COVID cringe memories (light hearted)

[Floogal]

Looking back at the pandemic, especially at its height in 2020, what made your toes curl?

1. "Imagine". Enough said.
2. The Marsh family.
3. On the local news, footage was shown of the Thursday clap (may or June). There was a parade of bhangra drummers and smarmy bratty kids doing the irritating floss dance. Was that point the 'applause' was seen as having had it's day.

I know some people may mention the dancing nurses, I only saw tiny clips on the news. Even that made me cringe.

Scotch eggs at the pub! You could take your mask off for a pint and a scotch egg but had to put it on when you went the loo - by yourself. It made no sense at all 😘

I know- very embarrassing! 😂 I'd shed it by the end of the first lockdown and embraced all the new freedoms.

I also rebelled and used to take DC to activities in neighbouring cities/counties when our area was locked down.

Oh yes, the sudden 'key worker ' status.

All those SAHPs who brought their children into school as their partners and even ex partners were a 'key worker.'

All those people who suddenly developed critical anxiety or a rare nerve disorder that meant they couldn't wear a mask. Lords help us in a chemical war .

That's not what a TAAT is. Linking to old threads is fine. Starting a new thread to talk about an existing thread is not allowed.

I remember a lot of posts that started with, “Front line NHS worker here” 🙄🙄🙄🙄😂😂😂😂

Yes, my daughter's DH wasn't allowed in until the pushing stage, and as he sat twiddling his thumbs in the corridor my daughter was left completely alone as the staff were too busy. She was so alone, scared and in pain, it makes me want to cry every time I think about it. By the time anyone came to check on her she was so far along it was too late for any pain relief (she asked) and her DH was ushered in for the last few minutes. She tore so badly she had to then have an epidural and be taken to theatre to be stitched up. She'll never have another child.

I used to put food in my car to drive to talk to my grandmother on her doorstep. It was a defence in case I was stopped. As if the human interaction for an isolated elderly person was not essential enough! Another family member did her shopping but didn't stop longer than necessary. She couldn't get supermarket deliveries for a long time as she couldn't get through to register as vulnerable to get a slot.

I saw a viral video of a woman beeping at people and putting her window down to shout at people because their car was within 2m of hers. Still makes me chuckle now.

People driving alone in their cars with masks on.

My own personal "low" stripping off into underwear in the garden after food shopping, to then jump in the hot tub to disinfect, then washing all the items of food before putting them away, then disinfecting every.single surface. In hindsight I was quite unwell mentally. But we can laugh now about it

Actually toeing the line with the not driving more than 5 miles thing.

Every single smug bastard who went on about how lockdown had made them appreciate the ‘simple things’ in life and who ‘loved’ being at home. Lockdown made me realise I like being on holiday and in pubs and shops and museums.

The clapping. I used to hide every Thursday evening or whenever it was. I LOVED it when it kind of ran out of steam and the woman who was credited with it tried to bring it all back and failed miserably. The sheer absurdity of it all.

Captain Tom and the endless mawkish nonsense surrounding him. When he went on a ‘life long dream holiday’ to Barbados, caught Covid and died. Couldn’t make it up.

The way everyone behaved over loo roll.

The crossover between the anti-lockdown people and the anti-vax people. Although I think lockdown went on far too long, and was badly managed by the govt, I hate both of these groups but I especially hate where they intersect. Vaccination was the way out of the pandemic, and I thought it was incredible how quickly the vaccine was developed. I was SO excited by it and desperate to go on holiday again. Then central London was rammed full of idiots protesting against it every single bastard weekend. Clownery.

I do like banana bread though! I might make some this week.

Never heard of this!?

That attitude permeated throughout. People thinking that what they wanted to do was sensible and reasonable, whereas what others wanted to do was selfish. Because the easiest sacrifices are the ones you expect of other people. Cringe indeed.

I actually really enjoyed lockdown but we aren't in the UK and I remember thinking some of the MN threads were absolutely insane, especially the people who would lose their minds if anyone even suggested there could be an alternative to the rules. I was aware however that we were extremely privileged and so it just felt like a very long holiday from life. I did cry the first time we went out for dinner with friends again, it seemed so unreal. And I have never been so glad to return to a hairdresser as I fell for the old MN haircut nonsense and that was a TERRIBLE look.

The main cringey things were the stupid taping off things - taping off play areas, blocking off car parks in beauty spots, and taping off non-essential aisles in supermarkets in Wales (and Boots doing it of its own accord). The very notion of "non-essential".

Scotland and Wales trying to outdo themselves in strictness to make it seem like they were doing a better job than Boris and his motley crew - in the end, were the death rates any better?

Councils desperately trying to make themselves relevant by sending out constant social media nanny posts.

And the police officer who came on here and said they were too busy to work out what the law was, it was just about their interpretation of it. I guess in a way it just foreshadowed the things we've discovered about the police since then.

I truly don't know how more people like this didn't get physically assaulted tbh.

@Cupcakekiller at least you have seen the error of your ways 😆

Yes there were! And we were roundly condemned on MN for being “sadly deluded”.

woukd also take issues with “it was 9 months of restrictions” - not in Scotland it wasn’t, where Queen Nicola went harder and longer and her catchphrase was “ just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”. My eldest started uni in October 2021 and had no in person lectures for the whole academic year.

Oh god those people.

It wasn't a rule in England.

The police tried to say it was - do you remember them trying to fine the two ladies in Derbyshire and then they had to backpeddle because it wasn't the law.

Because the easiest sacrifices are the ones you expect of other people

100%

While there was a fair few weird things about lockdown, I on the whole actually enjoyed it. Particularly now during summer holidays, when the children ask me everyday what we are doing. At least during lockdown, the answer was simple 🤣

The middle aged man meeting his twenties girlfriend for big hugs and sad faces on their daily walk near where I was staying. I didn't share a photo of them on the small town fb page.

Another cringe highlight. And again, one that plenty of us called out as total bollocks at the time.

I fucking loved wearing a mask in the supermarket so I could make faces at the dickheads going the wrong way along the one way system 🙃

No, I don't watch television though