Chaos when its all over?

The future is so unknown. Everyone and everything will be affected. All plans and hopes and different fears. My daughter is ill in bed with Covid, 3 days in. As a senior teacher she cared for health workers children. She is not very well anyway having had a number of infections over the winter, and a scary minor op to her mouth as well. I am worried. And sorry, I am also upset and angry with those on this site who only a few weeks ago argued with those who were concerned about Corona. Do you recall the “it’s just a virus” “what is all the fuss about?” posts, the we oldies have been through worse posts. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

My thoughts about this...hmmm. Life won't be the same again. Our values will have been changed. We will appreciate the smaller things. We will discard many views we had. Life will become simpler because we will have learnt many lessons. We will smile more. Sending peace x

Let me put this bluntly. The economy is not driven by those who have the least money. It is driven by those who have the money to provide work for the less well off.

1 in 5 people in the UK currently live in poverty, or put it the other way, 4 out of 5 people do not live in poverty. Even if that number doubles during the current crisis and I doubt it will go that high, the majority will still not be in poverty.

When the crisis ends many of those first back in work will be those in the poorest paid jobs in catering, leisure industries and retail.

Many of those working from home on full pay will have been saving money by having no transport costs, purchasing coffees, lunches etc. Just because a family has 2 wage owners and in these liberated days, this applies to almost any family it does not necessarily follow that the family is dependent on the second income to save it from starvation. There are plenty of very comfortably off 2 income families, both working currently from home.

Yes, there will be economic disruption after this crisis ends, but I do not see it being catastrophic or even long term. There will be winners and losers, there always is, and I do think there will be structural changes in the economy over the next 5 years as the full force of the accelerated development of digital economy during the crisis is developed further.

But overall I think it will have far less effect on the economy than the 2008 financial crisis.

And sorry, I am also upset and angry with those on this site who only a few weeks ago argued with those who were concerned about Corona. Do you recall the “it’s just a virus” “what is all the fuss about?” posts, the we oldies have been through worse posts. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Absolutely nobody is admitting to having had those views now.
Suddenly everyone reackons they "knew" this would happen since January, and have all been social distancing / isolation experts since then (just see the brits stuck abroad thread).

Yet just over 2 weeks ago posts were different, hairdressers and cafes were full.... how? If everyone was an expert with a crystal ball all along?

DD2 was born severely jaundiced due to a blood group incompatibility. She was kept in ICU for 5 days, naked, in an artificial sunlight machine/cot, only coming out 6 times a day for me to feed her. During these feeding times a baby boy was popped into the sunlight cot, but back to an ordinary cot when DD's feeding & washing was done. When I asked why he was only getting these short boosts I was told that they only had one machine and as the baby boy was unlikely to survive, priority was given to my DD who would survive with this treatment.

Gilly yes I know that doctors make decisions based on clinical need & outcomes, thank goodness. But Toby Young and others have suggested that age should be the main criterion.

The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe! Never mind the UK

The vast majority of its employees rely on 2nd incomes either from partners or tax credits or other sources, just to get by!
They will not easily absorb the hit. They wont make ends meet if their household income drops much further

This is the case for huge huge numbers of people

Bring it on. Let’s all get through this and celebrate when it’s all over. We have to be optimistic. We’ve got used to traffic jams and heavy traffic, and we will again. In the meantime, enjoy the peace and the drop in pollution.

Well that’s rubbish, thank you JaneA I hadn’t realised just what he said . When my DH was in a small 7 bay ICU last year the doctors reviewed everyone, everyday and difficult , heartbreaking decisions were made. None were based on age or my DH would’ve been first to go . Sorry to be so blunt but I lived in fear of being “taken into the little room” for fear of what was coming next .

No point in thinking ahead as we are in unknown territory. I'm simply putting one foot in front of the other to get through one day at a time. As mom used to say, "What doesn't break you makes you stronger." My response was usually, "I honestly think I'm strong enough now mom!"

Reflecting on the original poster's comment about chaos I think, in the same way if one has been off sick for a time, the Government or whoever the powers that be at that time, should implement a phased return to some sort of normality. If not, surely it's all going to happen again albeit that some will have built up an immunity against the dreaded coronavirus.

Gosh this post almost had me heading to put my head in the gas oven! There are positives out there.
Some workers on furlough may learn to do jobs around the house instead of using tradesmen or cook meals rather than rely on takeaways.
Others are learning to be creative with less items being available in shops.
Making entertainment in the home.
Those working from home are not buying overpriced snacks and coffee
If they carry on they may find spending to excess is not all its cracked up to be which should help in the future.
I for one am glad to see families spending more time together

me to marpau

perhaps we shouldn`t speculate? after all that is what we are doing

define Normal!

my silly sense of humour!

I, for one, intend to party like it's 1999 again. And if I kill myself crashing to the floor after drunkenly doing the cancan on a pub table - well, what a way to go!

It's the mad surge to parks, seaside, cafes, clothing stores I consider. There won't be a parking space anywhere!

Just because the NHS is the largest employer in Europe, the fact remains that it does not account for more than 50% of the Uk working population and many of its staff, doctors administrators etc are well paid.

notanan you are doing what all the virus deniers were doing a fortnight ago. Thankfully I never denied or dismissed the virus, but I happily admit, while going into purdah several days before the official start day, I did wait until my car had had a safety repair it was booked in for and I used that time to stock up - not with food but with garden supplies and DIY materials.

I do find many people on GN are real Job's comforters, only happy when they are predicting doom and disaster.

We now have so many people on earth that we are damaging the eco system yet in the past humankind has faced numerous catastrophes that make our current one look like a chimps teaparty. yet they survived and thrived. I see no reason why we should not do so now.

I admit to saying and still hold the view that it's just a virus. Most of us will get a milder version that may or may not put us in bed for a few days. Some will have it and not notice. The more unfortunate will get it badly and need medical intervention and sadly, as with all viruses, some will die.

I'm not playing down the fact that some will die. It's a terrible situation and we must do all that we can to keep that to a minimum by protecting those most at risk. Hence we need lockdown to continue as long as it needs to.

This is a totally new virus and so very few people, if any, will be immune to it. That's the reason it is spreading like wildfire. A couple of weeks ago I said it's not the Black Death and I stand by that.

It will be a different world, Shops will have disappeared, different attitudes will prevail. Some friends will be no longer - it will be all change.

My DS and 2 grandsons Skyped me last night, it was so lovely seeing their little faces, and as DS has actually just recovered from the virus it made it even more special. I felt quite tearful afterwards, it really makes you realise how lucky we are just to be able to jump in a car and visit loved ones. This virus certainly grounds us all.

JaneA Toby Young frankly is the worst of us. He believes in eugenics and his comments on this problem (essentially that the economy matters more than the odd 100,000 lives) are totally in character. There are growing calls, particularly from the US to put the economy first.
I wish he could be ignored but unfortunately his views are listened to by people in power. He was head of the New Schools Network until public pressure forced him to resign.
Steve Hilton (Cameron's ex adviser who was one of the prime movers of austerity) is now advising Trump and he came up with the phrase 'the cure is worse than the problem' to persuade Trump to announce that the lock down could end in 2 weeks. After the backlash Trump said that it was only a hope. Steve Hilton and Toby Young seem to have a number of connections and both have the same obnoxious views. The last think the world needs is Steve Hilton's mouth to Trump's ear.

Marjgran sending best wishes to your D and hoping she soon fully recovers.

I’m trying to just take each day as it comes and not worry too far ahead. Going over and over in your mind, especially about worst case scenarios, is just weakening your mental health and dragging you down. It won’t be helpful when the future needs to be rebuilt and working together will be vital.

eazybee I appreciated your post.

I wonder what Toby Young's view will be when he is over 70.

Years ago, at a meeting, a young man about 25 was shouting about rights for the young. He said in 10 years there will be even more of us.
Someone called out from the audience 'but not you chum ' !!!!

So far we still have food, water, electricity, gas, petrol - things are nowhere as bad as they were for people during the War and many people are managing very well. Sadly there are the idiots who have panic bought and stripped shelves of products at the supermarkets and are now throwing these out of date and uneaten food items away. Supermarkets have to take the blame for most of that - they could have rationed items from the start but, pardon me for being cynical - all are reporting record profits - hmmmh - not in their interests to deter excess shopping really, is it? My grandchildren haven't complained about missing anything - they are in touch with their friends on a daily basis by phone and internet, they speak to their other Grandparents by phone (they don't do Skype) and I have just ordered birthday cards and flowers for them for their other Grandma using my online account. Grandson has got used to shop pizza rather than eating out at the well known chain of pizza restuarants! We can still order takeaway too. What I am missing is speaking to people face to face and our weekly volunteer meeting on a Wednesday, so looking forward to that again once it is safe to meet up. People are realising how unappreciated our NHS workers and truck drivers/store staff/delivery services/taxi drivers/carers have been, and how greedy big business bosses like Branson and the like are. I hope they remember that when things get back to normal.