Topic: Corona Virus Panic/Discussion Thread

@kyleforrester87 'plenty of people out there like to be hand held through life'

I know of very few, most of my immediate social circle (well what's left of it) are mostly graduates with mortgages, professional sales people, a few left in the Navy and mates from school. My less successful mates from school are the ones happy to be off, everyone else has high anxiety and worry. As I've mentioned elsewhere we have all played the game and are being told we are scroungers or to pick fruit?

As for my own company we only profit when we sell. I set up a delivery service (prior to most of the industry funnily enough) prior to LockDown and that's been running with 30% of our staff selling 20% of the cars - unworkable long term. Theres hardly any profit. I went in and we set up screens for tables, walkways for staff around the showroom (single file so you don't bump into each other) and ipads to enable sales on the forecourt when we are back open. We are in as good a place for covid 19 as I can imagine. It took half a day to set up. Our showroom is one of the biggest in the UK, our in store cafe will remain shut as an example so not every place will have the capability or space.

Anyhow I'm writing this with Boris Johnson on the TV and he is stuttering and blubbering all over the place. The message is being completely lost here. He doesn't have a clue.

@kyleforrester87 Remember that wearing a mask can make a big difference as well.

@Wesker Yeah, I think they are a no brainer to reduce the spreading.

@Wesker And, to be honest, I think I am getting a bit wound up with seeing healthy people freak out so much.

@kyleforrester87 They're probably worried about the over-65s in their family. I know I am. Luckily my parents live in Wales, where they're being more cautious about easing the lockdown.

@Wesker That's a fair point, I don't relate to that too much not being very family orientated, so I forget. What I lack in empathy I try to make up for by being pragmatic lol.

@Wesker my mums in a care home. It is worrying, the older people in there are very frail.

So I'm quite glad that they posted the 6 point point guide. It's now easier to see where we are heading, seemed like a free for all last night.

@kyleforrester87 I dont think it's that Kyle, you are level headed and easy going. Your life, although changed, is not the same as thousands in Britain right now. You cycled anyway, are still working and as you say are not family orientated.

Compare and contrast to a factory worker with an 8 year old kid, parents who have x disabilities and need assistance and rent to pay.

It's difficult to put yourself in other people's shoes. This is one of the critiques of politicians in general. But it's not as simple as people being scared, or a scrounger. some people are being put into unworkable situations with no immediate solutions (I'm not one of them but can imagine if this happened this time last year when my mum was at home on her own). Saying employers will care about childcare needs is mostly incorrect.

@themcnoisy that’s all fair enough, do put yourself in my position too, as someone in the higher risk category I can either try and take some control of the situation or melt away. I’m firmly in the “this is something we are just going to have to get used to living with” camp. Yes I can’t relate as much to people needing child care (although I made my choices regarding children to date) but I don’t have the benefit of perfect health or a big support network, you just have to play the cards you’re dealt at the end of the day.

@kyleforrester87 it's here now, cases are high (estimated at between 60-120k infected in the UK according to today's brief). It's not going anywhere. So in this instance we have to accept it and we need to get back a semblance of normality. But without track and trace and correct process the LockDown could all be a waste of time. My gut tells me that another 2 weeks in full LockDown with a contact tracing app released and those cases would be halved due to the R rate we could step out of this with confidence. The contact tracing app is absolutely vital as you would be knowingly infecting others if it's sent you a ping. That changes everything.

You have a right to freedom and a social life. We all do. The last 6 weeks have been hard for me, I'm not an enthusiastic stay at home parent by any means. But my biggest concern and has been all along;

The worst case scenario right now is the cases start to rise exponentially due to these current measures, Deaths go up and retail can't open, 3 million people will be laid off in 4 weeks time and all our lives will get one hell of a lot worse as the economy bottoms out. Your rents stop paying, it then becomes a rent war with emptying houses as people move back in with mum or dad as they have no money and mortgage lenders refuse to defer again, the housing market crashes and people with money now have less. People stop spending, Covid 19 is still stalking us and we go into a cycle of no confidence, those jobs don't come back until later on in 2021. But the damage is done - tax codes are significantly higher for the foreseeable future to pay back the mounting debt and the UK has then lost ground to the sane World who took coronavirus more seriously.

*that's a worst case scenario, 10 weeks ago no one considered a 2 week LockDown was possible. I doubt it will happen and hope its on the decline but that risk has increased since Boris Johnsons announcements.

Hope everyone is doing OK and keeping safe? I'm still working as I work for a lab supplies company but I have noticed a lot more traffic on the roads in recent days even though we are still in Lockdown here in Scotland. Pretty much just going to work then home and stay there, not that I'm a social butterfly, got my lovely wife to keep me company and burning through Asoiaf as well as playing Final Fantasy X. Keep on Keeping on!

@MightyDemon82 I think my mum’s expecting to go back to work in a few weeks and she works in retail in Glasgow city centre. We might still be in lockdown but I’ve seen less people actually sticking to it and businesses are going to have to open up at some point if they want to remain trading.

@nessisonett I know we can't stay like this forever. Will just have to wait and see how it goes I guess, apparently there was a protest about the lockdown here in Aberdeen but nobody turned up!

owais7ali_YT I suspect most places will get going mid June, people are going to have to get used to a slower pace of life though but I can't see this thing just vanishing completely.

My job is gone... 😢
Tour operators are supposed to receive an extra help from the government, but I just got from my company the wage about the 3 weeks I worked on March and after that, it's all a blank.

@andreoni79 That’s rough, I know it’s not the sort of industry that could operate during these times but you’d expect more help for that very reason. Hope you’re managing ok.

@nessisonett Thanks! There's the '93 movie Falling down on tv right now. Good timing... 🤯

Sorry @andreoni79 yet another top head from the forums getting bad news.

Falling Down is a really good film too.

Hi @MightyDemon82 I was reading back through the Death Stranding thread last night all the way, and it's class the way you have wrote - keep on keeping on. Nice one bro.

@themcnoisy Thanks, I know the game isn't for everyone but I truly thought it was outstanding. It's just crazy we're living in a world a little like that at the moment plus I'm a driver for a lab supplies company so I can sympathise with Sam as you get all those crazy characters you deliver to whether they're happy to see you or not haha.

@MightyDemon82 Your enthusiasm for DS shines through. I loved it, strange the way I had forgotten about my initial impressions by the finale.

Since DS I have struggled to enjoy another 3rd person game. The movement is a joke comparatively in each and every one.

I do wish there was more variety and the mountains less of a slog. Otherwise, spot on and thought provoking.

@andreoni79 Sorry to hear that man.

This thread has quietened down now. We are still working from home into June at least. None of my kids are going back until September though how everyone will be able to go back by then is a mystery but there you go.

How is everyone else doing?