If all over-70s stay at home ... / myLot

Leicester, England

March 15, 2020 10:19am CST

the latest move by the UK Government in the fight against Covid-19 is to suggest that all people aged over 70 should "self-isolate" and only leave their homes for the most essential purposes. The proposal is that this should come into play in "the coming weeks" and could last for up to four months. I help to run my local village library, which is operated by volunteers - I organize the volunteer rota. If all my volunteers who are 70 and older stay at home, I will find it extremely difficult to fill the rota, and it might well be that the library will have to close. Given that the library operates as a local hub for many activities, for people of all ages, this will be a substantial blow. However, if that is what has to happen ...

11 people like this

9 responses

Four Walls

@FourWalls (69029)

• United States

15 Mar 20

Our mayor ordered city libraries closed...just in time for the schools to be closed.

3 people like this

John Roberts

@JohnRoberts (109846)

• Los Angeles, California

15 Mar 20

I am expecting library shut down here.

2 people like this

Lenore Plassman

@sallypup (61633)

• Centralia, Washington

15 Mar 20

Libraries and schools closed in my world now. Many kids are fed breakfast when they go to school so I am not sure how this will work.

1 person likes this

John Welford

@indexer (4852)

• Leicester, England

15 Mar 20

That is a problem. My wife has responsibility for all the schools in the City of Leicester and is currently working on how "at risk" children will be catered for should schools have to close and they lose their free school meals.

1 person likes this

Lenore Plassman

@sallypup (61633)

• Centralia, Washington

15 Mar 20

@indexer Your wife has a lot on her shoulders. I wish her well as she works through all the many issues.

1 person likes this

Alfredo Rossi

@amadeo (111938)

• United States

15 Mar 20

Our library here just told me they were be closed for a week.We have regular employees working here.I am all set got my books the other day

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (342110)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Mar 20

We are pretty much self-isolating anyway as we don't really go out a lot. If we're not actually travelling, we're at home. I suppose it's a good idea.

Thelma

@thelme55 (77164)

• Germany

15 Mar 20

The libraries are closed now in our city and I think the whole Germany .

[eds]

@ZedSmart (19786)

• Philippines

15 Mar 20

I think this is just temporary and you can operate back when things seems to normalise. This is sad but for the time being, our cooperation is needed even if it's hard for us. Keep safe.

John Welford

@indexer (4852)

• Leicester, England

15 Mar 20

My problem is that all the people who operate the library are volunteers. I cannot demand that anyone turns up to do a shift - if they choose to stay away, that is what they will do. As we have seen, people react differently to the perceived threat - even if there is nobody within ten miles who has the virus, there will be people who won't take the risk of stepping outside their front door!

1 person likes this

John Welford

@indexer (4852)

• Leicester, England

15 Mar 20

@ZedSmart Thanks for the consideration! I will personally do what I can to keep the show on the road and have no worries about catching the bug myself - still more than two years short of 70 and in robust good health!

1 person likes this

[eds]

@ZedSmart (19786)

• Philippines

15 Mar 20

@indexer Some wouldn't take the risk even for the smallest margin of transmission. I just hope that this will not cause the eventual closure. It would be difficult for you to shoulder all the responsibility as you also have yourself to be taken cared of and I'm afraid that stressing yourself might have a negative blow.

1 person likes this

Show more comments