18 Mar Coronavirus

Sometimes even best laid plans have to change at the last minute and these past few days have been no exception. I had it all planned out, Thursday I was going to the Cornwall business show and was going to have a full day to myself. A day for me and my ideas, for my business, a day for networking, learning and a day free from my baby.

I love my baby boy, but I love digital marketing to and today was supposed to be a rare day for me and Amanda White Digital not Amanda White Mummy.

But then, my plans changed at last minute, sometimes you just have to be flexible and juggle things around and look for other positives in life.

Now my thoughts are completely over shadowed by this years biggest threat to business, Coronavirus. So far, I haven’t been too worried about coronavirus or had to much impact from coronavirus. I’ve not been abroad anywhere recently, I’ve not even been out of Cornwall since Christmas so I’ve been feeling pretty unaffected by the whole virus.

Through all the media hype, I’ve been looking out for the positives. People worldwide have adopted better hygiene routines for washing their hands. Homes and public places are getting deep cleaned, which in some cases, I don’t think are ever cleaned. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the handles of supermarket trollies and baskets cleaned? Statutory sick pay for more people, sooner, better contracts for employees, less close contact with strangers, that’s got to be a plus for the tinder generation! However, that’s not many positives, for your health or the huge amount of financial worry on businesses right now.

Thursday morning at 5am myself and my husband were woken by a very loud, very grumpy, very distressed screaming baby with a temperature over 40’C. My instant thoughts weren’t coronavirus, coronavirus wasn’t even on my radar. I just knew that this wasn’t right and although he had had a cold all week and his temperature has been up and down this was extremely high.

Our local GP practise wasn’t going to be open for another 4 hours so I decided to call 111. I was instantly read an automated response regarding coronavirus and after a fair wait put through to a call handler to discuss his symptoms. He was basically screened for coronavirus to determine whether we could even visit a health professional for diagnosis. Suddenly it dawned on me how serious this situation is. This isn’t about people stock piling toilet roll and pasta or panic buying hand sanitiser. This is having a huge impact on the NHS, who are already massively stretched beyond believe. Our local hospital at Treliske is often on black alert and left struggling during normal situations, let alone this.

I’ve had so many e-mails, albeit in my spam filter, for people cashing in on coronavirus, selling masks and selling bulk buy of products no body really needs. But whenever there is a crisis, someone somewhere will be making money.

We were incredibly, incredibly lucky this morning as a doctor happened to be just three miles away and was able to attend to us within a couple of hours. Our baby was given a thorough once over and with a dose of antibiotics for the infection was told to keep up with paracetamol and ibroprofen. Although getting hold of Paracetamol is harder than ever right now and although we don’t have coronavirus in the house we are all struggling with colds and unable to get medicine for our ailments now, let alone what we ‘might’ get in the coming weeks. Thankfully the grandparents managed to get some Calpol in their local pharmacy whilst we couldn’t get any locally so at least we have provisions to get our little man better.

We are so incredibly lucky to have the NHS and even if this Coronavirus does continue to affect people, we are so lucky to have such brilliant health care system that other countries facing this same pandemic might not have.

I’m hugely fortunate that the job I do is in Cornwall, I don’t use public transport and if the worst came to the worst, can very easily work from home. But not every business or person is so lucky, I’m really starting to think about those involved with any business that relies on people and experiences.

Festivals, gigs, sporting events, movie screenings, conferences, like the Cornwall Business Show that I was hoping to go to last week. One by one I’m watching my inbox fill up with cancelled and closed events.

There are so many things that are going to be at risk for so many people with this coronavirus taking hold.

So please, do your bit to help every business and keep every person healthy.

• Wash your hands.
• Use hand sanitiser.
• Use tissues if you cough or sneeze.
• Keep yourself and your home clean.
• Don’t panic buy any thing!
• Support your local businesses.

Here’s to next year, hopefully I will make it to the Cornwall Business Show and hopefully there won’t be any major pandemics effecting the health of the economy.