What we're the most bizarre/memorable moments of the pandemic for you?

[Jaggerdagger]

Just wondering what they are for you?

I'll start. One of mine was seeing a children's playground cordoned off with tape, including all the park benches.

I remember watching Eurovision, seeing all the footage of cities across Europe completely deserted and seeing contestants sing in empty auditoriums. It felt really moving to realise what a worldwide phenomenon this was.

Also that footage of those women literally fighting over loo rolls. Think it was in Australia.

In the US, so maybe a little different..

The night Trump made his speech to the country I went to my local Walmart along with hundreds of others, but hundreds of people had already bought almost everything there. I had a scarf wrapped around my nose and mouth, and others had pulled up turtlenecks, covered their faces with bandanas, etc. There were people pushing one trolley and pulling another, all piled high.

Everyone was looking very grim and hurrying through the aisles. The usual Walmart shopper in my area is a blue collar hispanic head of household, and I don't think anyone believed a word out of Trump's mouth. People looked shellshocked. Nobody was talking. There would usually be children running around calling, 'Mira, mira, mami!' and begging for candy and other stuff, but not that night. The children had been left at home.

I managed to buy some disinfectant spray, dried tortellini, poor quality TP, cans of crushed tomatoes, cheerios, several bags of flour, baking powder, sugar, egg substitute, and a few boxes of tea bags. I had a decent stash of foods I had bought before Christmas in preparation for another polar vortex so I wasn't worried we would starve, but the TP situation was a concern.

A shelter in place order was announced for my municipality. I didn't know if I could even get to work ('key' worker) or if the police would be manning checkpoints and turning drivers back. I had a plan to go on foot (it would take over an hour).

...And the almost complete silence of the traffic-free streets. I could hear the birds singing as I got up for work every morning.

I work on the Tube. During lockdown one, I watched a lot of streamed TV and movies. Money for old rope. Apart from doing security checks I had to stay in the office. I spoke to customers using an intercom. Visually impaired customers were being advised to take taxis to their destinations because we were not allowed to assist.

Homeschool. We all hated that.

Lost a lot of money not being able to go on a planned holiday.

DH being stopped by the police for not going to the nearest shop but to a better one further away. He was walking there. Stupid OB.

DD using zoom and WhatsApp to have birthday parties and gatherings with her friends. It made me cry.

@Allergictoironing

I worked for a local council as their equivalent of a "Covid Marshall" during the second lockdown. Unlike many districts, this one decided that we would be very "soft touch" - recommending, advising, suggesting, answering questions etc and NOT in any way aggressive, no powers at all, always light and friendly.

Most people, as soon as they realised this was our remit, were great. But I was verbally abused many times for just saying things like "hi guys, try to remember the 2 metre thing" when there was a crowd of people snuggled close together in the street, or saying "Hi, just checking you're in a bubble together" when 2 people were sitting closely on a bench in the street.

Secondary school children were possibly the worst, and I was threatened a couple of times then we were told to no longer talk to them for our own safety and in case of malicious reporting by them or their parents.

I was screamed at outside a shop by a woman walking in with a teen not wearing as mask - I'd just said don't forget to put your masks on. Apparently I should have somehow known the teen was exempt, and she didn't see why her son should have to be "branded as SEN" by wearing a lanyard stating this. I should have somehow just known.

Being asked by the local community police to go with them to a hysterical complaint of people partying in the middle of the day. Was a Pentecostal church, and the "loud laughing and partying by dozens of people" was actually the 8-10 church volunteers doing a deep clean between services. Oddly enough, they weren't doing this in total silence but talking to each other across the rooms - loudly because they were socially distanced.

Seeing all the official signs reminding people of the rules being defaced and ripped down.

Later on during the summer seeing entire towns plastered with anti-vaxxer and covid denyer stickers, including ones stuck across bus timetables, disabled parking signs etc. Then being warned to take great care if we removed them ourselves, as in some nearby districts there had been incidents of razor blades being stuck under them to injure anyone trying to remove them, and stickers with caustic substances on them so if you touched them you would get chemical burns.

The lady refusing to wear a mask in a shop because "God loves me and protects me, so I won't catch covid". One of the local ministers was in ICU at the time with covid.

At the start of the first lockdown, queuing outside Asda on a hot sunny day with severe hayfever & people getting hysterical if I sneezed or blew my nose

Tbh even though you were being nice and being more relaxed than other areas I would be pissed off if a stranger approached me to ask if I was in a bubble with someone or told me to put my mask on.

I felt really fed up of feeling like we were being policed all the time.

@Appalonia

I remember watching Eurovision, seeing all the footage of cities across Europe completely deserted and seeing contestants sing in empty auditoriums. It felt really moving to realise what a worldwide phenomenon this was.

Also that footage of those women literally fighting over loo rolls. Think it was in Australia.

The loo roll footage was definitely Australia.

My city in Australia is still transitioning from a zero Covid mindset. I’ve gone from a complete rule follower at the beginning of the pandemic (complete with crossing the road to avoid people) to a complete rule challenger. We still have an indoor mask mandate here and only 1 person on a ventilator in the entire state. We’re way behind the rest of the country and I’ve reached my breaking point. I just blatantly ignore mask rules now apart from small shops, the lift at work and while talking to people at their desk at work ( we’re still meant to have our mask on in the office apart from when at our desks.) We have been told to have all our breaks outside. I joked I should take up smoking so I could hav Covid safe breaks .

Now we have some doctor in the Daily Mail saying we should keep masks because winter and flu season is coming 🤦‍♀️

Remembered more.

My dad needing cataract surgery at a local hospital. My mum drove him there and had to wait in the car park until it was over. She packed sandwiches and brought her kindle!

Also Dad, he had essential heart surgery in September 2020 after being delayed and delayed. Mum was allowed to visit but had to book with the nurses a one hour slot. Utterly ridiculous. Both she and Dad had tested negative the day before the surgery went ahead.

Too many London bus drivers perishing.

FiL being told off for going his usual route to get his blood tested by a security guard. The phlebotomy department was literally a right turn inside the main entrance. Instead, he was sent on a convoluted one way route all the way through the hospital...

DH being sent to to A&E because the Gp refused to see him "cos, covid". The A&E consultant was NOT happy.

Sending soap and paracetamol by post to my parents when they couldn't get any. My brother lives near them and couldn't find anywhere, across the district.

Walking all the way down my local high street looking for sanpro for my daughter and not finding any. Local supermarket drew a blank. Last chemist I went to had some. I thanked the woman behind the till so much, I must have sounded deranged.

Ordering Wagamama on Deliveroo to my PiLs house and we all pretending we were "out out".

We went to visit my dad and family last year for the first time in nearly two years. He is cev and has not been out of house. We were only allowed in the garden at a distance and no touching myself or kids. I tried to kill myself last year and my own dad wouldnt even hug me. Im done with him.

Our local Facebook group criticising a dad and his son for kicking a football around, because they were only supposed to be walking /exercising.

Many of the overzealous things people did are now cringeworthy.

Many of the overzealous things people did are now cringeworthy

They were pretty cringeworthy at the time.

hi guys, try to remember the 2 metre thing" when there was a crowd of people snuggled close together in the street, or saying "Hi, just checking you're in a bubble together" when 2 people were sitting closely on a bench in the street.

This sounds anything but light and friendly to me.

Queuing outside Waitrose one morning before work and then sheepishly noticing that everyone else in the line was much older. It was when they were allowing elderly people to shop first.

Also - clapping for the NHS - only us and one house across the road did it on my street.

@Buzzinwithbez

"Hi, just checking you're in a bubble together" when 2 people were sitting closely on a bench in the street.

You really approached 2 people who were sitting, minding their own business? Bloody hell!

It was my JOB, what I was paid to do.

Maybe you didn't have Covid marshals in your towns, but in some neighbouring towns the marshals would roam around in packs threatening people with legal action, not one single person asking politely. The law at that time was 2m distancing, our job was in part to remind people. If they ignored me, or said they didn't care, or yelled at me, I would shrug my shoulders & move on.

It was interesting sometimes to see what people thought 2m was, and I was often asked to explain what 2m was in feet, or give a simple guide - I tended to ask people to imagine a fairly tall man lying on the ground between them, and they were surprised at how far that was.

I wasn't doing this because I was a busybody, I was doing this because central government paid us to do it. I was advising, reminding, supporting.

Yes, I get it was your job. I couldn't have done it, I'd have felt like I was harassing people. Hats off to you.

And remember, tone of voice and body language makes a massive difference. There's a major difference between a conversational tone and an accusatory tone of voice, and in that town I can assure you that if we had in any way been other than light in tone there would have been complaints to the council in their hundreds.

I wasn't doing this because I was a busybody, I was doing this because central government paid us to do it. I was advising, reminding, supporting.

That the government was paying people to be overzealous, nosy, interfering busybodies who harassed people outside in the fresh air, has to be one of the most bizarre parts of the pandemic for me. There were enough of those around without paying some for the "privilege".

Clapping for the NHS,which turned into a bloody good excuse to have socially distanced chat with the neighbours.

I’m sure those people who phone me and say they’ve heard I’ve been in a car accident that wasn’t my fault say it’s my JOB too. Doesn’t make it any less stupid & annoying for me.

In the woods as my daughter ate crisps trying to tell her it was illegal to picnic.

I work in a supermarket, so seeing customers virtually leap out of our way was rather strange. Now they are back to getting so damn close and reaching over us as if we weren't there.

People actually thanking us for doing our jobs.

Delivering my mum's shopping after work, pleased I was wearing my work uniform in case the police stopped me.

@MrsScrubbingbrush

Clapping for the NHS,which turned into a bloody good excuse to have socially distanced chat with the neighbours.

Laughing at a local YouTube video of someone driving round our area filming people clapping for the NHS. Then driving up our road and not a single person was out. Complete silence.

I remember the fear of not being able to get food. It triggered off my eating issues from having no food growing up and I am STILL trying to undo alot of the trauma with it now and have gained quite alot of weight from binge eating.

@Butteryflakycrust83

I remember the fear of not being able to get food. It triggered off my eating issues from having no food growing up and I am STILL trying to undo alot of the trauma with it now and have gained quite alot of weight from binge eating.

I get it. I am still struggling with the same. I over-buy fresh food that I don't have time to eat and when I ask myself why I'm doing this, it always comes back to...what if I go to the supermarket and there's no food, like during the pandemic. Then I feel so bad when it goes in the bin.

A delivery driver knocking on my door then stepping back out into the road when I opened the door only to be missed by centimetres by a passing van.

A paramedic friend of mine who after just and very narrowly saving a man's life from a heart attack at home, had the patient and his family refusing for him to go to hospital because he might get Covid.

Talk about perspectives of risk, the whole world went collectively mad.