I live in London and everyone is probably going to stay in their own houses.
I honestly don’t know how I’m going to give the guineas their vitamin c.
Please help!
Hi!
You should be able to order supplements online but please keep in mind that a lockdown with shop closures doesn't include food shopping - those shops will stay open and will continue to provide veg. Unless you are acutely ill, you will be allowed to go out and buy any food and essential supplies during that time. It just takes longer as distances between people will need to be kept so only so many people can be allowed into the shop at any time if the UK opts for a lock down in a hot spot area to slow down the spread of infection.
Networking with your neighbours for mutual shopping and isolation support will help you all through the crisis as a) not everybody will ever fall ill and b) not everybody will be ill at the same time and c) most people will only feel somewhat unwell for a few days.
The UK policy is not aiming at widespread lockdowns but at keeping the country going as much as possible to help spread out the burden on the NHS and achieve 'herd immunity' i.e. widespread infection of the strong to naturally protect the ones at risk who will have to stay in isolation during that time. If that can be achieved, then there has to be no fear of any further flare ups and spreads around the world. Food can still be delivered to the doorstep of people in self-isolation.
Even in Northern Italy and Spain healthy people are still going shopping and keeping their medical appointments/keep up with their prescribed medication, even if they have been told to no longer go to work and to stay at home otherwise.
Please also be aware that your guinea pigs do NOT need any vitamin C supplement on a good normal diet because grass is high in vitamin C (which is the reason they never had the need to make any themselves in first place); hay still contains so and pellets are vitamin C reinforced, too.
Your piggies won't fall ill just because of a few weeks' improvisation unless you have got their bodies used to constantly very high levels of vitamin C so they will ironically react to any fall with scurvy symptoms even though they are still getting enough vitamin C; just not as much as they have got used to.
Piggies can survive in a pinch on just hay
or pellets
or veg unless it is for weeks on end.
And they won't fall ill if you have to improvise for a short period.
we're unlikely to physically lock down like Wuhan, we wouldn't have the resources, even if HMG wanted to. There's no call for lockdowns in the pandemic plan. Although HMG doest have virtually unlimited power in these situations, they know that it's tempered by practicality.