The link I posted earlier set out very well what should have been done to prepare the public and mitigate the effects on people psychologically and on businesses logistically. It made clear how the vital time bought by the initial attempts at containment should have been spend. But instead most of that breathing time has been squandered; and it wouldn’t surprise me if HMG doubles down and wastes most of what is left also.
Ed, perhaps I was mistaken and the BBC did not post re the Drive Thru’s. Your search seems to suggest I did. Perhaps it was the papers I first read about it in. I always check all front pages just before midnight, so that could be the case.
Anyway, as I’ve been saying for some time now we should all have been making our own preparations as far as is possible; not least by ensuring we have sufficient food supplies to last a very sustained lock-down. Plus have sourced at the very least some basic Personal Protective Equipment in case we have no option but to go out.
I consider such basic PPE to include masks, googles, gloves, pocket sized sanitizer gel and hooded wear. You can usually pick up clear plastic ponchos designed for emergency rainwear use in discount or pound stores and of course they can be rinsed off and wiped down with sanitizer gel on returning home and therefore allowing re-use. Alternatively normal hoodies can be hot washed.
As yet I am seeing no clear signs in the shops that more than a tiny number are stocking up for a lock-down. Truly no real sign real of extra food being brought so HMG has clearly done a good job instilling relative apathy. That means that when the panicdoes start it will be last minute and frantic with folks buying whatever they can buy (in volume) rather than merely what they have rationally worked out that they will need. In other words by ensuring that there will be last minute panic rather than an earlier considered response. HMG has guaranteed that shortages in the shops will be even worse. Once the virus takes off in earnest here and given how infectious this virus is I can well imagine that if the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Iceland have an asymptomatic infected driver at one of their distribution centres that whole centre could rapidly be non-operational because everyone self-isolates. With companies pretty much universally working JIT models the supermarkets would be empty of most items especially non-perishables and perishables within 48 to 72 hours. This is pretty much what happened in Hong Kong.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
During the Covid-19 Epidemic I will be wearing a mask and goggles while posting so that if I become infected I won't spread it to you.
.
