thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Here's What You've Been Cooking During Coronavirus Self-Quarantine

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Like many of you, I’ve been practicing extreme social distancing as the spectre of an invisible threat looms outside. Because of the coronavirus, I’m not going to bars or restaurants, I’m certainly not hosting any dinners for my friends, and my trips outside have become short, anxiety-riddled affairs devoid of any human contact, if I can help it.
The problem is, this new lifestyle is antithetical to the one I lived a week ago, when the self-quarantining began in earnest here in New York City. My well-being revolves around the meals I enjoy in the company of people I know, and I’ve grown accustomed to having the outlet of food and friends available to me 24/7 (yes, I am spoiled, both emotionally and calorically). But much of the city’s social privileges were canceled overnight, and now we’re all staying indoors. For needy people like me, this is not ideal.
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Twitter We asked you to show us the meals you're making under quarantine. You delivered!
The self-care substitutes I’m left with are a fridge full of food ― thanks to an ill-advised fit of panic shopping ― and social media, the only place to unload emotional baggage onto my peers now that a global crisis has interrupted my dinner party plans.
So I cook at home, I post photos of my meals and I seek out inspiration from real home cooks because I have no idea how to put all these new ingredients together on my own. You all seem to be doing the same ― I’ve seen a lot more of your home cooking on Twitter since this isolating pandemic began, and your posts are truly helping to treat my social withdrawal.
So I asked you, the readers, to send me more of the meals you’re cooking from your new life under self-quarantine. I kicked the exercise off with the fancy grilled cheese sandwich I made, using kimchi, scallions and some leftover pulled pork:
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More of you are cooking now that you’re quarantined.
Show me the meals you’ve been making in isolation and tell me about them, and I’ll feature them in a @HuffPostLife story!
They don’t have to be beautiful or complex, just yours.
I’ll start. Pork/kimchi grilled cheese: pic.twitter.com/fz5PlMdTcf — Andy Campbell (@AndyBCampbell) March 18, 2020
Did I mention I’m an average cook with the palate of a stoned teenager? Luckily, I got some much-needed inspiration from your responses, which ranged from adorable Pinterest-ready family meals to unholy grey matter that looks like it may well outlive us in an apocalypse. I loved them all.
A good number of you are making tacos, which is a tried and true response to having a variety of produce and (in my case) no idea what to do with it:
Super tasty roasted cauli tacos, with refried beans in crispy cheese tortillas (learnt from Chef Shoe on @netflix) pic.twitter.com/Pa1Ut7gH1O — Martin Izzard (@Martin_Izzard) March 18, 2020
Slow cooked pork shoulder. So then I made tacos al pastor. And then breakfast tacos. pic.twitter.com/AfewifLFU5 — Erin Evans (@heyerinevans) March 18, 2020
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Carne adovada tacos pic.twitter.com/BOMz3dHVd6 — Jed Dolbeer (@jdolbeer) March 18, 2020
Some of you are doing what I did by cooking down bigger cuts of meat first to use in several meals. In my case, I threw a pre-smoked pork shoulder in the sous vide machine for 24 hours, preparing for a dinner party that was quickly and rightly canceled over coronavirus fears. You all seem more prepared:
When your supply chain is a 4x leader. Grilled trout caught on yours and my Public Lands. pic.twitter.com/c7ZHwOp1yT — John Wilson (@JWneural) March 18, 2020
Spicy pork loin. My mom’s traditional Christmas Eve dinner recipe. Decided not to wait until Christmas 😁 pic.twitter.com/YWqtCPMbVT — Liliana Triolet (@lilitriolet) March 18, 2020
Others are opting for hearty soups, which I would like to re-create myself, but I’m too intimidated.
Yours look pretty dang good, though:
Incidentally bought like 8 pounds of pork belly last weekend and I’ve been on a ramen kick before all this started, so here’s some curry ramen with chashu pic.twitter.com/GwL7oTMMFr — uncle dick in the deer stand (@cactus_flack) March 18, 2020
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Reheated ramen broth/noodles I bought from my fave local shop before it closed, added leftover corned beef + veggies + egg! pic.twitter.com/3CXJQy6nwQ — Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) March 18, 2020
Next up are the kitchen warriors I most identify with; those who opened the fridge, grabbed anything and everything they could find, and threw proteins and veggies on top of some starch with maybe some cheese or soy sauce.
You folks are out there experimenting and innovating when some of us don’t have the guts. I, for one, salute you for these creations:
Pre made lobster ravioli and frozen shrimp with spinach and lemon sauce! pic.twitter.com/Tx1kEbHWeG — Jamie Lavarnway (@jamie_lavarnway) March 18, 2020
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Instant pot sticky chicken thighs (my version). pic.twitter.com/9W1AdJ3nNS — Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) March 18, 2020
Cooked this South Indian eggplant dish to eat with rice / been cooking tons of comfort food everyday pic.twitter.com/tDPkzqDyP0 — Nandita Iyer😷🏃♀ (@saffrontrail) March 18, 2020
rice, broccoli rabe, purple cabbage, topped with hummus, avocado, toasted almonds, sriracha and soy sauce pic.twitter.com/QnL0S7FJAl — baze blackwood 🎤 (@bazeblackwood) March 18, 2020
pan fried polenta, kale, sautéed mushrooms, lil burrata, prosciutto, lemon juice, and a sh*t ton of parm grated on top! pic.twitter.com/3d9VEeqGpy — thot toddy (@savserif) March 18, 2020
Sorry it’s not pretty but it’s penne pasta with pesto, chicken, mozzarella, and kale pic.twitter.com/HgC2dZwWzY — Gen Z Correspondent (@askjunie) March 18, 2020
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Last but not least come the comfort foods. We all know we’re about to pack on a few pounds in the quarantine, and that’s OK!
You folks are leaning in, baking and frying using lots of butter and sour cream, and I want you to know that I support you:
Parm mac and cheese with spicy chicken pic.twitter.com/SxEyRhtATd — Darrrrrrren (@zeebotter) March 18, 2020
Pound cake French Toast with strawberries! pic.twitter.com/Y6hq0UV3pT — Scooter (@hi_its_scooter) March 18, 2020
Chicken nachos and a cranberry quarantini pic.twitter.com/0CJ4CAA7dH — Pat Collins (@PL_Coll) March 18, 2020
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Made this deli ring because the situation called for comfort food and calories be damned pic.twitter.com/9SqQcDTJU1 — Notalie Portman (@NotaliePortman) March 18, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--This Mother's Day, Spare A Thought For Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe And Her Daughter Gabriella

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Nazanin was granted a two-week temporary release until 4 April, four years and one day after she was arrested. Free Nazanin Campaign
Earlier this week, in the midst of a dramatic spike of coronavirus cases in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian mother, was temporarily released from prison along with thousands of other prisoners.
Nazanin’s release from the notorious Evin prison, where she has been held since 2016, was a relief. Several cases of coronavirus have been reported in the overcrowded prison, and Nazanin had complained of symptoms consistent with those caused by the virus. But the authorities had refused to test her, despite her fragile health. At least now Nazanin will be allowed to be with her parents rather than in jail at this time of terrible uncertainty.
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Nazanin was granted a two-week temporary release until 4 April, four years and one day after she was arrested with her 22-month old Gabriella as they were about to board a plane at Tehran airport. She has been required to wear an ankle tag during the furlough and her movements will be restricted to 300 metres from her parents’ home in Tehran, making her release more akin to house arrest.
“After her release on Tuesday, the first thing that Nazanin wanted to do was speak to Gabriella after school.”
On Sunday, Nazanin will spend another Mother’s Day away from her husband Richard and five-year-old daughter Gabriella, who now lives in London with her father. Last October the couple took the heart-breaking decision to send their daughter back to London to start school. This will be yet another family occasion that the family will have to mark apart. Richard spent last Father’s Day outside the Iranian embassy in London on hunger strike to demand Nazanin’s release, while his wife was herself on hunger strike in Evin prison.
After her release on Tuesday, the first thing that Nazanin wanted to do was speak to Gabriella after school. Gabriella showed Nazanin her dolls and her bedroom in London, with her new big girl’s bed. But the call was a bittersweet one, as Gabriella questioned why Nazanin had gone to stay with her grandparents and had not come home to her and her dad in London.
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Despite her temporary release, Nazanin’s case is as urgent as ever. This injustice has gone for too long. Nazanin’s health has deteriorated significantly since her arrest, and she is suffering from significant mental and other physical health issues, after having been held in precarious conditions that amount to torture under international law.
A previous three-day furlough granted to her in 2018 was so traumatic that Nazanin said that she preferred not to be temporarily released again. Not surprisingly, her family is extremely concerned about the impact that the psychological blow of returning to prison may have on her now.
Nazanin has been kept in inhumane conditions of detention for almost four years on unspecified charges, following a secret and unfair trial in 2016. She must be released immediately as there is no legal basis for her continued imprisonment. These calls from her family have been echoed by multiple human rights experts at the United Nations, who have described her case as a ‘mockery of justice’, the UK foreign secretary, the European parliament and many other bodies.
Recent threats such as the coronavirus outbreak shows that there is no time to wait. Swift action is necessary to prevent further risk to Nazanin and to ensure that she does not return to prison, but home to her family, where she belongs.
Eva Sanchis is Head of Communications at REDRESS, a human rights organisation acting as legal representatives for Nazanin and Richard Ratcliffe. REDRESS is currently raising funds through a crowdfunding campaign ’Help Bring Nazanin home’ to continue their work on Nazanin’s case and cases like hers.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--'The Biggest Cheerleader': Our Ode To Step Mums, On Mother's Day

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Step-mothers: they get a bad rap. From Cinderella and Snow White, to the unlikeable Baroness Von Schrader in The Sound of Music, they’re often portrayed as cold, useless, unfriendly – or downright evil.
But behind the unfavourable Disney portrayal, there’s a whole different story – one of joy, friendship and true love.
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On Mother’s Day, HuffPost UK spoke to daughters about the unbreakable bond they have with their step-mums.
Ponomariova_Maria via Getty Images
‘Before she got married to my father, we were already best friends’
Precious Gaza, 24, lives with her dad and step-mother Linda Gaza, 45, in Abuja, Nigeria
Precious Gaza Precious and Linda Gaza
“My step-mum came into my life when I was six years old. Before she got married to my father, we were already best friends! My dad used to drop me off after school at hers for babysitting. I guess that’s how they fell in love – so I pretty much had a hand in this marriage, because we were inseparable.
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“I’m now grown, and we’re still very good friends. We talk about almost everything – and have fights, too; like every mother-daughter relationship. She’s the kindest woman I know. I suffer from a blood condition called sickle cell disease, and she’s been my primary caretaker since I was a child. People who don’t know she’s my step-mum can’t even tell, because she loves me wholeheartedly. I love her too and feel blessed, every day, to be able to call her “mother”.
“I was recently speaking to my step-mum about overcoming ‘mum guilt’ and taking time to treat herself – so I booked her in to get a facial. After she’d finished, she went and got herself some shoes. She said retail therapy works – and she feels energised for the week. I love to see it!”
‘She is the glue that holds our family together’
Annabelle Wright, 26, lives in London. She recently went on a family holiday to France to celebrate her step-mother, Blair’s, 40th birthday
Annabelle Wright Annabelle Wright and her step-mother, Blair
“When I first met Blair, I was an awful teenager who was determined to not like my dad’s new girlfriend. Now, they’ve been married six years, together for more than a decade, and Blair is truly the glue that holds our family together.
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“I was hesitant to use the word ‘step-mum’ for a really long time, because I have a mum who is wonderful and raised me and my three siblings after my parents got divorced. But now I do, and she’s wonderful.
“Blair has never tried to be a ‘parent’ to me in the traditional sense. We have a funny story about the first holiday we went on as a family, where she asked me and my siblings to argue more quietly – but she is so many other things. She’s my mentor – she works in HR, so is my go-to for work advice, which was a godsend when I fist left university. She continues to encourage me to ask for more, and strive to be the best I can.
“I’m certain that without her, we wouldn’t be as close as a family, or as good at keeping in touch with our dad. She’s the person to get the diary out and plan exactly when we’ll all see each other next.
“She continues to encourage me to ask for more, and strive to be the best I can” - Annabelle Wright
“Blair is also always the first and last person on the dance floor! My friends are all envious of our family bottomless brunches or nights out, because her energy is infectious. I’m also in awe of her keeping her heels on, all night long!
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Mother’s Day Changes Forever When You Lose A Child. This Is How

Courtesy of the author In 2018, Malin lost her daughter, Consy, aged just four weeks.
When my mum was alive, I remember running into her bedroom each Mother’s Day morning to give her a handmade card and a freshly picked flower. She loved that, because she hated me spending money on her – given her big heart, she would always tell me to spend the money on myself instead. She was that kind of mum who would have nothing so that I could have everything.
My other memories of Mother’s Day, though, are just like my memories of any other day spent with my mum. I adored her so much, it wasn’t like I needed that one day to show her. And she showed me the same love every day too – which is why it hurts she’s no longer alive to comfort me for the Mother’s Day I’m about to experience.
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You see, for me this Mother’s Day comes after a long year of questioning whether I am – or if I ever really was – a mother. Why? Well, this year, I won’t be able to spend that quality time with my daughter, because my daughter is no longer alive. In fact, I never got to spend any quality time with Consy – just the four weeks I spent by her side at the NICU in Great Ormond Street Hospital. At least I had 25 beautiful years with my mum.
I’ve struggled to find any positive in not even being able to hold my baby daughter this Mother’s Day. People always say “you’re still a mum, you always will be” but, in my eyes, I need her here or that to be true. I need her here with me, where she belongs.
Courtesy of the author
You might ask why I don’t feel like a mum? Well, I never got to breastfeed Consy, instead I could only pump for days, with her taking it through a tube. I couldn’t even kiss Consy in fear I would transmit a cold. I couldn’t change her nappy or bath her – a nurse had to do that motherly routine for me. I never – never will – experience these things with her.
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So now, the thought of Mother’s Day brings me nothing but heartache. Last year was my first Mother’s Day alone, but it was just months after Consy’s death and felt like such a whirlwind, I didn’t even acknowledge the day at all. I was so numb with pain, I can only remember being sat in my apartment staring into space.
In an ideal world you get pregnant, build a nest for your baby, prepare its welcome and give birth. You and the father are meant to live happily ever after and raise your child up. For me, it was the complete opposite. I didn’t seem to have any pure love in my life, that eternal everlasting kind of love we all crave for as humans.
Despite everything, I’m a huge believer in timing, and I have always believed that things – even the most hurtful of them – happen for a reason. In the moment, it’s too hard for us humans to understand, to process why pain and trauma comes our way. I want to tap into this feeling, though, this insecurity that has slowly grown within me of not feeling like a ‘real’ mum. This pain.
I now know I want to use it to help other mums who have gone through similar to know how to deal with our grief. I want to turn the worst thing that could happen to me into what could be a slight positive: helping others. This unlucky card I have been dealt can help others understand that life can, and will, get easier. I want to break the stigma of talking about baby loss, and help other mums not feel guilt or shame when it happens. I know first hand how lonely it was, and blamed everything on myself. In actual fact, it was all out of my own hands.
Courtesy of the author
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I would like you all to be more thoughtful on Mothers Day, for I know that it’s not all chocolates, roses and family meals. There are some that are alone, at home with nothing but their memories. We can’t expect everyone to be celebrating this day – please be mindful of others’ journeys and pasts. And that goes for those who may be having trouble conceiving, some may have lost their babies without meeting them, as well as those of us who had only a short while.
And if you’re a mum like me, going through Mother’s Day without their child, what I want you all to take away from this piece is that however hard this day may be, look at yourself in the mirror and applaud yourself. Applaud yourself for still being here, for still living, for still noticing life and its most beautiful bits in spite of all the hurt thrown your way.
I dream of my little one regularly. When I do, I see her face crystal clear, and I wake up smiling knowing she’s safe up there with my mum. I will forever carry Consy in my heart. I know grief doesn’t exactly get easier, but we just evolve with it, grow from it, and learn how to cope.
Be kind to yourself this Mother’s Day. And know that other mums like me are wishing you all our love and light too.
Malin Andersson is a motivational speaker, mental health advocate and body confidence activist. Follow her on Twitter at @MissMalinSara and on Instagram at @missmalinsara
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Coronavirus: Government Tells Tourists To Stay Away And Remain In 'Primary Residence'

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The government has issued a stern warning to tourists and holiday home owners to stay away as crowds flocked to parks, beaches and beauty spots across the country amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport issued updated guidance on essential travel on Sunday night, saying it did not include visits to “second homes, camp sites, caravan parks or similar, whether for isolation purposes or holidays”. Critics fear the surge in the local population could cripple health services in the area.
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The move came as Boris Johnson said the government is ready to impose tougher restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus if people do not follow the guidance on social distancing.
The number of people across the UK who have died after testing positive for Covid-19 has risen by 48 to 281, it was confirmed on Sunday.
London’s Victoria Park announced that it was closing some facilities due to “unprecedented numbers” of visitors. PA Media
During the coronavirus pandemic, people should avoid travelling unless it is essential. This means you should avoid visiting holiday or second homes.
Find out more: https://t.co/3JrFy1IQwH
#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/EtUt5QcBzN — DCMS (@DCMS) March 22, 2020
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The department said: “This guidance is for people planning to visit second homes or holiday premises during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Essential travel does not include visits to second homes, camp sites, caravan parks or similar, whether for isolation purposes or holidays. People should remain in their primary residence. Not taking these steps puts additional pressure on communities and services that are already at risk.”
Underlining the weekend trend, London’s Victoria Park announced that it was closing some facilities due to “unprecedented numbers” of visitors.
The park closed its playgrounds, skate park and cafes “until further notice” as a crowd was spotted at its market on Sunday.
Went for a 🏃♂— Victoria Park market at 1.30pm pic.twitter.com/vQcQLqWqqC — Alan Wager (@DrAlanWager) March 22, 2020
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A police and crime commissioner has called for “lockdowns” in rural Wales to stop self-isolationists and tourists flooding in.
Dafydd Llewelyn, who is the Plaid Cymru police and crime commissioner for Dyfed Powys, described the Covid-19 epidemic as a “national emergency, not a national holiday”.
He has called for travel and residency restrictions to be introduced, and people travelling to a non-primary residence should be stopped from doing so while those currently in non-primary residences should return home.
Meanwhile, Cumbria Police warned the public not to flock to outdoor tourism hotspots as the Lake District experienced an “influx” of visitors.
In a statement on Saturday, Cumbria Police’s assistant chief constable Andrew Slattery said: “Whilst we are looking at all measures to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, I must urge people living outside the county not to visit.
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“A national emergency shut-down of businesses and schools is not an excuse for a holiday.”
On social media, people posted pictures of people flouting social distancing guidance.
🛑 STOP THIS NOW 🛑
Columbia Road flower market, East London.
Photo taken just now by my colleague @JJ_Bryant (who was not there as a punter). pic.twitter.com/ffplOIgewX — Dino Sofos (@dinosofos) March 22, 2020
richmond park right now - nutters pic.twitter.com/Fcx8W7Tel9 — raheel (@raheeln) March 22, 2020
This was earlier on at Broadway Market. Pretty irresponsible. Is no one reading the news from Italy? Why do people need to wait for Boris to tell them not to fuck up the NHS? This is Hackney FFS - Labour stronghold that appaz loves our NHS #Covid_19 #CoronaCrisis #StayAtHome pic.twitter.com/MXypwa97Pm — Heydon Prowse (@HeydonProwse) March 21, 2020
totally cool and fine scenes in victoria park right now pic.twitter.com/0y9gdjHQdH — 🐽alim kheraj (@alimkheraj) March 22, 2020
Video I filmed of TONS of shoppers at Stratford Westfield yesterday (I was coming back from clearing out my shop which closed down, as a manager I had to do this) Shocking how Westfield isn’t locked down at all😡 #lockdownUKnow #CoronaCrisisuk pic.twitter.com/JdNDmqeFaX — Jade🌹🎃 (@Jadedanielle82) March 22, 2020
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Live photos from Devil's Bridge in Kirkby Lonsdale. Strong words of advice are being given to members of the public yet we continue to be ignored. We are URGING everyone to stay home and think of others. The message is clear #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/weHaYUratR — South Lakes Police (@SouthLakesPol) March 22, 2020
I’ve just seen a video of the queues outside our local big Tesco. Come on people, where’s your social distancing? pic.twitter.com/7k5wIi3xqi — Alistair Coleman (@alistaircoleman) March 22, 2020
At his daily No 10 news conference, Johnson – who has faced criticism for not acting faster to slow the spread of the virus – said ministers had already closed down whole swathes of the economy, shutting pubs, clubs and restaurants.
He said the government had always followed the scientific advice when it came to access to open spaces – but warned people needed to observe the guidance that they should not gather in groups and remain two metres apart.
“What they have always said so far is that the health benefits for the whole of society of keeping the parks and playgrounds open if we possibly can outweigh the epidemiological value of closing them,” he said.
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“But of course looking at the way people behave and the way they are responding, we keep that under constant, constant review.
“If people can’t make use of parks and playgrounds responsibly, if they can’t do it in a way that observes the two-metre rule then of course we are going to have to look at further measures.
“The general principle should be that we should all as far as we possibly can stay home, protect our NHS and thereby save lives.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Coronavirus: All McDonald's Restaurants To Close In The UK And Ireland

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All McDonald’s restaurants in the UK and Ireland will close to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
The restaurant chain had been open for takeaways, drive-thrus and delivery operations as it reduced its operations.
Doors are to close at 7pm on Monday, March 23.
A sign detailing takeaway orders only from a McDonald's. EMPICS Entertainment
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The size of the McDonald’s footprint in the UK and Ireland is huge, serving four million customers every day in 1,350 restaurants and employing more than 130,000 people.
The fast-food company said it has taken the “difficult decision” in a statement posted to Twitter – adding that stores will close by that time on Monday “at the latest”.
The decision comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for pubs, clubs and restaurants to shut on Friday.
An update from McDonald’s UK and Ireland — See you soon pic.twitter.com/43moFRrWRR — McDonald's UK (@McDonaldsUK) March 22, 2020
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In a statement, a company spokesperson said: “This is not a decision we are taking lightly, but one made with the wellbeing and safety of our employees in mind as well as the best interests of our customers.
“We will work with local community groups to responsibly distribute food and drink from our restaurants in the coming days.
“Thank you to our brilliant employees for their hard work during this incredibly challenging time.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Coronavirus: Waterstones Closes Shops After Staff Backlash Over Staying Open

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Book chain Waterstones is to close its stores despite its boss defending staying open as an essential service during the coronavirus outbreak.
Twitter was flooded with appeals to the bookshop giant to shut its doors amid the health crisis, with some claiming to be Waterstones workers imploring people to “please stay home” rather than visit stores.
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In an interview with HuffPost UK, chief executive James Daunt defended the chain’s decision to stay open for business, saying books offer “a great solace” to people facing long periods in isolation and that “customers are buying lots”.
Daunt said he believed bookshops should be treated as a core service, like pharmacies or grocery stores and stressed that staff who were working were doing so on a voluntary basis.
“We are giving families an ability to get through this period, and that’s not without a sacrifice on our part,” he said.
But on Sunday evening, the firm said it was temporarily closing from Monday.
A spokesperson said: “To mitigate possible spread of the coronavirus, and to protect the wellbeing of our customers and staff, we regret to announce the temporary closure of all Waterstones branches.
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“This will be in effect from the end of trade Monday 23 March until further notice.
“As this period of isolation will attest, books are vital to our society, and we very much look forward to the moment we can open our doors and begin bookselling on the high street again. In the meantime, Waterstones.com will continue to serve our customers’ reading needs.”
Boris Johnson this week ordered social venues such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, gyms and leisure centres so close down, as the UK tries to slow the spread of the potentially-fatal disease among the population.
Following chancellor Rishi Sunak’s multi-billion pound compensation package for the retail sector, a string of chain stores voluntarily closed their doors too.
It comes as the government and health chiefs repeatedly beg the public to stay at home and avoid mixing with others, as per the official advice on social-distancing.
Power-holders across the UK have stressed that following the advice will save lives.
Employees have voiced their fears about serving customers as the outbreak continues. Roger Utting Photography via Getty Images
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The Waterstones boss had claimed “even in societies in total lockdown, essential retailers are open and there has been considerable debate as to whether bookshops should be included amongst those”.
In France, it has been proposed that bookshops should be counted as an essential service.
Daunt added: “We are very busy, we know that customers are buying lots of books, and increasingly, as the crisis has unfolded, we understand why they’re doing so.
“They’re facing the prospect of extended periods in isolation, whether individually or within their families, and we all understand why books would be a great solace and support during that time.”
Waterstones workers have shared anxieties about working in customer–facing roles in stores, and staff behind the social media accounts of the Newcastle and Swansea branches have even taken the step of begging customers to stay away.
A tweet from the Newcastle store stated that the store was open “quite simply, because it’s not our decision,” adding “we love you all but please stay home”.
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Hi Booklings.
Lots of you have asked why we’re still open given current events and advice.
Quite simply, it’s because it’s not our decision.
We love you all but please stay home. When all of this is over, Basement Demon would love to see you but, until then, stay home. — Waterstones Newcastle 🏳🌈✨ (@WaterstonesNewc) March 22, 2020
Meanwhile, a widely-circulated tweet from the Swansea branch stated: “Please DON’T come in. We DON’T want to see you (until this is all behind us, when we’d love to see you all).”
Sooo...
Doors open in 1.1 hours.
BUT:
Please DON'T use them.
Please DON'T come in.
We DON'T want to see you (until this is all behind us, when we'd love to see you all).
Please, please use https://t.co/XsyRXIMPpa or phone us instead - we can post books out to you.
Thank you. — Waterstones Swansea (@swanseastones) March 22, 2020
Working in @Waterstones today following the lockdown. No hand sanitiser provided, no wipes, no disinfectant, no reduced shop hours, cash still being accepted. We're being told by head office that gloves and masks are not permitted, meanwhile administrative staff...(cont.) — Kajsa (@kk_liber) March 21, 2020
A series of tweets from an anonymous Twitter account has also been shared thousands of times, describing how “no hand sanitiser [was being] provided, no wipes, no disinfectant, no reduced shop hours, cash still being accepted”.
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They also described witnessing “absolutely no social distancing being observed.
“I spent most of my shift feeling sick to my f**king stomach, tears in my eyes, almost experienced a complete breakdown on the middle of the shop floor midday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Coronavirus: Angela Merkel Goes Into Quarantine As Her Doctor Tests Positive For Covid-19

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after being informed a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for coronavirus.
Her spokesman said she was informed about the doctor’s test shortly after holding a news conference on Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus.
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Steffen Seibert said Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine on Friday against pneumococcal infection.
He said the 65-year-old will undergo “regular tests” in the coming days and continue with her work from home for the time being.
It came as Germany tightened curbs on social interaction on Sunday, including a ban on public meetings of more than two people, to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“The great aim is to gain time in the fight against the virus,” Merkel told a press briefing.
For at least the next two weeks, people will not be allowed to form groups of more than two in public unless they live together in the same household or the gathering is work-related, she added.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Coronavirus: Boris Johnson Threatens Lockdown As He Urges Public To ‘Take This Seriously’

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Boris Johnson has warned the UK could face an enforced lockdown within 24 hours if the public fail to heed the government’s advice on social distancing.
It comes after crowds of people were pictured closely mixing in parks and open spaces, despite being told they risked spreading the disease if they did not stay at least two metres apart.
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The prime minister said “whenever possible” people should stay at home but that it was important for their wellbeing to get exercise outdoors.
He stressed, however, that “fresh air” was no protection against the virus and went on to caution that if the public failed to listen, ministers would order a full lockdown as early as tomorrow.
It came as the Department for Health and Social Care confirmed on Sunday that the UK death toll had hit 281.
Johnson said: “I don’t think you need to use your imagination very much to see where we might have to go, and we will think about this very very actively in the next 24 hours.
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“We need to think about the kind of measures we’ve seen elsewhere – other countries that have been forced to bring in restrictions on people’s movements altogether, now as I say I don’t want to do that.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking at a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus. PA
Later in the press conference, the PM appeared to lose patience, telling one reporter: “The best thing that everybody can do – if you’re going outside, observe social distancing. Stay two metres apart – it’s not such a difficult thing. Do it.”
Earlier this week, Johnson ordered pubs, restaurants and gyms to close and pleaded with people to stay at home in a bid to slow the contagion.
Johnson said the government had taken “very draconian steps” - but he did not rule out going further.
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The PM said: “It’s crucial that people understand that tomorrow that the schools are closed.
“I want, of course I do, people to be able to go to the parks, open spaces and enjoy themselves.
“It is crucial for health, physical and mental well-being.
“But please follow that advice and don’t think that fresh air in itself automatically provides some immunity.
“Take this advice seriously, follow it, because it’s absolutely crucial.”
Boris Johnson is joined by Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick, left, and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, who appeared alongside Johnson, meanwhile, said the government would now shield clinically vulnerable people.
GPs have been working with government to identify 1.5m people with underlying health conditions who were at an increased risk of serious illness.
Ministers have now written to them urging strict self-isolation and offering, where needed, the delivery of food parcels to the most vulnerable.
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“In recent weeks heroic workers in the NHS, social care and public services in local government have been shouldering the country’s burden,” he said.
“I think we owe it to them and the most vulnerable in society to stay home, to protect the NHS and, by doing this, to save lives.
“And so today we have to go further to shield the most clinically vulnerable people to help save their lives.”
Johnson also thanked people who had stayed away from elderly parents on Mother’s Day.
He said: “I want to thank everybody in the country today for the whole effort we are collectively making.
“You name it, absolutely everybody who is keeping this country going today.
“I want to thank everyone who didn’t visit their mum for Mother’s Day, but Skyped them or rang them instead.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Coronavirus: 18-Year-Old Dies After Testing Positive As UK Death Toll Rises To 281

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This article has been updated to reflect a statement from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust which says the 18-year-old had tested positive for Covid-19 but died of an unrelated illness.
An 18-year-old has died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus as the death toll in the UK rose to 281.
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As of 9am on Sunday, 78,340 people had been tested for coronavirus in the UK, with 5,683 patients confirmed positive, the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England said.
Those who have died also included a patient aged 102 – thought to be the oldest victim in the country so far. The total number of fatalities in the UK has risen by 48 in the last day.
In England, 37 more people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths there to 257.
Those who died - including the teenager - were all in vulnerable groups, including with underlying health conditions.
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On Monday, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said the 18-year-old had tested positive the day before they died “but this was not linked to their reason for dying.”
Patel said: “We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.
“Our thoughts and condolences remain with the patient’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.”
There have been seven fatalities in Wales over the last 24 hours, taking its total to 12 and a further three in Scotland, where the number of deaths overall now stands at 10.
Meanwhile, an elderly patient with an underlying medical condition has become the second person to die in Northern Ireland after testing positive for coronavirus.
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The latest figures came as Boris Johnson said the government is ready to impose tougher restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus if people do not follow the guidance on social distancing.
The prime minister insisted that he did not want to close down access to parks and playgrounds because of the benefits to people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
But amid reports of crowds flocking to parks, beaches and beauty spots across the country, he said the government was ready to impose the kind of “tougher” measures adopted in other European countries if people did not behave responsibly.
Peter Summers via Getty Images
How did the outbreak start?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).
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The strain that has recently emerged is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans. The respiratory disease it causes has been named Covid-19 by the WHO.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people, the WHO says.
The first cases identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China.
Experts believe the virus is spread in cough and sneeze droplets. The virus can survive on surfaces for several hours, but it is unclear exactly how long for.
Government scientists say a small proportion of people will pass on the virus while having no symptoms themselves.
General medical advice is to wash your hands with soap and hot water more often. Do this for at least 20 seconds each time.
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The NHS says people should also wash their hands when they get home or arrive at work. Hand sanitiser can be used if soap is not available.
What are the symptoms?
Anyone with coughs and sneezes should catch them in a tissue, which is then put in a bin. Wash your hands afterwards.
People should also avoid close contact with people who are unwell, and avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth if their hands are not clean.
Initial symptoms include fever, cough, tightness of the chest, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
More severe cases can cause pneumonia, sepsis and septic shock, which can lead to death. There are no specific treatments or vaccines as yet but symptoms can be treated.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Watch Live: Boris Johnson Gives Daily Coronavirus Press Conference

Watch Live: Boris Johnson Gives Daily Coronavirus Press Conference
As the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rises each day, Boris Johnson gives his daily press conference. The briefing follows the prime minister’s warning, urging families to stay at home on Mother’s Day to prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Coronation Street And Emmerdale's Filming Suspended Due To Coronavirus

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ITV has confirmed that it is suspending production on its signature soaps, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
In a statement posted on Sunday afternoon, they explained that they would be stopping filming as of Monday 23 March.
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They said: “ITV has sadly taken the decision to suspend production of the soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale with effect from Monday 23 March.
“We’ve been doing our best to carry on filming, whilst adhering to the Government’s latest health guidelines, to ensure we’ve episodes of both soaps airing on ITV until at least the early summer.
“However, the health and well-being of the production teams, actors, crew and their families is of paramount importance to us and we now feel that the time has come to stop filming.”
*Status Update: Please see below for the latest to the soaps. pic.twitter.com/muGrOA4vyo — Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) March 22, 2020
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They added: “We’d like to thank our viewers for their support and hope they continue to enjoy both soaps in the coming months.”
Earlier this week, it was previously reported that as a result of the pandemic, both Coronation Street and Emmerdale would be cutting the number of episodes aired every week.
ITV also said the shows would feature scenes intended to “remind people of public health issues”, in particular the importance of washing their hands.
Coronation Street and Emmerdale are shutting down production due to the coronavirus outbreak ITV/Shutterstock
The BBC confirmed on Wednesday that they were shutting down production on EastEnders, as well as other continuing dramas like Holby City, Casualty and Doctors, “until further notice”.
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In the last few weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on the entertainment industry, with a number of big films having their release dates pushed back.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--I'm Quarantined In Italy. My Message: Self-Isolate Now

Courtesy of the author HuffPost UK
This is my 11th day of living alone under lockdown in my apartment in Bologna since the Italian government declared a general quarantine to counteract the perilously expanding covid-19 pandemic. Inquiring about my well-being and sanity, my friends and family in Canada have anxiously messaged me in recent days. Although I appreciate their care and concern, I am not so preoccupied with my health or the circumstances in Italy, the native land of my grandparents and the country I now call home: I am worried about the rest of the world.
The situation in Italy is dramatic and prescient: 47,021 total, exponentially expanding positive cases and 4,032 deaths to date; apocalyptic streets of eerily shuttered, once-lively cities; hospitals overburdened with disease; and communities experiencing loss en mass. I cannot be serious enough: this is the future of your community if you do not act accordingly.
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In Italy, we are painfully living out an alternate reality in which a vibrantly liberal state unexpectedly became authoritarian overnight, prohibiting funerals, weddings, birthday parties and the free movement of its citizens. I say painfully not only because of the gravity of the national situation, but also because we have witnessed the world’s leaders fully acknowledge the danger the virus poses after cowardly shying away from decisive, preemptive action and urgent appeals to citizens.
“Solidarity now requires maintaining a loving distance.”
The closure of international borders – recently enacted in Canada, the United States, Australia, much of Europe, South America, and the Middle East – is an ineffectual political stunt once the virus insidiously circulates within communities, as it has. Complicating the global pandemic is the unfortunate reality that governments alone cannot curb the contagion: the declaration of a state of emergency is futile without full public participation in social distancing.
Although unsettling and unfamiliar, social distancing need not be agonising: it simply requires a radical reevaluation of our relationships to others.
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I initially thought that living under lockdown would be emotionally devastating – that I would be unable to cope with the repercussions of the government literally outlawing having a social life. I experience feelings of loneliness often, and my past few months in Italy studying history at the University of Bologna have abounded with it perhaps more than any other period of my life. So terrifying and unpalatable were the government’s draconian decrees that I contemplated fleeing Bologna for my home in Toronto in the uncertain days preceding the lockdown.
There is a resounding calm in the streets of my residential neighbourhood. Lucas Bozzo/Facebook
My life under quarantine, however, has not been exactly unpleasant: I have participated in my graduate courses online, savoured cooking for myself, basked in the Mediterranean sun on my balcony, and texted, called, or video-chatted my friends and family whenever I have felt isolated. I have even left my apartment on two occasions, biking through my residential neighbourhood on the periphery of Bologna to grocery shop and register my lease at the tax office.
Italy’s sensationalised images and statistics evoke dread of impending doom, but there are scenes devoid of terror, realities of resilience and relative normalcy: the middle-aged and elderly folk I have observed strolling leisurely in solitude or conversing across overlooking balconies; the children I see playing sweetly outdoors confined to courtyards; the compassion and care shared amongst friends experiencing this tumultuous time coincidently across cities, countries and oceans.
Although our natural tendency is to coalesce in crisis, solidarity now requires maintaining a loving distance. Minimising unnecessary contact with others can be an act of care and compassion. Your solitude can be a source of strength and self-reflection through this crisis. Your absence can be the gift of life to thousands of susceptible people and their families.
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I can hear every birdsong through my apartment's windows. Lucas Bozzo/Facebook
With covid-19 encroaching on global communities, I implore you to act calmly and proactively. The public health recommendations of your government are not to be met with indifference. Avoid crowded public transportation and postpone, or convince someone else to postpone, social functions. Cancel upcoming plans for non-essential travel. Self-isolate if you have recently travelled, or if you suspect that you are ill or have had contact with someone that is ill.
Persuade your workplace to transition to remote operations or introduce social distancing policies in your workplace. Refrain from anxiously bulk-buying food in grocery stores teeming with people and excellent conditions for transmission. Assist elders and vulnerable members of your community by offering to run errands on their behalf, if you can do so safely.
If you are unconcerned about your own health, given the mild illness that often results from covid-19, consider the fact that some down the chain of transmission will almost certainly die, and others will require emergency hospitalisation to keep them alive. How would you feel knowing they suffered the excruciating sensation of suffocation as they cling to life on a ventilator?
Medical professionals in Italy now must systematically decide who lives and who dies due to the overwhelming demand for public health resources. Italy, however, has 3.2 hospital beds per 1,000 inhabitants; Canada and the U.K. have 2.5, and the United States has 2.8.
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If you value your personal freedoms and health, implement social distancing today, lest your government enact and enforce strict quarantines for months to combat COVID-19’s aggressive expansion. Abstaining from public life now will help your community avoid the tragic circumstances that we find ourselves in here in Italy.
Social distancing doesn’t have to be a chore, nor does it have to be unpleasant: it can be spent with your closest friends or family, physically or virtually; it can be spent in leisure and laziness; it can be spent productively working on neglected personal projects. However you decide to live it, please live it conscientiously — with love and with compassion in your heart.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Public Warned Not To Escape To Rural Destinations Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

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Rural communities and tourist destinations across the UK have warned non-residents against flocking to the amid the coronavirus outbreak.
From the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish coast, communities have been inundated both with day visitors and second-home owners fleeing outbreaks in major cities such as London.
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National parks such as Snowdonia reported huge crowds on Saturday despite pleas for would-be visitors to stay at home and practice social-distancing measures, while seaside towns such as Skegness were also reportedly inundated.
This is a #pandemic not a Bank Holiday. What bit of non-essential travel means coming from across the UK, potentially with CV, to climb Snowdon; strip local shops of food; put Mountain Rescue at risk at least twice today & pressure on a limited NHS; & ignoring social distancing? pic.twitter.com/R420HM0ELS — Claire Turner (@ClaireTTweets) March 21, 2020
Cumbria Police said on Saturday that the Lake District and other tourist attractions were experiencing an “influx” of visitors.
The force has now urged people from outside its county to keep away, saying the Lake District is “no longer conducting business as usual”, with pubs, restaurants and attractions advised to close.
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“Whilst we are looking at all measures to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, I must urge people living outside the county not to visit,” Cumbria Police’s assistant chief constable Andrew Slattery said in a statement.
“A national emergency shut-down of businesses and schools is not an excuse for a holiday.”
West Wittering Beach in Chichester, south-east England, closed to the public on Saturday after the number of visitors “far exceeded” expectations, the estate owners said.
And the Visit Cornwall tourist board published a statement on Friday asking people to postpone their visits to a later date “despite the lack of clarity from government” around the situation.
The National Trust has also been forced to close all of its parks and gardens in order to slow the spread of the virus, as crowds flocked to properties despite stark warnings from the government about social-distancing.
As well as day-trippers, there has also been significant concern from some rural communities that those with second homes could flock to more isolated areas and put a strain on the local health services.
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Representing a big part of rural Scotland and part of a national park, I say this in all sincerity, the Daily Mail can f*** off. Please, stay at home, our community is not your bolt hole. This is not a holiday opportunity, take it seriously. pic.twitter.com/QGexovqcAS — Alyn Smith MP 🏴🇪🇺🏳🌈 (@AlynSmith) March 21, 2020
Scotland’s Rural Economy and Tourism secretary Fergus Ewing released a stern statement on Saturday evening, writing that he was “furious” with the recklessness of people travelling to the Highlands and Islands.
“This has to stop now,” he wrote, adding: ’Let me be crystal clear, people should not be travelling to rural and island communities full stop. They are endangering lives. Do not travel.”
As well as placing a strain on health services for local people, Ewing warned that visitors’ panic buying “will have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of rural shops.”
Welsh Conservative MP Stephen Crabbe, who represents a seat in rural Pembrokeshire, has also voiced his concerns, explaining that while he had long-encouraged visitors to the area, coronavirus meant that “people need to avoid travelling if possible”.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-22--Six Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to come under pressure to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sporting events around the globe have all taken action as life is put on hold for athletes and fans alike.
On Saturday, US Track and Field sent an email calling for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee to make representations about delaying the Games in Japan – set to start on July 24 – as the “right and responsible thing to do” in the circumstances.
An increasing number of athletes have been speaking out over their fears for Tokyo 2020, particularly in relation to social distancing which make their training programmes impossible to pursue.
USA Swimming, meanwhile, had already asking the USOPC to push for a one-year postponement as the impact of the lockdown began to hit home.
USATF chief executive Max Siegel wrote: “The right and responsible thing to do is prioritise everyone’s health and safety, and appropriately recognise the toll this difficult situation has, and continues to take, on our athletes and their Olympic Games preparations.
“We are all experiencing unfathomable disruptions, and everyone’s lives are being impacted accordingly.
“For those reasons, USATF is respectfully requesting that the (USOPC) advocate to the IOC for the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.”
The Spanish Football Federation also called for this summer’s Olympics to be postponed.
President of the RFEF Luis Rubiales made the request to IOC committee member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr at a meeting with other Spanish sports federations, the governing body said in a statement.
The meeting had been called by president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco.
Rubiales said in a statement: “At this time, health must prevail over any other issue and we must be on the side of our Government.
“Sport is our reason for being, but now it must be in the background. We continue to work for football and solutions for this sector, however, now the duty as Spaniards is to stay united and to suspend all sports events.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Self-Employed Workers Need A Safety Net During Coronavirus. Let's Do Whatever It Takes

Many freelancers and self-employed are having to choose between following government recommendations on social distancing and being able to put food on the table. Getty Images/Westend61
Over the past week, the economic impact of Covid-19 has been felt by millions of workers across the country. The government has taken significant and necessary measures to support employees, but has so far failed to deliver for the millions of freelancers and self-employed.
This failure means that many in a significant and growing part of the economy are having to choose between following government recommendations on social distancing and being able to put food on the table.
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This is because, as it stands, the majority of these five million workers have no safety net to fall back on to protect their incomes if they are out of work. Some of these workers will struggle to get by, and although they now won’t be forced out of their rented accommodation, they will still find it difficult to pay their rent each month.
Others, including ones vulnerable to Covid-19, will be forced to continue working, putting themselves and the wider population at risk. So far, these workers have been offered quicker and easier access to benefits, along with other measures such as delayed self-assessment tax returns — but they are still not entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and have no other wider income protections.
Many of the self-employed simply cannot rely on benefits to get them through the next few weeks or months. For those suddenly cut off from their only source of income, the £376 a month offered by Universal Credit (now the same rate as SSP for employees) is often nowhere near enough to live on and may not even arrive for five weeks.
The situation is even tougher for the large proportion of the self-employed who are also renters, and who therefore won’t benefit from the government’s mortgage holiday of three months. These renters must instead hope their landlord passes the saving on to them. For those self-employed who are already struggling to make ends meet, trying to pay normal rent whilst on Universal Credit may prove impossible.
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“Countries across Europe have already taken significant measures to support their self-employed workforce.”
The self-employed need a real safety net, and they need it now. It has long been the case that they’ve had little support in the welfare system, and we have continuously called for a self-employed benefits package to include support such as better access to maternity pay, shared parental leave and adoption leave and pay.
A significant stride towards this for example would be rolling out Statutory Sick Pay to the self-employed, and increasing it from £94.25 a week to match the Real Living Wage. All workers need cover if they are self-isolating because they are vulnerable or showing symptoms of Covid-19. However, even the healthy self-employed are threatened by the wider economic impacts of the virus and the coming recession: for this we will need more than sick pay.
Countries across Europe have already taken significant measures to support their self-employed workforce. As is often the case, Scandinavia is leading the way. Norway is paying the self-employed 80% of their average income over the past three years, and Denmark’s government is offering compensation worth 75% of the self-employed’s normal monthly income, up to £23,000 a month, for those who have seen their revenues fall more than 30%.
These are powerful remedies but not the only ones. Italy and Greece are giving grants out to the self-employed, Spain and Portugal are offering financial support as well as deferring social security contributions, and France has offered their self-employed €1,500 in compensation if they experience a decline in income or lockdown. With so many options, why are the UK’s self-employed being left behind?
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Over the past few days, trade unions and organisations across the country have united in calling for further action from the government.
Trade unions Prospect and Bectu are calling for something akin to the 80% of salary support for the self-employed whilst the Musicians’ Union has suggested Universal Basic Income of £400 per week. The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed has called for a temporary income protection fund for the self-employed, while the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce has suggested a £1500 cash payment with regular top ups — and the Federation of Small Businesses is lobbying the government to expand its support.
We all face an uncertain future regarding the economic impact of Covid-19. But what we do know is that without necessary support to prevent hardship, thousands of the self-employed face being plunged into poverty.
We need immediate government action to support the self-employed. At least five million workers are watching and waiting for the government to expand the safety net to a vital chunk of our economy.
These people needed support yesterday and they needed it last week: they cannot wait any longer. It’s time for the government to decide if it will really do whatever it takes.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--I'm A Mum, But I'm Not The Domestic One In My Relationship – And That's Okay

Malte Mueller via Getty Images
It’s been nearly a decade since I presented a boyfriend’s mum with burnt cupcakes on Easter Sunday, but my toes still curl whenever I think of it.
I’m not one for making cupcakes, you see. But, as this was my first visit to my boyfriend’s family home, I wanted to present myself as absolutely a functional human, and definitely not a liability to their beloved son – particularly to my boyfriend’s mother, a lifelong grafter who’d never met a problem she couldn’t solve pragmatically.
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Meanwhile, I’d never met an egg I could boil without first googling “boil egg how long”. I wasn’t a fully functional adult.
I mean, I could get up, get dressed, and complete a day of work – but when I got home I’d still be messy and rubbish, and never know which bin to put out on bin day. When I lived alone at the age of 19, I dealt with everything by slapping on loud music and blitz-cleaning and batch-cooking for one day a month.
I’m still vaguely traumatised by the look of horror that settled on the face of a different boyfriend’s mum, who – upon our first meeting – proudly handed me a scrapbook of her son’s recipes (that she had laminated herself), and was horrified when I revealed that her son did most of the cooking. You know, on account of all the burnt pasta.
And since then, with every square foot and human person I’ve added to my household, I seem to have become less able.
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“Not being domestic” has come with an intense side-serving of shame throughout my life – I have secretly believed my lack of household skill means I’m somehow “not a real woman”. And often, I still feel this way today – as a working, married, mother-of-two in my 40s. My husband, as I’ve written about before, is the domestic one. We both work and split the parenting; he’s in charge of the driving and the cooking, while I try to look after the house.
But I still struggle not to dress exclusively from my “floordrobe”; or be overwhelmed by mess, upended schedules, lost keys in lost bags under the bed, and forgotten washing mouldering in the machine all week. Recipes fall clean out of my head. My house is always a tip, despite its fortnightly professional clean. There are toddler fingerprints on the walls, outcrops of laundry on the floor, haphazardly stacked items threatening to burst out of every household cupboard, and the constant sense that, at any moment, everything might tip over into entropy.
“There's the constant sense that, at any moment, everything might tip over into entropy.”
And the shame is a black, burning gulf of humiliation inside me, that deepens each time I visit a friend’s home and see a system in place. Or if they – trying to help – make a suggestion I can’t even comprehend, like “Look, it’s a simple recipe; you just need to begin with a roux…” or “Well, what’s your current schedule?”
I want to be better. No one who belongs to this many Facebook groups dedicated to the various uses of household disinfectant Zoflora wants to be rubbish at housekeeping. So I concentrate what little homemaking ability I have on my children, so at least they are clean; they have routines; their clothes are put away and their bedroom – for the most part – is spared from the unresolvable mess.
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Recently, two big realisations made an enormous difference to how I feel.
Firstly, my late ADHD diagnosis meant I had unknowingly spent 42 years being neurologically unable to organise myself. Secondly, it took an embarrassingly long time for me to ask where, precisely, it says women have to be good at domesticity.
We’ve been sold a lie as a gender – just because some of us have the plumbing to bear and nourish babies (although obviously we’re not obliged to use that plumbing) – we don’t generally come with extra hands for broom-wielding and pot-stirring, or a set of hoover attachments.
The talents required for household management – time-management, patience, and the emotional stability to change a king-sized duvet cover without chucking your bed out of the window in a rage – are distributed among genders, not assigned to one of them.
Accepting that domesticity is learned and not innate to gender has been freeing. Feeling guilty for not being domestically inclined purely because I’m a woman is like believing I deserve to pay for the PPI I was missold. And I’ve since discovered other women who have felt this – and are coming to terms with it.
I now know these are skills I can learn under the right conditions – even here, in my 40s – it’s very empowering.
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Here are the baby steps I’m taking to become a functional human, rather than a “real woman”:
Keeping a diary of how I spend my mornings, afternoons and evenings for a week, so I can see the shape of my day and what time I have available Tracking my family’s activities through the house for a week to understand our daily “paths” and try and predict what we need for them Walking around the house noting down the areas that make me feel the most rubbish about myself, and prioritising them for cleaning Learning to cook one new dish every few weeks, and cooking it weekly until I have it down pat – to give you an idea of how basic my skills are, my current dish is “pancakes” Reading up on the very gentle Fly Lady cleaning method Sharing household ideas/news via a shared spreadsheet with my husband, so we’re both on the same page.
Oh, and the cupcakes? Well, I burned them because I grilled them – the numbers on my cooker had rubbed off long before, but I used it so infrequently (because I was too nervous) I didn’t know that. And when I presented them, at last, to my boyfriend’s mother, she wordlessly went and got her own cake tin, which she opened to reveal a collapsed homemade Easter cake that had broken into bits.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Tom Hanks Shares Reassuring Health Update After Being Diagnosed With Coronavirus

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Tom Hanks has given fans a reassuring update after he and his wife Rita Wilson were diagnosed with coronavirus.
Earlier this month, the Oscar-winning actor revealed he and Rita had tested positive for Covid-19 while out in Australia, where he had been filming on Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic.
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After receiving treatment in hospital, the pair then entered self-isolation in Australia, with Tom assuring the world they “feel better” two weeks after first experiencing symptoms.
He wrote: “Two weeks after our first symptoms and we feel better.
“Sheltering in place works like this: You don’t give it to anyone – you don’t get it from anyone. Common sense, no?”
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson at the Golden Globes in January George Pimentel via Getty Images
“Going to take [a while], but if we take care of each other, help where we can, and give up some comforts… this, too, shall pass,” Tom added.
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“We can figure this out.”
Since Tom and Rita first went public with their diagnosis, a number of other high-profile stars have revealed that they too have tested positive for coronavirus, including Idris Elba, James Bond actor Olga Kurylenko and former daytime TV presenter Fiona Phillips.
Idris specifically said that seeing Tom and Rita’s announcement inspired him to share the fact that he’d also been diagnosed with Covid-19.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Here's How To Keep Your Home As Coronavirus-Free As Possible

Andrew_Rybalko via Getty Images Family cleaning the house. People doing together regular light work of a household, housekeeping management of duties and chores. Vector flat style cartoon illustration isolated on white background
We’re still learning about the spread of Covid-19, and scientists are studying it daily. A team of scientists and architects have scoured that research and have written a guide for making your indoor space as unfriendly to the virus as possible.
Here are a few quick and easy tips form that guide and from experts that you can use at home.
Remove clutter from around the sink and disinfect counters regularly.
Washing your hands is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself and everyone else from Covid-19. You should do it often ― some examples of good times are when you return from being outside, after you’ve touched a potentially infected surface, after you use the bathroom and before you eat.
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Hand washing fights the virus in two ways: It completely destroys some copies of the virus, and nearly all that survive come off your hands and go down the drain.
However, some survivors can hitch a ride in minuscule water droplets that fly into the air during hand washing. Removing clutter from around your sink limits the surface area where they can land and survive, and occasionally disinfecting the counter will keep them from infecting anyone.
Make sure you also regularly disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched, like countertops, doorknobs and faucet handles.
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Open a window.
Increasing the amount of fresh air coming into your home will help flush out indoor contaminants, including viral particles in the air. Researchers aren’t sure how many people are getting sick from inhaling airborne copies of SARS-CoV-2, but they’re increasingly concerned that the virus can spread through particles that remain suspended in the air for up to a half-hour.
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“A little fresh air can do your body good, and we think there’s evidence it can do your building good as well,” said Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg, a co-author of the guide and a professor at the School of Architecture and Environment at the University of Oregon. “It’s a simple strategy that we have access to in most buildings and homes.”
Use a humidifier to keep indoor humidity between 40% and 60%.
Recent research shows that high temperature and high relative humidity may reduce the transmission of Covid-19.
Boosting the percentage of water molecules in the air can help in a few ways, according to the guide’s authors. Those water molecules may damage the outer membrane of the virus, making it viable for a shorter amount of time. They also make the tiny droplets that viruses live in heavier, which causes them to fall out of the air more quickly.
The humidity also affects how well your body can defend itself against pathogens and other particles, including viruses. A coronavirus gets into the body through mucous membranes, like your eyes, nose, and mouth. Indoor air tends to dry out those membranes, making your body more vulnerable to pathogens. Keeping the humidity a little bit higher allows your body’s first line of defence to work at its optimum level.
gmast3r via Getty Images
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Open blinds and shades.
Letting sunlight stream into your home is another way to put some pressure on viruses that have made their way inside. UV light damages most microorganisms and viruses, including coronaviruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2.
“We have evidence in the literature that sunlight can inactivate influenza viruses and other viruses,” said Mark Fretz, another of the guide’s co-authors and a research assistant professor at the University of Oregon’s College of Design. “It’s also good for your psychological well being.”
Don’t forget to clean the items you use every day.
This includes disinfecting your phone, carefully washing your clothes, and cleaning your reusable grocery bags.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--You Can Now Get A Sick Note Online If You Need To Self-Isolate. Here's How

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People who need to self-isolate, either because they have coronavirus symptoms or live with someone who does, can now get an ‘isolation note’ online.
The NHS note gives employees evidence for their employers that they have been advised to self-isolate, and therefore cannot work or must work from home. The hope is that it’ll reduce pressure on GP surgeries and stop people needing to leave their homes.
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Currently, people should stay at home if they have symptoms of coronavirus. This includes either a high temperature, where you feel hot to touch on your chest or back; or a new, continuous cough.
While previous advice suggested the key symptom was a dry cough, the advice now is any cough is considered a symptom. ‘Continuous’ refers to if you’ve been coughing a lot for more than an hour, or have had three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours.
gmast3r via Getty Images
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When do you need a self-isolation note?
If you have to self-isolate but feel well enough to work, ask your employer if you can work from home – in this instance, you won’t need an isolation note. However, some employees are unable to work from home, or their employers are not giving them the option to do so – in this case, a note may be needed.
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For the first seven days off work, employees can self-certify so they don’t need to provide a note to their employer. They just need to tell them they are self-isolating and won’t be able to come into work.
After that, however, employers may ask for evidence of sickness absence. If your absence is related to having symptoms of coronavirus or living with someone who has symptoms, the isolation note can be used to provide evidence.
How to get an isolation note
The notes can be accessed through the NHS website and NHS 111 online, as well as via the NHS app.
You’ll need to answer a few questions – such as if you’ve had symptoms, or if someone in your household has – as well as filling in your details. An isolation note will be emailed to you. It’s downloadable, and you’ll also be given a reference number of your note.
If you don’t have an email address, you can have the note sent to a trusted family member or friend, or directly to your employer.
The service can also be used to generate an isolation note on behalf of someone else.
People who need to claim Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance because of coronavirus will not be required to produce an isolation note.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Why You Shouldn't Go To Your Friend's House While Social Distancing

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We get it: You’re bored at home and would love to see your friends or family members that live nearby, especially given how stressed you are in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. You’re just one person, visiting a person or a handful of people you’re close to; how much could it hurt?
A lot, in fact. Health experts urge you: Out of an abundance of caution, stay home.
Now that we’ve been advised to practise social distancing, we’re all looking for potential loopholes for connectivity. We’re grasping for normalcy.
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Mike Harrington via Getty Images At the height of the pandemic, don't be these people.
But healthy self-distancing doesn’t just mean avoiding bars and restaurants (not that you can go to them now anyway, sorry); it also means staying home and not visiting seemingly healthy friends at their homes.
“You are playing with fire if you visit friends,” said Jagdish Khubchandani, an associate chair and professor of health science at Ball State University, Indiana. “At this point, we have to act like everyone is infected. You can be a risk to yourself, your family, your friends, and the entire community.”
Khubchandani pointed to a study out of China that suggests asymptomatic people spread COVID-19 the most. Many cases are mild enough that you might not realise you’re infected, he said, and infected people have shown symptoms after weeks of being asymptotic.
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“You are playing with fire if you visit friends. At this point, we have to act like everyone is infected.” - Jagdish Khubchandani, Ball State University
That’s why it’s so important to make your social circle as teeny-tiny and antisocial as possible right now.
“The only people you should be seeing are those you can’t avoid: those living with you before this pandemic started and stable relationships like a significant other,” Khubchandani said. “Even in those cases, it’s with all the precautions, hygiene, and distancing as much as possible.”
If you go see your partner, you need to know that they haven’t been anywhere either.
Seeing your friends IRL right now is kind of like playing a game of pool where coronavirus is the cue ball, said Kirsten Hokeness, professor and chair of the Department of Science and Technology at Bryant University, Rhode Island, and an expert in immunology, virology, microbiology, and human health and disease.
“If the white ball is the virus and you have a table full of balls to target, the ‘virus’ has a lot of options,” she said. “Your friend, people your friend lives with, including anyone who’s older or has underlying conditions who’s more susceptible.”
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“Start taking those balls off of the table until they are gone, and now it has nowhere to go.”
Without a coronavirus vaccine, the only means we have to limit the spread of the virus is to prevent it from being able to go from one host to the next.
“The virus needs a host to keep going,” Hokeness said. “It can’t live on its own, so it needs you and your friends as a vehicle to keep spreading. If it infects someone and then has nowhere else to go, it stops right there.”
When you keep getting together, even in very small groups, “you run the risk of giving the virus one more chance to persist in the population,” Hokeness said.
Westend61 via Getty Images Now is the time to make video calls instead of meeting in person.
Why is social distancing so hard for some people to come to terms with? The answer lies in the first part of that now-ubiquitous phrase, said Liz Higgins, a family therapist and founder of Millennial Life Counseling in Dallas.
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“We are social beings. We’re made to connect,” she said. “It is a physiological experience for us to want and crave interaction with others. What we are being asked to do during this time, in essence, goes against our entire makeup: Certainly, digital connecting can meet some of this need, but not completely.”
Yes, you may be experiencing high levels of pandemic-fuled FOMO and anxiety about when you’ll next be able to see your close friends or family. But please don’t try to squeeze in one last get-together.
“My advice to someone struggling with social distancing is to really sit with the fact that this is temporary,” Higgins said. “While we don’t know for a fact when this will end, we can say with full certainty that it will, at some point. Let that fact ground you and make these temporary decisions to stay in more doable.”
Take this as an opportunity to focus inward, Higgins said. As humans, we have an unending desire to stay in the loop with friends and family, but there’s not much to be kept in the loop about right now; all of our social lives suck. (If anything, take solace in the fact that you’re not alone in your desire for human contact. Look at how many people are posting on social media right now; we’re all going slightly crazy.)
“The faster that we can quarantine and prevent the virus from having its next host to replicate in and spread, the faster we will be able to start to regain some normalcy.” - Kirsten Hokeness, professor and chair of the Department of Science and Technology at Bryant University
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Find ways to maintain a sense of normalcy by using technology, including video conferencing apps. The New York Times reported that nearly 600,000 people downloaded Zoom on Sunday alone. Join them!
Grab a glass of wine and have a rant and rave session about our (temporary, as short-lived as possible) new normal. Have a group chat where you catalog all the weird things you’ve seen in the background of your co-workers’ work-from-home setups during virtual meetings. Pencil in a “Love is Blind” pod dating-esque Friday night dinner with your boyfriend. (Netflix even has a browser extension where you can watch along with your friends and family.)
Social distancing doesn’t mean you don’t get to be social. It just means you have to do it from home for the time being.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus - 23 March
As more countries are taking steps to lock down their borders to slow the spread of coronavirus, the UK is expected to announce stricter social distancing measures, while New Zealand has shut down for a month in an attempt to protect their population. German chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after her personal doctor tested positive for the virus. New York has become the epicentre of the US outbreak, with 15,000 cases.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Linda Lusardi's Husband Sam Kane Tests Positive For Coronavirus After They're Both Hospitalised

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Linda Lusardi’s husband Sam Kane has confirmed that he has tested positive for coronavirus, after he and the former Loose Women star were hospitalised last week.
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Following this, she and her husband were taken to hospital on Friday, with Sam later revealing that he has been told that he has contracted the virus.
“Well. It’s official. I am positive for Coronavirus,” he wrote on Sunday. “I don’t know if I’m happy or gutted. Probably a bit of both. I hope it’s a one time thing coz I don’t want this again.”
Linda Lusardi and Sam Kane Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock
Sam continued: “I don’t know Linda’s result yet but regardless of the test, I’m certain that she has it too. We’re told a lot of tests taken come back negative as the testing process is so sensitive.
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“They tell me that tests, in a lot of cases, are false negatives. [Linda] and I both had text book symptoms. God knows where we got it. But we did.”
“The NHS staff have been beyond incredible,” he added. “The work and care they are giving at the front line with so little resources is astounding. They’re fearless.
“The debt of gratitude I owe them for getting my girl back to a sense of normality will be owed for the rest of my life. Please take care of yourselves. Isolating is the only way now. This has to be stopped and only we can do it. Take care of yourselves. Stay safe.”
On Monday, Sam posted a further update, urging people to take the virus more seriously, claiming Covid-19 took both him and Linda “to death’s door”.
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“I can’t stress enough that this is not ‘just a flu bug’. I’ve watched this take my girl to death’s door. I’ve felt it take me there,” he insisted.
“It’s a cruel, vile, remorseless, relentless, dark sickness. It was like three hands. One that’s strangling you. One pushing your face down as it does. The other one ripping your heart out of your chest and it just doesn’t stop... for days. You’re totally helpless and in its grasp.
“It’s nothing like flu. Please stop going out. Passing this around will mean it just takes longer till we’re back to normal. Please stay safe people. Two weeks away from anyone else outside your family should see this gone. It’s that simple. Please stay in.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--19 Relatable Tweets From Parents About Homeschooling

7: mummy can I tell you a story I made up?
Me: of course sweetie
7: *finishes story* did you like it?
Me: *forgot to listen to any of it* loved it!
7: what was your favourite part?
Me:
7:
Me:
7:
Me: *sweating* the....dinosaur part?
7: ok cool
Me: cool


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--The Chase's Paul Sinha Suspects He Has Coronavirus

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The Chase’s Paul Sinha has revealed he suspects he has coronavirus.
The ITV quizzer told his Twitter followers he thinks it’s “likely” he has contracted Covid-19 after he started social distancing “a few days too late”.
Paul Sinha ITV
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“Although I cant be sure and i cant be tested it seems likely i have Coronavirus,” he tweeted. “Started social distancing a few days too late. Anyone upsets me; I’ll be around to sneeze in your home (sic)”
Although I cant be sure and i cant be tested it seems likely i have Coronavirus .Started social distancing a few days too late. Anyone upsets me; I'll be around to sneeze in your home — Paul Sinha (@paulsinha) March 22, 2020
The 49-year-old star, who used to be a doctor, said became concerned after he began feeling exhausted, which he said was a “new territory” for him.
He wrote: “Btw, as you can imagine I’ve had a lot of mates. medics or otherwise, in contact. It seems that loads of us may have had it in the last few weeks, but the range of symptoms is very variable.
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“The suspicious symptom, for me, is the exhaustion. New territory. (sic)”
Btw, as you can imagine I've had a lot of mates. medics or otherwise, in contact. It seems that loads of us may have had it in the last few weeks, but the range of symptoms is very variable. The suspicious symptom, for me, is the exhaustion. New territory. — Paul Sinha (@paulsinha) March 23, 2020
Paul added that he “cannot remember” the last time he saw someone who wasn’t his husband Olly.
The Chase star recently admitted he has “lost” his sense of fear since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in May last year.
He told The Guardian: “The thing that has changed most since the diagnosis is that I’ve lost my fear.
“I’ve always been one of those comics who doesn’t say much on panel shows because I’m terrified of saying the wrong thing or offending the wrong person.
“But now, I’ve lost all that. I’ve got the exaggerated carpe diem that a lot of people get with their diagnosis.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Jeremy Corbyn's Son Seb Corbyn Self-Isolating With Coronavirus Symptoms

Seb Corbyn, son of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, with John McDonnell PA
Jeremy Corbyn’s son Seb is self-isolating after experiencing coronavirus symptoms, HuffPost UK has learned.
The Labour leader’s second son, who works for John McDonnell, has not come into with his father or the shadow chancellor since becoming ill. He is recovering at home.
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It comes as his father, who is 70, faced questions over whether he should continue coming to parliament or be isolating himself, as per government advice, because of his age.
The Department for Health and Social Care confirmed on Sunday that the UK death toll had hit 281, while the number of cases reached 5,683.
Prime minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that ministers were considering further measures, such as a lockdown, after crowds of people were pictured gathering at parks and beaches.
After working on his father’s leadership campaign in 2015, Seb Corbyn moved to become McDonnell’s chief of staff and later his advisor.
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Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Corbyn said that parliament should continue to sit and scrutinise the government.
A number of parliamentarians, including the opposition leader, are aged 70 or over.
Government advice is for all vulnerable groups to strictly self-isolate in order to slow the spread of the contagion.
"I think Parliament should remain in session"
Labour leader @jeremycorbyn says Parliament should keep working, and that "it's very important that we have the chance to put questions to the government".#Ridge: https://t.co/ndBHkQrGAQ pic.twitter.com/vPmjjqUy0A — Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) March 22, 2020
Corbyn insisted, however, that he would continue to work. He said he was making sure he was “not getting too close to people”, and was ensuring “everything is kept absolutely clean”.
Asked by the Sky News presenter whether he should still be going to Westminster, he said: “I think parliament should remain in session, it’s very important that we have the chance to put questions to the government and this legislation is going to come up on Monday.
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“But what we agreed was, informally between the parties, we’d greatly reduce the number of MPs that came into the chamber, they’d have to sit one to two metres apart.”
MPs will today scrutinise emergency legislation that will hand powers to the police to enforce a lockdown in attempts to tackle the virus.
When asked if he will continue going to parliament, Corbyn replied: “Yes, of course.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Bond Star Olga Kurylenko Says She's 'Completely Recovered' From Coronavirus

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The Quantum Of Solace actor revealed she had Covid-19 last week, but celebrated Mother’s Day with her son on Sunday after making a recovery.
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Olga Kurylenko Borja B. Hojas via Getty Images
Posting a picture of herself with son Alexander, Olga wrote on Instagram: “Happy Mother’s Day! #mothersday P.S. I have completely recovered.
“To recapitulate: For one week I felt pretty bad and was mostly in bed, sleeping, with high fever and strong headache. The second week, the fever was gone but some light cough appeared and I felt very tired.
“By the end of the second week I felt totally fine. Cough is almost gone although I still cough in the mornings but then it completely goes away for the day! I’m fine!’”
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She added: “And now I’m just enjoying this time to reflect on many things and spend my time with my son.”
The 40-year-old star, who played Camille Montes in 2008′s Quantum Of Solace, shared the message in both English and Russian.
Olga urged fans to take coronavirus “seriously” when she revealed she was self-isolating as a result of her diagnosis last week.
Other famous names who have contracted the virus include Tom Hanks and Idris Elba.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--My Grandma Isn't Taking Coronavirus Seriously Enough And It's Terrifying

HuffPost UK Courtesy of the author
It’s 11pm and I’m standing over my kitchen sink stress-eating pasta out of the pot because right now life is the airport and time doesn’t exist. In New Jersey, a quick 18 miles and two river crossings from where I am in Brooklyn, my 88-year-old nana is probably sleeping after another long, semi-quarantined day of watching the news, chain-smoking cigarettes and worrying about me.
She worries about me a lot. She worries that I’m still single at 31 (the horror!). She worries about my career path (“You just ... write? On the computer?”). She worries about me taking the subway, taking the bus, walking from the subway or the bus to my apartment, taking a cab, doing anything at all after 7pm, when it gets dark – you get the picture.
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Right now, I’m worried about her. At her age, and with COPD, she falls into both the most vulnerable and arguably the most stubborn sects of the population at risk for complications from the coronavirus. She and her friends have (luckily) been forced out of their usual routine – going to the mall, going to the movies, going to restaurants – but if those places had not been shuttered by government decree, I have no doubt they would be there. She is still taking walks, keeping doctor visits, making plans to go to the supermarket to pick up the hummus she forgot to buy and is currently really pissed that her standing weekly hair appointment has been canceled indefinitely.
“What am I supposed to do about my hair?” this delightfully vain woman, who is supposed to be not leaving the house, asked me – completely seriously – on the phone.
Jamie Feldman The author and her nana in less quarantined times.
I haven’t seen her in over a month – I’m used to seeing her at least every two weeks – and I’m too afraid to see her now because I don’t know if I might possibly have coronavirus and I don’t want to make her sick if I do. Our other options for communicating aren’t great, either. We can’t FaceTime because she has a flip phone. We can’t text because she doesn’t text. One time, a few years ago, I got a text from her number. It was a photo of a purse. “Do you like this?” It read. I called her immediately, assuming she had been kidnapped. An employee at the store had sent it on her behalf. (I liked the purse. She has impeccable taste).
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All over the world families are being confronted with this sense of panic about the way their loved ones are reacting to life being turned upside down and grappling with the fact that often, their levels of concern don’t quite match.
I was furious watching self-righteous spring breakers like Brady Sluder tell Reuters he wouldn’t let the risk of contracting coronavirus “stop me from partying.” But it’s not just millennials who are refusing to follow the guidelines and orders – whether they think the coronavirus is being blown out of proportion, believe they themselves invincible, or some combination of the two. These college kids who, quite frankly, should have been booted from the beach a week ago and now should be required to stay put instead of returning home to potentially spread the virus to their families, have me drawing parallels to the older population – to my grandma and her friends. This group of “mature” women are more designer bag than douchebag, but they exhibit, in some ways, almost the same frighteningly blasé attitude about this whole thing and it could be lethal for them.
I sobbed to my mom about this on FaceTime and she matter-of-factly (and rightly) reminded me that I can’t panic about things I can’t control, that my nana is staying away from crowds and mostly staying home. But that word – mostly. It makes me want to wrap my beautiful nana and her fiery red hair, always-perfect makeup and tiny chic cigarettes in bubble wrap, slap a “fragile” sticker on her and keep her locked away until this big bad virus goes away.
But she is, as many of our grandparents are, not so fragile. I’m always so proud to have a nana who moved to this country speaking no English, who quickly got a job in a doctor’s office and worked there for decades until her boss closed his practice and she was forced (under duress) into retirement at age 84. I’m so proud to have a nana who sees more movies than I do, who has a robust social life, who is headstrong and independent and bossy as hell.
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Right now, all of those things that make me feel proud are suddenly making me feel scared. What if she touches an infected doorknob and forgets to wash her hands? What if someone in the refrigerated food aisle at the grocery store breathes too close to her? What if those things don’t happen, but the boredom and loneliness permanently impact her mental health? It might. And I can’t do anything about it. Because – Oh! Right! Even if I moved myself into her house (I wouldn’t) and locked her in there (I wouldn’t) I could be an asymptomatic carrier and transmit the coronavirus to her myself.
So I’m just here, eating pasta out of the pot over the sink, feeling utterly helpless.
What can we do, then, about the loved ones we have who aren’t taking this pandemic as seriously as we want them to – and as seriously as they should? We can keep calling them on their flip phones, keep telling them we love them. We can have the hummus delivered to their houses without asking first (since they’ll probably say no if we do). We can keep reminding them to wash their hands and keep lightly pleading with them to stay home. Maybe they’ll start to listen. And we can keep their strength and tenacity in mind and let it help us to keep pushing forward until they’re able to get back to the important things – like weekly hair appointments and bothering you about not having a boyfriend.
This article first appeared on HuffPost US Personal.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-23--Harvey Weinstein Tests Positive For Coronavirus

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Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for coronavirus in prison.
The head of New York state’s corrections officers union confirmed to Reuters that the disgraced film producer had been infected with the virus.
Weinstein’s diagnosis was first reported earlier in the day by the Niagara Gazette, but reports had remained unconfirmed until late on Sunday night.
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The president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, Michael Powers, told Reuters that Weinstein had been placed in isolation in prison.
Harvey Weinstein New York Daily News via Getty Images
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault on 11 March, after he was found guilty at trial for sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping aspiring actor Jessica Mann.
Last week, he was transferred to Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison near Buffalo, New York.
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He had previously been splitting time between New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail and a Manhattan hospital.
Weinstein, 68, has a history of poor health. He was hospitalised earlier this month after suffering a mild heart attack. He also suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and other medical conditions.
His lawyer, Imran Ansari, told Reuters he was “concerned” about reports of Weinstein’s coronavirus diagnosis.
“Given Mr. Weinstein’s state of health, we are of course concerned, if this is the case, and we are vigilantly monitoring the situation,” Ansari said.
Weinstein’s Hollywood career came to a crashing halt in October 2017, when bombshell articles in both The New Yorker and The New York Times detailed sexual abuse claims by several women, whose accusations led dozens of others to come forward.
Weinstein’s trial was seen as a watershed moment for the Me Too movement, and his conviction a victory of sorts.