The current 24-hour news cycles cause us to suffer information OVERLOAD – and when we feel overloaded and overwhelmed, it can be a challenge to sift through what is actually important. And what is true. Our homeowner clients and sitters may rest assured knowing we are committed to your safety, protection and well-being. Mostly, we’ve talked about ways in which we may continue serving our house sitting community, including finding how we can be supportive of each other during this time of self-isolation and social distancing. There have naturally been many concerns about the situation, the fear and uncertainty everyone has experienced. Our primary priority has been to protect the safety of our homeowner clients and our sitters, while continuing to meet our service commitments. Scientists confirmed the C-19 virus cannot be transmitted between humans and animals (including birds, bats or snakes/lizards). For us at House and Home Sitters, it’s still “business as usual” when it comes to our sitters taking care of the homes and pets of our homeowner clients, and we remain steadfast in honouring our commitments. The police have confirmed in a few instances that getting to a house sitting assignment falls under “essential travel”. Perhaps fortunately, by its very nature, house and pet sitting is an isolationist occupation, and as long as the standard safety regime (with which we are all by now familiar) is followed at handovers, the risk is extremely low. Public transport services are still running to timetable and the government has given assurances people can safely continue to use these, as rigorous antiseptic cleaning routines and other safety precautions are followed. Road transport has clearly been safe as regards C-19. It is claimed the main way C-19 has been transmitted is via physical contact, but also that mere breathing, let alone coughing and sneezing, may be enough. What isolation has achieved is to slow the rate of transmission, and “flatten the curve” of new cases, the main effect being to reduce pressure on the NHS and general health system. There is no official treatment for this virus. That said, it seems a possible drug-combination treatment has been found in India, and scientists around the world are working together to find ways to stop the virus attacking our T-cells (our immune cells which fight against infection) and to stop it from replicating. Unfortunately, by the time any vaccine is developed, the virus will have burnt itself out. There have been differing reports and assessments on the C-19 mortality rates, and many debates on why mortality rates have differed so widely in different countries, including that those countries with compulsory vaccinations of children seem to have had lower rates of infection and mortality.

We have all done our bit to flatten the curve and reduce the pressure on our health systems.

Measures taken by us included:

  • Encouraging our house sitters to familiarise themselves with information on C-19 (Coronavirus-2019), and consult a doctor immediately if they felt unwell;
  • Informing our house sitters about the symptoms, detection and methods of prevention; in particular, reminding our house sitters of good hygiene practices such as regular hand washing and strictly adhering to social distancing guidelines;
  • Expanding their use of home office and teleworking where feasible;
  • Implementing a self-isolation period for our house sitters who returned from high risk areas; and,
  • Advising against all non-essential travel.

To our more than 350 house and pet sitters:
Thank you for all you have done and are doing, working hard, each continuing to take good care of the homes and pets of our homeowner clients. As Britain’s premier professional house sitting service, we carry on doing our best in the name of service and love. We are very proud of how the team has stepped up. House and Home Sitters staff have done volunteer work at hospitals and helped the elderly with their shopping. We have made donations to JustGiving and British Heart Foundation. We have clapped for our NHS Heroes, and for Capt. Tom.

To our many homeowner clients:
Thank you for your patience and consideration while continuing to support us. Our sitters – and fellow homeowner clients – are facing the same pressures as you, and we really appreciate your understanding and respect in these uncertain times.

We look forward to soon again welcoming you!
As a group of people who are passionate about travel, we’re all really missing our travel/sitting adventures. But we’re looking forward to sunny days again soon, and expect the phasing out of the lockdown to start during May.

Thank you for your ongoing patience and support – and please stay safe till then.

Please get in touch if you have any other questions and we’ll do our best to help. Despite the uncertain times, our homeowner clients can still expect the high-quality service they have always received from House and Home Sitters. We have you in our thoughts and wish you (both physically and mentally) good health at all times.