Corona virus and self-isolation

Think a little bit of realism should be entered into. Last year the flu killed tens of thousands of people in UK - so far there have been just over a hundred fatalities from this new virus. We had all this sort of paranoi and hysteria in past few years with both Ebola and Sars, and not far back the Bird Flu etc
Overeaction, these day,s seems to be the default position.

Agree totally.
Although it may be unlikely that they are infected there is no 100% guarantee.
I think ( maybe wrong) that it can take 5 days to develop so maybe they should be taken to a hotel and quarantined for a week?

Franbern
I know it's early days, so figures are not necessarily accurate, but I think the current estimates suggest it is potentially much worse than flu:

The novel coronavirus' case fatality rate is currently estimated at around 2%. For comparison, the case fatality rate with seasonal flu is less than 0.01% (1 death per every 10,000 cases)
www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Franbern I can't seem to find any statistics that flu killed tens of thousands in the UK last year. Can you please link to your source, as that seems very high? I thought flu deaths usually ran into the hundreds.

I wonder the same as the OP. Don't know what the answer is though. You can't deny them the safety of their own home country can you?

Australia is taking their air-lifted citizens to quarantine on Christmas Island which is not uninhabited so presumably they can be kept in some kind of isolation facility away from the main settlements.

Should be taken to a hotel for quarantine
Have you any idea of the chaos this would cause ?
No flights should leave China, no exceptions.

Harrigran I heard an epidemiologist this morning saying much the same thing. He understood an individual's desire to leave and get back home but that this evacuation of various nationals was not supported by the WHO.

He also thought the Chinese authorities were doing the right things by placing cities in lockdown.

Governments are just succumbing to domestic pressure rather than what's in the best interests of reducing the spread of the virus.

I have a friend who has family in Wuhan. NO ONE is going outside other than for necessities such as food.

My poor friend lives elsewhere in China and is frantic with worry about her family.

I’m appalled that it appears we are bringing expats home this week. The latest understanding seems to be that the incubation period can be upto 14 days. On the plane an infected person can infect other passengers. What about the crew? What about infection at the airport? As I type this I’ve just heard they are being told to make their own way home from Gatwick. Well great. I regularly use the Gateick Aitport train - it’s rammed. Australia has the right idea. How dare our government put innocent people at risk? Tough for those holed up at the moment but they are in China by choice.

River was he the man on R4 this morning complaining about people ‘griping’ ? He was great - he followed a griping Brit moaning about his 9 year old daughter being separated from her mother. Hello ? What does he think is happening to thousands of Chinese families?

And the UK have gone very quiet on how many people have been tested here and what results are. I am suspicious that they have already identified it here and wish to prevent panic.

It must be such a worry for people who start with just the ordinary cold symptoms which seem to be the same as for the corona virus. Sometimes it's just a cold but sometimes not!

Fran I know GN is a fact free forum so far as some posters are concerned but your post takes the ?. I just can’t get my head around the mental processes of people posting outright factual rubbish. FYI 1692 people died of flu last year. It’s on page 52 of this document.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839350/Surveillance_of_influenza_and_other_respiratory_viruses_in_the_UK_2018_to_2019-FINAL.pdf

Apparently only the UK is not isolating returning citizens. Don't know which airport they are landing at but if it's Gatwick I'd stay away from the train suzie!

It is Gatwick I just heard. Does anyone else hear the sound of colonialism and Rule Britannia in all this?

Hands up anyone who would invite a returning person over to tea the day after their return to meet your new dgc or visit your ill 89 year old mum?

annodomini I didn't know that, have just had an update from DD who has been given advice in case they have any new students arriving in Australia from China.
They had been allowing flights in as normal, just handing out leaflets to arrivals.

How pathetic expecting them to find their own way home and then asking them nicely to stay indoors. They should be taken to a secure unit and kept there for a couple of weeks. No chances should be taken because once it's out there it's too late. We need to buy ourselves some time until a vaccine can be found.

More than pathetic Chestnut more wicked irresponsibility

The virus won't show up right away

US are repatriating via Alaska, then on final destination they will stay in quarantine for 72 hours.

Just heard Hancock is going to arrange 14 days isolation-no details yet.

Well I am full, full I tell you, of confidence. Making policy on the hoof. Not thinking it through. Who’d have thunk it?