think of others too

I am writing this from a number of standpoints, not only as a designated key worker. In my job I care for a number of vulnerable adults who are now in lock down in their private community. Luckily they have enclosed gardens and space to move around. If one of them gets ill within one of the households they will all need to stay indoors together. That means people with severe learning delay and autism among other things will be kept together.

They understand basic hygiene but all need constant reminders, staff will do their best as always to remind them. Unfortunately they cant always be followed around with disinfectant and cant be filled with drugs to prevent infections. If someone brings in an infection like corona it will spread before we know its there. Many residents cant explain they feel ill so we have to see it in them. This will also apply in many nursing and care homes around the world. People with Alzheimer's for example wont be able to explain what's wrong.

Next I speak as a parent of 2 disabled children, one in a care home like the one I work in. Again staff will remind him about personal hygiene and hand washing but he also wont be followed round his house. He lives half a mile from a lake that's supposed to have a minimum of people, also 5 miles from what should be an empty beach. Instead both sites are packed with idiots, all close to each other and not taking any precautions. The same applies for a beach near where I live.

If someone gets infected they will infect around 2 people according to estimates, those 2 will infect 2 each making 4 more, 4 infect 2 making 8 and so on. So I could be taking care not to get infected so my clients are safe, someone else could be also taking care but get infected by the idiots treating this all like a public holiday. Your trip to the beach could make numerous people seriously ill and you could in fact be killing people. There's a chance you will kill family members but more likely people you wont know about.

You might miss the guilt you deserve if it's someone else that suffers. I also have to include precautions for my relatives aged over 70, including one needing surgery. I am needed to care and transport family and clients to urgent appointments while keeping them safe. If I get infected I could be killing them.

Its a pain to stay home but with all the gadgets and gizmos around there's enough to do. the shops wont close so stop stupid hoarding of food, depriving vulnerable people. Think of others and think what people will think of you after this is over. They will remember those that carried on as if nothing was going on, those who arranged parties, those who hoarded supplies.

think of others and be a good person, or if you already are then be a better person. I will keep working until either its over or I get ill. Think of me as one example but also consider the thousands like me who will risk serious illness or death to help countries to continue. It will be hard but it will get better, have some patience and above all some common sense.

Thinking it's a low risk infection is dangerous. I saw it illustrated well on line earlier. If you were told that it was a three in a hundred chance you would get it you might consider it a risk to take. If I was to offer you a hundred sweets and told you three will make you ill, how comfortable would you feel eating them. Estimates I heard were one in a thousand may die based on present statistics. Again might seem an ok risk but I will also say if you think every 2 or 3 average length roads will have a death, or a medium size company will then have one or a fair size school will have one. Does that amke it any easier.