It's not essential, and preventing virus spread is far more important than flowers. There is an argument for vegetables, but one has to consider the risk to the people staffing the centre, and their families. I know a lot of people are really struggling to get their heads around this, but this is absolutely life or death, for millions of people. Every person out increases the risk for all of us.
I am (just) happy with going to the allotment, because I think we will see erratic food supplies later, and it will mean less shopping (at higher risk) in the summer, (and because there is no-one there but us most days). But unless one is either going to starve, or would need medical attention without it, one shouldn't be doing it now. And we will simply have to manage without anything we haven't already got, if it can't be arranged without contact. (and few things have no contact. Even if you can pay online and have stuff put in your car boot, or delivered its still increasing contact for staff, and posties and so on)
I would think its very likely that the delivery will be limited to food and medical supplies only, soon, and that if people (like my neighbour, who popped out for paintbrushes earlier, because he didn't know where his teacher wife had put them, and she wasn't going to be back until this evening) don't stop going out for non essentials, we will not be allowed out without a permit. Once weekly (or fortnightly) for food and keyworkers or booked medical appointments only. Fines if no permit. In Italy, its three months jail if you are caught out with a temperature and more if you are found to have infected anyone. In Spain, you are fined on the spot.
I am probably getting a reputation for a having a bee in my bonnet over this, but I have relatives in Spain and Italy, and they send me pictures like this.
This is a convoy of military vehicles containing people who have died in Northern Italian Hospitals. They are taking them to the South of the country, where there are fewer cases, because the Crematoriums in the North cannot cope, even working around the clock. These people died in isolation, without family members and often in great distress, because the hospitals are just too overwhelmed to provide adequate care. They will have no funeral, and no flowers. It is so well known that the people are dying in distress in Italian hospitals now, that people are not calling ambulances anymore, they are choosing to die at home instead. And once they have, it is taking days for the bodies to be removed. Italy's health services is better than ours, and their response was faster. This will happen here, if we carry on as we are.
Stay at home.
