Real men do eat quiche
PAUL ROUTLEDGE
nostril flaring when breathing or are needing to use your chest muscles extra hard in order to breathe, you must either ring NHS 111 or, in an emergency only, call 999.
Do I need to get tested if I suspect coronavirus?
No. You will currently be tested only if your symptoms are severe enough that you end up in hospital.
Who should I tell if I think I’m infected?
Let any family, friends and work colleagues you’ve been in contact with over the past 14 days know.
You don’t need to tell your GP or 111.
How do I self-isolate?
If you have symptoms, current guidelines say you must go into self-isolation for seven days. Put simply, this means:
■ Stay at home.
■ Don’t go to work, school or any
other public areas.
■ Don’t use public
or taxis.
■ Get friends and family to deliver food, medicines etc rather than going to the shops yourself. Don’t let people visit your home. transport
Do the rest of my family need to self-isolate?
Yes. If you live with others, they should stay at home for at least 14 days to stop the virus spreading, even if they don’t have any symptoms.
After 14 days, anyone you live with who has no symptoms can return to their normal routine.
I have symptoms but I live with an at-risk person – what should I do?
If you live with someone who is over 70, has a long-term condition, a weakened immune system or is pregnant, you should try to find somewhere else for them to stay.
If you have to stay at home together, keep away from each other as much as possible.
What’s the best way to avoid passing it on to others in my house?
You should further self-isolate while at home – which means avoiding close contact with the other people in your household as much as possible.
Stay in another room and wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, particularly if you have been coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
Clean surfaces that get touched often, such as door handles, kettles and light switches, several times a day, ideally with diluted bleach or a spray of at least 70% alcohol.
Do I need to wear a mask? In general, face masks are not recommended by Public Health England as they don’t provide great protection from catching the virus.
However, if you’re already displaying symptoms then a mask could help prevent you spreading the virus if you leave your home for any emergency.
When will I stop being contagious?
Once your fever is gone, after seven days you should no longer be infectious and can return to your normal routine (even if you still have a cough).
But if you still have a fever, remain cautious and avoid contact with others until your temperature returns to normal.
You could say that the coronavirus is bringing out the best and the worst in us.
An example of the worst is the kind of panic buying we’ve seen in supermarkets.
The nation has stockpiled over £1.2billion of groceries and household goods, largely as the result of selfishness and greed because supply lines can cope with what we’d ordinarily need.
The best side of human nature has thrown up the most astonishing acts of
I am facing several months’ self-isolation. My partner, however, will be continuing to go to work. How can we safely fit our two separate lifestyles under one roof without compromising one another’s health?
Merilyn Hill Dr Miriam: I think a lot of couples will be facing this kind of dilemma where you’ll both have to work in unison to keep you free of the coronavirus. If it’s at all possible you should have
MOTHER’S Day, with much affection for our children’s mum and memories of our own. But what’s this funnylooking dish on the table?
“It’s quiche,” said Mrs R. “You’ll like it.” This was spoken more by way of instruction than explanation.
There is a time and place to get macho about real men not eating quiche, but shared isolation is not the right one.
Not even when a Frenchified tart is served up for Sunday dinner, or lunch as they say in sophisticated establishments. It looked all right, and tasted, well, quite cooperation. The weekend newspapers had headlines like: “Pharma Groups Unite to Fight the Virus Pledging a Joint Effort on Treatments and a Vaccine.” Firms are promising that they will share resources and trial data.
Another headline read: “Manufacturers Team up on the Production of Life-saving Ventilators to Plug the NHS Gap.” It’s only through cooperation like this that we’ll get through the difficult times ahead. your own bathroom, soap, towels etc. and definitely sleep in separate beds, preferably, in separate rooms.
Your partner has to be meticulous about handwashing on returning from work and neither of you must touch one another.
You’d be wise to wash your hands after your partner comes home, too. The ideal situation would be isolating yourself in one room as far as possible, though I know this will be really difficult. interesting. But it had no bones, nothing to pick up and gnaw for the last bits of meat. In fact, it had no meat at all.
I hid my disappointment behind a tumbler of red plonk. I think she noticed. They always do.
Maybe quiche is the least of my worries, but this bloody coronavirus has a lot to answer for. Elimination is the least it can expect.
It’s amazing how important food gets when it’s all done at home, and there’s so little else to think about except the next meal and what shall I read now.