Well, it's getting pretty real, isn't it?

Even if you're of the belief that "it's no worse than the bloody flu!", you have to acknowledge that the country is going to see some fairly big things happening over the next week or so.

I needed to grab a pack of anti-bac wipes this morning just for everyday regular cleaning, and couldn't find any in four different shops. The cleaning aisles were bare, it's madness.

We just got the nod that the kids schools are closing for two weeks which plays havoc with my partners work and my uni - which may itself close as well anyway.

A couple of weeks ago I was firmly in the 'everyone is overreacting' camp, but looking at the world's responses to this pandemic, I have to admit, it is starting to concern me more. Germany predict 60-70% of the population will be infected. Italy and Denmark are on lock down, what next!?

Rioting in the streets, that's (possibly) what's next. A country is only ever 4 meals away from anarchy (source: MI5), and once the country starts shutting down what happens then? Mad Max?

We've never known anything like it in our lifetime, and regardless of the actual severity of the virus, one thing is for sure; in one way or another, it's going to affect us all.

I've spent the last several months playing The Division 2 so I feel I'm ready for what comes next!

Sounds like good prep. I've been wasting my time in No Man's Sky

Mildly panicking here in South Africa as we already have chronic drought, rolling blackouts and an HIV epidemic on our plates down here. Wondering how many more straws this camel can take.

At this point I'm awaiting the inevitable announcement that the play I'm in will be postponed or outright cancelled. If the university is doing the same thing for their productions, our rinky-dink community theater probably won't be faring much better.

Cass wrote: ↑March 12th, 2020, 1:00 pm Mildly panicking here in South Africa as we already have chronic drought, rolling blackouts and an HIV epidemic on our plates down here. Wondering how many more straws this camel can take.

Jeez, hang in there, Cass.

Sent home from work due to being in close contact with a colleague suspected of being infected, still awaiting tests results to see if they are indeed infected. If they are assuming I have to self isolate and get tested myself, all rather confusing right now!

At least I can put a dent in the backlog if I'm stuck inside for 2 weeks!

Can anyone spare a toilet roll?

We're running low on both pasta and bog roll, I'm almost loathe to check the shops to see if we can get these items, though I suspect it won't be too hard if I'm willing to head to a few outlets.

Amazon are currently flogging Andrex at £100 for 48 rolls, but you can still get non-branded stuff for like £1.50...

That's actually insane. I looked in Tesco last night and it's actually quite eerie seeing so many empty shelves. Not a single roll in sight.

The freezers were pretty bare too.

ratsoalbion wrote: ↑March 12th, 2020, 10:29 pm Amazon are currently flogging Andrex at £100 for 48 rolls,

That's outrageous! Surely automated due to demand though? I wouldn't like to think they've deliberately whacked that price up.

Thankfully, things aren't quite as dire over here. Although I did notice a general shortage of disinfectant in most stores so I stopped by the home of an old friend's parents today to give them an extra bottle of isopropanol I found under the sink. Gave me an excuse to socialize for 20 mins if nothing else.

Might want to stock up on extra toilet paper tomorrow if things are headed in that direction.

Alex79uk wrote: ↑March 12th, 2020, 10:41 pm

ratsoalbion wrote: ↑March 12th, 2020, 10:29 pm Amazon are currently flogging Andrex at £100 for 48 rolls,

That's outrageous! Surely automated due to demand though? I wouldn't like to think they've deliberately whacked that price up.

Yes it's undoubtedly algorithm based, but I think out of basic human decency they need to address that pretty sharpish.

Things are just starting to break out where I am. (Ottawa). It looks like our PM might have it as well as other party leaders and I live about four blocks from where they all work.

Of course, now people are mass buying at the grocery store, and me being a poor student can barely afford bog roll.

If it gets really bad, I can always eat my upstairs neighbours. Stay safe everyone!

As I said elsewhere, I used to live in Wuhan and I've been following it via mates for about three months. Without being alarmist, every day that our cunt government prioritises their corporate sponsors over the wellbeing of their citizens, we will be exponentially fucked.

Only through total public compliance and aggressive infrastructural measures re: food delivery and dramatic shift work reorganisation has China slowed and contained this. The first weeks were fucking apocalyptic but they welded people inside their apartment buildings and built hospitals in six days. We've said don't go on a cruise and your families are going to die. I won't even commend their honesty at how little they value human life.

My friends in Wuhan have barely left their apartments for two months. Prepare yourself for this in every way you can. They had eight new cases yesterday and Italy had 1000. ICUs in Italy are completely fucked and they're now deciding who will die. This was Wuhan weeks and weeks ago and when I mentioned it to friends and family and colleagues, they laughed it off. My friend's mum and dad were turned away from hospital because they had no beds or testing kits and they said they could do nothing. They went home, infected my mate and his wife and kids and then died. This is what's going to happen en masse, except we won't be isolating so it'll be worse.

Get prepared and fuck work off as much as you can afford to do so. Again, I don't mean to be alarmist but if you're not aware of the reality, this is what's happened elsewhere and what will happen in your country if your government does not act immediately.

Jesus... that's grim. There's a really fucking stupid mentality in this country where people are almost afraid of overreacting and looking worried, 'nah we're not scared, it's no worse than the flu mate etc', and 'we're British, we'll fight it hand and fist'. How tough you gonna look with tubes us your nose, hooked up to life support? I hate the British attitude to things like this. It's ok to admit you're concerned and it's ok to take necessary precautions. People scoff and sneer at the empty shelves, and I am as guilty as anyone at mocking the panic buyers, but who's going to be laughing if we end up locked in our houses without food and basic medication - not me.

Would you mind if I shared your post elsewhere, Stan?

I don't mind but I don't want to be attached to it or linked because I don't want a load of morons having a go. I stand behind every word, though.

It's ok, I was just going to repost it totally anonymously as 'a guy I know' but you never know what's going to turn up in search engines and stuff do you, so I'll probably leave it.

Interesting post though, and I find myself agreeing completely.

This sounds hopeful:

https://www.erasmusmagazine.nl/en/2020/ ... rect=en_US

Thank goodness for science!