Is COVID 'snitching' really a thing...?

[chocciechocface]

I mean, snitching on people not wearing masks, not following social distancing, breaking lockdown guidance...

I genuinely don't know anyone who would do this, nor do I know anyone who has experienced it.

I can't help feeling it's a bit of a fabricated outrage.

[janetmendoza]

Definitely a thing. People in our close were reported for a party. It wasn't me who reported but I was glad someone did. Police came out to break it up.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

Yes. Friends of mine were reported for having a house party. Twice. Except neither were house parties - all six people involved live in the house. And right at the start of lockdown a frankly hysterical woman took a photo of me in the park and threatened to post it on all the local FB neighbourhood groups and send it to the police - because I’d stopped at a bench in the middle of a cycle home from the shops to rearrange the awkward contents of my backpack, and she believed stopping at all during exercise was illegal.

There are definitely people out there just desperate to report their neighbours and relatives to god knows who.

[annabel85]

@ComtesseDeSpair I remember during the lockdown i'd go on my bike for my daily exercise and was scared to stop for a breather in case I was screamed at, or worse. So i'd only go as far as I knew I wouldn't need to stop, going there and back because of people like that. I even cycled back home with my shoe laces open because I was too self aware to stop and tie them.

[Yellowbutterfly1]

Absolutely

[smallandimperfectlyformed]

My cousin was reported to the police in Ireland when she held a birthday party for her children in the communal gardens in front of their block of flats- all she had done was put out some party foods on a table for her little girls and some neighbours children were allowed to take some cake etc. When the gardai came over they said they had been told it was a big party, apologised and sang happy birthday to the children! It does make you wonder who would be so mean spirited as to report 6 and 7 year olds!

[SnuggyBuggy]

Some people have nothing better to do

[Bol87]

Yeh, my friends neighbours reported her 2 year old for playing in the garden with his 3 year old neighbour 🤦🏼‍♀️ The parents remained in their own gardens, chatting safely over the fence but the neighbour lifted their kid over to play on the swing set.. these two children are in the same bubble at nursery. And the reporting neighbours know that. I find it completely baffling. My friend said the police looked embarrassed & apologised for wasting their time. But not before scaring them to death knocking on the door at 10pm!

[ChelseaCat]

We had a visit from the police during lockdown - supposedly for breaking lock down rules 🙄 We hadn’t broken any rules (we were able to show proof) and the police were extremely pleasant to us but explained they obviously had to follow up on the report that was made to them. It does happen!

[ChaChaCha2012]

My parents and their neighbours were having socially distanced tea parties twice a week during lockdown, with far more than two metres between each household. Someone posted a video of them on Facebook, saying they were stopping vehicles using the road (they weren't). He also reported them to the police. A PCSO did visit them, and stayed for a game of bingo.

[Topseyt]

Yes, I have seen that it is a thing. It was all over some of the Facebook pages I was on.

There are people with nothing better to do, sadly.

It didn't happen to me though. I even sat on a park bench to tempt someone to report me. Nobody paid me the blindest bit of attention. 😭 I really was miffed. 😉

[Whyongtime]

Yes it is. I had a neighbour report me for having my parents round in the back garden. Police turned up. Unbelievable.

[Treesofwood]

Yep
It's what also happened in Germany several decades ago.

[Roomba]

My mother reported her next door neighbour for having her 3yo grandson round several times a week during lockdown. He has severe autism and both parents had to work (they ARE GPs). My mother was most affronted to learn that no law had been broken - I suspect she objected more to the 'horrible noises' the lad was making in the garden than anything to do with Covid safety

My neighbours have been reported several times for holding parties in their house (indoors, 20+ people from different households from March onwards). It wasn't me that reported them but I can see why someone else did. They got covid and carried on having family round, whilst coughing and moaning loudly that lockdown was stupid as everyone we know what's died of it had cancer or a buggered heart anyway'

[Kaktus]

My friend was reported for having a ‘kids party’ in her garden during lockdown.
It was her, her DH and their 3 children playing in the garden. It apparently must have been a party because there were 3 cars on the drive (all belong to the family).

[TheLightSideOfTheMoon]

No, but had a FB post for my estate written about me going 'out and about as normal - clearly not going to work as not in uniform' during the lockdown.

I was going to work. Am a care worker. I don't have a uniform. Even if I did; peeps in uniform were wildly critised for wearing their uniforms out of work.

[Elephantday82]

Yes it is, have a look back through the posts on here! I dint know anyone either that would report anyone, thank goodness.

[SprogletsMum]

It is 100% a thing. My mum went to a gathering in a garden with friends from work and someone has printed off a picture from social media and sent it in to their employers.
They are now all at risk of dismissal from gross misconduct due to bringing their employer into disrepute.

[onedayinthefuture]

@Treesofwood

Yep
It's what also happened in Germany several decades ago.

And this has been the worse part of this whole pandemic, how quickly people are willing to turn on one another. It's really scary and all I can think of is Anne Frank. I absolutely know you can't compare the two, but under those circumstances, I have no doubt people now would still do the same.

[DespairingHomeowner]

These posts are ridiculous: it’s not up to individuals to decide if the rules apply to them or not

Fair play to those who abide by restrictions and report those who think their needs are more important than other people’s

[DespairingHomeowner]

And one day in the future: comparing this to the Nazis: give your head a wobble

[user1487194234]

Some people just love being the Covid police
Imagine reporting your neighbours for this

[onedayinthefuture]

@DespairingHomeowner I won't give my head a wobble. People are nasty little snitches.

[TrojanWhore]

It's not 'fabricated outrage'

to have fully realised a) how very vulnerable some individuals are, b) that society as a whole is still vulnerable to a second - and just as disruptive - wave (you've surely not forgotten the random closures before lockdown because of widespread sick absences) and c) self isolation, quarantine, good distancing and masks are the only tools we have to keep it in check

But hey, let's crack on and let the ignorant do what they will, no snitching, and home e that crossing fingers is just as effective a form of transmission control