Covid-19, yes I am another person talking about it!

At the start I wasn’t worried at all about this, to be fair I’m still not overly worried now. I’m clean, I wash my hands and practice good hygiene. That prevents a huge amount of the spread. But what I am feeling is frustration and anger towards the government.

So far they haven’t really done much. There is a huge lack of information and everyone is left making their own conclusions and causing panic.

Those that know me well have heard this over and over but the governments guideline for travel are bizarre!!!

They have broken it down into 2 categories. Anyone travelling to Category 1 countries - China (Wuhan and Hubei presence only), Iran, some of south Korea and Italy, must self isolate on their return for 14 days. This I get and is how it should be.

Now it’s the Category 2 countries that puzzle me. Have done since the start really. If you return from a country on the category 2 list then you need to self isolate ONLY if you show symptoms.

The countries include, but aren’t limited to, Macau, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand (where I am supposed to be going at Easter, hence my interest).

I don’t understand why these places are on the list. Macau at the time of writing this has 0 active cases, yes thats right, 0!! It had 10 but they have all recovered. Vietnam has 39, Myanmar has never had a case and Thailand has only 70.

Again, if you have visited these countries and have symptoms on your return then you need to self isolate.

Now nowhere on the government website or in the guidelines does it mention any European countries. And it is apparently being updated daily?!?

For days cases in countries like Spain, France and Germany have been rising quickly and now sit well above any of the category 2 countries I listed. Yet despite this anyone from the U.K. is allowed to travel freely and have not been advised to self isolate if they have symptoms. This blows my mind.  What exactly are the government waiting for?

I didn’t expect them to put the country on lock down straight away, although this feels imminent now, but where’s the advice? Simple things like avoid travelling if you can, avoid large gatherings etc. The only advice on when to call 111 is if you have been to Category 1/2 countries and have symptoms or been in direct contact with someone that has. Surely this has to change.

Wouldn’t it have made sense that, even a week ago, anyone that has a fever and a dry cough should call 111 to get advice. Especially if they have been on public transport or to any large events.

I was shocked last night to see that a Liverpool match at Anfield allowed supporters from Madrid (Spain currently has over 2000 cases) to freely enter the country and grounds to watch the match. A stadium filled with up to 50,000 people?!? That to me is crazy!

Anyway, now I’ve gotten that off my chest I

will sit and wait for the announcement that schools are closing and all large events have to be cancelled. My guess is that we will be in lock down by Monday!

Stay safe people and wash your hands....with soap!! 😜

(Details correct at the time of writing - 11.47 12/03/2020)