Posted on 03/15/2020 4:03:22 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Every Briton over the age of 70 will be told "within the coming weeks" to stay at home for an extended period to shield them from coronavirus Health Secretary Matt Hancock says.
He told the BBC the rules will not come into force just yet but when it does it will last "a very long time".
The government has faced pressure to do more to tackle the epidemic after the UK death toll rose to 21 on Saturday.
All deaths so far have been of people over 60 or with underlying conditions.
Over-70s - and younger people with certain health conditions - will be told they must remain at home and have groceries and vital medication delivered.
The health secretary was asked by the BBC's Andrew Marr when the new requirement - reported to last as long as four months - would begin.
He said: "I'm not going to go into any more detail on the timings because we want to be ready to say that when we judge, based on the scientific advice, that the time has come."
"We know that when you ask people to do this sort of thing that they tire of it, it also has negative impacts," he added.
And speaking of broader measures designed to combat the virus, Mr Hancock warned: "Every single person in this country is going to be affected and they are going to have to do things."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Well, at 69, I am still 9 months out from 70 so they can piss off on any forced quarantine. In fact, they can piss off regardless. I’ll still be going into work, going about my daily activities. I am in good health and have weathered a lot worse.
Good suggestion.
Congrats on the wedding. Best wishes for years of happiness together.
Seriously?What about the over-70s who are still trail-running, cycling 100-mile+ events, skiing, fellwalking, rock-climbing, wild swimming or just walking the dogs every day?
Plenty of all these here in the UK, I can assure you.
OK. So take that away from them, so they can go down hill. But at least they won’t get Corona.
Congratulions on your upcoming marriage.
our life style is very similar to hours, and we will work to keep ours that way.
Let me try that again:
Your life style is very similar to ours, and we will work to keep it that way.
Thank you. I wish you continued longevity and a quality life at that. Forced quarantine can be a death sentence for many elders.
The older I get, and I am not that old, the more I prefer just hanging out at home but rarely alone.
Maybe if we saw the data on age, underlying health problems, smoking and obesity status of those who have died from this corona virus, people could make educated decisions about self-quarantining. If the data shows that a statistically significant number of people over 70 with no health conditions are dying, that would be useful to know. On the other hand, if all, (or most) of those who are dying have underlying health problems, are smokers or are obese, that would say something else.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Good grief. Don’t give my dictator Governor any ideas. (NC)................................................
My governor (IL) just closed every restaurant and bar in the state. A mayor in one of our cities banned the sale of guns and ammo.
The first time was for life. That was 47 years.
..............................................
My wife also passed away in 2018 (Oct 27) I’m 74 and that , without a doubt, is the worst thing I’v ever had to deal with, still dealing with it.
All those restaurants will go out of business and their employees will lose their jobs.
I hope this doesn’t happen in all 50 states.
You have my sympathy. It is a horrible loss.
I feel blessed to have found someone who I love deeply to go forward with. She understands my loss and has had her own losses.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.