My son is going back to work on Monday, he’s had his letter but can’t afford to stay off any longer just on normal sick pay. Boss says he’s needed, he’s not happy about it, in fact being extremely vulnerable, he’s out right scared.
To be fair I can get statutory sick pay but it’s not enough at the moment. Also I work in a very busy pharmacy and if people are off sick staff and patients will suffer, that’s acceptable if people are unwell or infectious but will we be tested before being asked to self isolate? I think we need more information and it worries me that we have people in charge that I personally don’t trust to tell us the truth or manage the situation.
You work in a pharmacy and you would consider going in despite knowing you may be carrying the virus with you?
I'm sorry but that's incredibly irresponsible. Pharmacies are even more of a lifeline for vulnerable and chronically unwell people than they were before this, taking over a lot of what GPs usually do, and acting as a place to get advice. You really really can't go into work and put those people in harm's way. I know it would be hard to manage on sick pay but so what if some bills are paid late or the rent is down a bit for one month? Someone's life is far more important, isn't it?
Both my children (in their 30's) have worked throughout. One in a supermarket and the other a nurse. My son has asthma but still goes in,my daughter's husband is asthmatic too. I am anxious but not scared stiff. We obviously all take precautions (for ourselves and others) but we are not letting the virus stop us enjoying life. We could well be living with this disease for many years and I don't want to spend my life shut away and being 'protected' for ever.Life is always a risk and we all have to assess and balance everything.
A life lived in fear is a life half lived.
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
As I have already said if I was unwell or contagious I would self isolate but I would want to be tested before I did that. Otherwise I might be off work indefinitely. I can’t just assume I have a virus and act accordingly.
Bills won’t be late they won’t be paid at all and rent has to be paid in full. That’s the truth of the matter. Our savings have gone. We are getting absolutely no financial help from anyone and there are lots worse off than us. People are going hungry and getting into debt. As others have said this can’t go on indefinitely. Vulnerable people should be protected and the rest of us should be able to choose to return to some sort of normality.
As I have already said if I was unwell or contagious I would self isolate but I would want to be tested before I did that. Otherwise I might be off work indefinitely. I can’t just assume I have a virus and act accordingly.
Bills won’t be late they won’t be paid at all and rent has to be paid in full. That’s the truth of the matter. Our savings have gone. We are getting absolutely no financial help from anyone and there are lots worse off than us. People are going hungry and getting into debt. As others have said this can’t go on indefinitely. Vulnerable people should be protected and the rest of us should be able to choose to return to some sort of normality.
To be honest I'm slightly appalled that as a pharmacy your employers would put you, and potentially its customers, in that situation. I seriously hope they do the right thing and let you go off sick on full pay if you're told by someone to self-isolate. Given where you work I would imagine that's not unlikely.
I have been to 3 different pharmacies during the lockdown. They have all had counter screens,staff wear PPE,only 1 customer per shop,queuing outside at proper social distancing.One pharmacy was dealing with customers from a window outside across a large table. Given that most customers will not be in the at risk groups but there on behalf of others I think the real risk is more to other members of staff rather than customers. Until there is widespread and reliable antibody testing available many staff in all types of jobs are going to be working with the risk. We cannot be in lockdown forever,hundreds of jobs have already been lost and thousands are in serious doubt. Suicides are on the rise because people are so worried about the future,or lack of one. It is just not possible to protect everybody from the virus,there will be more deaths,that is just the nature of the virus,it is nobody's fault. You have to balance lives with the need for the country to keep going economically.That is not an easy task for anyone. If your loved one dies it is of course it is tragic,but that is the same for every death. There are around 400 deaths everyday from cancer alone in the UK,in normal circumstances that is around 25% of ALL deaths,this may now increase due to lack of diagnosis and treatment.These deaths are no less tragic to those involved than from the virus. As I have said before life is not without risk. Right now we are in the middle of the pandemic and hopefully easing out so things can still look bleak,but in the future it may just be one of the risks we have to assess everyday,just like looking both ways when crossing the road.
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
Sorry to go back to the previous topic, but I just read this and I think it explains beautifully why the calls to "move on" (for which, read "let us get away with it") are inappropriate to the Cummings situation.
'We endure these things individually because we understand ourselves to be also enduring them collectively. Cummings’ actions – and, even more, Johnson’s valorisation of them – strip away the second part.'
I've been in a couple of pharmacies too. Yes there were screens and the staff were wearing PPE, but my prescription items and the bag they were placed in were still touched by the staff, and then by me.
Would you think it was ok for a nurse or a doctor or a care worker to still go into work if they had the call to self isolate?
Our customers are protected as much as possible but obviously we work closely together however this has been the case since day one and so far nobody has been ill, in fact I don’t personally know anyone who has been ill, so let’s hope the situation will not arise that I am forced to self isolate. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could trust the government to tell us the truth and manage things properly?
Our customers are protected as much as possible but obviously we work closely together however this has been the case since day one and so far nobody has been ill, in fact I don’t personally know anyone who has been ill, so let’s hope the situation will not arise that I am forced to self isolate. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could trust the government to tell us the truth and manage things properly?
I know lots of people who have been ill, and some who have died. Maybe when you start to see the effects on people you actually know rather than strangers you don't care about and numbers that don't seem real, you'll take it more seriously.
I do agree with you that this situation would be easier on everybody with a more honest and competent government, so that's one thing.
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I'm sorry but that's incredibly irresponsible. Pharmacies are even more of a lifeline for vulnerable and chronically unwell people than they were before this, taking over a lot of what GPs usually do, and acting as a place to get advice. You really really can't go into work and put those people in harm's way. I know it would be hard to manage on sick pay but so what if some bills are paid late or the rent is down a bit for one month? Someone's life is far more important, isn't it?
One in a supermarket and the other a nurse.
My son has asthma but still goes in,my daughter's husband is asthmatic too.
I am anxious but not scared stiff.
We obviously all take precautions (for ourselves and others) but we are not letting the virus stop us enjoying life.
We could well be living with this disease for many years and I don't want to spend my life shut away and being 'protected' for ever.Life is always a risk and we all have to assess and balance everything.
A life lived in fear is a life half lived.
They have all had counter screens,staff wear PPE,only 1 customer per shop,queuing outside at proper social distancing.One pharmacy was dealing with customers from a window outside across a large table.
Given that most customers will not be in the at risk groups but there on behalf of others I think the real risk is more to other members of staff rather than customers.
Until there is widespread and reliable antibody testing available many staff in all types of jobs are going to be working with the risk.
We cannot be in lockdown forever,hundreds of jobs have already been lost and thousands are in serious doubt.
Suicides are on the rise because people are so worried about the future,or lack of one.
It is just not possible to protect everybody from the virus,there will be more deaths,that is just the nature of the virus,it is nobody's fault.
You have to balance lives with the need for the country to keep going economically.That is not an easy task for anyone.
If your loved one dies it is of course it is tragic,but that is the same for every death.
There are around 400 deaths everyday from cancer alone in the UK,in normal circumstances that is around 25% of ALL deaths,this may now increase due to lack of diagnosis and treatment.These deaths are no less tragic to those involved than from the virus.
As I have said before life is not without risk.
Right now we are in the middle of the pandemic and hopefully easing out so things can still look bleak,but in the future it may just be one of the risks we have to assess everyday,just like looking both ways when crossing the road.
'We endure these things individually because we understand ourselves to be also enduring them collectively. Cummings’ actions – and, even more, Johnson’s valorisation of them – strip away the second part.'
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/26/cummings-contempt-lockdown-rules-public-catholic-church-ireland
Yes there were screens and the staff were wearing PPE, but my prescription items and the bag they were placed in were still touched by the staff, and then by me.
Would you think it was ok for a nurse or a doctor or a care worker to still go into work if they had the call to self isolate?
I do agree with you that this situation would be easier on everybody with a more honest and competent government, so that's one thing.