How’s everyone doing ?

[Sniffer]

Another "key worker" here working longer hours than usual processing all the new benefit claimants. There are a lot of very worried people out there unsure how they are going to pay their bills.

On a plus note I managed to get some loo roll yesterday. The panic buying seems to have eased by the time I get to Tesco after work.

[PhoenixUnited]

Going to work every day in the NHS where things are surreal in so many ways and so many extraordinary things going on. There is plenty being written and described about the situation at the sharp, clinical end which is unsurprising. However let me tell you about some of the other stranger than strange things that are noticeable - to me anyway - which some might think are mundane

The hospital corridors are empty, car parks with loads of spaces, all sorts of colleagues doing all sorts of different work in the effort to effect and help with changes to cope with changing needs of the service, a quiet hush around the place as people are rushing about the place trying very hard to maintain social distance and simply getting on with it as there is no other choice. Also there is really a sense of togetherness in the workplace from top to bottom and sideways on. More than ever there is no telling what tomorrow will bring. These are the random things going through my mind. Head down and getting on with it.

These are indeed very strange times.

Thank you for the sterling work.
I'm a key worker but don't feel like one as I'm not exposing myself anywhere near as much as most .. please pardon the expression.

By the way, I just had a chuckle when I saw your status on the right under your avatar - seems highly appropriate at the moment

Cheers Rigger - I think the status has only just changed but it is apt indeed
The other thing to remember is that whilst the clinicians - doctors, nurses and the like deserve every single drop of praise and appreciation that they get, there is a whole army of people like porters, domestics, catering staff maintenance , security etc. etc. that are part of the team without whom the whole thing would simply not work. Also, that is just in the hospitals. Out in the community there are general practices, social services, the local council with an endless variety of people who are getting in there and doing their bit. I take my hat off to them.

[johnh]

Going to work every day in the NHS where things are surreal in so many ways and so many extraordinary things going on. There is plenty being written and described about the situation at the sharp, clinical end which is unsurprising. However let me tell you about some of the other stranger than strange things that are noticeable - to me anyway - which some might think are mundane

The hospital corridors are empty, car parks with loads of spaces, all sorts of colleagues doing all sorts of different work in the effort to effect and help with changes to cope with changing needs of the service, a quiet hush around the place as people are rushing about the place trying very hard to maintain social distance and simply getting on with it as there is no other choice. Also there is really a sense of togetherness in the workplace from top to bottom and sideways on. More than ever there is no telling what tomorrow will bring. These are the random things going through my mind. Head down and getting on with it.

These are indeed very strange times.

Many thanks PhoenixUnited to you and your colleagues. I think one of the good things to come out of this will be the way the NHS is treated in the future. I am confident that this will be reflected in more respect, more consideration and more investment. (Though I think the respect has always been there.)

[mapperleywhite]

Going to work every day in the NHS where things are surreal in so many ways and so many extraordinary things going on. There is plenty being written and described about the situation at the sharp, clinical end which is unsurprising. However let me tell you about some of the other stranger than strange things that are noticeable - to me anyway - which some might think are mundane

The hospital corridors are empty, car parks with loads of spaces, all sorts of colleagues doing all sorts of different work in the effort to effect and help with changes to cope with changing needs of the service, a quiet hush around the place as people are rushing about the place trying very hard to maintain social distance and simply getting on with it as there is no other choice. Also there is really a sense of togetherness in the workplace from top to bottom and sideways on. More than ever there is no telling what tomorrow will bring. These are the random things going through my mind. Head down and getting on with it.

These are indeed very strange times.

PU - as you may or may not know I just finished a course of daily medical treatments over a period of three weeks. I can totally confirm your report about the hospital ambience. At the start it was very much 'business as usual' but last week it went suddenly to being, as you say, a quiet hush. I had to take the 'tug' and was driven through a large swathe of Nottingham City Hospital and it was largely void of people.

We can only salute you and all the NHS staff who are exposing themselves to the current risk from the bottom of our hearts.

Thank you

[mapperleywhite]

Overall we're doing ok. We have food, toilet rolls and Waitrose just delivered some sea bream on offer

About 10 days ago we phoned one of Mrs MW's schools to explain that she wouldn't be coming in because one of the staff there had shown symptoms of Covid-19. Our rationale was that I'd just finished my treatment so we didn't want her bringing it home, and it was agreed to immediately.The same day Mrs MW spoke to her other two schools' supervisors and my take is she didn't get any clear guidance on what to do either verbally or subsequentally in writing.

Today a former supervisor of hers, a good friend, posted on Facebook that people who are employed by organizations that are still operating (eg NCC) will not get 80% of their salary but should claim sick pay and it can only be claimed 7 days retrospectively.

Knowing NCC they will shaft all their employees to the far end and blame the Tories.

[Mr Russell]

We are in Level 3 lockdown here but to me that means not very much as i work for the NSW Health Service (well actually Hunter New England but really they all the same) and have to go into work Monday to Friday.

My Department Drug & Alcohol are an essential service so the last 3 week have been complete madness as we have had to adjust to the COVID, this week is better but only as we have split our team into 2 areas as if one team goes down then we have a back up but i think there will be a 3rd team soon.

The roads are way quieter which is handy as i really hate driving at the best of time but some New Model Army on the CD player helps me along the way to work.

We are about 2-3 weeks behind Europe but our government has made mostly good decisions and are trying to flatten the curve which so far has worked and our infections in the past week have actually gone down most days but there have been awful errors like where they allowed the cruise ship (Ruby Princess) in and did not check the passengers, a third of the 18 deaths have actually come off that ship. Then there were a conference of 33 doctors who came home to Australia and ignored the 14 days isolation period as well the idiots who went to Bondi/St Kilda beaches to get a sun tan, fools the lot of them!!!!!!

My weekends are a bit more restricted but a huge plus is I get to spend more time with my daughter but sadly our holiday in early May has been cancelled, we were going down the South Coast of NSW just past Wollongong, maybe in November if its all over by then

Basically plodding along, sinking a few beers (not right now at work) and being Leeds United/football deficient.

[kk white]

Being completely selfish here, but I've never been as busy. I'm an Engineer in a medical company, so we have to attend work. Hundreds of staff are working from home, leaving us with skeleton support. Getting really p'd off lately.

Family doing ok at home tho. My wife no longer works, so she is at home full time anyway.

10 and 7 year old kids getting cabin fever, but Daddy coming home to play at 7pm is the highlight of their day ... but it's very tiring, as I leave for work at 5am.

Final year of University too... Roll on May when exams are over.

How's that selfish mate?

Just a personal moan ANS, when I know so many unfortunate people have it much worse.

Brother in law very ill at the moment. Being tested tomorrow. His 7 year old daughter has Scarlett Fever so immune system is low and his wife is 6 months pregnant... They have 4 kids under 7 already!

[NottinghamWhite]

From Burley Banksy

[Barlow Boy]

Going to work every day in the NHS where things are surreal in so many ways and so many extraordinary things going on. There is plenty being written and described about the situation at the sharp, clinical end which is unsurprising. However let me tell you about some of the other stranger than strange things that are noticeable - to me anyway - which some might think are mundane

The hospital corridors are empty, car parks with loads of spaces, all sorts of colleagues doing all sorts of different work in the effort to effect and help with changes to cope with changing needs of the service, a quiet hush around the place as people are rushing about the place trying very hard to maintain social distance and simply getting on with it as there is no other choice. Also there is really a sense of togetherness in the workplace from top to bottom and sideways on. More than ever there is no telling what tomorrow will bring. These are the random things going through my mind. Head down and getting on with it.

These are indeed very strange times.

Thank you to you, and every single one of your colleagues for all you are doing mate

[Deleted User 728]

Two things about the pandemic situation that really make me wonder about the human race :

- Chancers and scammers taking advantage
- Conspiracy theories

The former I'm loathe to even discuss, but the latter really amaze me.
You've got real medical doctors writing pieces and uploading vlogs from around the world on what's going on where they are - one particularly eye-opening view from a British GP really made me think yesterday. Why do we need crackpots telling us it's some government plan to destabilise the economy (the Chinese), increase their grip on world power (the US) or to reduce the dependent population (the UK) ??

I know people have got time on their hands but why don't they do something more enjoyable.

Speaking of which, I wonder how many babies born in late 2020/early 2021 will actually be called "Corona" ??