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.

I discussed going to see my mum but couldn't do it. If she got ill I would feel responsible.

I've stuck to the rules as have my kids. I've had to go to work as can't work from home but to try and reduce risk I've walked to and from work instead of using public transport.

I find it tasteless and crass for everyone to be competing about who is less resilient than each other, and therefore the rules need to be broken or adapted

Oh the irony!

The problem with these threads is that is is dependent on where you live. I see lots of rule breaking but the risks are really low and where I live is not very congested. So people are leaving the house more than once, people are sunbathing/sitting when out but there is space to do it. It’s not that the rules don’t apply but more that some are not needed where I am.

I have just read this. I have not broken the rules and dont get why you would.
At home with 3 DD on my own.... People in my village have broken the rules. It makes me angry.
Ive not seen my BF since lockdown

Some people are trying harder than others
And are accused of being goody 2 shoes for doing so basically! And judgemental

Many of us are quietly sticking to the (actual) guidelines and getting on with it. I'm not wondering or worrying about what the neighbours are doing, I am just doing what I am.

I do wonder if the posters that are being so critical on here would actually say these things to people irl. Maybe that is why I am not so critical because I am actually speaking regularly to people who, for whatever reason, are seeing friends and family and it is of importance to their well-being and safety. (Mainly around care and essential shopping)

This virus isn’t going away. It won’t be eradicated now until/unless a vaccine is found. The virus doesn’t care about the rules and whether you’ve followed them or not. The “rules” are to ensure ICU capacity at all times, to flatten the curve not eridicate it.

The point is that we’re going to have to learn to live with this for the foreseeable. You can isolate for the next year or so, or you can risk assess, take sensible precautions and live your life. Depends on type of person you are. I’m happy with my own risk assessments, as are my family. We are not stupid and understand the risks. We are adults capable of making our own decisions and understanding the consequences. We are not “murderers” fgs.

The things I've done is go for a drive with the DC a couple of times and drive 20 minutes to go for a walk. That's it.

So people are leaving the house more than once, people are sunbathing/sitting when out but there is space to do it. It’s not that the rules don’t apply but more that some are not needed where I am.

If you had the virus in your household, unbeknownst to you, then go and sit on a park bench in a lovely quiet village...

Then a couple of hours later, someone else does the same, the virus can pass to them.

You can pick it up off a park bench.

Now admittedly, it probably isn't all that likely, but at the same time, we don't know how many have contracted the virus from surfaces, we only know that it's one of the possible transmission paths.

This is where the 'but I live in a different sort of place' falls down a little.
That assumption seems to be biased on 'the rules are for the bigger cities', yet they may have been developed as a minimum standard in the most rural of areas.

I'm not judging, we all have this to deal with in some form or other, but as soon as we have 'my village is tiny so it matters less' assessments, then the next size village can argue 'we are somewhere in between, so we can do a bit less too' which then becomes 'ALL of the guidelines only matter to big cities, after that, it's a progressively lower need to comply'

Haven't read the whole thread, and this has probably been said, but a poll would have been interesting, not least because of the anonymity.

I've been breaching the guidance from the beginning, and not been unilaterally broadcasting the fact, but equally made no secret of it, when for example people have ask what I did for the weekend. I've found that along with the disapproval, quite a lot of people who have been presenting themselves as compliant will quietly admit that their "exercise" trips had ulterior motives when they know that I'm a rule breaker.

@TheGreatWave

Yup! I think the people who are sticking to the guidelines. Tend to just go on.

There are those that are really incredibly nasty for no reason on here. There are those that feel they have to belittle and drag someone down for a mistake. Or w thought

There are others who help those who are down. Who offer help. Or patience. Or just a friendly ear.

I’ve offered people help. I’ve offered food for some.

Some people just want someone who can be kind to them. I’d now say to not EVER post if you want help. Guidance. A friendly chat. Never. Post here.

It’s sad. I’ve actually met people off here. Those people are kind. Helpful. Checking to see how we all are.

Wouldn’t do it now

Thank you so very much for my flowers. That meant a lot to me. You probably don’t even know. How much that meant. The Acknowledgment. Thank you. 🥰

Stuck to them religiously and gone further ie cleaning all items that enter our house or have them sit in quarantine for the right amount of time before they are touched. Although we do want to follow the government rules our main priority is us not catching it and staying alive

Im.shielding i haven't left.my.house or garden since the start of March neither has my family (husband&3children 11\9&4) ....I'm so upset that people won't stick to the rules so less people.die. & we can all get back to normal and see our families sooner .. X

Haven’t seen anyone other than my household, but have been shopping many more times than advised.

I'm proud to follow my own safe rules and to look after my parents in the elderly years

@mortforya if you're looking after your elderly parents I'm not sure why you think that's 'breaking the rules'.

Yes I would say something IRL. I also spend my whole working day supporting medical staff and patients, my frustrations are not ‘because the government told us’ but because the impact of breaking the rules affects more than just your little bubble of family and friends, it’s further reaching than that.

Fact that it has been publicised that the virus disproportionally affects men and BAME groups means that an awful lot of risk taking has gone on by other groups. When it came to risk assessing medical staff we had some GP surgeries staffed by entirely Male or BAME (or both) groups. These staff are rightly concerned about unlocking the NHS. They also live/work in an area with a predominantly middle class white demographic. They will be exposed to more viral load than anyone else. Soon people will be demanding to see their GP again, but at what cost? Will they have been careful, or will they have been careless? Will anyone think about this when they go to see a medic in future for something other than Coronavirus - could I be asymptomatic? Have I been as careful as I could have been?

back in March we had a shockingly high number of patients lying about their travel/exposure or symptoms history.
I had multiple doctors in tears who had sat down to a consultation only to get a confession from the patient about actually, they did have a cough after all (despite being screened at multiple points) and they did know someone with COVID, who has been to Italy.

There is much proof that people do lie to themselves - and others much more than they are likely to admit, and frequently break rules but justify it to themselves
therefore we now have systems in place to limit exposure to clinical staff and will have for a very long time. Please do not fill up MN in 6 months time with threads about how unfair it is you can’t get to see your GP, or stand outside clapping only to then just break the rules the very next day anyway

but because the impact of breaking the rules affects more than just your little bubble of family and friends, it’s further reaching than that.

Really sensible post @Menora. The above stands out for me; I think it's apparent that so many people really just don't care about anything or anyone outside their own bubble. They don't seem to understand (or pretend they don't understand to suit what they want to happen) that if everyone carries on like that, the likelihood of this virus affecting their own little bubble increases all the time.

You just need to look at this thread at the posters bleating on about 'making their own decisions' and knowing what's best for them etc to see that while they may say that, they just don't really understand, or perhaps care.

It’s kind of a self delusion
Like people wearing masks and gloves in the supermarket seem to appear much less careful that those who aren’t, because they feel protected.
The bubble analogy is usually why people feel justified to adapt rules and ‘think for themselves’ as they struggle to see outside of it and the effects on the wider community as a whole - they don’t see themselves as part of the wider community! They see themselves as Sally, and here is my bubble of friends and family

You are part of a wider community made up of doctors, nurses, carers, dentists and you do need to do your bit to protect them as we do not have an infinite number of them to replace the ones we could lose

@Elmerrrrrrrr

Thank you for your posts. It's really nice to see someone acknowledging the struggles that people with mh problems are facing at the moment. It's very very rare on mn. There seems to be an overwhelming ethos on mn of "pull yourself together".

Soon people will be demanding to see their GP again, but at what cost? Can just say pre COVID you couldn’t see or speak to a GP anyway unless you had been one of the very lucky ones to get through the phone queue every morning - appts in advance were also like hens teeth - the service was really shit. Since COVID we make a phone call to the surgery during opening hours and a GP will call you back within 30mins and the prescription if needed goes straight to the pharmacy - it’s bloody brilliant - mostly we never want to see a GP. Maybe on the rare occasion an exam is needed after a phone call but the GP service via the phone has much improved the service - should have been a thing years ago.

A lot of GP services do sit and wait or able to book online appointments, this will not resume for a very long time

A lot of GP services do sit and wait or able to book online appointments sorry makes no sense to me!

Ok well sit and wait is as it sounds. You go, take a number and sit and wait to see someone

Online booking is when appointments are released and patients can go online and book them

No, I haven't.

I have. I'm a single mum to a 2 year old and have multiple sclerosis. My parents have been taking her for a night a week, so I don't burn out and risk a flare up. I still feel like a criminal taking her over there though, sneaking down thir drive with her pram guiltily!