Coronavirus: The father of 13 self isolating with Covid-19

Hann familyLesley Martin

The father of one of Scotland's largest families - Roy Hann - has tested positive for Covid-19

By Mary McCool
BBC Scotland news

When lockdown measures were first announced, Roy and Emma Hann gave their children strict routines and organised family activities in a valiant effort to maintain order.

The Hanns from Dundee are known as one of Scotland's largest families - and with 10 of their 13 children living at home, their household was large enough to form two basketball teams.

Despite the parents' best efforts, all order "went out the window" after the novelty wore off.

Shattered nerves and bickering ensued as the family tried to cope with a less-than-peaceful new normal.

But all tension subsided on Thursday when they learned Roy had tested positive for Covid-19.

Roy Hann

Roy in full PPE as he works with high acuity patients at Ninewells Hospital

"I'm a few days in and it's very mild," said Roy, a nurse practitioner at Ninewells Hospital. "I was really surprised when I tested positive.

"I'm around so many Covid patients but I wear protective equipment and we're very proactive with testing in Tayside - so much so we're now listed as a hotspot.

"But we joke in work you're more likely to catch it from the supermarket - I just feel bad for being off."

'We joke we'll have herd immunity'

The Hann household is now going through a 14-day quarantine - apart from Roy who will isolate for seven days.

While the 50-year-old has type 2 diabetes, he says he generally keeps "very well" - he expects to return to full health and is keen to get back on the frontline of the pandemic.

"My life hadn't really changed, I just get to see my children more," he said. "I'm actually glad I've had it, it makes me feel more confident about going back to work.

"There's so many in our house, we joke we're going for herd immunity."

Emma Hann

Lockdown life - the Hanns have kept themselves entertained with family games

With Roy in the house full-time, family life has become more manageable for café owner Emma - but it's not without its challenges.

The Hann children's ages range from five to 28 - at one stage the family got through 50 pints of milk, 21 loaves of bread and five large boxes of cereal each week.

Now with social distancing at supermarkets and caps on products, buying food is more difficult than ever.

"The fact that we're a big family means social distancing guidelines are challenging for us," said Emma.

"To go to the shop and only buy three of an item means we need to go more often which exposes us more. To me it's quite a daunting situation."

Emma Hann

Emma encouraged the youngest children to decorate a 'tuck shop' blackboard - which she now uses for 'bargaining'

With work on hiatus, Emma's sole focus is looking after her children - her 28 years of experience has stood her in good stead, but the pressures of lockdown life have occasionally been overwhelming.

She said: "I went a walk the day before Roy tested positive and I started to hit a wall - I started crying.

"I thought I'm done and I just wanted a break because it was too hard.

"Weirdly the next morning when I told the family about Roy, they all took a bit of a moment - the last couple of days everyone has been pulling together a bit more."

With their sense of togetherness renewed, the Hanns continue to play basketball most nights in their garden.

It's a simple pleasure - but one that has made all the difference.

"We feel very privileged," Emma said. "We're very aware we have a garden. We've been in a situation where we had five kids in a flat and the idea of doing that now is terrible.

"I thought at the beginning of lockdown that structure would get me through it - but the reality is it doesn't work like that.

"My 14-year-old son is on his X-box for most of the night, while my daughter gets up at 6am to work from home - I didn't like it at first but it's actually easier to feed people in shifts.

"It's better to be flexible, we just have to do what we can."