How is everyone in the current situation? General Chat

You're not missing anything, Vee. The test is mainly for those on the front line who either have symptoms or have been told to isolate because they have been in close contact.

So, for example, a nurse and her family are in isolation because on of them has a sore throat. They test and the tests are negative. The nurse can go back to work without fear of spreading the virus to his/her patients. Similarly those in retail, services etc.

More useful for the general public would be the anti-body test, but as yet it's not too reliable, but they are working on it

All the government keep saying is " stay at home, protect the NHS....save lives " but then fail to deliver in good time the PPE for all the care workers including the NHS staff putting many thousands of lives at risk.. Dawwww…. don't you just luv emm….

But to be positive, how wonderful that so many sewing circles and clothing companies stepped in to do what they could, and that schools, colleges and small companies took on the task of 3D printing visors - and all for free! This disease seems to have awoken a 'What Can I Do To Help' spirit, which I find quite emotive. It is so sad that good people have to suffer and lose their lives, but I think, with a few thoughtless exceptions, that these trials are making us a kinder, more cohesive breed.
I am not keen on the proposal to keep the over 70's in lockdown for longer than the rest of the population though. To me, this is ageist, - after all we stand to lose out on a greater proportion of our remaining active lifespan. We are intelligent, and when the general lockdown ends, why not allow the over 70s to use their own judgement like the rest of society.

I am 100% in agreement with you there Carole, even though of course it would not make any difference to me personally. I would, however, like to be able to just buzz across to the macolet on Xanadu to pick out whatever f&v is in, as well as check my mailbox instead of having to wait until I can get someone to pick up my mail.

I know that I am very lucky in that I just need to telephone Hai and he will send someone over with whatever I need, plus the fact of being able to get very quick delivery slots for online shopping. Not forgetting that Mikhaël brings Tikki's [and my] meat and Yehuda from the pet store brings her special chews. And, of course, The Ninja.

But just because a person is over 70 does not mean that they are decrepit and have no pleasure in life - many people way over that age are still fully active and some are still working. So yes, keeping over 70's in lockdown when others are released from it, whenever that will be, is definitely ageist - and in my opinion keeping people virtually excluded from the outside world just because they have lived for a particular number of years is just wrong.

Ah ok, sorry (again). I saw it was a newspaper website address and thought they were reporting it?

Please do not keep apologising Gareth - I know that the Mail is a red-top tabloid and it was never my newspaper of choice, but if you look past the clickbait headlines and their not-so-brilliant "reporting" they do report some official figures and factual information.

Even some of the broadsheets have dubious articles at times but even the Mail cannot falsify government official information - which is not to say that the government are always open in what they say.

At least the UK does have a government - after three general elections in a year we still do not have one.

Belgium managed for two years without a government. I believe that everything continued much as before.

At the moment Carole we have a sort of, still being fought over, a supposedly temporary unity government which currently appears to have more ministers than MKs. Or something! That is the problem when there are so many political parties, each wanting a larger slice of the cake than the others.

Talk about squabbling over who wants ministry, who will join if they get it and who will not join if they do not get it - and if that party joins then our party will not - and a unity government is as far off as ever.

If you think anyone can make sense of that, let alone the MKs themselves... and with a fourth general election pencilled in for the beginning of August if a unity government cannot be formed...

Angonminim - I do not "do" politics, so why am I trying to explain the unexplainable?

There is a logic to keeping the over 70s in lockdown longer.

If the release from lockdown doesn't cause another peak, then I think the vulnerable will be 'let out' sooner. If it does, they will keep us in and shielded.

Let's face it, if we get a bad form of the virus it's certain death for the vast majority of the elderly and vulnerable. Better restricted freedom than 6 feet under

Of course there is a logic in keeping the over 70s in lockdown longer Chris, and as you say, restricted freedom is better than being six feet under. Maybe I am missing something though, when you say "restricted" does that mean that over 70s are permitted some freedom? Here we are not even allowed to go outside our homes, and with the greater majority of homes here being in apartment blocks, that means being stuck in your apartment, many of which, especially the older blocks, not even having a tiny balcony.

I am lucky in that I live in a little detached bungalow with a yard and I could, if I wanted to, sit just outside my front door, but if I still lived in my apartment in town, which had a small communal garden, I would not have been permitted to go down and sit in it.

But also Carole is right when she says why are the over 70s not permitted to use their own judgement like the rest of society.

It is like the Devil's alternative - you are damned if you do and damned if you do not, and sometimes I just cannot get my head around it.

Yeah, but none of them here are ever any good! And thanks.

Now I really am confused. I thought the UK was still in lockdown.

@Malka We are allowed to shop for food, chemist items, and 'essentials', - subject to the 2 metre rule of course. We are also allowed to go out for exercise, which thankfully does include walking your dogs. We are allowed to drive to the site which we use for exercise, as long as the journey is not longer than the period of exercise.
Currently, we do not have to wear face masks, and opinion seems to be divided as to whether they are useful or not. I don't wear a mask, and haven't seen anyone else wearing one, but I do wear polythene gloves for my trips to Aldi - I haven't been to any other shops yet. This week the store had the addition of clear plastic panels hanging from the rafters, presumably intended to prevent adjacent till queues making face to face contact. They must be expecting a rush of customers, as I have never seen every till in use at this store. Our postmen still deliver house to house, but for parcels they knock and put them down by our side gate. We don't sign for them - the postie or van driver signs on our behalf.
Vets are only treating emergency cases by appointment, (though some are now giving primary vaccinations). Animals are collected from the car park and taken into the premises by staff. The actual consultation is carried out using a mobile phone, as is the payment by card. Eddie's routine care has been by photo's, emails and phone. I hear that owner accompanied euthanasia is being carried out by inserting a canula. The animal is then returned to the owner, and the lethal dose is administered using a long line. Very distressing, but better than having to hand your beloved pet over to a stranger.

The over 70s are asked to stay at home, Juli. We have more of a voluntary lock down in many respects.

There are fines for those who travel too far to exercise, have gatherings etc, but only if they ignore a polite warning from the police.

Quite a lot of the over 70's are ignoring the advice from what I can see and some have had little choice but to bend the advice as they haven't been able to get shopping deliveries.

We are in the 'extremely vulnerable' group. We both have COPD and are strongly advised to stay home. A box of food for each of us is delivered free of charge each week. As priority delivery slots are now opening up for those in this group, I believe they are going to 'phone soon to ask if these are still required. Now we can get shopping slots, I will be cancelling before they call because we don't need it now. However, for those who have no idea how to order online, they will still be able to get the food boxes.

I took my hounds to the sports fields today. There was one chap practicing his golf putting, and a gaggle of, I think four, dog owners stood chatting in the middle of the field for the whole time that I was there, (one had a baby in a pram). Their four or five dogs were off lead, doing their own thing - but I must admit were being good and not causing a problem. The rest of us patrolled the boundaries, (about 1.5 miles), keeping a decent distance from each other, and keeping out of the way of the grunting, sweating circuit runners.

Carole and Chris - thank you both for the explanations. Lockdown seems to mean different things at times, people here are not asked to stay at home, or even strongly advised - they are told to stay at home, it is not just voluntary, it is a legal instruction. Not that everybody does what they are told of course but the greater majority do.

I read in the comments sections of some of our English language newspapers where some people say to hell with the law, nobody is going to stop me from going out when and to where I want, and that is their prerogative. I have said and I will say it again, that I have no intention of even going to the macolet until I am 100% certain that it will be 100% safe for me to do so, however long it takes.

In a weird sort of way I have more 'freedom' in my life now, mainly because I started food shopping online, and that was at the beginning of March a couple of weeks before the excrement really hit the fan, because I have more choice now than I have had in so many years. I mean can you imagine anyone getting excited about brussel sprouts? And various packs of different mixed vegetables ready to be wokked? And cauliflower "rice" and broccoli "rice" - it is ridiculous when you come to think about it but I feel like it is my birthday and all festivals joined together at once having such luxuries. And they are luxuries for me.

And no, I have not lost my marbles, I am just enjoying things I have not had for so long. But come on, brussel sprouts?!

The only deviation from the advice for us is picking Gary up from his flat to come to us for breakfast and chat. I can't do anything about that because he wouldn't cope otherwise. I order his shopping and he takes that back with him.

The thought of any of us getting it is terrifying. If Gary gets it we can't go to help him because it would probably be certain death for us and if we get it I just don't know what would happen to him.

To say I'll be glad if and when they get a vaccine and treatment for this thing is an understatement

Chris, you do not have any choice and you know that you are doing what is right and what is best for Gary. As long as none of you are in contact with anyone else you should BS"D be safe - just think positive about that fact because you have to keep strong for both him and yourselves.

If people would only follow instructions and keep a safe distance from others......it is the few that do not who will be the cause of keeping a full release of the lockdown. I have just been watching the men walking to and from synagogue - the main synagogue is closed as are all places of worship here, but we have small synagogues in various places on the Moshav and men can go to pray in groups of ten, providing they are outside, two-metres apart from each other, and wearing a face mask. That is mandatory here at the moment but they are going and returning in groups, with no face masks to be seen.

And it worries me.

It seems every country has its idiots that think nothing can touch them.

Not very fair on those that do comply though

Just for absolutely clarity, face masks offer no protection from germs/viruses at all. Which was proved to the NHS by a surgeon friend of mine who conducted research into how effective those masks actually are. And the results came back as negative. They are only used by surgeons to stop any fluids from operations accidentally splashing into their mouth! Whether anybody chooses to believe this or not is not my problem!