Social Distancing support, advice and tips & a little humour.

[@Lee]

OK, we know we're in this for the long run now and we all need to adjust our thinking and way of living. Some of us may want to self isolate and some of us may have no choice but to self isolate.
This topic is to help, support and give tips on things such as social distancing and having to self isolate for periods of time.
Please do not use this topic to discuss who or what caused the Coronavirus, no tin foil hat shiz, no politics etc etc.
Let's just help each other out by sharing better or simpler ways to keep in touch with our loved ones, tips for looking after our children now the schools are closed etc etc.

Edited 9 November, 2020 by Lee01

[RickW]

It's supermarket shopping that bothers me most. In all other areas I'm social distancing but food shopping is vital and can't be avoided.

Anyone else finding this difficult?.

Apart from using hand sanitizer before during and after shopping,any other handy hints?

 

 

 

 

 

[MikeTheThinker]

Thanks for this @Lee01.

 

Amongst many others my wife and i are 'encouraged' to remain at home as we're both in the 'vulnerable' category.

 

We're already cut off from our family as our daughter is also vulnerable and we're advised to stay clear of grandchildren.

 

Our local shops and supermarkets have been very good in allocating elderly and vulnerable shopping windows in the mornings so we#ll just have to see how things go.

 

The thought of living apart for three months is bad enough but now there are suggestions of 12 months.  I really cannot see that working.

 

BTW having conversed with friends in France and the US where there are complete and enforced lockdowns in many areas I think we're actually pretty lucky, but our way will only work if everyone respects it.  Only time will tell.

[J.R.]

My initial contribution is to say that unless the UK is very very different to France in food distribution terms then dont worry about empty shelves in the supermarkets, they will be full again tomorrow, more idiots will empty them again but less idiots than the day before, yesterday Thursday even more so than Wednesday I have never seen the shelves so full and the supermarkets so empty, they were closing at lunchtime to refill the shelves like I understand the UK 24 hr stores are doing at night, there is a big effort now to have the shelves as full as possible, stock on display and not in the stockroom, re-ordering is done immediately and all the logistic chain is working efficiently.

 

They realise that any percieved shortage on the shelves creates a panic buying situation, there was and is plenty in the supply chain, very soon whats on the shelves will be marked down before it goes out of date.

 

You will soon be in an enforced confinement situation with emergency powers being invoked, there will be lots of questions like "am I allowed to go out to do X, Y or Z" instead of thinking "is it allowed" ask yourself how many people you might come into contact with?" consider that each one might infect you and far more importantly you could be a carrier and infecting just one person could result in a thousand more becoming subsequently infected being fatal to a percentage of them.

[J.R.]

All the supermarkets here closed for 2.5 hours the first lunchtime, it was concerted and organised, ostensibly to restock the shelves but all of them did exactly the same jobs using materials that were not available as the DIY shops were forcibly closed.

 

They closed the entry doors except for one single width door, you walk in and have to walk behind the tills to enter the store through one till lane only, that way they can stop any more than 20 (or 100 for a hypermarket) customers being in the store.

 

at the tills there are lines on the floor to demark a I meter seperation, there is a plexiglass screen screwed to the side of the conveyor right in front of the cashier whice extends 50cm each side and stands 2m tall, one customer at a time you put your goods on the conveyor, you walk through to the bagging area and the conveyor starts, the cashier scans as normal, the next person is not allowed to the conveyor until your transaction is finished, when you pay you have to lean around the screen to use the card terminal, contactless is preferable and ensures people spend less than the limit, you can still pay in cash and the cashiers have masks, gloves & gel if they choose to use them.

 

At hospital waiting rooms every second seat has an A4 sheet stuck to it saying do not sit here, seat yourselves in every other chair.

 

Parcels were being collected by La Poste from our mail boxes (and delivered to of course) to avoid having to go to the Post Office, payment made on line and the parcel label printed off. All deliveries are getting through without problem.

 

DIY shops are allowed to be open, some are but technically we are not allowed to leave home except for essential food shopping so people are doing several things on one permitted journey.

 

I have been stopped 3 times and twice advised that my journey was not actually permitted, there are roadblocks within 1km in one direction and 2km the other, its the same everywhere, my car is now up on blocks and will remain like that for as many months as this goes on, I can walk or cycle for all essentials.

 

Each day the restrictions are fine tuned by arrêt préfectorales which dont need a law to be passed, typical examples are closing beaches, canal towpaths, paths in popular public parks from joggers and cyclists because people were meeting up there, we can go out and run individually but even if you are confined in the same house with your partner you cannot go for a walk or run together, you must keep a seperation distance.

 

In general its working very very well and even if people dont understand or agree there is 99.999% compliance.

[@Lee]

52 minutes ago, RickW said:

It's supermarket shopping that bothers me most. In all other areas I'm social distancing but food shopping is vital and can't be avoided.

Anyone else finding this difficult?.

Apart from using hand sanitizer before during and after shopping,any other handy hints?

All I can think of is to plan ahead. If possible check local supermarkets stock levels. Think to yourself before you put it in the trolley 'do I really need this?'.
 

[RickW]

5 hours ago, StickyMicky said:

Thanks for this @Lee01.

 

Amongst many others my wife and i are 'encouraged' to remain at home as we're both in the 'vulnerable' category.

 

We're already cut off from our family as our daughter is also vulnerable and we're advised to stay clear of grandchildren.

 

Our local shops and supermarkets have been very good in allocating elderly and vulnerable shopping windows in the mornings so we#ll just have to see how things go.

 

The thought of living apart for three months is bad enough but now there are suggestions of 12 months.  I really cannot see that working.

 

BTW having conversed with friends in France and the US where there are complete and enforced lockdowns in many areas I think we're actually pretty lucky, but our way will only work if everyone respects it.  Only time will tell.

 

Greetings from Penwortham,just up the road from you🙂.

My wife and I are vulnerable too being diabetic and asthmatic. 

We feel very cut off at the moment and I cant see it getting  better any time soon.

[Breezy_Pete]

WhatsApp video calling. Try it if you've not done so.

[killy]

From the Goverment advice page

 

You can also go for a walk or exercise outdoors if you stay more than 2 metres from others.

[caprixpack]

I've got the social distancing sorted. 

[essexalan]

Keep in contact with as many people as you can via the simple telephone if you have nothing else. Buy what you need and not what you want, I think shops and supermarkets will soon stop selling anything other than basic necessities and they will be rationed and policed. If you go shopping then sanitise your hands before and after and do it properly, sanitise the handle on the shopping basket. A simple solution made of bleach will be effective, keep a soaked microfibre cloth in a ziplock bag for just this purpose. Disinfectant like Dettol has not been certified for killing Corvid 19 simply because they have no samples for test purposes. Recommended that you wash all goods as soon as you get them home, soap and water or 70 % alcohol solution will do the job.

I walk my dog three times a day and exercise is most important but I avoid people and just give them a wave, If I lived in a less rural environment then I would have to rethink this.

I think you can make a form of Calpol out of paracetamol tablets and I will find and post this for those of you with youngsters in the home.

Help others wherever you can.

[essexalan]

If you can't get Calpol, but have got paracetamol tablets.

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/1484/smpc

If you have paracetamol 500mg tablets and fruit juice or fruit cordial.
Grind a paracetamol tablet up in a mortar and pestle or between 2 spoons as fine as you can get it.
A paracetamol tablet is normally 500mg per tablet.

If you are wanting Calpol 6 plus its 250mg in 5ml, (as above link) so mix one ground 500mg tablet into 10ml of fruit juice.
The 10ml is important. Use a syringe to measure it not a kitchen teaspoon.
This will give you 250mg in 5ml as a suspension. It is a suspension so it needs shaking up well before dosing as the paracetamol will settle out.

 

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/6634/smpc

Calpol infant suspension is 120mg in each 5ml. 125mg in 5ml is still ok. Use the dosing guidelines on the link.

If you have paracetamol 500mg tablets and fruit juice or fruit cordial.
Grind a paracetamol tablet up in a mortar and pestle or between 2 spoons as fine as you can get it.
A paracetamol tablet is normally 500mg per tablet.

If you are wanting Calpol infant its 120mg in 5ml, (as above link) so mix one ground 500mg tablet into 20ml of fruit juice which will give you 125mg in 5ml.
The 20ml is important. Use a syringe to measure it not a kitchen teaspoon.
It is a suspension so it needs shaking up well before dosing as the paracetamol will settle out.
If you haven't got fruit juice try milkshake mix dissolved in water or honey or syrup.

 

Remember to administer as per the instructions for Calpol and is only for young children and babies, good for reducing high temperatures.

[mac11irl]

For people with kids -

gonoodle games is currently only on ios, but android is in development.

if your tv is compatible for screen mirroring with ios its better.

the games use the camera to detect movement to play so kids get some exercise with screen time, dont spend the whole time screening tapping...

tried it yesterday, games are limited atm, and my work iphone xr wouldnt detect our samsung tv but that just might be settings issue. ill update if i figure it out. spud sr was happy with it.

 

gonoodle videos is on both platforms, and are sing/dance/play along to tire out the kids.

Edited 21 March, 2020 by mac11irl

[@Lee]

learning resources, activities, games, etc. designed to be used with young children
https://littleowlsresources.com/parents

[mac11irl]

Fitness coach Joe Wicks is doing a free live stream PE class every week day morning at 9am for kids.

 

try and keep them active!

 

RTE are also launching a 1 hr per day "School broadcast" with teachers in a class room for 1st to 6th class (7-12yrs old)

[StevesTruck]

https://www.scouts.org.uk/the-great-indoors

 

Scouting have done a page with a hundred or so ideas of things for the kids to do.

[@Lee]

This might help someone. Change your thinking. (Magical sky fairy optional)
 

[@Lee]

Some tips for coping with life indoors for a period from a former submariner.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1241134014725066754.html

And some more here.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1240913886951477249.html

[StevesTruck]

The other thing to bear in mind is, if you're generally fit and healthy, there's not an awful lot to worry about if you do get it.

[@Lee]

Audible are offering free streaming for kids stories. 
 

Quote

For as long as schools are closed, we're open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.

https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

[caprixpack]

One tip I have is, stay at ****ing home. I can't believe the amount of people coming to Cumbria on holiday, today alone the farmer who owns and runs the farm we live on has turned away 6 **** heads in camper vans. Even with the car park closed sign up and gates closed people are still trying to get to the car park. It's been busier than the hight of summer. How the hell are you supposed to distance yourself from people when the stupid ******s are everywhere. 

[StevesTruck]

Not wanting to be a **** about it, but I've spent the weekend getting out in the open air and away from the town. Don't think I've been within 2 metres of anyone, but I've most certainly not been cooped up at home watching the end of the world on rolling news waiting to get sick.

 

If I'd got a camper, I'd probably be 2 miles from the nearest human about now.

 

 

Edited 22 March, 2020 by StevesTruck

[@Lee]

Quote

As millions in the UK prepare for weeks of self-isolation, Dr Xand van Tulleken and psychologist Kimberley Wilson offer an expert, no-nonsense guide on how to get by

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/coronavirus-how-to-isolate-yourself

[caprixpack]

7 hours ago, StevesTruck said:

Not wanting to be a **** about it, but I've spent the weekend getting out in the open air and away from the town. Don't think I've been within 2 metres of anyone, but I've most certainly not been cooped up at home watching the end of the world on rolling news waiting to get sick.

 

If I'd got a camper, I'd probably be 2 miles from the nearest human about now.

 

 

 

And every other nupty that reads the bloody daily mail. This just goes to show how seriously people are taking this. 

 

 

 

Edited 23 March, 2020 by caprixpack

[StevesTruck]

Nope, I don't read the daily mail. Luckily I don't watch the BBC either or I'd probably be sat here in an NBC suit surrounded by 3 tonne of big roll.