How Safe...?

What ‘safety measures’ do you all do, to protect yourself and your family; from this virus pls?

thnx

Regards

Anna x

I’m still going for walks but hubby is doing the shopping. We live in a fairly rural area and everyone is super amazing at moving to one side or waiting out of the way.

Have to go out to get shopping in - have no other choice. Go in the vulnerable 7.30am time slot which means I’m completely wiped all day. I work for a local authority, not the one I live in, the CE there is going to redeploy staff to help vulnerable groups - but when you look what they mean by vulnerable they mean super vulnerable. I’m currently doing my job remotely- but we all just had an email from our head of service saying that we are all now considered flexible workers and we could be redeployed to assist in for example food deliveries. He mentioned that if we were shielding they would “look to minimise the risk” - I just thought what the hell does that mean! I have no problems manning the phone but, when it’s rammed down our throats that the vulnerable should take special precautions It would seem odd to expect a person in the vulnerable group to do this when they are able to carry out their normal technical specialist role remotely, especially as there are others who are actually sitting at home doing nothing on full pay. No idea what the LA is doing where I actually live as received nothing from them, or the hospital or go for that matter.

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I’ve been going to a large supermarket late in the afternoon, after the hoarders blagged all the meat and bog roll. It’s quieter then, I use an anti bacterial wipe on the hand basket, keep 2m from other people, pay by contactless card and wipe my hands before entering the car. Once home I wash my hands also, but don’t have a face mask.

With 3 acres to roam around, I’m not trapped in the house, but I don’t leave the property. Mum and Son have been taking turns every 10 days or so to bring me random groceries (or in Son’s case, to raid my pantry!). They’ve both limited their activities to the absolute necessities (bank and groceries every few weeks), and Son’s liberally using the quart bottle of hand sanitizer I gave him last year. Someone’s been delivering groceries to my nearest neighbors by leaving them on the front porch. I’m assuming it’s a close relative, because we don’t have food deliveries here. The other 2 neighbors are both elderly and only leave the house to get the mail at the end of their driveway.

Last week we were set up on Sainsbury’s site as vulnerable so managed to get our first food delivery in 3 weeks, but now we have been removed due to the list the government sent out. My wife is advanced stage SPMS (EDSS 8-8.5) - housebound, virtually bedbound, only one arm working (and by working, I mean she can sometimes finish feeding herself). I’m her main carer but have asthma so don’t really want to be mixing with others if I can help it, and can’t leave wife alone at home for long (1 hour is the max I’m prepared to allow safely).

And yet, somehow, she’s not classed as vulnerable. The mind boggles. Seems all MS sufferers are treated the same, whether they are newly diagnosed and well to those like my wife who are coming towards the end of their journey.

I’ll have to head out to the shops Thursday or Friday for staples, and just hope that I can avoid anyone infected!

Edit: by ‘staples’ I mean food, and not the things to pin pieces of paper together LOL

Hi Freddy, I’ve found the way central government has handled the whole affair really stressful. Are you able to contact your gp surgery and ask to be put on the super vulnerable list? I think I read on the ms local Facebook page they are trying to sort this out with the supermarkets. ATM I’m still mobile and to look at me you wouldn’t know I had ms (people can’t tell if you have vision problems like on or if you have pain standing after any length of time) this whole thing has made me even more anxious about the future when I read some people’s situations. The issue is all the government tools to deal with this are rather blunt and don’t cater for individuals who fall outside the generalities.

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Hi, if you do get told to work elsewhere, tell them you are also vulnerable with MS and pitch your right to work from home, as it is possible.

Bouds

Freddy, this really isnt good enough…you and your wife MUST be put back on the most vulnerable list.

Have you no neighbours to help?

2 of our`s who I havent evermet, have put notes through our doors offering help.

There are lots of kind folk out there.

Keep safe you two

Boudsxxx

My carer has been to Asda for us today. We are not going out except into the garden.

Keep safe all.

Boudsxx

We live in a village (we’re quite new here) and in a little private road of 5 houses … in the road is us, a couple who are over 80 (and he recently had a stroke), a couple in their 70’s (he’s in remission for cancer), a couple who are over 70 (not sure what their health is like) and a couple in their 50’s but are both air stewards. We’re the healthiest LOL (apart from the air stewards who are currently self isolating).

Our neighbours would help if asked but they’re either as at risk as we are, or a danger to us all

We’ll get by, but not great that the action of the government has removed a safety net from us.

Hi Freddy, I was sorry to read this, I too am SPMS, but not as advanced as your wife, I too contacted Sainsbury’s about the vulnerable list, they told me to follow the link on their web page to fill in a goverment form to see if I was eligible, I did that only to be told, NO YOUR NOT, I even phoned my local branch to ask if my husband, my main carer, if he could shop for us when the elderly and vulnerable were able to, again NO, if you want that you’ll have to come with him, my response was…well I have MS a progressive condition, shouldn’t be around people with possible infections, her response…I’m only following order’s, GRrrrrr…I’ve tried to complain to Sainbury’s but no one answer’s the phone can’t find an email address, so that’s that. So Freddy I’m so sorry for you, it’s a bloody disgrace, good luck and stay strong. x

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Sainsbury’s has reserved ALL their home delivery slots for the extremely vulnerable, Iceland, Tesco’s, Asda and Morrison’s haven’t had any delivery slots available for the last 3 weeks.

Everyone’s talking about the shopping trolleys but how often do they clean the PIN machines? They’re only as clean as the last person who touched it, we’re asked to use card payments but the cash in your purse/wallet is likely to have not been touched for days! I think they’ve got this one wrong!

We’re told “6 foot apart or 6 foot under” but what about pedestrian crossings? I doubt everyone will step back 6 foot. Or narrow pavements? Are we supposed to walk into the road to avoid passing each other?

I’ve been told today that there’s help available for some though age uk and other voluntary organisations, but please be careful there are some vile people who have been taking advantage of vulnerable people during this crisis.

Only those who have been identified as extremely vulnerable are being told to stay in for 12 weeks, everyone else is running the risk of contracting Coronavirus unless they don’t touch anything and maintain social distancing. But most won’t end up in hospital with it, Prince Chuck is fine, BoJo is recovering, other rich people who paid for a test recovered or are recovering.

i think I had it in February so I’m thinking about going out to the supermarket next week if they are making provision for community transport users.

Thanks Bouds. I raised my concerns and they said if I was redeployed it would continue to be via remote working. I think the email was poorly written. The Client of a project I’m working on is involved in the covid response and is part of the strategy meetings, I raised concerns that even in CE emails to staff they sometimes merge the two vulnerable groups and a lot of people in the vulnerable group have now been put in difficult positions, ie lack of delivery slots which previously meant they were independent but are now struggling. Not sure it will do any good but at least I’ve raised it.

Hi DD, I actually have walked into the road to avoid people!