Shutdown

So it has finally happened.  The UK is in shutdown. The question is if this will be enough and has this been done soon enough.

While I still do not trust Boris Johnson, I had trusted those making decisions based on data from home and abroad.  But when they said that the mathematical models they used were wrong, the need for a shutdown became more important.

What happens how with the NHS depends on what happened two weeks ago.  But social distancing has been ignored by too many, and judging by what happened this weekend, is probably to be ignored at supermarkets up and down the country still.  Our local TESCO has early opening for NHS staff and the elderly on Sunday.  As my wife has been shopping sensibly, we have enough supplies and did not have to go, but it was crowded according to those who went from my work and was ideal conditions for COVID to spread.

When it comes to work, another GP has fallen, meaning a harder day for the rest of us as it is not safe for that GP to be seeing patients. I do hope those who cannot come to work stay safe, and I am hopeful that they will, so long as the nation does not panic and controls are imposed at supermarkets.

Bog roll

Just a few things.

1 - I think that we have enough bog roll to eat if needed, so long as we ration ourselves to one sheet each per meal that is.

2 - We need to make a will

3 - My daughter may be the reason I need to make a will.  I had fallen asleep outside of my bedroom last night.  Today, I remembered that she tried to suffocate me last night.  And my son let her!

Trump and racism (again)

Trump is trying to blame China for COVID19.

Are we to ‘blame’ Saudi Arabia for MERS or ‘blame’ Mexico for Swine Flu? How about ‘blaming’ the DRC in West Africa for Ebola?  What about Malaria? We can blame all those of a ‘funny tinge’ for that.  And there is Zika where we need to ‘blame’ Brazil. Trump is pandering to racism to try and deflect the attention from the way he said that COVID19 was not going to be a big thing along with the other examples of true incompetence that have taken place since then, including the many things he got wrong in his presidential address.  If he is to call COVID19 a name based on racism, he should be consistent and do the same with Ebola, which still kills in Africa as well as how Malaria and Zika are still issues for far too many.

Time to nationalise things

In this time of illness and poverty, many companies are facing insolvency.  They cannot afford to pay staff, and even if they do not, then they still face bankruptcy.

Capitalism is not working.

My answer is that we should consider a basic income (with unpaid leave for many workers), rent and mortgage holidays and part nationalise industries that need financial assistance.

The bailout of the 2008 financial crisis that Gordon Browns push helped to save the economy of the world.  We need someone like him in charge again who can look at the implications of this.  If businesses are part nationalised, then they can be sold back to the current shareholders and owners afterwards when the crisis is over, and by supporting workers on unpaid leave with a universal income, then food can still be bought but they will also have jobs to return to once restrictions are lifted in four to six months time.

An example of why I think that this approach is needed is Virgin Airlines.  They have asked staff to take unpaid leave, and also want financial assistance.  We need to support the people of our nation, not just businesses.

Schools out

Another exhausting day at work.  Yesterday we lost two doctors and one nurse practitioner to isolation and today we lost another nurse and a nurse practitioner.  I did not work in my usual Wednesday role as I was sent to work on the shop floor.  Needless to say it was exhausting again.  And the nation probably faces another four months of this.  So bearing in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint, I am hoping that COVID19 testing for NHS staff is brought in soon so that those in isolation can return if not infected.

Anyway, today my daughter came home from her school trip.  My son has been at home today with a stomach ache.  She was a bit upset as one of her friends was sent into isolation due to suspected COVID19 in her family.  She was even more upset later though.  Some schools have had to send year groups home due to staff shortages due to isolation of teaching staff, my daughters school being one of them.  She had been told that she would have to work from home for Thursday and Friday.  So when she was told that the schools were closing this weekend, she was ecstatic.  Until she was told she would have to keep going because I am a key worker!  While my son was grateful that he gets to go to school, her reaction was more typical of a teenager...

Absent daughters

I forgot to post an update from Sunday.

After dropping off my mother at Heathrow I dropped my brother off then drove over to the family who were staying at my wife’s parents.  Needless to say I was knackered but got to relax and rest.  They had travelled from abroad the week before and had the option to stay longer.  We had told them to stay as things were to get worse here, but they were reassured by optimists that things would not be too bad.  But things got worse in the days before we saw them and when we arrived my father-in-law did not want to hug me!  Considering that we were to stay overnight, I am not sure this would have helped at all.

The following morning I took my wife and her mother to the shops, were we saw the panic, including the empty shelves of bottled water.

After doing our weekly shop, with the things that we were able to buy I was asked to do some lifting. And both kids helped.  Normally, it is just my daughter who helps, but my son, who has been becoming fitter since he has been cycling to school, helped as well.  I am hopeful that both will become fitter, but this depends on what restrictions COVID19 are placed.

On Monday, my daughter left for a school trip.  We were wondering if this was to go ahead, and in fact we were surprised when it was not cancelled.  And it has been quieter with just the one child.  He loves it, though has said he misses his sister.  I have been too busy to notice myself, finishing my day exhausted and only returning home was he was asleep.

We need a basic income now.

Well, things are getting worse.  Looking at the data available, the government have moved to more strict recommendations. This states that if you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Those who live alone (like my brothers) only have to self isolate for a week.  But for those with children, this essentially means that parents will be at home an awful lot, especially for those with younger ones who naturally pick up lots of infections.

I understand that this is important in slowing the spread of this infection, but this will mean that many will be confined to being at home and that means that they will not be able to earn money to pay bills, or buy food.

And it will mean that many NHS workers will be at home as they are not to be tested as the UK does not seem to have enough testing kits.  And the reason that I suspect the government has not realised this is because they do not have enough mothers involved in making these decisions.

If social distancing is to work, we cannot have a system where people have to work when infected with COVID19 to feed themselves and loved ones.  And that means that we need a sytem of universal/basic income and we need it now.