Spikecollie

Denial is a psychological defence mechanism. Don't push it with her and just keep going about your business and keeping you both safe, she'll deal with it in her own way. My mother was like that with my father's terminal cancer. If someone builds a brick wall in their mind and you attack it with a sledge hammer, you'll both get trapped beneath the falling debris.

A lovely cultural insight - this may help people understand the "flexible" nature of the Italian "lockdown". Thank you.

Probably, but when you are governed by Donald Duck then logic is not paramount.

Director General of Helath here in France says that the virus is circulating more and more actively and that a scenario like that in Italy must be prepared for in France. We must look at what is happening beside us and realise that it is quick, brutal and localised. We must prepare to have some areas much more affected than others.

US envisaging a ban on European travellers.

OH reports that anti-social behaviour on Northern trains in respect of the virus is rife. Louts deliberately coughing loudly, mouths agape, laughing about it while filming themselves on their phones.

Better still, PM if you're passing and you can drop in and say hello!

2281 cases now in France and 48 deaths. Not a good day...

Sorry, misread that one. Thanks for the correction No more news on our situation here and still no update.

I've been saying this from the outset. I had a soggy feet run this evening with doglet and feel great. I don't think the endless gloom and wet has been helping my mood at all and running is the best boost I can give it. Another nice thing would be to be able to get out and do some work in the garden but that hasn't been possible yet.

The Italian Chief Medical Officer has died from respiratory faillure due to COVID-19, he was 67.

He's addressing the nation tonight at 20h00. Strange that there's been no update though - maybe he'll announce it, among other things... Here's the link to santépublique if it's useful: Infection au nouveau Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19, France et Monde WWW.SANTEPUBLIQUEFRANCE.FR Points de situation, questions-réponses, interviews d'experts... tout savoir sur l’infection au nouveau coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19, en France et dans le Monde

Great! Doing all that and running and being with my dog. Still waking up.at 0300 or so with nightmares around this and so feeling tired the whole time. Doglet is comfort at night and we sleep close and warm but I/we won't rest easy until OH is safe and back here...

Which is why people will just go to A&E! System in pre-collapse...

"Merde"! My département bubble has gone. First confirmed case in a hand ball player in "87" Haute Vienne. A big social and sporting circle. He returned from a match in Dijon and then tested positive...no symptoms, so something going on with travel from nord-est.

Hmm! Troops sent to New York virus 'containment zone' WWW.BBC.CO.UK The town of New Rochelle has a significant cluster of virus cases, according to New York officials.

Happy with that!

I get my relief from all negative things by running with and playing with my dog. My best friend lives for the moment and I try to as well. The intensive exercise focuses your mind and gives you all those great natural relaxation chemicals. Just the interaction between us relaxes me too. Since my OH has been away, Mylo has been sleeping on his half of the bed and all the insomnia/nocturnal anxiety problems that I had to take a week off work for have gone. I'd never say "get a dog" unless you are ready but certainly "be more dog".

They're not joking. They're saying this religious dogmatic practice will protect them. Take that to your next RE/sociology/psychology/geography class and discuss!

Click on the hashtag CoronaVirusPakistan to see just some of the "merde" that is being promoted. "water is splashed on any part of the body and it can take off the virus". There are more enlightened posters but one imagines that the majority will listen to the rubbish...

I really don't know how I feel/think about this now. I have too much personal/work involvement and I can't seperate head from heart. I think the EU/individual countries need to give it another week and see how things progress. Maybe, then, maybe there will be a need for a real curtailment of movement - regarding the logistics, I wouldn't even begin to speculate and it presents a personal and communal nightmare...

Hey - here we go! M. Macron has said that the decisions by Italy and Austria to close their borders with Italy was a bad decision. The EU divided already! I did say this very early on about Schengen countries and how it's not going to be an easy ride for unilateral action...

I sincerely hope and believe they would. But funding... Enough said, off topic...

I thought of that the other evening. We kiss a lot here but those of us in the healthcare area have resorted to elbow bumping - it felt very uncomfortable yesterday with the nurse who was visiting one of my clients but we both did it - hesitantly - as we know each other well. It's called "proxemics" - the study of social distance - and it's interesting. The further north (given some differences) you go, the greater the expected distance. The further south, the less so. Think about it. Big animal skin fur coats insulating you from bodily contact historially in the north, more skimpy stuff further south. These are highly ingrained cultural memes and practices and very hard to break...

Monsieur Macron has just finished a teleconference with EU leaders. The EU is working together against the virus including protecting the supply of masks and increasing the number of ventilators available to patients. 100 million € is to be unlocked for research into the disease and for a vaccine. More and more we need this "working together" mentatlity and solidarity matters when we are faced with a common enemy such as this that does not respect borders, countries or cultures. The UK is included in the measures, by the way, for the moment...