Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

Glasto and Chelsea the latest cancellations along with Eastenders these are pretty much British staples...

In my local Tesco twice now I've seen people get stopped from buying whole trays of cans of chopped tomatoes.
It's great for people watching now, there's such a diverse mix, some are buying only 12 litres of oil and canned tomatoes, some with only cider and vodka then others with just slightly more pasta than normal.

I had the same paranoia the other day. Running just makes me cough afterwards for some reason.

Chelsea

They cancelled a whole borough? Seems harsh, but it is Chelsea so probably warranted.

only 12 litres of oil and canned tomatoes

For their sake, it's a good job that they'll doubtless have 400 toilet rolls

Lovely quiet 12 mile ride around London this morning between 8a-9am to make up for the lost commute.

Taxis ranks full everywhere. Didn't see a passenger in a single taxi that was moving. Busses 90% empty. Chatting to the bus drivers at lights was nice - they mostly expect to see buses move to something closer to Sunday schedules next week. They don't know what will happen if they are not scheduled to drive.

Lots of restaurants/cafes closed. Very few bikes out. Parks rammed full of joggers.

At 9:15, Iceland on Rye Lane (Peckham) was operating on a one in - one out basis. Huge queue there, at the Boots, Superdrug and Poundshop. Fresh veg places deserted strangely as were the butchers / fish places. Greengrocer and butcher closer to home pretty well stocked but few customers.

My parents were travelling around spain in their camper last week, on saturday night around seville they decided to gun it back home to (north) england as quick as they safely could.

they managed to get home late last night after an afternoon eurotunnel, but my dads got a high fever and a cough, and they had to stop multiple times between folkestone and the north.

pretty worried

pretty worried

Totally understand the worry. I'm worried about my Mum who is having serious bowel surgery in the next few days. The thing is, just being old or even having a pre-condition doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be hard hit. The most likely outcome is that your old man'll be fine.

Must be a typo

Everyone knows its whisky you should be gargling with

Alcohol kills the virus
Virus starts in throat
Whisky is alcohol and goes down throat

Simples

My girlfriend is going to try to travel up here ASAP. Being squished together in a 35m² flat might not be as nice as we hope though. But the alternative is not seeing each other for months.

Don't think that was an option for my better half. As a member of her company's Health and Safety team I think she's expected to be in the correct country. Definitely not an option for me as HMCTS are oblivious to C19 and are still claiming courts and tribunals are safe to attend 'because they're cleaned every day' (which they're not) and because they 'have soap'.

This is a sobering listen (or read if you go for the transcript)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/podcasts/the-daily/italy-coronavirus.html

At 9:15, Iceland on Rye Lane (Peckham) was operating on a one in - one out basis.

https://youtu.be/wXZUW7O6pv0

Dickhead neighbours have just tipped my OHs paranoia into overdrive.

The mum decided to have a chat a few meters away and coughing. Halfway through the conversation she revealed that their family are on quarantine as their mum was in contact with someone confirmed and they all have coughs and mild temperatures.

Fwiw we are both in higher risk categories, although I appreciate that is mainly based on flu guidelines than hard evidence.

Seriously why wouldn't you start the convo with a heads up?

Can you just stop taking on new work and leave as soon as you're done? Or is crossing the border no longer possible at all?

Really shit situation.

Punch in the throat.

Government policy on dickheads now.

Can you just stop taking on new work and leave as soon as you're done?

Nope. While the courts and tribunals are open, and as long as I'm not obliged to self-isolate, the cab rank rule still applies and I'm professionally obliged to take on new work.

Anyway, now the government's official advice is to not travel abroad save where essential, my travel insurance wouldn't be valid if I did travel, and I'm not covered by TOH's health insurance. And I suspect that a couple of weeks in a Swiss ICU bed, should it come to that, might present financial issues.

It's not the first time we've been apart for long periods of time though. TOH worked in China for a year, for example, and I only visited a few times.

OT question: how does the cab rank rule work wrt holidays/sabbaticals etc.?

https://twitter.com/matt_dathan/status/1239976875423924226

NEW: No10 announces it is changing planning permission to allow pubs and restaurants to operate as takeaway and delivery services from tomorrow.

Like you get a few pints delivered? Sounds good to me. Only way people are going to keep their jobs

I'm no fan of the govt and am wary of their extensive new powers, but they seem to taking some reasonable steps

I just dropped into a local Tesco in Nailsworth and the self service tills were being presided over by an elderly worker who was coughing and spluttering all over the place. All the other customers in there at the time were also OAPs. Not cool.

Edit: Feels weird to do it but just reported to Tesco head office as pretty worried for other elderly customers in there as she didn't look at all well..

Walking the dog I have to be wary of every little thing on the floor as he's a hoover at the best of times. Noticed this past week walking around brighton that a ridiculously high amount of people are still gobbing phlegm on the floor.

Today walking along the seafront had 3 cyclists go past and gob within a couple of metres of where I was standing two of them with great big hacking coughs to make sure they got it all up first.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

OT question: how does the cab rank rule work wrt holidays/sabbaticals etc.?

The cab rank rule is subject to (1) availability (2) the instructions relating to an area of law I practise in and (3) an agreement to pay a 'reasonable' fee. So if I've already booked off holiday or a sabbatical and someone tries to instruct me during that period then I don't have to take the instructions. However, once the instructions are accepted then I can't return them without good reason, and a last-minute decision to pop off on a holiday wouldn't count as a good reason.

That's why I can't simply book the next 6 months off as holiday and bog off to Switzerland - I've got hearings booked in my diary already over the next 6 months, and as matters stand at present there's no basis on which I can return those instructions. So I'm stuck in Blighty. Quite apart from the health insurance issue, which I don't think is readily solvable.

There are some instances in which the cab rank rule doesn't apply. Direct Access work (which I don't and at present can't do) or foreign work (which I could do but don't). But if a firm of solicitors instructed me to attend a hearing next week, on an area of the law I do and having agreed a fee with my clerks, then as things stand at present I'd be obliged to attend. And based on previous experience, have the security guard at the court rifle through all my stuff without any attempt at sanitizing their hands, and putting the contents of my pockets in a tray which has been used for that purpose by all and sundry since the dawn of time without anyone even thinking about cleaning it.

Still, gives all sane people another good reason to be law-abiding non-litigious citizens and not have to go to a court or tribunal.

same here in Belgium, some restaurants are now operating that way. Although it's not quite 100% safe...

This is a sobering listen (or read if you go for the transcript)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/podca­sts/the-daily/italy-coronavirus.html

Especially for those non-medical cunts who wear/stockpile masks and other bits of medical PPE: listen reeeal ginger carefulling now from 9:50.

How safe are takeaways?