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Original poster

If there was another pandemic in your lifetime...

259 replies

GoodChat · 07/04/2023 16:05

Would you follow all the rules as stringently as you did the first time around?

I was thinking about this today. I was completely law abiding the first time round - followed every single rule and guideline they put in place.

I had a 9 month old at the start of lockdown so it was nice to spend more time with her as I'd just come off maternity leave and then got furloughed. We were basically living in a little bubble and it was lovely.

I was made redundant which was crap, but it also opened up new opportunities for me and now I'm in a completely new industry, with a far better work life balance and better pay for a more relaxed life.

But... I now have an 18 month old and an almost 4 year old. I can't imagine only leaving the house for an hour a day and not being able to take them to parks etc. I don't know how people managed it. I think those who did are incredible. My mental health was battered by the end and I still get wary of groups in enclosed spaces without masks - even though I'm not scared of catching anything.

I also think any kind of lockdown/furlough scheme etc would destroy the economy beyond repair if it were to happen in the next 50 years or so. I imagine more people would die from poverty than die from infection next time.

I don't think id cope with a pandemic being managed as it was last time, and I don't think I could trust the government with the complete mockery they made of us before.

I think I'd approach it the next time with a stiff British upper lip of "keep calm and carry on".

What do you think? What did you do before and what would you do again? Would you be as fearful as you were at the start of covid?

OP posts:
L3ThirtySeven · 07/04/2023 16:45

Covid was the 2nd pandemic for most people going by the WHO definition & designation. 2009 Swine Flu.

Original poster
GoodChat · 07/04/2023 16:47

L3ThirtySeven · 07/04/2023 16:45

Covid was the 2nd pandemic for most people going by the WHO definition & designation. 2009 Swine Flu.

Swine Flu was handled completely different to Covid. The question was if there's another pandemic would you act the same as you did with covid.

OP posts:
heldinadream · 07/04/2023 16:50

If?
When.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Covid-19
Nimbostratus100 · 07/04/2023 16:52

It all depends what the next pandemic is, doesn't it.

Flu has a 0.01% death rate, but kills thousands because it spreads so fast

Covid 19 had a 1% death rate before vaccines, but its main danger was it overwhelmed the health service and brought it to a stand still

pneumonic plague as had 80% death rate

septic plague had a 100% death rate

If it is a dangerous illness, then of course everyone will obey rules

If it is an unknown illness ,then of course everyone will obey rules until it is known

Knullrufs · 07/04/2023 16:53

This is an impossible question to answer because it would depend so much on the specifics of the virus itself, the type of illness it causes, the demographic of who is most affected, and also the level of public trust in the government at the time.

Original poster
GoodChat · 07/04/2023 16:53

heldinadream · 07/04/2023 16:50

If?
When.

When do you think the next one is likely to happen?

OP posts:
twolilacs · 07/04/2023 16:54

Depends how long it takes, because "in your lifetime" means that the younger people of today could well be in the elderly and vulnerable category next time round. I wonder how the OP and others would feel in the future if they were the age group most at risk.

YellowClock · 07/04/2023 16:55

No

PeonyFairy · 07/04/2023 16:55

Nimbostratus100 · 07/04/2023 16:52

It all depends what the next pandemic is, doesn't it.

Flu has a 0.01% death rate, but kills thousands because it spreads so fast

Covid 19 had a 1% death rate before vaccines, but its main danger was it overwhelmed the health service and brought it to a stand still

pneumonic plague as had 80% death rate

septic plague had a 100% death rate

If it is a dangerous illness, then of course everyone will obey rules

If it is an unknown illness ,then of course everyone will obey rules until it is known

All this.
I suspect it might not be so much a pandemic as antibiotic resistance. Then minor ailments would take on a new light and surgery would be deadly.

gogohmm · 07/04/2023 16:56

No but I only paid lip service the first time so not difficult. We didn't socialise exactly but i carried on working, going to the shops as much I wanted and the kids came back and forth between houses (adults, divorced parents) we didn't comply with any of the suggested optional precautions

DustyLee123 · 07/04/2023 16:57

Yes I would.
I was vaccinating from the beginning, and people were genuinely frightened for their lives, and so very grateful to be getting vaccinated.

StopFeckingFaffing · 07/04/2023 16:58

If there is another pandemic then I would follow rules which were logical and had some scientific basis and make efforts to keep myself and others safe but I wouldn't follow rules blindly like I did the first time

gogohmm · 07/04/2023 16:58

Ps I caught covid in March 2020 and barely had symptoms, I really didn't think the wide spread restrictions were necessary, instead we should have been supporting the truly vulnerable to isolate

SoggyPigeon · 07/04/2023 16:58

I’m in a country where there was no lockdown, schools and everything stayed open. I remember watching the news, UK was on the news all the time, and we could not believe all the rules you had. I mean going out for 1 hr a day..? And it does seem now sadly it was all for the worse.

Nimbostratus100 · 07/04/2023 16:59

PeonyFairy · 07/04/2023 16:55

All this.
I suspect it might not be so much a pandemic as antibiotic resistance. Then minor ailments would take on a new light and surgery would be deadly.

Show quote history

agree, actually

the next big health crisis will be antibiotic resistance, there is already a lot of antibiotic resistant TB around, for example,

VeggieSalsa · 07/04/2023 16:59

Full lock down like March 2020, yes.

Partial lockdowns like anything that happened from June 2020 onwards, no.

botheritsgone · 07/04/2023 17:00

I'd follow the rules but would give up teaching. There is zero chance I would ever consider going back to online learning whilst reading in the media that all teachers are lazy and work shy. I nearly had a breakdown working 16 hr days whilst also trying help my own kids.

Original poster
GoodChat · 07/04/2023 17:00

twolilacs · 07/04/2023 16:54

Depends how long it takes, because "in your lifetime" means that the younger people of today could well be in the elderly and vulnerable category next time round. I wonder how the OP and others would feel in the future if they were the age group most at risk.

It's a fair point. How I feel now and my current life circumstances will almost certainly mean my feelings on this are different than they will be in 50 years time.

OP posts:
SoggyPigeon · 07/04/2023 17:01

GoodChat · 07/04/2023 16:47

Swine Flu was handled completely different to Covid. The question was if there's another pandemic would you act the same as you did with covid.

Show quote history

That’s impossible to know now. There are so many possible pandemics and viruses.

heldinadream · 07/04/2023 17:02

I'll be surprised if we don't get something designated as a pandemic within the next 10 years.

DisforDarkChocolate · 07/04/2023 17:02

Yes.

My Mam died of COVID, my Dad nearly died. I know what can happen to people and I'd do what I could to make sure as few people as possible went through what I did. I also work with people who are treating people with long-Covid, it's an awful thing to have.

itwasntmetho · 07/04/2023 17:02

Probably not, I’d do as much as is available to me.
i really think that living is as important as avoiding dying.

Simonjt · 07/04/2023 17:02

I think so, we did cheat with time outside as we have a dog, well at the time a puppy in toilet training. I’m a type one diabetic, my son has a severe allergy (so his immune system doesn’t behave usually) so we’re both fairly vulnerable.

We were very lucky, lockdown was okay for us, it was actually a very positive experience for my son who wasn’t coping with reception, if lockdown hadn’t happened I would have had to withdraw him from school anyway.

Original poster
GoodChat · 07/04/2023 17:04

DisforDarkChocolate · 07/04/2023 17:02

Yes.

My Mam died of COVID, my Dad nearly died. I know what can happen to people and I'd do what I could to make sure as few people as possible went through what I did. I also work with people who are treating people with long-Covid, it's an awful thing to have.

I'll be honest. This is probably part of my mindset. I was very fortunate and didn't lose anyone to covid, nor did anyone I know personally (that I'm aware of) have any long-lasting effects. I think it id lost a loved one I'd view it differently.

I'm sorry to hear about your parents Flowers

OP posts:
SoggyPigeon · 07/04/2023 17:04

StopFeckingFaffing · 07/04/2023 16:58

If there is another pandemic then I would follow rules which were logical and had some scientific basis and make efforts to keep myself and others safe but I wouldn't follow rules blindly like I did the first time

This. Our government let the state epidemiologist make the decisions, as he was the expert and not them. A good (but nervous) call in the long run, he was cool as ice.