Wow, what a strange week we are experiencing! Coronavirus has hit the UK, and everyone is veering between panic and ignorance. My children are still in school, but all of their extra-curricular clubs are cancelled until further notice. We have no more swimming lessons, no more Girlguiding groups, and the planned school residential trip is off. Our plans for an Easter party are cancelled, and now I’m wondering how long before the school has to close completely? And yet, life carries on as normal. Last weekend my husband and I went out in Manchester (and yes, we do feel mildly ashamed). It was a pre-planned meal in memory of a friend who died just after Christmas, and since we missed his funeral, we felt it was only right to honour his memory at his favourite student restaurant. The city was a lot quieter than usual, but people were determined to carry on with their lives as normal.
Then there was my Grandad’s funeral yesterday. This was a very strange day. He has been ill for many years, and we didn’t expect him to live past Christmas since he was in and out of hospital. He was a Navy veteran, and I believe that his body had been trained to endure hardship, which is why it took him so long to leave us when his time came. Anyway, we were not going to miss attending his funeral, and mine and my husband’s health is good, so we attended. Besides, if my children are in school, my life has to carry on as normal, doesn’t it? And my husband cannot shut down the waste treatment site that he manages because that has knock-on effects to public health. The crematorium staff advised us not to stand too close to each other, and we were asked not to hug, shake hands or touch other people wherever possible. My Nan practically had a bubble around her, and my Mum is high-risk due to health complications, so my siblings and I took extra care to shield her where we could. We did attend the planned wake in a local pub, but the staff in there looked very uncomfortable. It was a nice send-off, but a weird one due to the underlying worry about coronavirus. Let’s see where the next week or so takes us…
How is your life impacted (or not) by current events?
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SpookyMrsGreen 
Here in the states a lot of people are working from home and businesses are closing but the hiking trails are still open and those of us who are still required to go to work outside of our homes are taking precautions. There’s a lot of panic and fear spreading due to misinformation and some overreactions. I mean the virus has a 98% survival rate. This is clearly not the end of the world.
So far, it’s not impacting on my life much – I spend most of my time at home anyway, and I’ve always hated crowds. My main worry is how it’s affecting animal shelters – abused and abandoned dogs will go on needing rescue, virus or no virus, and with shelters going into lockdown many of them won’t get the help they need.
I agree with the previous comment about misinformation and overreactions.