OT : The Coronavirus. Has it reached you yet? How are you?

She shouldn't be... Gie her a telling.

Wrong.

If infected you are 10x more likely to die of this than you are of influenza.

We have flu every year. Italy doesn't need to send 15 army trucks in to towns at night to take the dead away for mass cremation... It is happening with coronavirus, right now.

Put her on to me, I'll give her a talking to, one should be self-isolated Catholic to another.

edition.cnn.com/2020/03/19/health/new-jersey-coronavirus-family-members-killed/index.html

A New Jersey mother and her three adult children have died from coronavirus, and three more relatives are in hospital, after they had a family dinner together, according to US media.

Grace Fusco, 73, and three of her children died on Wednesday and Thursday. Three more of her children are now in hospital.

Nineteen family members are now self-isolating, according to family representative Paradiso Fodera, and have waited nearly a week to learn the results of their virus tests.

"Why don't the family members who are not hospitalised have the test results? This is a public health crisis," Ms Fodera told CNN. "Why should athletes and celebrities without symptoms be given priority over a family that has been decimated by this virus?"

You know what's the worst thing about being in a self-isolating category?

It's not being physically alone. I'm a hermit anyway.

It's not being unable to pop to the shop if you fancy say some crisps or something.

It's not being unable to do the charity shops for horror and kids animal film DVDs.

It's not that I now without thinking cross the road when someone walks towards me when I'm out walking the dogs.

It's not that I automatically wash my hands after dealing with the day's post.

It's not that I put on a disposable surgical glove to press buttons on the cashpoint machine, then carefully remove the glove without touching the outside.

That has quickly just become the new normal.

I will tell you what galls so it does.

When it snows, blackout, whatever, I am the person in our street who checks on the elderly and vulnerable, and makes sure they have what they need.

I sit their animals for them when they need it.

Now here I am, on the quarantine list for a long time, relying on others, feeling like a shirker because you know I feel alright.

That is what is hard... I know I'm doing my bit by self-isolating, but it's difficult you know... I want to be helping people in my community, not be a bystander.

Sorry, got that off my chest, self pitying over.

You tell your ma from me...

If you are on the self-isolating list, it's not just to protect you.

It's because if you are infected you are much more likely to need hospitalisation.

That clogs up the bed space, ventilators, and morgue space available. When you could have avoided it.

Yes it's a pain in the arris sure enough... but

By self isolating if appropriate, you are protecting your parish family, your wider community, and everyone.

It doesn't feel like it, but self isolating when requested is doing your bit.

It's not business as usual.

Neighbour sets up colour system for street
As more and more people go into self-isolation in the UK, people are coming up with new ways to keep in touch with their neighbours.

One man in Ripon, North Yorkshire, delivered red and green paper squares to the other houses in his street.

He wants his neighbours to display green squares in their windows if they are OK, or red if they need help such as medicines or supplies.

His neighbour, Beth Crompton, who posted the photo below, says: "Even if every house has green in the window it's nice when you look around the street to know everyone is OK."

And in Italy alone. Religious people have never been the rational ones...