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Shielding
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 I can share with you the contents of my boris box that arrived today. I got 2 toilet rolls, 2 hotel sized shower gel, 1 hotel sized soap, 3 tins of tomato soup, 1 large tin plum tomatoes, 1 baked beans, 1 baked beans and sausage, 1 tin tuna, 1 tin chick peas, 1 tin meatballs in tomato sauce, 2 jars tomato pasta sauce, 1 tin fruit cocktail, 20 tea bags, 10 sachets coffee, 2 litres uht milk (I’m lactose intolerant), 500g porridge oats, 1 loaf of bread, 500g white rice, 500g spaghetti, 2.5kg potatoes, 5 apples, 5 satsumas (2 of which were rotten), 500g carrots (rotten on the ends so needed trimming as they are my only veg!). It doesn’t vary much from week to week. As you can see, the nutritional balance leaves a lot to be desired. There is very little veg, an abundance of carbs and very little protein. However, when you have no other way of getting food you are very grateful for what you’re given!
These times are stressful for us all so please, before complaining how easy it is for us who are shielding, think about how you would cope with living life like this for 14 weeks
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"3 people from my work are shielding and have not received the letter while all on full pay the cheeky buggers. I have been so thankful for being able to work and feel very sorry for those who are stuck indoors like my Dad. Luckily I managed to sort his shopping for him. How do you see shielding ending for you? Vaccine or having to face it when the numbers are down etc? " Your employer must be very easy going to allow that! I was told to shield by my doctor but didn’t get the letter at first, I was in a later wave of letters sent out. I got him to sign me off sick but had to fight my employer to get any sort of pay, they were going to put me on unpaid leave as they wouldn’t accept sick notes because I’m not sick. As yet shielding is due to end on 30th June. No updates have been released about a gradual lifting of restrictions on us which I find rather concerning. As it stands, we will be going from what is essentially complete isolation for 3.5 months, to being thrown out there into goodness knows what. For me it would mean a return to my job as a postie, delivering to 1000 homes a day! I’ll be honest, the thought of having to touch all those gates and letter boxes, not knowing if they have been sanitised or if they are covered in the virus has me terrified! I try not to think of the lack of social distancing in the indoor part of my job before we go on deliveries. I have already sewn some face coverings for myself in anticipation of shielding being lifted or gradually eased. My intention is to wear them at all times when I leave the house. I’ve also been able to obtain several bottles of hand sanitiser online and will carry one with me at all times. I have doubts that a vaccine will be available much before next year. I also suspect that I may not be able to have it as the only time I had the flu jab I had an anaphylactic reaction to it. I read an article the other day which purported that any vaccine was being developed and made in the same way as the flu jab. How true it is, who knows as the article wasn’t peer reviewed. | |||
"Some people seem to be under the impression that shielding is just a long holiday and some have even described shielders as workshy. I though it about time to set the record straight about exactly what shielding is. It’s no picnic and it really takes its toll on your mental health! People who are shielding have been assessed by their medical professionals as being at very high risk of death if they catch the virus. One can’t just decide to shield, if your health means that it’s necessary then you will receive a letter and may be told directly by your doctor to shield too. Your doctor will at some point call you and discuss whether you are happy to be resuscitated. As a youngish person this is a very uncomfortable conversation to have! When shielding your employer does not have any legal obligation to pay your wages and they also do not have to furlough you. The only legal entitlement you have is statutory sick pay. Shielding is extremely tough! Up until last week you were not permitted to leave your house for any reason except for urgent medical appointments or in an emergency. The advice was that you may use your back garden if you have one but only if you can stay over 2m away from any neighbours who may be in their garden. Alternatively, you may open a window for fresh air. Since last week we have now been permitted to leave the house to go for a 1 hour walk with 1 member of our household, as long as we stay 2 metres away from any other person which includes our companion. In the home we are advised to sleep in a separate room from our partner and to stay in that one room alone and apart from our family, even for meals. If a separate room is not possible we are advised to keep a 2m distance from our entire family, including any children! In theory we should be able to get priority shopping deliveries from the supermarkets. However, in practice this has not happened for many people. The supermarkets have been issued with a list of people who are shielded but it only has about half of the 2 million people on it! Since March I have been able to get just one supermarket delivery! For those of us who cannot obtain food supplies due to the supermarkets not giving priority slots and have no support network to shop for us we can have a government food parcel delivered once a week. This food parcel is meant to be sufficient food for one person for 1 week. I call it my Boris Box I can share with you the contents of my boris box that arrived today. I got 2 toilet rolls, 2 hotel sized shower gel, 1 hotel sized soap, 3 tins of tomato soup, 1 large tin plum tomatoes, 1 baked beans, 1 baked beans and sausage, 1 tin tuna, 1 tin chick peas, 1 tin meatballs in tomato sauce, 2 jars tomato pasta sauce, 1 tin fruit cocktail, 20 tea bags, 10 sachets coffee, 2 litres uht milk (I’m lactose intolerant), 500g porridge oats, 1 loaf of bread, 500g white rice, 500g spaghetti, 2.5kg potatoes, 5 apples, 5 satsumas (2 of which were rotten), 500g carrots (rotten on the ends so needed trimming as they are my only veg!). It doesn’t vary much from week to week. As you can see, the nutritional balance leaves a lot to be desired. There is very little veg, an abundance of carbs and very little protein. However, when you have no other way of getting food you are very grateful for what you’re given!
These times are stressful for us all so please, before complaining how easy it is for us who are shielding, think about how you would cope with living life like this for 14 weeks
"I’m glad someone finally said it!! Everyone says they understand what it’s like..:but they don’t. | |||
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There will always be ignorant people out there who don't want to understand. Having your liberties taken away has been tough for us all. Being put into isolation is considered a punishment in pretty much all cultures. I don't think Ross Kemp would go into a prison where the probable consequence of breaking the rules would be a hideously protracted choking death. Everyone shielding need to keep doing what they need to do to be safe. The rest of us should not tolerate the ignorant and selfish who would demean them for it and support them in every they need. They might be shielding today, that can very easily be any one of us tomorrow and beyond.
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"I havn't had a food parcel nor an online supermarket slot. I'm working, shopping etc same as before, no PPE, no social distancing "and this is what is so annoying, all this we will protect the most vulnerable is just rubbish! Stay safe  | |||
"I got my shielding letter at the end of last week. I should have been shielding from the begining but somehow my GP missed me off the list !! " Go onto the government website and register on there. In theory it should then add you to priority slots for supermarkets but it doesn’t always work. If you have no one who can shop for you in the meantime tick no when it asks that and they should add you to the list for the food parcels. Again, it doesn’t always work as I know other people who are getting no help at all and are having to break shielding just to get food | |||
"I havn't had a food parcel nor an online supermarket slot. I'm working, shopping etc same as before, no PPE, no social distancing and this is what is so annoying, all this we will protect the most vulnerable is just rubbish! Stay safe "You too | |||
"I got my shielding letter at the end of last week. I should have been shielding from the begining but somehow my GP missed me off the list !! Go onto the government website and register on there. In theory it should then add you to priority slots for supermarkets but it doesn’t always work. If you have no one who can shop for you in the meantime tick no when it asks that and they should add you to the list for the food parcels. Again, it doesn’t always work as I know other people who are getting no help at all and are having to break shielding just to get food" It didn't work, but im working anyway so im not able to shield. The last few weeks iv done a click n collect for us and hubby does one for his parents. | |||
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