The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

mrs_motivated

How very sad Euronorris, illustrates its the risk of spreading CV19 is the great danger.

i am a great believer in education and my kids had very little time off sick, maybe 2 to 4 days in four years at secondary school, however, if they were still of school age there would not be a chance in hell they would be going back now.  I would also review the situation in September before making a decision.  Whilst they may be low risk at serious illness or even god forbid death, the risk of spreading it to other family members is a major concern.

[Deleted User]

I think that comparison between countries - paticularly if you're using the data to compare responses-  is incredibly difficult (bordering on impossible) due to the sheer number of variables - geographical spread and population densities have an enormous impact (the regional  differences in England alone show that), the demographics of populations, the lifestyle choices, the industry differences, methodologies of reporting, governmental intrusion/ability/desire to impinge on human rights   etc. Any conclusions drawn would be, at best, misleading. 
While I may not agree with aspects of the way we have/are currently handling this pandemic, I don't think that any nation has got it right - but I'm pretty convinced that they have all tried and ultimately politicians don't have superpowers or 'psychic' on their CV's...(and in the US I'm pretty sure that their leader has little in the way of IQ on his! 🙈)

Prepping wise, the veg beds are almost complete, I've dehydrated my first lot of 'casserole' veg for the autumn/winter and have started getting quotes for some work on the house which will need doing by the end of summer/ beginning of autumn. The seeds I sowed over the easter weekend are doing well (apart from the courgettes which are steadfastly refusing to emerge) and my hotbin for composting should be arriving within the next few weeks 😁
Now that ds & dil can start the house buying process again, I've been thinking about utilising their wardrobe as food storage once they have left - their departure will give me half a freezer and a kitchen cupboard back anyway but having storage out of the kitchen means opening the cupboards will be less of a 'taking your life in your hands' situation!! 😂 It will also allow me to buy more paper goods (loo rolls etc) in bulk! 

greenbee

@squirrelgirl - I agree that comparisons aren’t helpful due to all th variables. What I do know is that our numbers aren’t good. Compared to the dramatic way that the Italian situation was reported on, we seem to have downplayed it here. Then again, we were at least prepared from the point of mortuary capacity (the images of military convoys removing coffins from Bergamo, and the mass graves in NYC haven’t happened here as far as i’m aware) and reorganising hospitals to ensure capacity. But we missed a trick on care homes and assisted living facilities. Despite the dramatic numbers, plenty of people seem to think it has been a fuss about nothing - but I don’t know any healthcare workers who would say that. Many of them seem to feel that the severity has been downplayed, and that the stress they are under in the workplace is being ignored by others. While we don’t want to panic the population, we have had high death rates, and compared to some other countries we really haven’t been in lockdown - just had a few restrictions.

Maybe my position is influenced by having so many healthcare professionals in my family and friendship group. Or by having had the virus myself and being aware that it is a long road to full recovery (there is talk locally of setting up a ‘COVID rehab’ unit to support the expected surge in chronic fatigue/post viral syndrome). But I do think we need to adapt our way of life long term to remove some of the risk factors - and do so as a society, thinking about those who are more vulnerable s well as ourselves. I’ve been in isolation for 10 weeks to protect others, not myself - I was the one who was unwell. Having finally had a negative test now i’m symptom-free, i’m now no longer a risk factor so can go out, but will only do so when necessary to avoid adding to the strain in keyworkers who need to use the roads/public transport etc. 

I’m also lucky to still be working, as I can do my job from home. And to have a nice house and garden to spend my time in, as well as good neighbours and nice countryside for walking I when i’m up to it again!

From a prepping perspective, i’ve put in one raised bed for veg, and am building another (they’re 45cm deep, so take a lot of part-composted garden waste, topsoil and compost), have some raised planters for herbs and salad, have put soaker hose connected to the water butts into the new raised beds, ordered a greenhouse and am looking for more water butts and automated watering systems. Lots of tomato plants are ready for the new greenhouse, and the planters are starting to be productive. I need to sort out the old raised beds where the raspberries and other fruit are growing at some point - probably when the next lot of compost arrives!

MingVase

Good post Greenbee, I agree with you re our handling of this virus. But I have to say that - national pride aside - Scotland and Nicola Sturgeon have been as good as it gets. Watch her daily briefing and compare it to Westminster... they look like the muppet show beside her. The people of the whole of Britain deserve better.

I for one will be pleased to see the vast majority of mums refusing to send their children back to school until Sept. They threatened to fine parents but they can't fine a whole country!  And nobody seems to be asking why Harrow and Eton get away with staying closed until Sept. Not a squeak at daily questions about that one!

ivyleaf

Mar Eton and Harrow are secondary schools so wouldn't have been going back anyway - plus they are boarding schools, so social distancing would be far more difficult .
Some private day schools are planning to have children back next month. It's up to the head teachers I suppose.

singlestep

That's my question too.  If schools whose fees are more than my household's annual income, who have small class sizes and a high pupil: teacher ratio anyway won't open, why is it OK for those who might come from less wealthy and healthy backgrounds to return?  I honestly have no idea how some schools are going to do it - small overcrowded classrooms where even half a group wouldn't be 2m apart. And if it's OK for schools/other overcrowded workplaces to go back, with people having to use public transport to get there, why not the Houses of Parliament? Totally on board with the fact that children are vulnerable or come from extreme deprivation, but they're more likely to have health issues or family members who do too.
I suppose we could go round and round in circles over it and it definitely can't go on forever.  A little more consensus would be nice!

Floss

ivyleaf said:

Mar Eton and Harrow are secondary schools so wouldn't have been going back anyway - plus they are boarding schools, so social distancing would be far more difficult .
Some private day schools are planning to have children back next month. It's up to the head teachers I suppose.

Eton HAS been open, for key workers kids, as well as online courses & key worker accommodation... 
https://inews.co.uk/news/education/coronavirus-uk-eton-college-state-schools-free-access-online-courses-2522377

singlestep

It's a big generalisation, of course, but most fee-paying schools have luxury of space and small class sizes anyway that other schools just don't and can't provide. Comparisons are being made with other places in which the ratio and working conditions were already better and where consensus was reached over how to proceed.  With more consensus and transparency, perhaps people wouldn't feel that those who were more likely to have attended or sent their own children to Harrow/Eton etc, weren't prepared to let pupils and staff in other schools be the cannon fodder for the creation of the herd immunity they weren't that long ago discussing. (I'm not suggesting that this was or wasn't the plan - people I talk to think this is the case and need to be convinced it isn't).
Now we're getting past the 'all in this together' stage, the consequences for those most deeply affected are coming back to the fore.  Lots of vulnerable children are badly missing out on having all the things that aim to lessen the attainment gap, free school meals etc.  Still, I'd want to know that everyone in the school environment- children, parents and staff, who aren't all as well-paid as teachers but no less vital to the effective support of vulnerable children - was safe and not bringing home more than they went in to school with because the same children also have other health/family health issues that seem to increase with poverty. Wasn't there a Head Teacher on TV this morning who said they were still getting information on procedures in and so it wasn't really three weeks to prepare? ( I was pretty focused on my work and wasn't really listening and might have picked up wrongly).
I'm glad I don't have to worry about it for now.

-taff

Regarding opening schools with a low children to teacher ratio, it didn't help these people

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-52635611

MingVase

I don't like Michael Gove telling us that teachers should do their duty. Or saying they owe it to their pupils. It's the worst kind of proaganda and it's wrong. They are unfit to dictate to teachers or any of us. They've lied and fumbled and evaded since day one and the UK is a laughing stock. I'm more worried by the UK govt than I am by the virus! This is a Prepping thread and preppers are not usually sheep (with apologies to sheep everywhere). We need to be more aware and more vocal or we are going to fall off a cliff very very soon.