Well Cromer definitely can’t be called groovy in any shape or form, yet all the coffee places, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs are all open. The only things that have announced closures today are the local cinema, and the end of the pier theatre. Madness. 

Originally Posted by: chelseagirl 

Interesting from a frontline virologist in Germany:

Almost all infected people we interviewed (>100), and this applies to a good two thirds, described a loss of smell and taste lasting several days. It goes so far that a mother could not smell the full diaper of her child. Others could no longer smell their shampoo, and food began to taste bland. We cannot yet tell exactly when these symptoms will appear, but we believe a little later in the infection.

Diarrhea also occurred in our infected people in 30 percent of the cases, which is more common than previously thought.

https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/gesundheit/coronavirus/virologe-hendrik-streeck-ueber-corona-neue-symptome-entdeckt-16681450.html

Originally Posted by: xioni2 

There have been some quite cruel and cynical remarks on here in the last couple of days and lack of empathy for those youngsters having their exams cancelled. The following may help you to see how devastating it can be in their lives and remind you of how it was to be an 18 year old:-

My grandson and his parents live in a poorer area of South Essex. He passed his eleven plus but no posh grammar school in this area. So after finishing at the comprehensive he is doing his A'levels in Southend which involves a journey by train and a thirty minute walk, an hour in all. He was a couple of marks short in his S levels to get the predictive grades he wanted. Since then he has secured a conditional offer from Bristol University and has been working his balls off to get the grades. Tonight his world has been torn from beneath his feet. He doesn't know if and when he can take the exams, if and when he will get to Uni. He has had to cancel his big 18th birthday party in May (you only get one of those in a lifetime), cancelled his driving test and he had his first ever holiday with his mates booked for Spain which has gone. He will possibly miss saying goodbye to his school friends or at least doesn't know how that will work. He won't be able to work at the part time job he does in his holidays and weekends because it is in a play centre. He won't get to have his first (official) pint with his friends in the pub or take his grandad to the pub and buy him a pint for the first time.

Yes, I know, nobody died. But at that age it's harder to see that it will get better. Do you remember how you felt the time your first truelove chucked you? These kids are doing this for the benefit of the vulnerable and 70 year olds alike me,  they will be largely unaffected, so please have some sympathy for them.

Originally Posted by: fairweather 

They will lockdown without telling anyone overnight to avoid people fleeing

I think it hopefully be in Zone 1 only

Lots of people have seen army vehicles around

Originally Posted by: The Beast from the East 

If they’re going to do it, Friday would be a good time. This allows commuters to get home for the weekend, then they won’t return on Monday.  Thus, fewer people in London for emergency services and hospitals to deal with if a major outbreak occurs. 

Originally Posted by: Caz 

That's what will probably happen.

Originally Posted by: xioni2 

As a teacher I'm totally confused about the implications of the measures. Do all schools stay open for the children who have key worker parents or do they mix pupils from different schools in certain schools? Do all vulnerable children stay in school and if so do all staff have to work or a skeleton crew?

As an update in my school we had about 2/3rds of our children off today - not through illness but with parents keeping them off. Also a handful of staff off self isolating because of coughs etc.

Originally Posted by: Northern Sky 

You'd expect them to have a proper plan in place as there has been so much time to prepare, but nothing would surprise me.

Originally Posted by: xioni2 

Most pubs and bars have closed here voluntarily. 

Originally Posted by: Caz 

There have been some quite cruel and cynical remarks on here in the last couple of days and lack of empathy for those youngsters having their exams cancelled. The following may help you to see how devastating it can be in their lives and remind you of how it was to be an 18 year old:-

My grandson and his parents live in a poorer area of South Essex. He passed his eleven plus but no posh grammar school in this area. So after finishing at the comprehensive he is doing his A'levels in Southend which involves a journey by train and a thirty minute walk, an hour in all. He was a couple of marks short in his S levels to get the predictive grades he wanted. Since then he has secured a conditional offer from Bristol University and has been working his balls off to get the grades. Tonight his world has been torn from beneath his feet. He doesn't know if and when he can take the exams, if and when he will get to Uni. He has had to cancel his big 18th birthday party in May (you only get one of those in a lifetime), cancelled his driving test and he had his first ever holiday with his mates booked for Spain which has gone. He will possibly miss saying goodbye to his school friends or at least doesn't know how that will work. He won't be able to work at the part time job he does in his holidays and weekends because it is in a play centre. He won't get to have his first (official) pint with his friends in the pub or take his grandad to the pub and buy him a pint for the first time.

Yes, I know, nobody died. But at that age it's harder to see that it will get better. Do you remember how you felt the time your first truelove chucked you? These kids are doing this for the benefit of the vulnerable and 70 year olds alike me,  they will be largely unaffected, so please have some sympathy for them.

Originally Posted by: fairweather 

Utterly lame by Johnson and Vallance. The daily White House briefing is far more impressive. Trump bizarrely is beginning to look slightly more with it and Pence is increasingly presidential. The medical professionals actually give real insights unlike at the UK briefing.  The US Dr today flagged up concerns about the impact coronavirus is having on the young in France and Italy as well as discussing surface transmission.  

Originally Posted by: Brian Gaze 

I am sick of the same lines during the press conference. Both from Vallance and Boris.

This ‘We will do whatever it takes’ being bounced around by every conservative is a joke. If that’s the case some of the actions should have been taken sooner. This phrase stinks of party political nonsense during a major crisis of which the majority of us have never seen in our lives

Originally Posted by: Heavy Weather 2013 

But would you have supported the one measure which could really have made a difference - closing borders and cancelling people's holidays as the first indications of what was occurring in Italy became apparent?

Originally Posted by: Maunder Minimum 

I am absolutely astounded that the government have still not closed down bars and pubs.

WE ARE LOSING TIME

Originally Posted by: Heavy Weather 2013 

Do you have a personal goal of how many times you are going to mention borders every day? 

Originally Posted by: xioni2 

Most pubs and bars have closed here voluntarily. 

Originally Posted by: Caz 

But would you have supported the one measure which could really have made a difference - closing borders and cancelling people's holidays as the first indications of what was occurring in Italy became apparent?

Originally Posted by: Maunder Minimum 

There have been some quite cruel and cynical remarks on here in the last couple of days and lack of empathy for those youngsters having their exams cancelled. The following may help you to see how devastating it can be in their lives and remind you of how it was to be an 18 year old:-

My grandson and his parents live in a poorer area of South Essex. He passed his eleven plus but no posh grammar school in this area. So after finishing at the comprehensive he is doing his A'levels in Southend which involves a journey by train and a thirty minute walk, an hour in all. He was a couple of marks short in his S levels to get the predictive grades he wanted. Since then he has secured a conditional offer from Bristol University and has been working his balls off to get the grades. Tonight his world has been torn from beneath his feet. He doesn't know if and when he can take the exams, if and when he will get to Uni. He has had to cancel his big 18th birthday party in May (you only get one of those in a lifetime), cancelled his driving test and he had his first ever holiday with his mates booked for Spain which has gone. He will possibly miss saying goodbye to his school friends or at least doesn't know how that will work. He won't be able to work at the part time job he does in his holidays and weekends because it is in a play centre. He won't get to have his first (official) pint with his friends in the pub or take his grandad to the pub and buy him a pint for the first time.

Yes, I know, nobody died. But at that age it's harder to see that it will get better. Do you remember how you felt the time your first truelove chucked you? These kids are doing this for the benefit of the vulnerable and 70 year olds alike me,  they will be largely unaffected, so please have some sympathy for them.

Originally Posted by: fairweather