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.

These fucking useless screens at work.

Cucumber. IT'S NOT ESSENTIAL SHOPPING!!!!. It was cucumber, wasn't it?

I dunno I think a lot of the Sir Tom and clapping stuff was just people trying to find something vaguely uplifting that allowed them to connect to others in a time that, for a lot of people, was exceptionally bleak. Doesn't make me cringe. Just makes me feel massively sad for all that we lost.

Oh god the arrows! Which inevitably made sure you'd end up going up and down every bloody aisle to ensure full contamination rather than just visiting the bits you needed.

The local FB pages were both hilarious and terrifying. God forbid you were photographed stopping for a breather on a bench when you were out for your 'daily exercise', you'd be photographed and duly posted on the local page for flagellation. Honestly it's the modern day equivalent of being in the stocks.

Yes to the competitive clapping. One neighbour decided that wasn't enough so bagpipes were introduced.

The numerous (bollocks) posts on FB about sad old people looking bewildered at empty shelves while sadly staring at their 3 item shopping list.
When I suggested that some of these posts may not be genuine I got accused of hating the elderly and wishing for them all to die from Covid (or lack of eggs presumably)

All the threads/posts on MN starting with "I'm a key worker...."

The way MN era told me I was selfish and irresponsible for going for a walk unless absolutely essential as I might fall and require medical assistance this endangering everyone around me

A lot of bonkers ness on MN

This. The total lack of critical thinking!

The bare shelves were a very real problem for people who couldn't easily zip along to other shops or who didn't have stocked cupboards.

Making my dc wear blue plastic gloves on a walk in local woodland so they could touch the trees/pick up rocks etc.
Treating each supermarket trip like some kind of military exercise and stripping at the front door on my return before washing down my washing.
Opening mail wearing plastic gloves
Running to Argos to buy family games ( children's monopoly, scrabble etc) before they sold out. I was so proud of myself for ensuring my dc would never be bored and so sure they would love some wholesome family bonding ( I was wrong. Games only instigated arguments and tears, were put away never to be played again).

This x 1000. Later on, as an NHS worker I got some "Captain Tom" money in the form of a gift voucher some of it went to staff welfare. I did accept it as my whole role was switched to doing Covid work which was not the easiest but I did feel a bit weird about it all. Now we are seeing what went on about wiht the daughter I feel even less comfortable about it.

The whole flaming lot of it. All a bunch of nonsense... but most of all 'the science'.... THE science.... like one person's word was law and no one else was allowed to point out that other scientists had come to different conclusions. Made me despair for humanity.

Never heard of the Marsh family

I think I missed most of the maddest, just did my own thing. I do remember getting over excited about getting some eggs though.

Any weirdness in the very early days I can excuse as we didn't know what we were dealing with and it felt like a deadly plague.

The clearly Photoshopped pictures doing the rounds of an old man or woman on their knees wailing in front of empty toilet roll shelves, holding a piece of paper that said “Toilet roll” on it. Yeah, because everyone writes a shopping list when they’re only going out for one item 🙄

Chris Whitty always using the phrase “sadly died” when announcing the death toll (“1214 more people have sadly died”). I get what he was trying to do, but did we need to be told it was sad they’d died? I kept wondering if there were more people who had died, but they were complete tossers, so it wasn’t sad.

Also on phrases: politicians repeatedly saying how vital it was to “Get this vaccine into people’s arms”. As opposed to where - their left earlobes?

Less lighthearted, but definitely cringeworthy: the government trying to blame the second wave on the significant increase in people going out to restaurants, having literally paid restaurants to encourage exactly this behaviour.

I work in a special school. I had to be in a building every day with 150 children and staff, but could only meet up to 6 people in my back garden sitting 2m apart.

When ds started college in September 2020 he could spend all day in a socially distanced classroom with half the year group and his teacher or in a small music practice room with 6 band members and a a teacher.

The same teacher taught private singing lessons at a local dance school but ds couldn't be in a room with her in person during several months of that time.

Having to walk in a tight circle to follow the one way system arrows in shops roughly 12' square.
Roped off areas in supermarkets denoting the forbidden 'non essentials' that you could literally have grabbed on your way to the bread aisle.
The trend of referring to groups in the definitive 'The elderly' 'The vulnerable' 'The nurses'
The word selfish. It enrages me still.

Loo rolls .. or the lack of them in supermarkets!

We had a guy in our town who was a stay the fuck at home and also a self appointed Clap Fuhrer, he used to post stuff about how his street had been out clapping but not many people in neighbouring street had been out.

But he also used to go around different supermarkets taking photos of where had toilet roll and posting them online. I could never figure out how this squared with Staying The Fuck At Home.

Not being able to see people in person amplified all the batshittery on social media.

Sorry for your loss @FormerlyPathologicallyHappy

Not really though. People weren't at risk of starving because they couldn't get salad or pasta

There was a thread on here started by someone genuinely (it seemed) asking for people with gardens not to go out for their once a day exercise to protect the right for those such as herself who did not have access to a garden at all. They were worried that people were abusing the “privilege” of being allowed out and that we were all going to be confined to our homes.

I agree, the division between key workers and those who were not and the idea (that many people did not shake, ever) that unless you were a key worker you could not go out to work.

The obsession over what was “essential shopping”.

Anyone from NI remember Stephen Nolan chasing maskless people around the petrol station

The “frontline song” to the tune of Shakiras waka waka😬

I only read the first two pages before my hackles were up, so sorry if repeating

Oh yes the clapping...or the bin lidders as I called them. The first time I heard the bin lids being banged I thought WTF. The absolute hypocrisy of the staunch Tory lot...clapping for the NHS

There was a twat round the corner who used to have a PA system with Vera Lynn playing and handing out song sheets as if you didnt know the words to the crappy song. And waving their fists at my OH coming home from work in his car

The irony of berating someone who was still having to work as his company happen to be one that made PPI, but also were making breathing apparatus used in A+E

Standing in a huge queue snaking round the supermarket carpark wearing plastic gloves and improvised scarf mask!

Online improvised primary school 'lessons'

Crossing the road ostentatiously if you spotted another person 100metres away

All of it - the sentimental claptrap on the news, clapping for carers, the fuss about Captain Tom (I'm sure he was a nice chap, but he got hijacked by his family and the media), idiots saying "stay safe", wearing masks. The nation - or a good chunk of it - lost its mind.
The Government had the right idea having parties, coz they knew it was all nonsense, so I'm glad they at least showed some sense!