The latest instructions from the government advise against leaving our homes to visit anyone, including family and friends, especially if they are over 70 or have one of the health conditions listed here.

The UK as a whole is on lockdown and people have been requested not to make physical contact with anyone outside of their households, while social areas such as pubs, restaurants and gyms have been closed. A few weeks ago my mum decided to avoid using public transport and some older people are now necessarily taking even more drastic measures to protect themselves. Caroline, a freelance marketer from London, is worried about her partner’s parents, who are aged 65 and 75.

“My partner’s father has Parkinson’s and her mother has asthma, so they are both absolutely terrified of catching the virus,” she says. “Her father doesn’t leave the house at all, while her mother wears a mask and gloves whenever she does go out, which is rarely.

Panicking about your parents and coronavirus? Read this first