A week is a long time in a country gripped by panic and even longer when you don’t know what will or will not happen.

Whilst I realise we should be a tad concerned, why not give us advice we can actually work with?

Does it really take a Prime Minister and a team of highly intelligent advisers to tell us all something we already know - that to stop the spread of the virus we should wash our hands and not sneeze into other people’s faces (apparently it is best to use a tissue). I certainly want to meet the people who do the opposite and need to be told that this is the best way to behave in close proximity to others.

Other great advice includes putting ‘used tissues in the bin straight away’ and ‘try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.’ The latter is extremely tricky if you just happen to live with someone…like a family.

I particularly like the bit about how one should ‘try to avoid visitors to your home – it’s OK for friends, family or delivery drivers to drop off food.’ As long as the fast food keeps coming, you have nothing to worry about. We can always eat ourselves into oblivion.

Funnily enough everyone is now taking credit for having foretold the end of the world.

Literature enthusiasts pointed out that in Dean Koontz book ‘The Eyes of Darkness’ he talks about a virus emanating from China in the year 2020.

Then, I had some fellow Muslims telling me that we already wash our hands to do the ablution five times a day before prayer. Yes, but we are also obliged to shake everyone’s hand when we meet them.

A habit, it seems, is really hard to give up. Just yesterday I met one guy who having met four of us had to shake everyone’s hand one by one and then five minutes repeat the process on the way out. Top man.

And whose idea was it to suggest that we ‘allow’ workers to stay at home if they get a bit of a sniffle? Having already self-quarantined myself for personal hygiene reasons and the fact that I am temporarily between offices, I can foresee this proposition being taken advantage of.

Who is not going to say I need 14 days to recover because I might not be up to coming in today?

The strange thing at this stage is it actually doesn’t matter what anyone says, we are so worried about contracting this killer disease even the word ‘coronavirus’ is scaring the pants off even the hardened Brit.