The New Criminal Elderly
Stay Inside!
With coronavirus around, the elderly (which apparently includes me, though I don't feel I have got to that stage yet) are being told to stay inside, along with people whose immune systems are weakened, for instance people with diabetes, cancer and other problems. People with severe ill health, such as those on immune suppressing drugs, such as people who have received transplants, have received letters from the government telling them to stay inside for 12 weeks and self-isolate. The others are supposed to listen to government bulletins and stay inside for at least 3 weeks, which may be extended to 3 months!
Allowed Outside
People are allowed out if they are essential workers going to and from work, for one lot of exercise a day, to get one food shop a day or if helping someone else who is self-isolating. This is not supposed to include the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
Healthy Elderly
I am healthy. I get plenty of exercise and exercise is supposed to keep the immune system working properly. I am also discovering a rebel streak. I don't want to stay inside. Well, actually, I do because the computer is a great "draw" but I know exercise is good for me, so we made an escape yesterday and today and took a long walk each day. As we did a circuit each time (but in different places), we were technically no further than 2 Km from the house at any time, as the crow flies but the authorities would have needed some fleet of foot officers to follow where we went! We met only a few people on our walks and you would have thought we were ringing the leper bell, because they leapt aside when they saw us, even though we kept 6 feet from them. We were concerned because at some points we were beside a road and they jumped out into the road and at another point we were by a cliff and we thought one runner was going to go over the barrier! I know no one wants to catch Covid-19 but it's a bit silly to risk a road accident or falling down a cliff to try and get further away than 6 feet!
Not Creating More Work
The government wants the elderly to stay in so they are less likely to catch the new coronavirus, because people over 70 are more likely to catch it badly and maybe need intensive care treatment and artificial ventilation. We understand that this should be kept for younger people who might need it. So we have told our offspring that we do not want ANY medical intervention of any kind if we get covid-19. If we survive, fine. If we don't survive, fine too. Too bad.
coronavirus , covid19 , stayinside
Image Credit » https://pixabay.com/photos/trail-path-mountains-hill-woods-867235/
Comments
VinceSummers wrote on April 7, 2020, 6:50 AM
I take a perspective that differs from yours, though I understand, believe me. I see disciplined (perhaps even totalitarian) countries are minimizing deaths and ones that emphasize personal rights are having a tougher time getting a firm grip on the situation. Now I'm not suggesting one government is better than another. I am suggesting, rather, that strict isolation is important. It's not to prevent our freedom, it's to protect the other fellow and minimize damage to Society.
The U.K. and the U.S. stress personal freedom. We'll see where that goes. Note that even though the countries cry out for personal freedom, the governments are urging, as you say, self-isolation. No, I'm staying in. The disease, when it hits you hard, is one horrible way to go.
MegL wrote on April 7, 2020, 1:38 PM
You are quite right. There may however be a bigger price to pay in illness AFTER coronavirus.
1There is a new piece of data suggesting that countries where the BCG vaccine (against Tuberculosis) was a normal part of the vaccine system are suffering fewer deaths. Will be watching this closely. The UK had a vaccination program for this when I was a child.
VinceSummers wrote on April 8, 2020, 12:54 PM
It's rather odd, being under (in effect) house arrest. Yet, I don't really mind it all that much. The thing I miss most is calling on people at their doors to offer to teach them the Bible. After that, it is my meetings. Other than for those things, I didn't go out much, anyway.
MegL wrote on April 8, 2020, 2:13 PM
I didn't think I went out an awful lot but it seems I was out a fair amount. I don't particularly miss going out but then, we have just spent two days in the garden doing heavy digging and weeding. The garden certainly needed it. We have a double pond, half of which looked overgrown and the whole of which looked untidy, to say the least. I think there is an article on here from long ago, showing how the pond was built. Well it needs as much work now in "renovating" it. My husband initiated the clearing work but he is not as strong now as he was 25 years ago when he built it. I find that heavy physical work is very good for me. I don't have as strong muscles as my husband but I can do a fair amount and at least take some of the labour away from him, so he doesn't get too worn out.
I found the original article it's here at http :// www . personapaper . com / article / 14059 - how - to - build - a - garden - pond Well, now imagine that looking completely overgrown with water plants, so you can't see any water and a shrubbery having grown up around the edges, hiding the bricks at the border of the pond. I have cleared part of the pond and have found quite a few frogs in there, which is good because I thought they had all gone. We both helped clear the surrounding border of brambles, shrub roses and heavy grass.
VinceSummers wrote on April 8, 2020, 3:08 PM
Nice. And don't you wish we'd receive all the comments like you did on that article, these days?