Spikecollie

You won't get anything back, most likely, although you could call Ryanair and explain - they did it for me once when I booked a wrong date. Retrospective travel insurance is a non starter. Sad for you but you can come again when all is good.

It is notable that approximately 5% of the US population travel abroad every year. A large number of people but a very small percentage. It is not an island but in parts it is highly insular.

I'm a rummager too! I lift whole trays to get to the longer sell by dates. I have have them to because I can't get to the main supermarket more than once a week, sometimes less often with work and distance. It's selfish, I know but I also make up for it by buying from the "anti-gaspi" section and quickly eating or freezing whatever there is in short date. Most of my eggs come from there and it saves me a lot of money.

That's just disgusting, COVID-19 or not. Mllaaahh...

My bubble is hanging in there too, Nick. What sort of transport restrictions do you thiink they would be?

But never mind, Trump is taking aggressive action!

I know, it's a horror. People who put the cold food out in supermarkets tend to wear gloves but not all of them and how often do they change/wash those gloves? Then there are people who do the "three P's" with produce (pick up, put down p!ss off!). It's an almost impossible situation - melons here in France are a prime example, you sniff both ends for ripeness and feel the fruit all over - sorry, that's what we do. Trolleys are gross. I've found snot and other undesirable emanations on the handles quite often. The checkout belts are grim - the number of times you down your shopping in what is obviously spilt milk or yoghurt and you have to ask for it to be wiped away just so you don't end up with a slimy mess in your bag, let alone microbial contamination. It's just too difficult to totally protect yourself and you'll go bonkers trying.

"Blarney", but you're forgiven! It's very difficult with "le bise" over here in France because it's almost like an automatic reaction and I often give my less "on the ball" folks a kiss on the head or face when I arrive or leave. Human to human emotional contact when you are dealing with vulnerable people who you dearly like is very difficult to avoid. Holding a hand when someone is distressed is the most natural thing in the world.

The BBC are saying that the West Yorkshire cases are two in Leeds and one in Bradford. The former are two people who went to Iran and the latter to Italy. OH is working in Bradford until the end of this month. We'll wait and see what happens before making any decisions but if it starts to spread there he might be over here a little earlier than we thought!

Our old friend 'flu is still very much doing the rounds here in France so it's most likely that. Probably better for people to stay away from the doctor and the surgery unless they have worrying symptoms or need a sick note.

The Louvre is closed because staff are exercising/about to exercise/or thinking about exercising their "droit de retrait" - basically and quite justifiably, some feel unsafe working a such an exposed environment and are consulting with the CGT union among others as to whether they should refuse to work. Another interesting and emerging economic impact.

Ithink it might have been St Laurent but several islands were used for imprisonment. Same place though...

Two new cases in the French territories of St Martin and St Barth respectively.

Yes! It says on the BFMTV website that he was with a whole load of departmental councillors who went to the now cancelled Paris agricultural show and were swanning around having meals together etc..

Ignorance is bliss - but very expensive bliss!

Yes, it did seem a bit "right hand doesn't know what the left is doing" but you're right, there are probably many doctors and nurses who have retired before 60 and anyway, 60 is just a number. Surely your state of health is much more important than your age. There are 60-70 year olds who are healthier than some 30-40 year olds.

Same time as my OH will be coming back. Just go for it. I just paid £20 for him to fly back and we agreed that if things were looking dodgy we'd book another, earlier flight. We're a bit more casual about travel, but haven't got money to waste, so we always book in advance and travel cheaply! Ryanair is my hero airline, get the right times and dates and you have your "bus ticket". Don't cancel, it'll probably be fine and we have a big country over here so what's happening in one tiny area may not affect where you are going. Where are you visiting?

I agree. I'm just going to keep going on as normal, keeping fit and well and enjoying life. In the absence of OH Mylo now sleeps beside me at night and it is so comforting - who else sleeps with their dog, or is this another thread?!

I'm not scared of the virus, Nick, I'm fit and well but I am scared of the consequences. I've just booked a flight for the OH to come back on April 2 the day before his birthday. Will we make it to then without mayhem? Stay in the bubble!

EN DIRECT - Coronavirus: la barre des 100 cas atteinte en France, un premier mort aux États-Unis WWW.BFMTV.COM A l'issue d'un Conseil de défense et d'un Conseil des ministres exceptionnels, le ministre de la Santé a annoncé que 73 cas de contamination étaient désormais recensés en France. Un bilan qui s'est... Oise seems worst affected but one item mentioned Gironde. Hopefully our bubbles are intact for now, but I'm starting to get a but twitchy...

Remember those poor people are victims of our failures. Turkey is a relatively poor country and yes, they probably are panicking and want to get rid rather than have to treat the refugees. Let them in, I say and we (Europe) should share the cost of looking after them. Sorry, we have created the problem and we need to solve it. This is the way the world is going to have to go if there is any hope of survival.

Hang on a minute, we're talking about clusters of small rural communities with a substantial elderly population. The people I work with around here with a very similar demographic profile aren't deliberately "not taking it seriously". They just get on with their lives as they always have. That's what rural life is like. Some are very aware, some not at all. You seem to have a very superior air with regard to how countries other than the UK are coping with this. Let's see...

100 cases now in France...

And "management" think we go off track! The papers, like NW really (it wasn't always like this but we are now tertiary interests - owner first, advertising sources of income and their expectations second, users third), depend on advertising and not honest news and open discussion. I am horrified at the headlines in some of the supposedly respected UK papers.