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

Extrapolating from my parents -both reasonably educated, health-conscious, social democrat voting, well to do people in their early 70s living in a small German town-there is not much hope. They show such an angry resistance to any advice from me to please be careful and take this thing seriously. Instead they keep forwarding me an endless array of braindead conspiratorial WhatsApp memes and videos disqualifying everything as a global hoax that are widely circulating in their golf club based friend group. It’s just fucking scary and recklessly dangerous.

Rant over .

This is Royal Mail policy now.

If my local supermarkets are limiting sales of essentials to 2 per person, how come they were completely out of all bread and milk by 11am today? What the fuck are people playing at? and how are they doing it? I are confused.

My wife is pregnant and we were out of toilet paper, local Tesco opened at 7, all essential items were pretty much gone by 7:15 when I got there. Never seen the place overrun like that.

Even if the government were to assure people truthfully that there’s no need for stockpiling, I don’t think they have enough credibility for people to listen at this point .

Sorry to read this

What is the business?

They haven't fully restocked to where they originally were I imagine - all those people took the day's deliveries, not the entire supermarket's worth.

Local coop had no toilet roll the last few days but did have kitchen roll, now kitchen roll all gone, today all fresh meat gone too although tonnes of other shite ready meals etc.

Yeah, not complaining. There was plenty of other stuff, just a bit baffled as to how people has managed to strip it bare with the 2 per person restrictions in place.

It's at time like this it's useful to have lactose and gluten intolerant friends

And echo the sympathy for Stonehedge and others in a similar situation. Hope you get the support you need to keep afloat.

Whether you've spunked all your money on a business idea that is going to fail before it even gets off the ground, or whether you're worried that you won't be able to meet rent because you've lost your job in a coffee shop, we are all in the same boat really.

Indeed. Doesn't mean they won't start up again when they can though.

The US Covid bill financial package is huge, dwarfs rishi's loans!

https://twitter.com/maxberger/status/1240458828107386881?s=20

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/world/coronavirus-news.html#link-5220b0b7

My postman left the box on the doorstep, rang the doorbell, and then retreated to a safe distance. We waved at each other, and all was well.

Went to two supermarkets earlier. No nappies, no formula, no wipes.

We're lucky in that we have a ton of cloth nappies that we can use if we can manage to keep ourselves in washing liquid and the two-year old is getting potty trained earlier than he expected while the baby is still on the tit.

Others are not going to have these contingencies and that will be hard.

Have the option of staying in the south of France (where I currently am). Massive house, grandparents to help with childcare, low population density. I can WFH just as effectively here (possibly not true as rural French WiFi is laughable but bof). I’d be crazy to come back to London at this point, right? Dick knows when I’d be able to come home though.

@Stonehedge sorry to hear of your situation. Hope things improve for you and your brother.

(Btw, hi - long time!)

Didn't know the Belgians were allowed out except for essentials.

Did you mean "Belgians were NOT allowed out except for essentials"? The PM said yesterday that outdoor exercise, including cycling and jogging, was encouraged. Indeed, yesterday evening cyclepaths and rural roads were unusually full of cyclists and joggers, most alone or in pairs as the rules dictate. It´s just that gatherings are banned. So no club runs for example.

Needs to be in reply to @danstuff IMO

(and you have my sympathy, and your Brother. Awful timing for you both)

FWIW Borough Market is still well stocked with overpriced foodstuffs - eerily quiet, grim expressions on the face of traders.

Very long checkouts in Woolwich Tesco this morning but moving fast because a/ there is nothing much left on the shelves to buy and
b/ what there is is restricted to 2 of one item which confused the chap in front of me trying to buy 7 bottles of Listerine ffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c5-holEWlM

Have the option of staying in the south of France (where I currently am). Massive house, grandparents to help with childcare, low population density. I can WFH just as effectively here (possibly not true as rural French WiFi is laughable but bof). I’d be crazy to come back to London at this point, right? Dick knows when I’d be able to come home though.

If I were you I'd stay put.

Base rate cut to 0.1%, not much room to pull that lever again.

No, it's not horseshit. Yes, the situation is very bad for current owners and organisers, but this doesn't mean that long-term, all of that stuff just disappears forever.

You know you live in dark times when moving in with the in-laws seems like the most optimal thing to do