How many of you have broken lockdown rules?

[vulvic]

I'm just wondering. I thought the vast majority had stuck to it but seeing more threads and hearing more stories, it seems there is a lot of people still seeing close family.

Anyway, I'm in the Channel Isles. Still in lockdown but slightly easing.

I'm not interested in shopping, garden centres or more exercise. I'm not even interested in socialising or catching up with friends.
I just want to see my mum.

I think it's badly affecting her mental health now as she was depressive anyway, and my DS is struggling having not seen her for 2 months.

So, I'm just wondering, have any of you still been seeing close family? Or were you sticking to it and now given up and started visiting? Or are you encouraging to stick firmly to it for as long as possible?

I've been a firm sticker to the rules but now starting to feel the negatives are outweighing the positives but still completely paranoid.

We took the decision from the very beginning that my house and my mothers would be as one. For various reasons we had no real choice about this so it seemed sensible. We haven’t seen anyone else, besides me doing our shopping/ medication runs, and my mother needing a couple of medical appointments.
So you could say we broke the rules from day 1 or not at all I suppose.

No, not at all. It's a mindset and I decided right at the start that I would do it right because as a PP said, every time you just do this exception and just do that exception you might as well not bother.

Have to say ALL the neighbours in my square are letting their kids play together though and a few of the adults hang around chatting together most days.

Just go and see your mum.

We exercise more than once a day, but as we live in the arse end of no where that does impact anyone else. We have horses and dogs that need exercising.

Other than that, we haven’t broken the rules at all.

Except yesterday when I drove 30 mins to see an elderly lady we know about whose mental health I was deeply concerned. We social distanced on the driveway and chatted for nigh on an hour. No one touched each other, we didn’t go in.

Pretty much, except we have chatted to our neighbours as we go by and so on.

@owlbethere. I think that was a perfectly sensible approach. You figured out a 'group' that would effectively isolate. From your wording it doesn't sound like she moved in, but you chose to treat both homes as though they were on, and limit your interaction to yourselves.

I think that would have been a possible Governmental strategy were it not for fear of folks taking advantage and creating quite a wide 'group' to isolate with. Technically (if two homes), it probably was against guidelines, but there is logic to it.

Stuck to it, I did go to two food shops in one day as I have celiac & needed gf bread/pasta ect but apart from that I’ve stuck to it

Well sometimes I go for a run alone at 7am and then for a walk later on with my pre school child. I need the lone run for my sanity and sometimes we just need to break the monotony with a walk after lunch. It’s not every day, maybe twice a week I ‘double up’ my exercise.

Otherwise we have stuck to it. Used cars only for shopping once a week, not seen any friends/family in RL.

Today we did an extra long walk that included a local country park and the park bit was awful. Hardly any distancing happening, it was packed and people almost brushing past us. I’ll be sticking to the usual routes over fields/canal paths from now on, we rarely see anyone there and there’s always space to dodge off the path a bit if we do. I’m quite enjoying my bubble though, I just wish I could work productively with a 3 y/o - then I’d be completely fine.

There's not going to be extended lockdown, it's unsustainable. People breaking the 'rules' aren't going to change that.

They will if there are enough of them to have done enough damage. Not talking about the situations where people have applied common sense and helped a vulnerable relative or who live remotely and went out for an extra walk where they saw no one, but the people who have been reckless. It will change things if they have been in large enough numbers.

The prospect of the uncontrollable exponential growth of this virus will ensure that. It's a reality that simply cannot be talked away or got around.

This video has a good demo of exponential growth from 2.20 on. If you try writing it out based on numbers of new infections or deaths, doubling for example every three days it's daunting. The idea of any healthcare, education system, basic security or economy functioning in those circumstances is ludicrous. So if that is the prospect, I think the govt will feel they have no choice.

www.pbs.org/video/what-this-chart-actually-means-for-covid-19-ybsbtd/

My dad died suddenly (non-Covid)
I went to his house to see my step mum/help her sort things.

I’m pretty sure anyone that stopped me would of been ok with that.

I went for 2 walks on one day, I have two dogs, one who can do a proper walk and one who can’t. Normally we take turns to walk old and young dog. One day I did both. Rural area, didn’t meet anyone.

In my village I’d say, at a rough estimation, 50% are following the guidelines, 50% really aren’t.

Agree with the poster who said that not many people are going to put their head above the parapet on here! They know what vicious tongues some of us lot have!

People who are counsellors, therapists, mental health professionals are working on the phone or on video-calls (with people who already have very unstable mental health). At funerals the professionals insist that there are very limited numbers and no physical contact - not a hug, not a handshake. These people are not doing it because they are heartless bastards who don't care, they are doing it because it is the best way to keep people safe.

Yet, so many people have decided that it's OK for them to walk with their friend, or so have a 'socially distanced' drink with family, or that someone's mental health needs can't be met using face time, or whatever. And some of the nonsense at VE day street parties was sickening. I'm not talking about those supporting vulnerable people of whatever age, I'm talking about people who have decided they know better that scientists and epidemiologists and mental health professionals.

Of course, I'd love to see my dgc, my dd is struggling, she had to reduce her working hours because she can't wfh and home school. If people at a funeral can accept the rules then who am I to complain? I don't like it, it doesn't all seems logical, I could easily see where I could justify 'bending' the rules because I feel competent to assess the risk. But that's not the point. The point is we were asked to stay home as much as possible.

They know what vicious tongues some of us lot have! 

But those vicious tongues really are quite funny, especially when their version of "the science" is being spouted and the "you mark my words, this or that is going to be done", oh really, how do you bloody know, you been having a chat with Boris and Co.?

that someone's mental health needs can't be met using face time

As a mental health professional, face time simply doesn't cut it. For a multitude of reasons.

I have.

I've been going for exercise more than once a day from the start.

2 weeks ago I drove my brother to the supermarket as he doesn't drive. Stopped at his on the way home and let my kids play with my nephew.

1 week ago started letting the kids out to play in the park. I take my laptop, sit at the table and get an hour of work done.

A couple days ago I started seeing my partner again. He's a police officer with zero chance of social distancing so I'm completely resigned to catching it and I don't care.

Yesterday I met with best friend and her mum to take the dogs a walk.

This morning I went to the ice cream van where nobody was social distancing.

And probably 1000 of the made up rules.

I know more people not doing lockdown than doing it. Very deprived area so it makes sense - people have bigger problems than a virus.

As a mental health professional, face time simply doesn't cut it. For a multitude of reasons

This.

PhilCornwall1

I'm not sure many people are gonna put their head above the parapet for this one on here.

Well I will, yes multiple times and I should be shielding. It's unworkable, so I won't and I'm not

Absolute of the highest standard...... I hope you don't clap for the NHS

Your vertually all a bunch of thick selfish wankers.
No wonder or country vertually has the most deaths.
Well done 👏

*our

Your vertually all a bunch of thick selfish wankers.

I won't point out the irony in that sentence of yours.

hardly any of the people on this thread are a MH professional. Yet they have decided they know best about mental health and that breaking the rules for it is probably essential and low risk to prevent MH from worsening, when they don’t know that it will.
They are not really in a position to make the decision. And they could make someone’s MH much worse if that person ended up with COVID in hospital

Someone being a bit lonely is not the same as someone who feels suicidal. Loneliness can lead to depression/suicidal thoughts, but the best thing you can do is support lonely people from afar using technology

If it did come needing to intervene face to face if something serious happened or someone very unwell, I could completely understand and it would be necessary.

We are saying that people’s efforts (this garden sitting thing especially) which are claiming to address people’s mental health in the NOW period, is it really helpful? What is the actual benefit? You feel better for an hour? How is it really contributing, and is it really worth the risk?

My mother for instance keeps meeting friends for walks and sitting on benches. She is lonely She thinks I should also go and have a walk with her. I said no. I honestly do not know how this would benefit either of us. I would find it more stressful than helpful as if I put my DM in hospital wouldn’t I feel so horribly fucking guilty?

@Fefifoefum

I'm very sorry for your loss

I've been going for 2 walks a day. My baby was 4 weeks old when lockdown started & I'd struggled mentally. My HV told me to try & get out more if I needed to, especially on the days when my LG won't stop crying as I do not cope very well with it.

I'm home alone for 95% of the time with her as my partner works full time out of the house.

I've also walked passed my parent's house, they live 5 mins away, & I have chatted to them a couple of times from the street while they have stayed on their garden. I like them being able to see the baby. She's their first grandchild & she's changed so much in the last 7 weeks.

@PineappleDanish

Apologies. I've just been diagnosed a brain tumour and can't see out of my right eye properly. My vision has disappeared over the last 2 days rapidlyy. That means I struggle to see the keyboard correctly. It's also effected my right arm. Also the fingers. Which mean spelling mistakes are
Missed.