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 have stuck to it, I work in a prison, my life has been work, home repeat, on my day off I have been going to get food shopping, social distancing at all times,
I miss my mum & sister, i have even had my birthday in lockdown, it upsets me so much that others are not sticking to the rules, I don't think people are paying much attention to the fact that in prisons, hospitals, etc people are still dying!! My son lives in China, they were locked down completely and are now coming out the other side, we have only half heartedly locked down & as usual the English think they know best.

Oh get over yourself.

That was for avocado

I have stuck to the rules although it's extremely hard. When I watched the VE celebrations/street parties on TV and the fact that many were not really socially distancing I did think why am I sacrificing seeing my friends and family when the government have allowed this while we are under lockdown and thousands of new infections daily?

3 weeks ago I went down to stay with my grandchildren while their mum was in labour. That was my first and last time out x

I had to break the rule as my mum had to go into hospital and I had to go over to look after my dad. However I am in shield group like them so haven’t been anywhere since March. So very unlikely that I have been in contact with the virus. Before that the closest i’d Been was FaceTime and driving over in my car and waving from the end of the driveway.
I was very nervous going over there, didn’t hug my dad and was hype vigilante about hygiene. Sat at opposite ends of table to eat, far apart to watch tv, used separate bathroom. Probably over cautious but made me less anxious.

Stuck to the rules. Desperate to see my parents who live over a hundred miles away, desperate to see a face other than my beautiful kids and partner, desperate to go and walk on the beach or in the woods which would involve a short drive but no. I want to keep my family and my community safe so there's no second, even stricter lockdown and I'll be able to see my new niece in the summer, spend some time with my parents over the summer and see my friends for coffee.

I've stuck to it, but I think it's been quite easy for me as I don't live near my family, I don't have someone close to me thats vulnerable in some way and I also live with a friend so I have company and so I do empathise with some people's reasons for breaking it when they have visited or invited a family member or friend around that needed support of some kind or some company.

I don't know I feel like there's a lot of people shaming people and whilst I understand people are scared and worried and this is serious sometimes it feels like people just want others to feel awful. Of course some people have just acted totally selfishly and irresponsibly and not considered others at all, but I don't feel everyone that has broken some of the guidelines or rules is 'selfish' or a 'bad person'. Plus our goverments handling of it and the lack of clarity around things has been extremely unhelpful, so there's no wonder some people have felt confused about what to do.

I have. Been shopping more than once a week, sometimes been out x 2 for exercise and had the same friend round x 3 for socially distanced drinks in our garden. Practice the 2 metre rule at all times, and scrupulous hygiene.

Friend is a single parent and struggling. We're a low risk family but this is affecting dc mental health and dh and I can't commit to them due to working full pelt all week. I'm unapologetic about it, and I won't be termed as selfish or a murderer. I work i mental health, my work (which was relentless anyway) has sky rocketed as a result of lockdown. Sick of no one considering this when they're discussing lockdown.

@confusedandlookingforwine that sounds like very hard work for everyone. Is your intention to keep that up until a vaccine is found?

I've been in a shop to buy a drink whilst on my daily walk (it was hot, I was thirsty - definitely essential shopping). Chatted to my daughter for a few minutes from the end of her garden path after dropping shopping off. We have, on occasions, walked for longer than an hour (but not near people). But mostly we've been at home. I'm going to work tomorrow, I'm on rota for the first time in 7 weeks (school), that's going to be strange!

I have:
Taken an unnecessary 30-minute car journey to deliver an unnecessary gift to my best friend, who was really struggling mentally. I chatted to her from the end of her front path for less than 5 minutes, more than 2 metres apart.
Sat in the garden with my next door neighbour, twice, 2 metres apart.
Been to the supermarket twice in one week.

That's it. I haven't seen friends or family, touched/hugged anyone or been closer than 2 metres. I wear mask and gloves in the supermarket. I exercise from my house, rather than driving elsewhere. So I'm maybe 80% 'good'?

I haven't broken it once.

I was going to by this week or I said I was as I was really missing my mum. I was going to go visit her.

Then my dad died of corona virus and whilst I'm still really missing my mum, I am so glad I am alone with my kids and not having to process other people feelings up close also.

I like being alone and if this had happened out of lockdown, I would have felt beholden to visit and be visited at this time, with people feeling that they had to drop in on me and i would have hated that.

So no I have not broken lockdown.

I broke the rules last week. I’m not proud of it, but it was something I personally needed to do. My best friends Dad died of Corona. I’d grudgingly stayed away when he was taken into hospital. I stayed away when it led to pneumonia. Weeks later they were told he was over the worst and would be ok. Then He died out of the blue. Neither of us have been anywhere or seen anyone Since lockdown started. She was devastated. I went round her house and I hugged my broken friend. I couldn’t let her go through this alone.

confused that sounds so difficult for you and an awful lot for you to be dealing with. Are you able to access MH support at the moment especially as there is no short term fix on the horizon?

No I am trying to work through it. We are trying to get hold of my mental health to try and get my meds adjusted but no luck yet.

Yup, stuck to it completely. Not taking any chances. Whilst I'm being told to stay in, I'm going to stay in. I've seen so many people flouting the rules and it's making me mad. Drives to beaches, visiting family and don't even get me started on the VE day celebrations. I want to see my family again. I'm dreading the 2nd wave. People think its getting better - 600+ new deaths does not seem like it's getting better. 1000's of new cases everyday!! For anyone who thinks it's not that bad, chat with a doctor or nurse. A real one! Not SM BS.

Have taken distanced walks with my 80 year old mum who is alone and struggling.

Kind of, we haven’t left the house at all other than the occasional walk for some fresh air but not even for shopping, partners mum does our shop for us and drops it off on doorstep, however I allowed my mum to isolate (not go anywhere at all even shops) for 2 weeks so she could come and spend the day at my house, she suffers terrible with her mental health and my dad works away so I was worried about her

I stuck to the rules, my only time out was exercise alone or with immediate family for 8 weeks (I started before the official lockdown). I shopped for my own mum and my mum in law, I wiped down all shopping and delivered outside the door. I was very careful. All that went out of the window when my mum had a stroke - I now have to visit 3 times a day as I can’t move her in here or move in with her for reasons I can’t go into. I feel that this is preferable to having multiple different carers visiting but still worried me.

confused I really hope you manage to make contact with them soon and that a change in meds makes a difference.

@Scorpio75kaz it was a very human thing you did - please don't feel bad about it.

Followed it completely. However I worry that I've looked like I'm going out twice to exercise as I can't walk the dogs together due to one being exceptionally nervous and needing my full attention (spends most of the time trying to climb up my leg) and the other being lively and boisterous and raring to go. Walking them together has proven impossible. One pulls, the other shakes and wants to be carried. So... I do two quick circuits round the local streets of approx 15-20 mins each pausing for about 60 secs at my front door to "swap" dogs. Which technically means I'm going out twice. Thankfully Boris' new slightly looser rules means I can go past the same houses twice now without expecting to hear blues and twos coming my way!

Seen my daughter 2x, 1st she is a doctor, she brought me while I had covid medication and food/water. We stuck by guidelines by MY insistence, her words were, im coming in, if I can look after strangers I can look after my own mum! I still didnt let her. second time her birthday 2x days ago , her n hubby brought me some birthday tea, all in a big Tupperware box put at front door, while they stayed in car at end of drive, other than that ive spoken /seen no one bar shopping 1x per week. so ive stuck with it. seeing the pictures in London and beaches in papers today, makes me RAGE!!