No social bubbles

[octoberbundle]

Reports are looking like there won't be social bubbles any time soon. Just needed to vent, have been focusing on this to get me through, the idea that my mum could come visit and stay with me, both to see her and help look after my baby and three year old so I can work easier. Absolutely gutted that it looks like this won't be happening any time soon 😢

I think the bubbles have been starting to operate in the past week. People are making the choices (based on their individual circumstances) to start seeing family / friends etc. If everyone in the bubbles knows how much/ how little everyone else is doing then it’s an individual choice.

As others have said. Once non essential retail opens, you’re telling me I can go shopping in Zara but not see my family? Pffft.

I'm with the consensus. Just do it, get her to come and stay with you to help. People have done far worse (like going to beaches and driving to Durham) x

I've recently started seeing my sister and nephew. She's a single parent, signed off with anxiety, and for her mental health we decided it was worth it. I haven't been to any shops etc, nor have my dc, nor has my ds so we feel pretty safe. I think you have to be sensible and make your own risk assessment

My 21 year old son who is at university got caught out with lockdown in London. He is feeling very low shut up in a flat, he does live with two flatmates who are looking out for him, as he has been depressed in the past i will be collecting him and bringing him home if he asks to or if i think he is getting worse.

@NK346f2849X127d8bca260 Without a doubt I’d do the same if ds was still at uni

@NK346f2849X127d8bca260
My youngest daughter was living alone when the lockdown started and said she wanted to stay in her own house (I asked as she does have MH problems)

She hit rock bottom and came to stay with us 5 weeks ago - it was absolutely the right thing to do. She's going back to her own house next week

My "parenting instincts" are telling me it is now important for my children to meet with their cousins.

I also think the 10 Mile journey will be perfect for testing my eyesight

Social bubbles would cause so much aggro. Like picking teams for school sports

^ This. Speaking as a person who was always last to be picked for school sports and who wouldn't be picked for any social bubbles it'd be a nightmare. If I had to pick a social bubble I wouldn't have anybody to include so it wouldn't make any difference to me if they existed or not.

I was always picked last too @manitobajane* and never got to be the picker.

I think social bubbles are hard for the police to monitor

Well, Thank God for that!

Honestly, do people really need the Government to tell them who to see and where? Use your brain. Do what you think is best.

Social bubbles would cause so much aggro. Like picking teams for school sports.

What if you have no people for your bubble?

Sparklingbrook So what if you don’t? Nobody’s going to know and you’re not going to be any better or worse off than you are now.

There is no reason she can't come and stay as long as she isn't going back and forth. Could you merge households when you go back to work @Apolloanddaphne Where have you got this idea from?

No one is allowed to stay with anyone else now. She'd have to have been here since before lockdown.

If your idea was true I could drive to see my Mum at the other end of the country and stay for weeks. But I can't.

@NK346f2849X127d8bca260 Without a doubt I’d do the same if ds was still at uni

We collected dd2. She was home for a few weeks. She did have to go back for a hospital appt (that was cancelled on the day grr) but we had no qualms about it. Follow your instinct!

i wouldnt belive everything the papers say remember the one about being free on the monday well it waqsnt like that

but if you need your mum just do it

I don't see your point @heartsonacake.

I do have people that I would quite like in my hypothetical bubble but don't fancy narrowing it down to choose. Or for them to be wondering if I should be in theirs.

Think of people who have found lockdown lonely and isolating at best being told they can choose to be in a social bubble but have nobody around for whatever reason. Might make them feel worse off?

It was on sky news....I guess I was just really hoping it would be a green light...my mum lives 4grs away and it would be a big ask for her to move in. Would just love a few days a week for a week or two to give us a break!!

Social bubbles are a silly idea.... just use common sense. Social distance as much as possible seems more realistic and safer.

Lots of my friends and colleagues are moving around more and assessing their own risk levels... eg my single friend has gone to stay with her partner in his house for a couple of weeks. Another has her family around in the garden but all being careful when out and about with people they don't know. Another has moved her mother in so she can help her out.

We are all adults and need to look at our individual life and risk assess as we would normally do for any risk ... would I run across the M25 - no way... in a similar way would I attend a party with lots of people I don't know - no but would I mix with my close family (the ones that I like and trust not all of them) from another house in my garden yes I would if I know they are keeping socially distanced too.

Social bubbles were just made up by the daily Mail

Tbh, I'm confused about what "social bubble" actually means. Is that actually merging households or allowing bigger groups to meet up outside, still keeping 2 metres apart?

I brought DD home from Uni a couple of weeks into lockdown, she was struggling with anxiety.

I missing DS so badly, he told me that he’s not touched another human since March, he’s in a flat share and still working so couldn’t come home.

I can’t believe that it’s safe for schools and non essential shops to open but not for me to see DS except from 2m distance and outside only

Think of people who have found lockdown lonely and isolating at best being told they can choose to be in a social bubble but have nobody around for whatever reason. Might make them feel worse off?

Sparklingbrook So everyone should suffer and not be able to see their family and friends because some people don’t have any?

@octoberbundle

I honestly suggest you just link in with your mum and do what you want. From June 1st childminders are opening, schools, nannies can already work

Make your own risk assessment. Our government are literally useless.

They don't think about childcare or families

We have bubbles where I am now, and it's not really that complicated in practice. It's obviously not something that anyone is policing. A family picks one other family to bubble with - it's something mutually agreed upon. My family is bubbled with my elder sister, my parents are bubbled with my younger sister. My friends who have no extended family near are bubbled with another family in the same situation.

I do think it's very much a temporary measure, probably three weeks or so, to see if it creates a big uptick in community spread before allowing more general mixing. That's not to say it's the best approach but mainly people seem to be figuring it out ok.

"social bubbles" were never going to work on so many levels.

They rely entirely on people being honest and following the rules.

If someone was challenged, they could very easily lie and say they were with their "bubble" and effectively have dozens of "bubbles" as there's no official registration system, so no proof as to who is in each "bubble", how many "bubbles" someone has, etc.

It is one of those ideas that sounds good, but completely impractical in real life.