I am confident that you do not drive for M&S and are unaware that to not receive a delivery (usually 1 or more a day) is most unusual!

In fact since there is usually an ops team ready to unload - when they are not there something is wrong! Since my daughter has worked at this store for 3 years and does not recall a single non delivery in that time - for her, it was a reason to panic! ESpecially when shelves are empty. I also used to work at another M&S store and I too thought it odd - but understandable!
If you thought my comment was a criticism of drivers - it was not, it was pointing out the disparity between statements of "no food shortage' - to that of having no food to deliver - which can be seen on the Honeywell's that staff have within the store. The Honeywell will tell staff when deliveries of product will arrive and product volume. Today there was a delivery however she is already aware of what is due to arrive and ambient product is in very short supply, in fact they are not due to receive many product lines until early April.

As for meat and fish it appears to be plentiful so for everyone, don't panic - yet! 

[cee-dee]

These days we have "social media" and with it come all sorts of mad, false even dangerous rumours. One surrounds some forms of medication as a careful read of the following will show:-

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18325799.coronavirus-darlington-gp-leaders-medication-advice-...

One thing of note picked out from there is that:-

“This speculation about the safety of ACE-i or ARB treatment in relation to coronavirus does not have a sound scientific basis or evidence to support it. Indeed, there is evidence from studies in animals suggesting that these medications might be rather protective against serious lung complications in patients with coronavirus infection, but to date there is no data in humans."

[suzieseaside]

Something to make you all smile I hope - it cheered me up no end

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-52000441/coronavirus-melbourne-zookeeper-s-livestream-da...

[the-blue-rose]

---

@suzieseaside wrote:
Something to make you all smile I hope - it cheered me up no end

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-52000441/coronavirus-melbourne-zookeeper-s-livestream-da...

---

That's great.🤗

I had a lovely experience today, I live in a close of about 22 council bungalows and today a rather dishy chap knocked my front door and when I answered it he pointed to my step. I looked down and there was quite a large but very neat cardboard box on it. I looked at him who had a big grin on his face and I said oh, what's this, to which he replied "a parcel for you, a said "soooooo who from and he said "from me. I picked it up and he then said "hope you enjoy it and please stay safe and promptly walked away. 

I shouted after him thank you, thank you very much you are very kind and please stay safe yourself.

He had dropped off a parcel to every bungalow. 

I turned round and took the fairly weighty parcel into my kitchen and promptly opened it and inside, very well and carefully laid out with some nice red shredded paper to stop anything from sliding around, I found a selection of well chosen personal kitchen and bathroom essentials and treats.

1 pkt of 4 quilted toilet rolls

1 large single kitchen roll

1 bottle of persil washing up liquid

2 sponge and scourer sponges

1 large size bottle of zoflara disinfectant

1 box of galaxy chocolate truffles

1 pit of chocolate covered biscuits

1 box of 4 oat breakfast bars

1 box of oat crackers for cheese

2 single portion pkts savoury puffed oats snacks

4 niodegadeable black bin bags

1 envelope with several flyers from different local businesses and most had money off coupons on them.

I was quite over whelmed, how kind, I cant tell you how grateful I was the items where most appreciated especially the toilet tissue washing up liquid and disinfectant.

[suzieseaside]

Spare a thought for the homeless who can't self isolate and all those poor people living in crowded ghettos and migrant camps around the world.

We are lucky that we can at least try to protect ourselves.

[cee-dee]

When this is all over............... there'll be the counting of the cost and someone will have to pay for it.

That someone is the taxpayer.

There'll be howls of indignation about increased taxes, reductions in heck knows what and "austerity measures" but people should remember what Enoch Powell once said:-

"The Government's got no money."

What he meant was exactly that because all the "Government's money" comes from the taxpayer in the first place!

[cee-dee]

Mad, mad, MAD. Why on earth do people want to eat Pangolins? The scales are used in Chinese medicine? Mumbo jumbo that doesn't work anyway?:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52048195

[suzieseaside]

Not to mention their trade is illegal and they are endangered.
The Chinese have some bogus beliefs for their medicine such as tiger bone; rhino horn; tiger, bear and dog dicks, bear bile, seahorse, as well as the poor pangolin.
Crazy beliefs that a product will give them characteristics of the animal like strength of a tiger, or make them virile, or cure all sorts of health conditions with no evidence for that and for which there are many alternatives.
Intelligent people but diehard in their old traditions and superstitions. 😭 🤬

[upthecreekyetagain]

I dislike the way in which many Traditional Chinese Medicines, (TCM), are derived from animal products but writing it all off as crackpot science or as bunkum is also wrong - the WHO have recognised many TCM practices and there are cases of clinical trials showing that some treatments work.

[suzieseaside]

Please some examples then, and I bet they don't include endangered wildlife and illegal trading which is what I am talking about. There is NO excuse for illegal wildlife trading, run by violent criminal gangs who make a fortune from breaking the CITES convention and other laws, and fuel illegal poaching..
Neither is there any good reason for cruel bear bile farming, which I believe is illegal.

Nothing wrong with some Chinese medicine and plant based products unless the plants are endangered, but there are alternatives for the illegal and cruel components. I cannot believe that you would condone the use of rhino horn, tiger penises, pangolins for dubious benefit and threatened extinction of some of the animal species concerned.

[fallen-archie]

A rhino horn makes a perfectly good **bleep** bung I’m reliably informed😩

[suzieseaside]

Your knowledge of trivia is frightening !! 😜

[upthecreekyetagain]

I've already said I dislike, no hate, any cruel treatment of animals - whether for the good of man or not!

I was simply stating the fact that some traditional Chinese medicines have been shown to work unlike real bunkum medicines such as those dispensed by homeopathic practitioners.  Nothing to do with whether I condone their use or not!

[suzieseaside]

I think this article (link below) is very interesting. I had no idea that the coronavirus is thought to have arrived in mid-January at the latest.
It explains why antibody testing to know how many people have already had the virus is so important to understand the pandemic, the stage we are in, and the likely best policies for tackling it.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/oxford-study-coronavirus-may-have-infected-half-of-u-k.html

And the related article 'We're Flying Blind' .... Also about the importance of antibody testing is also interesting I think.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/why-testing-for-coronavirus-antibodies-will-matter.html