NHS Volunteering..

[Smudge]

Yes, I grasp that.

That's why the quotes in my post are from the extremely vulnerable guidance, which is the guidance you are under.

Matter for you, of course.

This is from the gov website that i was directed to in the letter i was sent......

What is shielding?
Shielding is a measure to protect extremely vulnerable people by minimising interaction between those who are extremely vulnerable and others. This means that those who are extremely vulnerable should not leave their homes, and within their homes should minimise all non-essential contact with other members of their household. This is to protect those who are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) from coming into contact with the virus.

If you think you have a condition which makes you extremely vulnerable or have received a letter from NHS England you are strongly advised to shield yourself, to reduce the chance of getting coronavirus (COVID-19) and follow the face-to-face distancing measures below.

The measures are:

1. Strictly avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough.
2. Do not leave your house.
3. Do not attend any gatherings. This includes gatherings of friends and families in private spaces, for example, family homes, weddings and religious services.
4. Do not go out for shopping, leisure or travel and, when arranging food or medication deliveries, these should be left at the door to minimise contact.
5. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media.

Do use telephone or online services to contact your GP or other essential services.

We know that stopping these activities will be difficult. You should try to identify ways of staying in touch with others and participating in your normal activities remotely from your home. However, you must not participate in alternative activities if they involve any contact with other people.

This advice will be in place for at least 12 weeks from the day you receive your letter.

 

[Pale Rider]

Yes, this quote is from the similar PHE document in my link:

"You are strongly advised to stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for a period of at least 12 weeks from the day you receive your letter. Please note that this period of time could change."

You are under 'strong advice' to stay in for 12 weeks.

The rest of us are under compulsion to stay in for three weeks, apart from a daily exercise period and to get food and medical supplies.

That's why for the rest of us there is no mention of food parcels because the expectation is we will continue to source that ourselves.

We are also under the threat of fines, but you are not because you are under 'strong advice', not compulsion.

Clearly, your strong advice lies on top of our compelled instructions, which you are still subject to.

Thus you can decline the strong advice by getting food, but still be in compliance with the three week compulsions.

 

[DRM]

I had someone call me from a local foodbank yesterday, saying there was a voucher there for me and someone would be delivering a food parcel.
I am not someone that needs a foodbank, this is for people that cannot afford food. I was under the impression that the government would be organising food for the 1.5 million people like myself that have to shield themselves totally. I've even read the army would be involved.
The food was delivered to me in two carrier bags. Now i dont like to complain about free food given to me, but it was just tins of cheap basic label stuff like beans, tinned chopped ham, tinned rice pudding. A pack of pasta. 1L carton of long life milk, Tinned soup, tin of tuna. Tinned carrots and mushy peas. One toilet roll.
No fruit or fresh veg, no fresh meat, no bread, no eggs, no fresh milk. I cant be expected to live on stuff like this for 12 weeks or longer.
There is a massive amount of decent and fresh food out there, i don't even want it for nothing, i'm more that happy to pay for it. I don't expect fois gras and fillet mignon, but if you aren't going to give me food that is healthy and nutritious, then i'm going to have to leave my house and get it myself.

You should have refused to accept it and send it to someone who really needs it, I think you would feel that that would be the right thing to do if you knew about the families my other half had been trying to get food parcels to who quite literally have nothing, then being abused by shoppers whilst trying to buy food to send out to them, no wonder she came home and sat in floods of tears, they did everything possible to get anything, yet what you got delivered was luxury, it just sounds bloody ungrateful

 

[Smudge]

You should have refused to accept it and send it to someone who really needs it, I think you would feel that that would be the right thing to do if you knew about the families my other half had been trying to get food parcels to who quite literally have nothing, then being abused by shoppers whilst trying to buy food to send out to them, no wonder she came home and sat in floods of tears, they did everything possible to get anything, yet what you got delivered was luxury, it just sounds bloody ungrateful

I would have quite happily told them to give it to someone else, but i never had the chance. They just left it on my doorstep, rang the bell and left before i had time to answer the door.
I dont need to use a foodbank, i shouldn't have been given it.
I'm trying to comply with total shielding, but i'm not going to eat unhealthy food. If they wont bring me healthy food like fresh food, then i will go out and get it myself.
I never asked for foodbank food, so afaic i've nothing to be ungrateful about.

 

[DRM]

Well send it back!!!

 

[Smudge]

Well send it back!!!

You can have it if you want it, especially as you think its 'luxury' food.

 

[nickyboy]

@Smudge

Leaving the house to get food if you are well enough to do so isn't against the shielding advice, because that's what it is, advice.

Quoting from the shielding document:

"Shielding is for your personal protection. It is your choice to decide whether to follow the measures we advise."

Rejecting all of it by carrying on as before would be taking the wee, but reducing pressure on stretched resources by obtaining your own food is, I reckon, being more socially responsible, not less.

As the document says, the measures are for your protection.

If you practise social distancing while shopping, you are causing no greater risk to others.

Get yourself down to Morrisons - it's nice and quiet in there.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ng-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Poor advice. If you consider locations where someone is now likely to catch the virus, supermarkets are high on the list

Here's an example. I went to Aldi this morning. They were limiting numbers going in the store which was good. Those outside queued 2m apart, also good. Then they went to pick up a trolley and proceeded to do their shopping. Those trolleys were disinfected first thing (employee told me). Since they they have been used by several shoppers.

So unless you're wearing gloves, disinfecting the handles you're effectively shaking hands with several customers. Even if you wear gloves if you don't disinfect the handle you transfer the virus from your gloves to your produce

Really, if you're high risk, don't go to a supermarket. Get someone else to go. And if you do, wipe down the packaging of the produce bought

 

[Drago]

Even if you wear gloves you won't have been trained how to remove them without contaminating yourself, unless you've been in the Army or are a CBRN trained copper.

 

[nickyboy]

Even if you wear gloves you won't have been trained how to remove them without contaminating yourself, unless you've been in the Army or are a CBRN trained copper.

Exactly, going to the supermarket in a way that makes sure you don't pick up the virus from surfaces is really tricky and must be avoided by those at high risk. What do you think is the best approach for the rest of us? I'm thinking cleaning the trolley handles with alcohol-based wipes is probably most effective (just gloves means you t/f the virus from the handle to your produce)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Exactly, going to the supermarket in a way that makes sure you don't pick up the virus from surfaces is really tricky and must be avoided by those at high risk. What do you think is the best approach for the rest of us? I'm thinking cleaning the trolley handles with alcohol-based wipes is probably most effective (just gloves means you t/f the virus from the handle to your produce)

Virus will be on the products as well

 

[gavroche]

How long does the virus survive on surfaces?

 

[DRM]

I never said it was luxury, it would seem like a luxury to someone who has nothing, and I mean nothing, I’m not putting the full tale on here, but if you knew it, you’d be ashamed of yourself

 

[nickyboy]

How long does the virus survive on surfaces?

It varies a lot depending on the surface. Hard, smooth surfaces (like metals, glass, plastics) it survives the longest. Soft, irregular surfaces (like clothes, cardboard) is survives the shortest. There is a lot of research ongoing. Seems like it's potentially "several days" for the hard surfaces and "up to a day" on the soft surfaces
So you have to think about whether your food packaging may carry the virus. Having said that, in Aldi this morning, all staff were wearing gloves to stack the shelves. I'd be surprised if the product had been touched before then

 

[Blue Hills]

I had someone call me from a local foodbank yesterday, saying there was a voucher there for me and someone would be delivering a food parcel.
I am not someone that needs a foodbank, this is for people that cannot afford food. I was under the impression that the government would be organising food for the 1.5 million people like myself that have to shield themselves totally. I've even read the army would be involved.
The food was delivered to me in two carrier bags. Now i dont like to complain about free food given to me, but it was just tins of cheap basic label stuff like beans, tinned chopped ham, tinned rice pudding. A pack of pasta. 1L carton of long life milk, Tinned soup, tin of tuna. Tinned carrots and mushy peas. One toilet roll.
No fruit or fresh veg, no fresh meat, no bread, no eggs, no fresh milk. I cant be expected to live on stuff like this for 12 weeks or longer.
There is a massive amount of decent and fresh food out there, i don't even want it for nothing, i'm more that happy to pay for it. I don't expect fois gras and fillet mignon, but if you aren't going to give me food that is healthy and nutritious, then i'm going to have to leave my house and get it myself.

take care smudge
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/cooking_with_tins

tins can be good for mixing into stuff - even small bits of cheap meat for flavour - we should be eating less meat anyway.

agree you need more veg though - plum tomatoes very handy - often very cheap from london street markets - can be frozen - do you have local markets folk can get to for you?

 

[Smudge]

I never said it was luxury, it would seem like a luxury to someone who has nothing, and I mean nothing, I’m not putting the full tale on here, but if you knew it, you’d be ashamed of yourself

Nope, not ashamed of myself at all. I've had enough cash strapped periods in my life where i've had to eat tasteless unhealthy crap food. I'm not eating it now. I never even asked for it in the first place.
And if you want to pontificate about those that have to use foodbanks, then complain to the government that cause the issue of food poverty, not me.