LONDON, U.K. -- We begin today’s observation of British life under siege with information that is largely useless, that everybody sort of knew already, but never really stopped to consider. And why is that? Because they were too busy scooping up litres of hand sanitizer and vast supplies of toilet paper -- better known in this country as “loo rolls.”

The month of March, those miserable, depressing 31 days we are about to leave behind, was the busiest month on record for British supermarkets. Wait for it: busier even than Christmas.

I want to know how many people still have stacks of un-used loo rolls crammed into every available cupboard space in their house? Or in the boot of their cars? And is it possible to feel foolish in retrospect. Not that I’m judging.

Here’s a fun number. Britons made more than 79 million extra trips to the grocery store in March. Aren’t you just dying to know how they come up with these figures? All that frantic panic buying did have a beneficial side: the big grocery chains in turn hired thousands of temporary workers to keep the shelves full.

There must be a life lesson in all of this about shopping, hoarding and fighting with complete strangers over a dozen rolls of four-ply. By the way, my newest favourite website during this pandemic, www.nextdoor.co.uk, has a page called “List of Greedy Shops.”      

It does seem however that most of this exhausting retail activity will drop off now that people have settled into the dull rhythm of life under Boris Johnson’s lockdown. The government’s latest edict is that people should only leave their homes to go shopping once a week.

And now to today’s breakfast conversation:

She: “Why does Britain only keep people in quarantine for seven days? I don’t get it.”

He: “Look at Justin Trudeau. He’s been in isolation for nearly three weeks and doesn’t even have the virus.”

She: “It seems absurd. Seven days? 14 days? Which is it?”

I’m thinking now of the British prime minister. He’s due to come out of quarantine on Friday after serving his full, week-long confinement, ready to jump back in and lead the country through these dark times. 

Not everybody is happy about that. A Labour MP, who’s also a doctor, is urging Johnson to spend an additional seven days in isolation -- as an example to the country.

Britain says a seven-day quarantine is enough for anybody showing symptoms. The World Health Organization suggests 14 days. Stay tuned for his decision.

What then for Justin Trudeau? He has been updating the country every day from his outpost at Rideau Cottage. Canadians have never seen this before in a prime minister. It’s what I imagine of Roosevelt and his fireside chats to Americans during the Second World War.

A thought here. Could this be part of a grand plan to become the first leader of a Western democracy to work from home. It feels like a very Canadian idea.

OK, let’s move on to a more serious discussion. How do we feel as a nation about people who went on cruises, perhaps knowing the risks, and are now begging the Canadian government to rescue them from coronavirus peril?

We can sympathize with their plight. For some, it was the trip of a lifetime, and through no fault of their own, they are now stranded, desperate, afraid, and feeling very much alone.  

I ask this because for more than a year I’ve been reporting on the plight of Amira, a four-year-old Canadian orphan who is trapped in a detention camp in northeast Syria. Despite months of pleading by her remaining family members, the Canadian government has failed to rescue her.

It seems fair to ask: Is there a double standard here. The government is sending planes to rescue Canadians who paid thousands of dollars to go on a holiday, but won’t intervene to rescue a four-year-old orphan—whose right to citizenship is no longer disputed. 

And now there is the threat of the coronavirus spreading through the Syrian camps, killing, or at least making thousands of people sick. Many of those trapped inside are poorly nourished, prone to infections, and have little access to decent medical care. You can see what might happen.

I spoke to Amira’s uncle who recently returned from Syria where he was able to meet the little girl for the first time, but couldn’t bring her to Canada. He continues to write letters and work with anybody who will help in his cause. He also filed a complaint against Canada at the United Nations. 

“The prime minister has urged Canadians abroad to come home,” he told me. “So what is being done to repatriate my poor niece?”

And with that thought in mind, I say goodbye to Day 8.