What exactly does self-isolate mean?

It's not yet a national emergency but it feels to me like a personal emergency, as I think I stand a high chance of dying when I get it. I am in the process of overhauling my will and showing DH how to use the washing machine.

I'm confused about the rubbish! Can't the virus be spread on surfaces? In which case, wouldn'dt the bag of rubbish left outside have traces of the virus on it?

COVID-19 is the official name for it, Urmstongran, as it wasn't named at first and there is a whole family of Corona viruses around.

SARS is another one as is MERS, and I think now that this novel one has a name, it's used to avoid confusion.

* humptydumpty* the current thinking is that the vírus does not survive for long on surfaces. It needs a human host.

Humpty-dumpty the advice is not to put your rubbish out unless some intermediary can double-bag it without touching it. Isolated people should keep their rubbish bags in with them until someone can safely double-bag it with an uncontaminated bag. If you can't do that, keep it with you until about 9 days after you are no longer infectious as that is about how long the virus can live on a plastic bag

publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/20/what-is-self-isolation-and-why-is-it-important/
This link to Public Health England is useful

I think the virus can last about 6 hours on something like a glove and double that for metal surface unless it’s heated above 25 degrees.

The only time we have panicked about self isolating was a few days ago when we had three GC here.......us and them for 14 days.....

That could have been fun!!

I am preparing my daughter that we might have to stick to video calls rather than visits for a while... I think once the UK gets to more than 10 new cases a day I will be thinking along those lines

Oh! And as I listened to the news it just did! up from 53 to 80-something

ReadyMeals I have just seen on BBC:

The number of coronavirus cases in the UK has jumped by 32 since this morning, to a total of 85.

Is that 85 who have it now or have a number of those already recovered ? Makes a difference.

I think it is the total number of confirmed cases ginny

Yes, and of course these people who were added today actually had the infection 2 days ago or more as that is how long the test takes to come back in most cases.

Ok , thanks.

I think we have to take it seriously, someone elderly died today from catching it from someone else. I find that shocking.

The PM is not much use. He's not keeping up with medical guidelines, unless he wants many elderly to die. I have no faith in him. Other countries took action much faster than Britain.

On the radio today, they are now saying that the virus can still be active up to 72 hours on surfaces.

Self isolation is one person in a room alone, meals left outside the door, all towels and bedding kept separate and the last to use the bathroom, which they then have to clean thoroughly, or it would be me doing it with mask and gloves and copious amounts of bleach!
Then all cutlery and crockery to be cleaned separately too. Ideally a separate bathroom would be kept for their sole use.
Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun does it?

Aparently the poor elderly person who has died because of coronovirus was actually only 75. That's scary. 75 is not what I'd call elderly.

Oh goodness.
I'm nearly elderly

Would a dishwasher not be hot enough to kill all germs?

Oopsadaisy I actually did that successfully when I had norovirus and didn't want my husband to catch it. I stayed in the bedroom with ensuite bathroom and my husband left what I needed outside the door for me to pick up. I stayed in there two days without seeing another being, finished by having a good shower, hairwash, complete change of clothes, cleaning up the room a bit and he never got it!

readymeals well done , you did it all in the correct way, could you have lasted for 2 weeks though?

I'd probably have severe cabin fever. Omg it must have been awful for the people on the cruise ship who had the inside cabins without even windows.