Has everyone just given up on social distancing?

[Esbm2015]

It certainly feels that way and is making me very anxious and frustrated.

I’ve been following the rules with my friends when I have seen them and have been working from home.

This morning on a work call many of my London based colleagues attitude was basically that I was being too sensible and that i need to get over my concerns about travelling into the city on the tube and train as there’s nothing to worry about. I still don’t feel comfortable taking an hour long journey by train and bit more by tube - esp as trains were so unreliable and unclean pre-Covid and of what I’ve seen many on board are not wearing masks etc.

Also they were happy to say they are not SD at all with friends and family, just strangers. Many have shared pictures of themselves on social media with no SD at all hugging etc.

I just find it very frustrating - plus I didn’t get chance to say that actually I don’t really care about going back into London for the foreseeable. I’m having a great time where I live right now, even while sticking to the rules and seeing friends. But I was made to feel ‘uncool’ and anxious that am still trying to follow the rules and care about SD!!!! I’m just frustrated at working with people who have such views that they feel they can now do as they wish and change the rules as they see fit! End of rant!

And the people they mix with? How utterly selfish.

By and large we only mix with each other. We are a large family.

But everyone I know is prepared to risk it for social contact with close friends and family.

@Jaxhog

It's damaging to have no physically contact with the people you love.

It's not great, but doable. It's certainly doable for a short period e.g. a year, when there is a wide variety of technology options and when the alternative is more deaths.

No. I can't do it for that long, I refuse to. Its inhumane and cruel.

I’m not a hugger (except for DH and kids) so happy to have an excuse for zero physical contact.

I'm quite happyto keep my space from strangers. I can't stand people breathing down my neck in a queue anyway.

Outdoors is significantly less risk than indoors, and contact time matters. Now roads are back to relatively normal leagues of busyness, I'd rather pass a random pedestrian normally on the pavement than become a human pancake on the road. I'm not throwing myself into a bush everytime there is less than 2m now. It's too impractical compared to the real world risk.

My socìal life is dead as it predominantly relies on organised routines/ events/ activities, none of which are back. I've seen family and friends a handful of times in as many months. We've mainly kept up sensible distances, mainly outside (unless the risk of hypothermia took precedence). There has been a few brief hugs because we're human beings. All of low risk lifestyles. The risk of any of us being contaminated, and passing it on, and anyone being seriously ill mean that I'd seriously consider buying lottery tickets if I was concerned about those levels of odds.

We have to live and fulfill human needs. That needs to be done in a sensible risk-assessed way.

I am still doing it. I’m going out for coffee/food occasionally but always with my own household, 2m away from others and outside if possible.

@MaverickSnoopy

I understand how you feel and this is a huge topic of conversation between myself and DH atm. Nearly everyone we know has given up on social distancing.

Our children go back to school soon and I think their friends parents and our friends with children just think what's the point? Vs us who think...well the point is that the decisions to get to where we are have been made on the basis that people continue to social distance. If people don't social distance maybe we'll have another wave and then the schools will shut again. We want our children back at school for their education but also for their fractured mental health, so we keep social distancing.

I've also noticed a big, "why should I social distance" culture. For me the answer to that is to save lives. Maybe the person themselves not social distancing is low risk but that's not going to help the people who are high risk. My parents are high risk, my 1yo I suspect is high risk, with multiple allergies and has had several hospital admissions, in the last 2 weeks she's had 3 different things, 2 of which needed antibiotics. I don't fancy her chances with covid. I'm very overweight (and although I'm losing, it doesn't happen overnight) so I've got a higher level of risk too. So we keep social distancing. I wish others would too.

It is frustrating OP. It's frustrating because I just want things to get better and I feel that we're all stuffed. It's frustrating because it feels like everyone else is getting to see/be close to their loved ones and frankly it's bloody hard having to social distance when you need a hug.

I agree with this

To me it’s more important to SD and abide by the rules now schools are back, not less. It’s keeping contact and therefore infections low outside that will enable schools to stay open. Many people don’t seem to get this though and think as schools will be open with no SD then they and their kids don’t need to abide by rules. It’s these people who will lead to schools ending up closed again.

Also we have actually seen that if we can abide by the rules we can actually have a semblance of normal life back. I’d rather sit SD in a cafe or for a meal with my family than have to be at home all the time again. But if people can’t stop acting like arseholes we will all be locked down again. I find it so frustrating we all miss friends and family and the life we had before, people breaking the rules aren’t any different to the rest of us.

I feel this is what we'll see here soon enough - www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53832981

do you want some coffee with that froth

What froth?

I've relaxed my approach. I wear a mask on shops and try to observe social distancing when I'm out and about. I go for walks with friends and visit my elderly father. I have been out for a few meals and to the bars a couple of times but just meeting one friend or with my kids. I once had two friends round.

My kids have also been meeting friends - mostly outdoors but not always.

So it's relaxed quite a bit since lockdown but not entirely.