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

Olympics postponed until 2021. Just received an email from the local organising committee to cancel their commitments for 2020. Seems very sensible.

Given the virus can be carried by dogs coats it seems like an excellent way to spread the disease especially as many walkers take multiple hounds at once.

I looked back and there was a discussion about it, but I have edited my post because it is needless conflict and bad karma.

Tube still rammed according to pictures on bbc breakfast, what a shitshow.

I would have thought it is not essential. A dog can survive for a good while without exercise (although, that is not condoning not exercising your pet, it is just not a priority at this time). Reducing the exposure of the dog walker for that vulnerable person is far more important. Plus, if it becomes a prolonged situation, then other individuals may be able to help rather than a paid for service.

All fair comment.

Was asking in the hope that is be able to continue to support our guys who are an awesome bunch.

Jesus, who pissed in your cornflakes.

I wasn't making any comment about launderettes for that reason; and a dry cleaner with a service wash is a launderette to a certain extent. I just find the idea that dry cleaning is essential peculiar and no amount of chippy commenting is likely to change that.

If someone goes out for a ten hour bike ride alone, not interacting or being close to anyone, touching nothing but their bars then what difference does it make?

This. If I had no kidz I´d be doing a double (kilometre) century or more every other day.

I would have thought it is not essential. A dog can survive for a good while without exercise.

Also can be taken out for a walk by the owner as some are wfh.

I closed my online shop 3 days ago and have been ‘social distancing and isolating’ with my pregnant wife and daughter for almost 2 weeks.
Following yesterday’s announcement and Michael gove on radio 4 this morning, I am considering I may have to re-open the shop!

To be fair, Sadiq Khan not doing much in this crisis so far at all, and I usually really like him. Just smooth talking and projecting gravitas not enough when there is a freaking epidemic in your city. So much could be done to get nhs workers safely to work without having to go on packed trains for example.

The coronavirus outbreak is an evolving situation but if the dog walker is healthy and hasn’t been at risk of infection, the risk of spreading Covid-19 is likely to be low, as there is no current evidence that pets or companion animals can be infected with the new coronavirus or that dogs play a role in the spread of human disease.

However, as with people, if you become sick with the virus it is recommended to limit contact with pets and other animals and, where possible, have someone who doesn’t live with you walk them (as households with symptomatic people must now self-isolate).

Asking your dog walker to use their own lead, or making sure leads are safely wiped with disinfectant, will help to limit contact with the virus.

Quite extensive guidance here https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/coronavirus-in-dogs%3famp

How are dry cleaners essential?

There will still be funerals.

(from what I gather landmark cultural norms actually become more important in prolonged crisis - they’re a connection with past times. Expect weddings with appropriate precautions and births to be celebrated via media and an effective moral boost.)

What should he be doing? Making ventilators on a YouTube channel with sticky backed plastic and old cereal boxes?

Wonder how feasible it'd be to close a bunch of tube stations to all but NHS/Police/Fire workers etc and then have special trains running between those. They'd still be together which is a risk but a lower one than throwing in all the other people who are working for whatever reason.

Thank you :)

Watching Gove during breakfast...that's brave :p

There will still be funerals.

I understood that in Italy, for example, they're not holding public funerals at the moment.

Ah that is terrible.

Didn't Italy keep churches open at the beginning of the outbreak though? Seemed like a huge oversight at the time.

For a starter increase train frequency and give essential workers a fighting chance to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Screen who enters the tube if it needs be, or organise unused school buses for nhs staff. Suspend parking restrictions around hospitals for ja staff. There is a million things they could do, but I like your suggestion too

Agreed. Close the tube for heavens sake! Put up nhs workers in hotels nearby or get those taxis doing something useful

Your comment was just as flippant, boss. And totally ignored that most dry cleaners are not only dry cleaners and offer laundry services (I've not seen one round here that doesn't). Of course dry cleaning a suit is not a priority, but again I don't believe that is the point of the exemption. Your sideways dig (whether intended that way or not) at those who might use those services because you don't appreciate their importance, speaks of your ignorance and privilege.

Society has to chug along a bit, it's very interconnected. You can't solve any problems by just putting up NHS workers in hospitals and closing the tube. It moves the problem to the chefs and cleaning staff at a hotel, then to the support they need and so on and so on.

^^^If you want to clean and sterilise large bedding it likely has to go to a dry cleaner.

The mayor doesn't actually have many powrs.