Have we gone too far with colds since Covid?

[campingstars]

Just wondering what other people think about how much our attitude towards ordinary colds has changed since Covid.
Pre-Covid, if I had a cold but felt OK in myself, I’d still see friends and generally carry on as normal. Growing up, you were still sent to school with a cold, people still went into work, and people would turn up to clubs and social things coughing and sneezing. Nobody really thought that much of it.
Now it feels completely different. If you have a cold, people seem to avoid you, or you feel like you should avoid everyone else. If you can work from home, it feels like you probably shouldn’t go into the office if you’re coughing or sneezing.
I recently had a cold and had to pop into the supermarket to pick up a prescription. Every time I coughed or sneezed I felt really self-conscious, almost like everyone was thinking, “Why are you here spreading that around?”
Obviously I understand that nobody wants a cold and it’s considerate not to spread bugs unnecessarily. But I do wonder whether we’ve gone a bit too far the other way and now feel guilty for being out in public with a normal cold.
Do you think the change since Covid is a good thing and we were too accepting of spreading illnesses before? Or do you think we’ve become a bit too cautious about everyday bugs?

Where are you working and living? Haven't come across this at all. We are still getting over the back to school colds and all the parents are sending totally snotty kids in to spread it around. Work expects us in no matter what, even when the work can be done from home. Wish I lived where you do, it sounds so much better!

I've always avoided people with colds. They hit me hard and I feel like utter crap

I haven't come across this at all. However, I do still use hand sanitiser. If Covid showed anything, it was that public places, particularly public transport, are a germ swamp.

Well covid isn't a cold is it ? Ive not avoided anybody with a cold although I've been a bit mindful of elderly relatives, but i had what I assume was covid recently I felt dreadful and stayed clear of people, as much as I could, but in general most people do seem to power through with a cold.

One of my kids work in childcare they always seem to have a runny nose in the winter, parents have to work so send kids in witb colds.

I have an occasional asthmatic cough. You should see the 'looks' I get from random people in shops sometimes.

I was on a train a year ago near a women who coughed constantly. When she got off, someone said to me she noticed I was uncomfortable. I certainly was. I had covid within 3 days.

This is the problem though, not all of us (a minority I'd think, in fact) have the luxury of staying at home with a cough or cold. I'm a lone parent and I don't have a sympathetic workplace so I'm out and about if I'm coughing or sneezing, it's not an option not to. Could have been me you were sitting next to I'm afraid.

Have you ever had chemo?
Most people don't seem to care about spreading stuff. Some workplaces have asked people to wfh if possible, which seems sensible, as the ill person can snot to their heart's content while enjoying lying down and multiple cuppas (but getting more work done than if they just took the day off, and not reducing whole office efficiency by infecting everyone).
Taking things a bit easier when you have a virus also reduces the chance of (admittedly rare) long term consequences for yourself.

I’m immunocompromised so I’ve always asked people not to visit me when they have a cold etc
I can’t WFH but my manager or colleagues go in a separate room if they’re sick or I will move into that room so as separated as possible

I hate having a cold, so would naturally try to avoid giving it to anyone else. Just seems like common courtesy to me.

You do have an option to pop a mask on if you have to go out, less likely to spread it that way and make sure you are washing your hands regularly.

I have always been careful to try not to spread germs, long before Covid. I washed my hands and used hand sanitiser frequently and tried not to touch my face. I coughed into the crook of my arm if I couldn’t hold it down in the presence of others. When DP gets a normal cold, about 50-60% of the time it goes into his chest and he can’t shake it for weeks, sometimes months, so I’m mindful of that. DS2 is on immunosuppressants and gets very ill from a common cold, so while I know he will inevitably catch viruses, I try hard not to be the one to pass it on to him. Nowadays, if I have a cough, I wear a mask when I’m around others, as I feel mask wearing has become more acceptable since Covid. As for other people coughing when I’m out and about, I am inclined move away from them. I try to be discreet, but I wish people would consider wearing masks if they have a contagious cough.

I have noticed a bit of this. Friends have cancelled get togethers due to having a cold whereas before I’m sure everyone just knocked back paracetamol and cracked on.

I manage quite a large team and people will ask to work from home due to a bad cold (not just a sniffle) to avoid spreading it, which I’m happy with. Before covid people would sit in the office dripping with snot and coughing their guts up which was never nice.

Generally I think it’s a good thing and people are more conscious of hand washing, not spreading germs, etc. I do feel colds have become much worse however, and I’m not sure why that would be! Previously I would crack on with life whenever I had a cold whereas now I feel like I’m on death’s door.

I think colds affect people differently. some people barely get a sniffle and they just carry on even though they are contagious to others.

I've always been affected quite a lot by them unfortunately. Absolutely miserable or several days to where my head feels like a giant balloon and then the water faucet of the nose dripping constantly and no medication seems to lift it. Plus the severe fatigue.

Now that I'm older they affect me even worse so it's like I don't get a break

So yes I do greatly appreciate it if people don't come around me if they suspect they have a cold and I will gladly wear a mask around in cold season as I wouldn't want to spread anything they make someone else feel miserable

No, I've not noticed changes in behaviour.
But what I have noticed is that colds hit me way harder now than before, almost like my immune system is hyperactive. I am never normally ill, but since having COVID, every cold feels.like being hit by a bus!

I accept people have to work and children go to school if it's definitely a cold they have. However, I know longer go out with friends if I've got one as I don't want them feeling grotty for a week.

I've not noticed any of this. I'd say things are normal again now and back as they were.

No we haven't gone too far. A simple cold can turn into a respiratory infection and knock you out for weeks. If you have a cold it takes nothing to disinfectant your hands before you go out in public.

I don't care if it's a cold, flu or covid - I don't want any dirty bastard spluttering all over me and spreading their germs. A virus can attack even healthy people in devastating ways.

I am not finding this at all, I wish people had changed. So many people carry on as normal with a cold or worse and spread it all over. I get really sick when I get a cold and feel more like I have flu so I quite liked it when I hardly got sick for a couple of years.
My 8yo also picks up everything and feels really miserable with lots of them so ends up
missing tons of stuff.

I have a friend who has a serious issue with her lungs, if she gets a cold she will get a lung infection.
She has for years told people to stay away from her (I’ve cancelled meeting her on the day, she’s fine with it) but the number of people who ignore it is unbelievable. We had one friend who went and stayed with her with a heavy cold, no reason not to cancel, she ended up in hospital.

Someone in the gym recently was coughing all over a piece of equipment (and didn’t even wipe it down), I walked out. People should stay home/stay out of the hospital way.

It’s a mixed bag. It also depends on company ethos.

Some companies have really benefitted from- fewer low level illnesses so higher productivity as people encouraged to wfh when ill.

Some companies will penalise staff, even if their role involves working with people more vulnerable and at risk.

Children, parents, teaching staff - active encouragement of spread has increased, so more behavioural issues, long term sick, lower productivity overall

A percentage of population mentally scarred enough from lockdowns to not want to sacrifice any activity for others

A percentage of population who buy into or push theory of building up immunity when many viruses eg covid harm immunity and there is an increased cumulative negative impact with each infection

A percentage of population who think people may catch things from others so it may as well be them

NHS staff and contractors, patients - refusal to acknowledge airborne infection control unless an airborne generated procedure so greater short and long term staff sickness, poorer patient outcomes, greater burden on NHS

A percentage of population who don’t realise how many thousands of children are swapping their active activities and education for bed long term due to long covid

Mixed bag.

Well the lady in question certainly didn’t use a tissue or cover her mouth in any way, so hopefully not.

This isn’t my experience at all. Though we have a wfh culture now that we didn’t have before. I mean, I’ve been working from home for 20 years, but it’s much more normalised now. If I could wfh, I wouldn’t go into the office with a cold. But that’s nothing new.

But definitely I don’t have the experience of people not going about their normal activities because they have a cold. I do, however, think it’s good to be conscious of spreading your germs. I’m on cancer treatment and immunocompromised. I don’t go around shielding myself from all germs, but if someone is really ill, I’d expect them not to be a turd and wantonly spread it to me. By that, I don’t mean, my bus driver calling out sick (you can’t just not go to work with a cold if your job is not wfh), but I mean, my friends turning up for coffee hacking up a lung with a fever.

No.

School. No opening windows. Kids in boasting of their positive covid tests and absolutely nothing we can do about being in a room with them +30 others.

I'd be eye rolled at if I was off sick with covid.

I've bought my own air purifier but it's a fart in the wind.

@LividRoastingchildren are told to come in with covid if they “feel” ok, a policy that absolutely sickens me and I suspect will fall into the “we didn’t know” in years to come, even though there’s a fuckton of evidence and research now, along with millions affected. I have some insight into long covid, so my red line is I will not send my children into school if they are positive. I know too much about covid to do that. I don’t make a song and dance about it to school, but have managed to get them to put a HEPA in and spoken to them about airflow. Farting in the wind.