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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To even consider staying in a holiday cottage?

346 replies

Dreaming69 · 23/03/2020 22:35

This might sound stupid but I have a private cottage booked in the North Yorkshire Moors. Were supposed to be going next weekend. Is there anyway we would still be able to go? It would basically be my family going in our car and effectively moving into another house. We would exercise by doing a walk in the moors so plenty big enough area to practice social distancing. The rest of the time would be in the house but it's better than mine and a change of scenery also!

OP posts:
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CleanAndPaidFor · 24/03/2020 06:57

I think@Dreaming69 has got the message now. Hopefully she hasn't disappeared to start cramming her barbecue and swingball into the back of her Range Rover.

BlackieBooBoo · 24/03/2020 06:59

They walk among us....

FazakAli · 24/03/2020 07:09

If there wasn't a risk of other innocent people getting infected, I'd say the virus is a good way to rid our population of stupid people. Natural selection, survival of the fittest but unfortunately Boris wants you to stay alive at home. So that's what must happen.

TheProdigalKittensReturn · 24/03/2020 07:19

Exactly, Fazak. If people being stupid were only putting themselves at risk then crack on, mate, be a Darwin Awards winner if you like, but if you're putting my elderly relatives at risk too? Nope, sorry, lockdown it is.

SubjectMatterExpert · 24/03/2020 07:19

@FazakAli, you wish stupid people would all die? It’s a bit extreme don’t you think?

FazakAli · 24/03/2020 07:20

Another poster posted Boris's speech on a thread but I'll leave it here in case the message hasn't hit home yet:

Good Evening,

The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone.

All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer.

And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help.

And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have.

Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it - meaning more people are likely to die, not just from Coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.

So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope - and save more lives.

And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic.

And though huge numbers are complying - and I thank you all - the time has now come for us all to do more.

From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.

Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households.

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
one form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household;
any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.
That’s all - these are the only reasons you should leave your home.

You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.

You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.

You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine - and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:

close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this.

I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.

And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.

And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.

But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost.

And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through.

Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service.

With the time you buy - by simply staying at home - we are increasing our stocks of equipment.

We are accelerating our search for treatments.

We are pioneering work on a vaccine.

And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.

I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus.

Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline.

But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted.

Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together.

To halt the spread of this disease.

To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives.

And I know that as they have in the past so many times.

The people of this country will rise to that challenge.

And we will come through it stronger than ever.

We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.

And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

Thank you.

FlockofGulls · 24/03/2020 07:22

Stay the fuck home.

FazakAli · 24/03/2020 07:24

@SubjectMatterExpert not extreme particularly as stupid people are killing other innocent people by cross infecting them

FlockofGulls · 24/03/2020 07:25

Will the owner have to refund then now? Is it really so high risk to drive my family in my own car? We wouldn't have to come into contact with anyone else would we?

This has to be the most stupid selfish thing I’ve read in quite a while.

EL8888 · 24/03/2020 07:27

@FlockofGulls l have to agree with you. At this moment in time lm torn about who is the most stupid and self absorbed. OP to this thread or the lawn mowing one Confused

chococo · 24/03/2020 07:30

Don't go op. No non essential travel. What if car broke down? You'll be waiting a very long time

Dreaming69 · 24/03/2020 07:30

Well that was unanimous..
Apart from I woke today to an email from the owner to say the cottage is ready for us should we wish to come as there is no travel restrictions and it's self contained! That's a clear message they wont refund or move the booking.
Just to answer a few angry people, my family haven't left the house apart from 2 supermarket visits (by me alone) for almost 2 weeks so we have been abiding by the stay at home advice anyway. No I haven't been to any crowded places at all and never would. The car is full of petrol, we have all food already so no we wouldn't have had to come into contact with anyone else at all. I think the only valid point is we could be harbouring CV and yes the North York Moors is not a place where I would want to become seriously ill.

OP posts:
ZeldaPrincessOfHyrule · 24/03/2020 07:33

Why is your holiday more important than following the direct instructions given to you by the government?

MuthaFunka61 · 24/03/2020 07:33

I'm with @FazakAli.
Actions have consequences.

If only the virus could discern

SubjectMatterExpert · 24/03/2020 07:36

@FazakAli so do you want ALL ‘stupid people’ to die? Are you going to differentiate between say;

  1. people who think this is a conspiracy theory/anarchists

  2. normally rational citizens who are confused about what they can/can’t do/ are taking time to adjust to the rearrangement of society/life as we know it

  3. people with dementia who keep forgetting that there is a viral pandemic and we should all stay home

  4. people with disabilities who cannot comprehend the situation

  5. the teenagers/young adults in America who won’t let the virus ruin their spring break party plans at the beach

Which one do you think OP is? She is particularly heinous isn’t she, eh?

Sceptre86 · 24/03/2020 07:37

Stopping at a service station, having to fill up the car are both things you might have to do on your journey that could put you into contact with others. The advice is avoid all unnecessary travel and that is what this is.

FamilyOfAliens · 24/03/2020 07:38

So the entire country has been told what the new rules are but because your holiday company don’t want to refund you, you think their take on it is the right one?

SubjectMatterExpert · 24/03/2020 07:39

@MuthaFunka61 I have heard that in North Korea, they are actually shooting dead, elderly people who have symptoms and people who flaunt the rules. Maybe you and Gaza’s would be happier there?

Bluesheep8 · 24/03/2020 07:39

I grew up in a seaside town and my parents still live there. Over the last week, people have apparently been arriving in droves to stay at their caravans. The local food shops, which had been coping just fine are empty because of these idiots.

daisypond · 24/03/2020 07:41

there is no travel restrictions
There are - no non-essential travel.

LASandOtto · 24/03/2020 07:43

I work in UK travel and can tell you that all holiday parks and all cottages owners have been asked to close as of yesterday, so, the decision will be made for you.

EL8888 · 24/03/2020 07:45

@Sceptre86 and @FamilyOfAliens exactly!!!

SubjectMatterExpert · 24/03/2020 07:46

@Dreaming69 yes daisy one is correct. There very definitely ARE travel restrictions. All non-essential travel is not allowed. I would reply to the woman and link to the Government guidance. She shouldn’t be allowing people to come

Divebar · 24/03/2020 07:47

I definitely see it would be appealing to go but all you would be doing is sitting in an unfamiliar house that probably only has a 2 slot toaster ( despite sleeping 6) and a weird amalgamation of saucepans and utensils that weirdly never have what you need. I bet if you look into it you will find your nearest intensive care bed will be a long, long way away from the house so for me that would be the deciding factor. That plus the prospect of the locals appearing at night with a load of flaming torches.

FoxEars · 24/03/2020 07:48

What part of stay at home do you not understand

The mind boggles