Corona Virus

[davieG]

Coronavirus: Morrisons delivery demand 'to create 3,500 new jobs'
17 March 2020

Morrisons says it also has measures "to protect and help colleagues"
Supermarket chain Morrisons has announced it is to create 3,500 new jobs to expand its home delivery service amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The retailer said it would be recruiting about 2,500 pickers and drivers, plus 1,000 staff in its distribution centres.

It will make more slots available and also set up a call centre for those without access to online shopping.

Morrisons said the move would help "at a time of national need".

Other measures it is planning includes a "colleague hardship fund" to help staff, in addition to pledging sick pay to all employees and redeploying colleagues who are vulnerable to the crisis.

The supermarket said it was also launching a new range of simple-to-order food parcels from 23 March.

The retailer said it was expanding home delivery "to many more households at a time of national need"
David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, said: "We expect the days, weeks and months ahead to be very testing and we are determined to do our bit.

"These measures will support our very hard-working colleagues, enable us to provide more food to more people in their homes and create opportunities for people whose jobs are affected by the coronavirus."

Morrisons also said it would look to protect employees where possible by asking customers to pay by card or smartphone to reduce cash handling, issuing hand sanitiser at checkouts and ramping up cleaning.

Last week the chain vowed to pay small suppliers immediately to help support cash flow.

[bmt]

1 hour ago, Dahnsouff said:

Why? Thought they did not do much

Most research suggests they do but in order to help most people have to be wearing them. Still, we don't have enough or the capacity to create enough British made ones. One's from China and even Wuhan would suffice, but we still wouldn't have enough for a while.

[Aus Fox]

28 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/man-allegedly-stabbed-in-woolies-in-victorias-mornington-peninsula/news-story/4817e2e2bec6798855857ac048937e3f

Australia comes across as hideously violent a lot of the time. 

Despite what you read, police had confirmed this incident had nothing to do with the virus or the supermarket itself.

On the whole we are not a violent people, though like every society we have elements of it.

People though here are noticeably tense, and short and suffering.

Its only mid March and we have had to contend with Bush fires, with countless losing lives, jobs, homes this was followed quickly by floods and now the virus has hit, there is no food in the supermarkets and with the economy crashing it appears everyone knows someone who is losing their livelihood and honestly I don’t know how much more people can take.

Edited 18 March 2020 by Aus Fox

[Dr Marco]

[filbertway]

7 minutes ago, Dr Marco said:

I'd rather take a chance on 406 infected humans than what appears to zombie hybrids developing!

[brucey]

[yorkie1999]

1 hour ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/man-allegedly-stabbed-in-woolies-in-victorias-mornington-peninsula/news-story/4817e2e2bec6798855857ac048937e3f

Australia comes across as hideously violent a lot of the time. 

I think this will bring out the worst in humanity. Wonder how many with spare cash in the bank are already anticipating a property crash.

[Dahnsouff]

4 minutes ago, yorkie1999 said:

I think this will bring out the worst in humanity. Wonder how many with spare cash in the bank are already anticipating a property crash.

Instead say the extreme behaviours in humanity. There will be some heroes and some villains.

Also let us not pretend the blitz was a unified demonstration of human goodness and solidarity, there was plenty of looters and bad behaviours then too.

Its just people, on the roads, in the community or in the towns. When sh*t gets real and scary, people react in different ways.

[yorkie1999]

4 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Instead say the extreme behaviours in humanity. There will be some heroes and some villains.

Also let us not pretend the blitz was a unified demonstration of human goodness and solidarity, there was plenty of looters and bad behaviours then too.

Its just people, on the roads, in the community or in the towns. When sh*t gets real and scary, people react in different ways.

It's obvious how people will react in Los Angeles. We're queuing for toilet paper , they're queuing for guns! Besides, you wouldn't really describe fighting an old lady for some toilet paper extreme behaviour, unless it was the other way round obviously.

Edited 18 March 2020 by yorkie1999

[Dahnsouff]

Just now, yorkie1999 said:

It's obvious how people will react in Los Angeles. We're queuing for toilet paper , they're queuing for guns!

tbh - if I thought there was an outlier chance that Trump (Or Biden for that matter) could come to my door, I might get a gun too

[Guest BlueBrett]

I don't really understand why people seem to feel almost unanimously that toilet paper of all things is an essential  You can always just take a shower after you shit folks.

 

The one thing I've actually struggled to keep replenishing has been pet food. Majority of pet shops closed and I wont give them the crap you can get in supermarkets. I think the dogs are perfectly happy to share my chicken for the time being though.

[Bayfox]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Can you buy it online in their name or click and collect.

Not sure. But thanks for the suggestion.

 

Delivery slots are being taken up as soon as they go online.

 

Really fear for those elderly on their own if we have a full lock down.

[EastAnglianFox]

Unfortunately kicked off in my local Tesco last night in Drayton, plenty of toilet roll available but was confusion over if customers were allowed 2 packets each or just One as they were in the process of changing the sign to just one each, this led to those with 2 in the trolley having them taken away around the store or at the checkout. Within about 5 minutes their were altercations all over the place, seemingly normal couples / families squaring up to each other and going for Tesco workers and anybody that tried to calm it down. Security couldn't cope as 5 or 6 groups were kicking off at the same time meaning most of us customers had to just try and keep others from getting at each other until the Police arrived.

 

Anyhow the store announced it was to close in half an hour until further notice. Mad thing is their had just been a massive delivery so all shelves were well stocked and most items limited to one or two per person and yet the place still turned into a war zone which wasn't a surprise given the atmosphere was on edge the entire time I was shopping.

 

Embarrassing to watch and dread to think what it could be like in a few weeks time. 

[davieG]

4 minutes ago, EastAnglianFox said:

Unfortunately kicked off in my local Tesco last night in Drayton, plenty of toilet roll available but was confusion over if customers were allowed 2 packets each or just One as they were in the process of changing the sign to just one each, this led to those with 2 in the trolley having them taken away around the store or at the checkout. Within about 5 minutes their were altercations all over the place, seemingly normal couples / families squaring up to each other and going for Tesco workers and anybody that tried to calm it down. Security couldn't cope as 5 or 6 groups were kicking off at the same time meaning most of us customers had to just try and keep others from getting at each other until the Police arrived.

 

Anyhow the store announced it was to close in half an hour until further notice. Mad thing is their had just been a massive delivery so all shelves were well stocked and most items limited to one or two per person and yet the place still turned into a war zone which wasn't a surprise given the atmosphere was on edge the entire time I was shopping.

 

Embarrassing to watch and dread to think what it could be like in a few weeks time. 

See I think the media are somewhat to blame, they're not content with just giving us the important useful basic info but seemingly wallowing in doomsday scenarios emphasising unsubstantiated worst case scenarios.

 

I'm not sure the government are helping either for example announcing that in a few days they are going insist on over 70s and those at risk to stay at home, did they really not expect a stampede to the shops.

 

I booked an online delver for the 10th and there were plenty of dates free, I looked after that announcement and they'd all disappeared for the next 3 weeks.

 

Of course it's still down to people to behave sensibly but if you stir people up they're going to want to do the best for their families but also we all know the world has a good proportion of selfish individuals as well.

[WigstonWanderer]

1 hour ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/man-allegedly-stabbed-in-woolies-in-victorias-mornington-peninsula/news-story/4817e2e2bec6798855857ac048937e3f

Australia comes across as hideously violent a lot of the time. 

Haha, we say the same about the UK

[Innovindil]

8 minutes ago, davieG said:

See I think the media are somewhat to blame, they're not content with just giving us the important useful basic info but seemingly wallowing in doomsday scenarios emphasising unsubstantiated worst case scenarios.

 

I'm not sure the government are helping either for example announcing that in a few days they are going insist on over 70s and those at risk to stay at home, did they really not expect a stampede to the shops.

 

I booked an online delver for the 10th and there were plenty of dates free, I looked after that announcement and they'd all disappeared for the next 3 weeks.

 

Of course it's still down to people to behave sensibly but if you stir people up they're going to want to do the best for their families but also we all know the world has a good proportion of selfish individuals as well.

I think the reason it's being done like this is to get people to take it seriously, and the only way to do that is to produce a certain level of fear. The majority of the country still hasn't seen anyone personally suffer with it, if you try to lock the country down by force without that then you will have trouble on your hands. 

 

It's why it's simplistically naieve to be saying "we should have shut everything down weeks ago reeeeee!". The people have to accept it. 

 

My family were supposed to be going to the pub for dinner on Sunday, we rang last night to cancel because at least half of us are in the "bigger risk" category, the woman on the phone said "if you cancel chances are you won't get a table if you change your mind, we're fully booked". People still aren't taking it seriously and there's only 3 ways of making them; force them to with fines/police whatever, show them by somebody they know getting sick, or make them scared enough to listen. To me, one of those 3 is the only current viable option. 

[davieG]

1 minute ago, Innovindil said:

I think the reason it's being done like this is to get people to take it seriously, and the only way to do that is to produce a certain level of fear. The majority of the country still hasn't seen anyone personally suffer with it, if you try to lock the country down by force without that then you will have trouble on your hands. 

 

It's why it's simplistically naieve to be saying "we should have shut everything down weeks ago reeeeee!". The people have to accept it. 

 

My family were supposed to be going to the pub for dinner on Sunday, we rang last night to cancel because at least half of us are in the "bigger risk" category, the woman on the phone said "if you cancel chances are you won't get a table if you change your mind, we're fully booked". People still aren't taking it seriously and there's only 3 ways of making them; force them to with fines/police whatever, show them by somebody they know getting sick, or make them scared enough to listen. To me, one of those 3 is the only current viable option. 

Fair point but I suspect lots of these don't even watch or read the news.

[CosbehFox]

In my personal experience, there's a real mix of what you say. I visited a restaurant/cafe yesterday for work and the owners say the impact has been eyewatering. By nature, staff are away from work due to the self-isolation rules but when all is available, they will go to a three person rotation. 

 

We are at a stage where things are still functioning and those still in work just need to be sensible with distancing etc. 

[Merging Cultures]

The Ministry of Health in Zambia has just reported it's first two cases.

 

A man and woman came back from France on 15 March. The two kids are negative.

[fox in the sox]

26 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

I think the reason it's being done like this is to get people to take it seriously, and the only way to do that is to produce a certain level of fear. The majority of the country still hasn't seen anyone personally suffer with it, if you try to lock the country down by force without that then you will have trouble on your hands. 

 

It's why it's simplistically naieve to be saying "we should have shut everything down weeks ago reeeeee!". The people have to accept it. 

 

My family were supposed to be going to the pub for dinner on Sunday, we rang last night to cancel because at least half of us are in the "bigger risk" category, the woman on the phone said "if you cancel chances are you won't get a table if you change your mind, we're fully booked". People still aren't taking it seriously and there's only 3 ways of making them; force them to with fines/police whatever, show them by somebody they know getting sick, or make them scared enough to listen. To me, one of those 3 is the only current viable option. 

I' m really annoyed that the public are not listening to the advice and are still going to gyms, coffee houses, pubs etc. It will just end up with a total lockdown.

[StanSP]

 

 

[Izzy]

11 minutes ago, fox in the sox said:

I' m really annoyed that the public are not listening to the advice and are still going to gyms, coffee houses, pubs etc. It will just end up with a total lockdown.

Guilty 

 

My gym has issued strict guidelines about keeping 2m apart from other users, reduced numbers allowed in, cancelled group classes, extra cleaning/sanitizing etc.

 

Got a feeling they'll close soon though as other gyms in town have already done so.

[TheUltimateWinner]

Just an update from the school I work at, us among many others are struggling to stay open past Friday due to low staff numbers.

 

It's very weird being at work right now, in a way it's quite comforting having some normal routine, but there's a cloud just constantly hanging over everyone. You'll walk around and spot little signs that stuff isn't right, like staff members missing, certain notices about events being cancelled due to Coronavirus etc etc... 

[oakman]

Glastonbury cancelled.

[Alf Bentley]

1 hour ago, EastAnglianFox said:

Unfortunately kicked off in my local Tesco last night in Drayton, plenty of toilet roll available but was confusion over if customers were allowed 2 packets each or just One as they were in the process of changing the sign to just one each, this led to those with 2 in the trolley having them taken away around the store or at the checkout. Within about 5 minutes their were altercations all over the place, seemingly normal couples / families squaring up to each other and going for Tesco workers and anybody that tried to calm it down. Security couldn't cope as 5 or 6 groups were kicking off at the same time meaning most of us customers had to just try and keep others from getting at each other until the Police arrived.

 

Anyhow the store announced it was to close in half an hour until further notice. Mad thing is their had just been a massive delivery so all shelves were well stocked and most items limited to one or two per person and yet the place still turned into a war zone which wasn't a surprise given the atmosphere was on edge the entire time I was shopping.

 

Embarrassing to watch and dread to think what it could be like in a few weeks time. 

 

#Andrexgate