Pressure is growing for more social isolation after a sunny weekend and Monday. We cannot change the virus and how quickly it transmits but we can control the amount of contact between people who could possibly pass it between themselves.
Abingdon Library closed soon after my Saturday post. The Abbey House is also closed.
Many information desks can still be contacted by phone or email. Volunteers have started a new website called abingdon.help. They are starting to put together lists of how to contact various services and where help may be found.
There is also an email address to try and get volunteers to help people who are socially isolating in Abingdon.
There will be a big shout for the NHS on Thursday to show appreciation for their efforts. With immediate effect from today (Monday 23 March) the Oxford University Trust will not allow any visitors to their hospitals – with a few exceptions.
More non food shops have now closed in Abingdon town centre.
Other shops have reduced their hours. There was a queue outside Savers who were later opening this morning. They had a stack of toilet rolls visible through the door.
The other large queues I saw in town were at Boots, and Santander (the bank). Those queues had more social distancing than the one outside Savers.
The Market was also in town today and had food and flower stalls. Some prices had gone up.
As the first week of schooling at home starts, a lot of school children will now be doing their school work with only telephone contact from teachers – or however different schools find ways to communicate with pupils. There is an initiative to get school children to put up rainbows or other pictures of hope.
Waitrose was well stocked today, when I was in around 9.30 this morning.
I am merely curious….but what were the people outside Savers actually queuing for, does anyone know?
Come on Daniel, we’re British, we love a queue – especially in a crisis.
Some elderly and vulnerable do not want to leave their homes but are forced to to shop for food and groceries. There are no delivery slots for on-lin shopping.
Exactly Janet. Its all very well the PM saying we must get our groceries delivered via online shopping but HOW ?
We are told there is no shortage of food so why is it apparently beyond the wit of supermarkets to make it available via deliveries or click and collect ?
None of us want to put helpful neighbours at risk by asking them to shop for us so what are we to do ? Starve ? Disobey instructions, and common sense and go ourselves to busy shops ?
Janet
There is a group putting leaflets through every door in Abingdon offering help of that kind. If someone needs help before they get their leaflet they can email abingdoncoronaresponse@gmail.com.
(PS the group still needs more volunteers so if others reading this can help please email them – their understanding is that this activity is supporting the vulnerable so is allowed).
Also, many shops which don’t normally deliver are now doing that – and others are allowing orders by phone which can then be picked up from outside the shop. Details of some of these at https://abingdon.help/
I posted a reply to Janet (and Chris) earlier, but because it included links it has gone into the black hole of “moderation”!
So here it is without the links – if you go to the Town Council website there is a new tab on there called Coronavirus update – go to that and it has the links!
“ There is a group putting leaflets through every door in Abingdon offering help of that kind. If someone needs help before they get their leaflet email them.
(PS the group still needs more volunteers so if others reading this can help please email them – their understanding is that this activity is supporting the vulnerable so is allowed).
Also, many food shops which don’t normally deliver are now doing that – and others are allowing orders by phone which can then be picked up from outside the shop. Details of some of these at a new website Covid-19 support in Abingdon.”
Hester, thank you. Well done these groups and I shall be in contact to see what I can do from isolation to help.
Sainsbury’s onliine are prioritising over 70s and are releasing slots everyday. They email when slots are available. I have been guaranteed a slot every week for the duration of the crisis. They are keeping delivery charges low
Not much social distancing going on in those photos, hence we are now in lockdown (or supposed to be)