Coronavirus disease outbreak - COVID-19 #3

[MissJacksonIfYoureNasty]

No disrespect to anybody here. But I'm shocked at the amount of people with insecure jobs that can't pay their mortgage in a month if they lose their job. The mortgage application forms make it very clear if you can't keep up with repayment you will lose your home. Why do people expect government help with their mortgage? That's not fair if the government helps people with their personal assets. At most they can work with mortgage companies to stop interest payments for a couple of months. The times of jobs for life has long been over, if you've got a mortgage it's mainly your responsibility to make payments. And mortgage payments are low at the mo.

Why the shock? You’ve literally said it yourself that ‘the times of jobs for life has long been over’. So what we’ve ended up with whole swathes of people on zero hours contracts. When that becomes the standard across many industries, people have no choice but to take the jobs available and end up living pay cheque to pay cheque.

Many will have been in more secure jobs when they obtained a mortgage, it only takes one event for people to end up less secure and up tit creek when something like this happens. It’s really not that surprising!

 

[Doc]

I hope if they do decide to close schools, businesses etc they do so in clusters - so where confirmed cases are, in a radius of x around them. That should hopefully stagger impact on economy?

 

[Marcos SP]

Why the shock? You’ve literally said it yourself that ‘the times of jobs for life has long been over’. So what we’ve ended up with whole swathes of people on zero hours contracts. When that becomes the standard across many industries, people have no choice but to take the jobs available and end up living pay cheque to pay cheque.

Many will have been in more secure jobs when they obtained a mortgage, it only takes one event for people to end up less secure and up tit creek when something like this happens. It’s really not that surprising!

The situation isn't surprising, the attitude that the government should bail people out is surprising. We pay way too little tax in this country - but many want welfare measures as if we're a Nordic country with huge taxes.

 

[SavvyBee]

I like to think I am a rational and optimistic and savvy enough when it comes to interpreting our mainstream media And was fairly level headed about this until the last few days but this has really triggered an anxiety in me. My husband is type 1 diabetic, I have elderly grandparents who have both had pneumonia and bronchitis in the last few weeks/months and other relatives who have been unwell. It’s absolutely terrifying to think of losing them. I am mainly concerned about the strain on the already overburdened NHS and people simply not receiving adequate treatment. I was very much in the “this is just a flu; don’t panic” camp until the last few days when the numbers in Italy have really shocked me. It is so clear to me that official figures are probably only a tip of the iceberg. How many people will have had it and travelled from Wuhan before anyone even became aware of it as a new virus? Who travelled thinking they had a minor cold? It’s been around much longer and is more widespread than we officially know, let alone are being made aware of.
I am disappointed in the government response but can appreciate their priority is to mitigate the economic impact.
I work in central London and the first meeting in my office this morning is with someone from Milan. I am gobsmacked she is here and really quite unhappy about it (I don’t know for sure but assuming she travelled before the lockdown yesterday or has ignored it). I think it’s irresponsible to be doing anything in person than can reasonably be done by phone or video at the moment especially where it concerns people from high risk areas.
I’m not too worried if I catch it myself - I am young and healthy with a generally good immune system (although interestingly last week I had 4 days of awful cold / body aches / cough - I haven’t had a cold in years and have never had seasonal flu). But I’m quite sure if I got it I’d be absolutely fine. Maybe I’ve already had it and don’t know? That’s more what worries me and the difficulty in identifying it and how easy it can be transmitted to vulnerable people without anyone knowing. The government really need to widen the testing criteria and need to be monitoring people travelling in to the country.

 

[imaginedragon83]

If you live month to month would wouldn't pass the mortgage application process. I know many live month by month because of a low income, but also many live month by month on a good income because they choose to spend it all. Why should tax payers bail out people to help them build up a personal asset and private wealth? It's not your home unless you own it outright, if you can't make the payments for many months it will get repo'ed then people can rent and claim housing benefit to help with rent. Millions can't afford to buy and j don't think it's fair on them to use public money to bail out those with mortgages. Unpopular opinion I know.

I'm certainly not asking for the government to pay my mortgage. If I am being forced to not work there has to be some way around that. If the government forced me to stop

The situation isn't surprising, the attitude that the government should bail people out is surprising. We pay way too little tax in this country - but many want welfare measures as if we're a Nordic country with huge taxes.

I've not said I want or expect the government to pay my mortgage. Nobody on here said that!!! I want the government to take into consideration that a lot of people, if forced to stay off work on no or low pay, will default on payments. I would rather measures put in place so that I can continue to work and earn. I've never relied on hand outs and I dont want to now either. I want a workable solution

 

[Sprinklefairy]

If you live month to month would wouldn't pass the mortgage application process. I know many live month by month because of a low income, but also many live month by month on a good income because they choose to spend it all. Why should tax payers bail out people to help them build up a personal asset and private wealth? It's not your home unless you own it outright, if you can't make the payments for many months it will get repo'ed then people can rent and claim housing benefit to help with rent. Millions can't afford to buy and j don't think it's fair on them to use public money to bail out those with mortgages. Unpopular opinion I know.

Your comments are ridiculous.
My partner is self employed and earns a decent wage which has meant I’ve not had to go back to work after having our son. We usually having savings however this has had to go to paying my partners tax bills. We rent and are not entitled to housing benefits. If we are made to self isolate we would seriously struggling to pay bills.
Maybe you should stop and think of peoples circumstances before making comments like that. Circumstance can change at anytime and sadly a lot people live month to month thanks to living cost.

 

[S1920]

If you live month to month would wouldn't pass the mortgage application process. I know many live month by month because of a low income, but also many live month by month on a good income because they choose to spend it all. Why should tax payers bail out people to help them build up a personal asset and private wealth? It's not your home unless you own it outright, if you can't make the payments for many months it will get repo'ed then people can rent and claim housing benefit to help with rent. Millions can't afford to buy and j don't think it's fair on them to use public money to bail out those with mortgages. Unpopular opinion I know.

I have no mortgahe on my home we own it outright. But my husband is self employed and I am between pregancies. I moved to to the other end of the country two weeks before my first and with a v small gap in between my 2nd I don't get maternity pay. We will still be screwed with no money coming in even without a mortgage to pay!

 

[Marcos SP]

I'm certainly not asking for the government to pay my mortgage. If I am being forced to not work there has to be some way around that. If the government forced me to stop

I've not said I want or expect the government to pay my mortgage. Nobody on here said that!!! I want the government to take into consideration that a lot of people, if forced to stay off work on no or low pay, will default on payments. I would rather measures put in place so that I can continue to work and earn. I've never relied on hand outs and I dont want to now either. I want a workable solution

Sorry I'm not responding to people here but there are people that expect the government to pay their mortgage if they lose their job.

We usually having savings however this has had to go to paying my partners tax bills. We rent and are not entitled to housing benefits. If we are made to self isolate we would seriously struggling to pay bills

They're not really savings if they're saved to pay a tax bill. But you rent there will be support.

 

[Emma1990123]

Your comments are ridiculous.
My partner is self employed and earns a decent wage which has meant I’ve not had to go back to work after having our son. We usually having savings however this has had to go to paying my partners tax bills. We rent and are not entitled to housing benefits. If we are made to self isolate we would seriously struggling to pay bills.
Maybe you should stop and think of peoples circumstances before making comments like that. Circumstance can change at anytime and sadly a lot people live month to month thanks to living cost.

I can’t believe what I’ve been reading here this morning.
My husband and I own our own restaurant so the impact of businesses closing means our lively hood stops! It could potentially bankrupt us! I know exactly how you are feeling as I haven’t went back to work yet either and SMP isn’t great! It definitely wouldn’t cover our bills! We rent also and are in the same situation as you with housing benefit

 

[MissJacksonIfYoureNasty]

The situation isn't surprising, the attitude that the government should bail people out is surprising. We pay way too little tax in this country - but many want welfare measures as if we're a Nordic country with huge taxes.

I agree with you on that. There’s a complete disconnect between taxation and expectation in this country and I suppose people are getting what they voted for.
I’d happily pay more tax if it was spent in the right places, to ensure a security blanket for all but I accept I’m probably in the minority there....but will leave it at that so not to derail.

I’m mortgage- free, work from home & will receive full pay if I’m sick, so I’m lucky. It doesn’t stop me from empathising with others who are not in the same position though.

 

[Sprinklefairy]

They're not really savings if they're saved to pay a tax bill. But you rent there will be support.

not sure where you get that logic. They are savings, there not usually used for paying tax bills but sadly due to circumstance they’ve been used for that. But like I already said if you don’t know people circumstance then you shouldn’t be commenting.

 

[SavvyBee]

Sorry I'm not responding to people here but there are people that expect the government to pay their mortgage if they lose their job.


They're not really savings if they're saved to pay a tax bill. But you rent there will be support.

There aren’t enough private landlords - private rents have been pushed higher and higher because of new tax rules that mean they can no longer inckude their mortgage payments as a cost. Many private landlords have been forced in to bankruptcy and the rest have pushed rents higher. Most landlords I know won’t accept tenants on housing benefits because of the issues with payments (either tenants not paying rent and them being protected or constant delays with benefit payments). There is simply not enough social housing. Saying that people who can only afford to live month to month would be or should be in rented property is far too simplistic and simply not doable.

 

[Upintheair83]

I like to think I am a rational and optimistic and savvy enough when it comes to interpreting our mainstream media And was fairly level headed about this until the last few days but this has really triggered an anxiety in me. My husband is type 1 diabetic, I have elderly grandparents who have both had pneumonia and bronchitis in the last few weeks/months and other relatives who have been unwell. It’s absolutely terrifying to think of losing them. I am mainly concerned about the strain on the already overburdened NHS and people simply not receiving adequate treatment. I was very much in the “this is just a flu; don’t panic” camp until the last few days when the numbers in Italy have really shocked me. It is so clear to me that official figures are probably only a tip of the iceberg. How many people will have had it and travelled from Wuhan before anyone even became aware of it as a new virus? Who travelled thinking they had a minor cold? It’s been around much longer and is more widespread than we officially know, let alone are being made aware of.
I am disappointed in the government response but can appreciate their priority is to mitigate the economic impact.
I work in central London and the first meeting in my office this morning is with someone from Milan. I am gobsmacked she is here and really quite unhappy about it (I don’t know for sure but assuming she travelled before the lockdown yesterday or has ignored it). I think it’s irresponsible to be doing anything in person than can reasonably be done by phone or video at the moment especially where it concerns people from high risk areas.
I’m not too worried if I catch it myself - I am young and healthy with a generally good immune system (although interestingly last week I had 4 days of awful cold / body aches / cough - I haven’t had a cold in years and have never had seasonal flu). But I’m quite sure if I got it I’d be absolutely fine. Maybe I’ve already had it and don’t know? That’s more what worries me and the difficulty in identifying it and how easy it can be transmitted to vulnerable people without anyone knowing. The government really need to widen the testing criteria and need to be monitoring people travelling in to the country.

You explained perfectly how I am feeling, esp the not knowing whether you have it or not. The thought of passing it to my elderly parents is something that is haunting me daily. But I still feel the need to help them out and go over to see them, I would struggle to not see them for weeks at a time, but I would do it if I felt it would prevent them from becoming ill. They don’t seem too bothered by it all and are still attending church and shopping, yet they are so vulnerable.
I wish the government would just give directions now on what to do, do I carry on seeing them? Or do we all self isolate? I feel so conflicted.

 

[Definitelyme]

No disrespect to anybody here. But I'm shocked at the amount of people with insecure jobs that can't pay their mortgage in a month if they lose their job. The mortgage application forms make it very clear if you can't keep up with repayment you will lose your home. Why do people expect government help with their mortgage? That's not fair if the government helps people with their personal assets. At most they can work with mortgage companies to stop interest payments for a couple of months. The times of jobs for life has long been over, if you've got a mortgage it's mainly your responsibility to make payments. And mortgage payments are low at the mo.

You show an absolute lack of understanding about the state of our country. it is hardly that anyone WANTS to live in a month to month situation, or a financially unstable situation. People do the best they can with the jobs that are available. And talking about mortgages is just ridiculous. Many people will not have a mortgage and still have to pay RENT, which is usually higher than a mortgage payment anyway.
Luckily we are mortgage free, own our house outright along with several others. However the nature of both our jobs (husband self employed and me a sub teacher) means our monthly income is variable. We are financially very stable with great savings, and very responsible, but it doesn’t negate the fact that if we can’t get any work for a month that is a crap situation to be in.

 

[Doc]

You explained perfectly how I am feeling, esp the not knowing whether you have it or not. The thought of passing it to my elderly parents is something that is haunting me daily. But I still feel the need to help them out and go over to see them, I would struggle to not see them for weeks at a time, but I would do it if I felt it would prevent them from becoming ill. They don’t seem too bothered by it all and are still attending church and shopping, yet they are so vulnerable.
I wish the government would just give directions now on what to do, do I carry on seeing them? Or do we all self isolate? I feel so conflicted.

I think Bozza definitely needs to up the communications game. Apart from “wash your hands” (which he also didn’t make clear) nobody is quite sure how to deal with this.

 

[Definitelyme]

I think Bozza definitely needs to up the communications game. Apart from “wash your hands” (which he also didn’t make clear) nobody is quite sure how to deal with this.

You are absolutely right - the uncertainty of what to do is causing the hysteria like panic buying. If the government take a firm stand as lead, everyone (more or less!!) will know what to do, what is happening, and feel more in control.

 

[emmer_moans]

My work has just issued a memo to say they are reviewing potential ways to keep working i.e. work from home. Some of us admins work from laptops anyway with hot desk docks, but some use towers, it depends on the department and role. Luckily I have a work laptop so can VPN if they send us home but they are holding off on that for now as our area is not badly hit as yet. Not sure how the sick pay will work when some can use remote working and some can't.

 

[Yel]

I think Bozza definitely needs to up the communications game. Apart from “wash your hands” (which he also didn’t make clear) nobody is quite sure how to deal with this.

Johnson couldn't even wash his own hands correctly on a press trip to a lab with numerous cameras on him! He just did two seconds washing then started to wash of, then remembered the cameras were on him and did a few seconds more. Then he turned off the tab with the huge leaver that you're supposed to turn off with you arm with the same hands he used to turn on

I wouldn't expect much from this cobra meeting. They're just meeting in cabinet office briefing room a, as they should be meeting every day anyway. A guy from european centre for disease and control on BBC news was saying we're just two weeks behind Italy and need to take action soon.

 

[Oohthedrama]

Heart disease kills.....
The flu kills.....
People die from.....

Shut up.
People who keep spouting this tit even now need those masks so we don’t have to hear them anymore.

There’s a difference between being calm and trying to manage people’s anxiety and being thick.

Happy Monday folks,
wash your hands

(and treat yourself, buy an extra toilet roll, quilted! best emoji)

 

[Sprinklefairy]

Heart disease kills.....
The flu kills.....
People die from.....

Shut up.
People who keep spouting this tit even now need those masks so we don’t have to hear them anymore.

There’s a difference between being calm and trying to manage people’s anxiety and being thick.

Happy Monday folks,
wash your hands

I can’t believe people are still saying this, someone on my Facebook posted the statistic picture this morning.... I just wanted to facepalm them.