I have decided to enjoy myself.......

It's many times more lethal than flu, actually. As well as more contagious.

Please can someone tell me how long this virus lingers on door handles etc? I orig thought it didn’t survive for more than a few minutes outside the human (or maybe animal) body. Now the story seems to be more pessimistic. The ‘i’, which isn’t given to scaremongering, says today that it can survive for up to 9 day’s on inanimate surfaces ☹️ If so we none us have a chance of getting to the end of the road safely unless we permanently wear gloves, and in that case how long do the gloves last without being infected? Do we wash our woollen gloves every day or wear our Marigolds to the shops? ?

Justwokeup - Have you listened to any of the medical experts? There are lots of viruses just as there are lots of bacteria. They are not equivalent. I think I will listen to the chief medical officer rather than Justwokeup...

I'm convinced this virus has been around for quite some time. My OH, sister, BIL, and myself all had the exact symptoms starting in November and lasted over 2 months. Antibiotics x 3 courses were not effective. Lung x-ray showed shadow on lung in all of us, and one of us was hospitalised with pneumonia. All of us have made a full recovery, despite 2 of us having COPD and one is a kidney transplant patient. Also none of us had been abroad or on cruises in the previous 12months. Actually a care worker I know is saying lots of her clients say the same. So I'm not doing anything different about it.

I'm at risk with this virus. I.already.have laryngitis.Which I.contracted.before we went on our cruise. I went to.Dr this morning and have worn a mask for two.days so health workers won't get it. I.am.disappointed as my.cousin and I were booking another longer cruise around Australia. My gp.and specialist have said no.to.this trip.

You can't put your life on hold but simply take sensible precautions. Hand washing and taking care over coughs and sneezes. I am not sure that self isolation is that effective in the long run. High risk groups, let's face it at our age that includes many of us, just need to be more aware.

We do not really know just how contagious Covid-19 is compared with flu and whether or not if you get it can you get it again.

We are booked on a Fred Olsen Cruise in August in an inside cabin and are aware that cruise ships are perfect incubators for contagions. Have to trust that if the risks are high at that time FO will cancel that trip and refund us./

what is the big deal?
how wont people seem to understand the need to be happy and they end up criticizing us to discourage us from being happy and enjoying life.
well life to me is how i choose to live it and this is how i have chosen to live my life. i will live with any man that is ready to spend all his fortune with me. if u cant relate then live with it, cos that is me.

adadolinda
What's this about ? Are you on the right thread?

Winterwhite, the problem is they're still finding out about it - it's so new. I guess different experiments have given different results, that's why we're getting confusing statements. I think for now we need to assume that anything we touch could be infected and try very very hard to train ourselves not to touch our faces unless it's immediately after washing our hands for 20 seconds. And if you have any scratches or cuts on your hand keep them covered just in case they find out the virus can get in that way.

As a precaution, I am taking extra vitamin C. So far, so good!

There is a covid19 drive through testing station a few miles from where I live. I think a lot of people are going for the test.
A good thing as if they have it they can then be isolated and they don't have to get out of the car, so infection risk to others is low.

Keep calm and carry on!
I’m in the high risk group too and think the media is making things worse! I can’t understand why there is no loo paper left anywhere!

I'm a 68yr old asthmatic so will be in dangerous group, but I'm carrying on as normal. Been out with friends and family to pub meals twice this week. Just extra hand washing and wiping door handles in house. Also wiping steering wheel as its never been washed! I'm worried for 2 daughters and one granddaughter who are nurses and daughter in law is a GP. DH is watching news channel from early morning till past midnight, and talks of nothing but the virus. He's convinced one of the above will bring the virus to us and he will be a gonner as he is 73 has high BP and had stroke years ago. He would like to refuse visits from anyone and not leave the house for 3 months. I don't agree, so we are at loggerheads!

It does make you wonder, because a lot of people on here and elsewhere were poorly over Christmas, and it was something that really lingered.

Just as an aside. I was told the other day that hand cleansers are out of stock everywhere.

Not in the garden they're not.

You don't need to know very much about plants to make up a very effective hand and surface cleanser from what you (probably) try to eradicate from your garden and roadside.

All you need do is make a strongish tea of the plants.
A half teaspoon of glycerine, from any chemists, to 2 cups of the stuff, will give it a nice feel. You can use many of the herbs and spices you'd normally have for cooking.

Try Thyme, cinnamon, ginger and cloves if you don't want to haunt the hedgerows.
They all have anti-bactgerial and anti viral properties.

Strain it well through a cloth and pop it into a spray bottle (Pound Shops) and there you have a fragrant cleanser.
You could add a little essential oil if you don't have glycerine.

This is also effective as a soak-and-dry if you're making your own face masks.

I think the hand cleansers are meant to be over 60% alcohol. If people are buying up loads of Carex they're barking up the wrong tree.

I'm in a high risk group and so have been doing a lot of research to see what's happening in other countries. We are a bit behind in this country because people don't like disruption but it will come soon.

The antiseptic gels are not going to kill the virus, there are hand washes to kill viruses but are off the shelves at the moment. The best thing to do is wash hands with soap and hot water, often, after touching things.

We know little about this virus, but what we do know is not good for the elderly and those with auto immune conditions. It is now widespread in our communities so we can assume children are picking it up if they have been going to school so they will show symptoms soon. Fortunately children seem to get it mildly. But their parents, teachers, doctors, nurses and other frontline people will be getting it in this first phase. (allowing the elderly have been isolating themselves from children, groups of people)
If there are complications in this first group the NHS has a chance to see its weaknesses and have recovered medical staff to cope with the second phase in the Summer.

In the second phase they expect to be dealing with the elderly (who will get it anyway, we have no anti bodies to it) and the greater numbers of people in ICU for a long time. This is assuming we are isolating now. I know many of my older neighbours are and getting on-line shopping or family putting shopping on their doorsteps. It's going to be a tough few months.

What we know of the virus is that it lives for about 48 hours on solid sufaces, why surfaces need washing with hot water & soap, and shorter on soft surfaces like fabrics that can be laundered.

It's possible to catch it from droplets from another person, sneezing, coughing or speaking, why we're advised to stand 2 meters away from any other person. That doesn't make for fun. But it is taken seriously, people over 70 banned from a football match today, for their own (and the NHSs) sake.

I'm in daily touch with my family on line and I'm doing online shopping. For everything. I don't even answer the door, I have an intercom and wear medical gloves I remove straight after handling packages etc. They remind me not to touch me face and wash my hands again.

It sounds obsessive but we have to be now. We never expected to live long enough to see a virus like Covid19, but we knew it would happen sometime.

We just have to hope the Govt knows what its doing and is trying to get it under control.

Looks as though over 70s will be asked to self isolate in the next phase so says the Telegraph. Advising people to visit family and friends soon as may be asked to stay at home. This group may not be able to attend football matches etc but surely this is just advisory not mandatory?

I have plenty of hobbies - gardening, reading, making jewellery, sewing and watercolour painting.

me too i am high risk. but if the virus comes it comes. just carry on as usual.came through gatwick airport station on a train and loads of asian people got on .no-one was wearing masks etc.. the virus is airbourne.no amount of washing hands will cure it ,we have to let it run its course...just like the flu we have had before. anyone know where the virus started?

Moggie57 the NHS has lots of advice on its website. I’m surprised you don’t know where it started- in Wuhan in China. It is similar to the flu viruses we know ( which is why some people have had similar symptoms in the past, and why most people who have been tested because they have symptoms are not actually suffering from Covid 19.) Most Asian people you see in the U.K. live here or are from other areas which does not have Coronavirus outbreaks- it has nothing to do with race. Washing hands is the most effective thing we can do to prevent its spread: the virus has a sort of shell around it which is damaged by washing with soap and hot water, thus making the virus weak. The reason why we are not letting it run its course is because it is more contagious than other flu viruses, and we have at the moment no community immunity. Also, health experts want to delay the spread so that hospitals will not be dealing with ordinary winter viruses at the same time. So, to recap:
1. It originated in Wuhan, China, a mutation of a virus that affects animals.
2. Washing hands is vitally important
3. It is not confined to any one race.
4. All newspapers, the BBC, the NHS and the governments for each of the U.K. countries all have up-to- date information, which we should all read so that we can make well informed decisions.

I have an 85 year old friend who is wonderfully content and positive. She says that since she may not live much longer she will only do what she wants to do, will not watch anything unpleasant on TV and will be happy every day.
This plague, like all the others, will pass.

Smileless2012 thank you for the kind words...I'm finding it hard, but trying to occupy myself as much as possible at home, so that I don't lose my mind over it! xx