Page 10 | Where are those who predicted 18 months lockdown now

AlexisCarringtonColbyDexter · 06/07/2020 07:45

Jeez, so some people got it wrong

NO. They didnt just "get it wrong". They were predicting apocalyptic scenarios, bodies in the streets, ice rinks being temporary mortuaries, they were calling people murderers for buying a curly wurly in with their normal shopping, they were predicting the army would come in (someone even posted it was already happening due to some photo they had seen on FB) etc. Thats NOT getting it wrong, thats deliberately catastrophising and spreading misery, fear and panic. NONE of those things were based on any kind of statistical facts or scientific knowledge. It was literally just pulled out of their arse so they could scold and berate people and feel superior. It became the isolation olympics about who could isolate the most piously and in the most extreme way, therefore meaning they were morally superior. Then, anyone who dared to mention their mental health was suffering in lockdown was screamed at for being selfish and being a murderer and not caring that "people are dying!". They weren't just wrong, they behaved despicably and they should be fcking ashamed of themselves.

I'm glad they were proved wrong, they tried to extinguish any tiny hope or light at the end of the tunnel by screaming about a second wave. It was almost as if they wanted lockdown to go on indefinitely. They've scuttled away now like cockroaches now their ridiculous predictions havent come to pass and good riddance!

AlternativePerspective · 06/07/2020 07:48

"there is also swine flu that could also turn into a pandemic and now a case of the bubonic plague" the swine flu has been isolated and has been predicted could jump to humans, but tbh whenever there is a new flu it is always touted as a possible pandemic so this means nothing as of yet and may never.

And there has been a case of the plague in China. This actually happens more often than people realise, so I would attribute that one more to the fact that we’re currently watching everything right now than the likelihood of other pandemics following this one.

There won’t be another lockdown. There could be isolated lockdowns but that’s how you keep the numbers down. Economically the world cannot afford more lockdowns, and even in countries like Spain the so-called lockdowns have been localised and have essentially been a case of limiting the number of people allowed into cafe’s etc but nothing closing again and only for five days....

Truth is we are going to have to learn to live with COVID, but it’s a question of how to do that. While COVID most certainly is not “just the flu,” reality is that most people do survive it, so the key is likely to be treatment for the time being until a vaccine emerges, assuming one does which appears to be in some doubt at the moment.

We now have greater knowledge as to how to treat people with COVID. And we also need to remember that lockdown was never about eradicating the virus but about slowing the spread....

Even after there is a vaccine people will still catch COVId and people will still die from it.

Gwenhwyfar · 06/07/2020 07:52

Swine flu has already jumped to humans. There was a big problem 10 years ago. Is there a new one now?

"until a vaccine emerges, assuming one does which appears to be in some doubt at the moment"

Has something gone wrong with the trials?

Gwenhwyfar · 06/07/2020 07:53

"they were predicting the army would come in"

Armies have been drafted in in many countries.

Teateaandmoretea · 06/07/2020 07:57

there is also swine flu that could also turn into a pandemic

So now we’re going to lock down every time there is a new strain of flu? FFS 🙄

OP I agree. The CV stuff has totally put me off mumsnet. I can’t believe how many frankly mad and/ or really nasty people there are on here. It didn’t used to be like that it’s really sad imo.

There will be no second lockdown, local measures yes but not national lockdown. I also have never believed things are as great in Spain as they were claiming FWIW but then I don’t spend my life salivating at how wonderful things are in mainland Europe and appreciate my luck at being born in the UK when I look at most of the world.

Teateaandmoretea · 06/07/2020 07:59

Armies have been drafted in in many countries.

The army are being used in the UK in testing centres. Thankfully using them to keep people in their houses under gunpoint is only acceptable in the UK to a few on mumsnet.

Teateaandmoretea · 06/07/2020 08:01

Has something gone wrong with the trials?

No, but you do realise that these early vaccines are not going to be perfect?

Newdaynewname1 · 06/07/2020 08:09

@AlternativePerspective its the internet. you always get some predicting catastrophes. Others predicted that it would just be sniffles, nobody dying. As usual, reality is somewhere in the middle. Adults are usually able to realise that.

ComeBy · 06/07/2020 08:12

NO. They didnt just "get it wrong". They were predicting apocalyptic scenarios, bodies in the streets, ice rinks being temporary mortuaries, they were calling people murderers for buying a curly wurly in with their normal shopping, they were predicting the army would come in (someone even posted it was already happening due to some photo they had seen on FB) etc. Thats NOT getting it wrong, thats deliberately catastrophising and spreading misery, fear and panic. NONE of those things were based on any kind of statistical facts or scientific knowledge. It was literally just pulled out of their arse so they could scold and berate people and feel superior

What if these people were seeing councils dig mass graves on the news (I saw that), seeing the Nightingale hospitals go up in record time using the army (I saw that), people saw councils’ plans for temporary mortuaries (all councils have to have such plans, and many were making provision) and this triggered their own fear?

Many people deal with their own anxiety by catastrophising and then expressing their enhanced fears. They don’t do it as a deliberate act against others. However inflaming / exasperating it is.

When we feel out of control one way we try to regain control is to blame someone else, identify a fault in someone else.

COVID 19 has been and is very taxing on mental health.

I see one group’s MH sensitivities setting off another group’s.

DianaT1969 · 06/07/2020 08:17

OP, didn't the few saying 18 months just balance out those saying 6 weeks? Ask yourself why you listened so intently to the most 'negative' predictions. If 2 out of 30 said 18 months, but the majority predicted 3 months, why did you latch on to the one you found negative?

doolallyboo · 06/07/2020 08:18

Forums are about opinions, not about THE TRUTH

I thought the issue was the posters were writing things they insisted to be true because they were experts or something.

It does sound like you're catastrophising.

If that's what the OP is doing what do we call the below?

Considering we are in the middle of a pandemic and there is also swine flu that could also turn into a pandemic and now a case of the bubonic plague there's a massive amount of uncertainty to life as we once knew it.

Sweetener12 · 06/07/2020 08:20

The economy wouldn't survive another massive lockdown, so I don't think there will be the second one. This is the same thought that I had when it all started: I never believed people who talked about 18 months lockdown. Don't believe everything you see on the forums, dear!

doolallyboo · 06/07/2020 08:20

I can’t understand people who ‘don’t know what all the fuss is about, it’s only a virus’ I only see these people online not in real life which tells me all I need to know.

This makes no sense. Have you not seen footage of people in beaches, illegal raves, Super Saturday etc.

doolallyboo · 06/07/2020 08:23

@mintychoc1 is right. I don't think they ruined MNs like the OP does, I actually find them quite amusing.

It's odd how many posters are calling the OP odd & seem incredibly angry, guess all your predictions didn't come true....

PicsInRed · 06/07/2020 08:26

Hurricanes OP. Ever heard of the eye of the storm? The Nightingale hospitals have been left in place for the coming winter. I won't specifically comment on war, but a simple Google will tell you that, geopolitically, things aren't all hunky dory and the West has very serious problems on the horizon.

Being realistic and making plans isn't panic or unpleasantness - it's prudence.

doolallyboo · 06/07/2020 08:27

It's incredibly unlikely that anyone predicted that full lockdown would last for 18 months, not least because the economy obviously couldn't handle it. If you chose to interpret posts that way, it's not the fault of the people posting.

Why is it unlikely?

@AlexisCarringtonColbyDexter is completely right & I agree with almost everything she says except They've scuttled away now like cockroaches now their ridiculous predictions havent come to pass and good riddance!

I think some have scuttled back unfortunately.

Llamazoom · 06/07/2020 08:29

@doolallyboo those that flocked to the beaches and had street parties are a very small percentage of the overall population.

doolallyboo · 06/07/2020 08:30

Thankfully using them to keep people in their houses under gunpoint is only acceptable in the UK to a few on mumsnet.

shame it's a few.

doolallyboo · 06/07/2020 08:32

@PicsInRed can you tell us what prudent plans to make?

doolallyboo · 06/07/2020 08:35

@Llamazoom did I say otherwise?

You posted I can’t understand people who ‘don’t know what all the fuss is about, it’s only a virus’ I only see these people online not in real life

Clearly there are people in real life who think the above & you have seen them yes?

ThePollutedShadesOfPemberley · 06/07/2020 08:35

@maggiethecat

I wish the government had had a crystal ball at the start of all this never mind MNetters. Truth is, no one had a scooby how this would all play out.

The Government spent an eyewatering sum of money in 2016 on an operation to predict exactly this scenario.

Conclusions were drawn that panned out to be accurate (lack of PPE etc,) but they didn't act on the information so they didn't need a crystal ball to give them a 'Scooby Doo'. They had a dossier with it all in black and white.

lottiegarbanzo · 06/07/2020 08:36

Yes, surely the sensible response to the exaggerated catastophisers, is to dismiss them as being not especially well-informed or rational. It isn't to believe them, then feel the need to hit back with equal and opposite hyperbole, in an attempt to drag them down.

The way to fight irrationality is with reason and by choosing to take notice of reason. Not with equal and opposite irrationality.

Cheeseislife2020 · 06/07/2020 08:36

Yes I know what you mean op. It’s not just on here either. People saying you will DEFINITELY have a close loved one die, people saying bodies will pile up in the streets. In reality I don’t even know anyone who’s had Covid. People are just SO negative and I think often have quite boring lives so saw/see this as something they can ‘be involved’ with instead of just being positive and trying to get to the other side. It’s like those slagging off people who want to meet up with friends and family, or go to the pub etc now - I’m inclined to think part of that psychology is because they don’t have any friends and/or have cut off wider family so they feel left out anyway, and seeing people get back to their nice lives hurts them. You only have to look at the amount of ‘i have no friends’ threads on here.

jackdaw141 · 06/07/2020 08:36

@AfterAte

Firstly I realise that the lockdown in England is only being eases not ended. I am also aware that it is entirely possible there will be a second lockdown necessitated by a second spike. Finally, I am aware of and grateful for the sacrifices of those frontline workers, sad for those who have lost loved ones and both aware and grateful for the sacrifices of those who died in the 2 world wars and in other conflicts.

On 21st March on this website a thread entitled "How long are you expecting this to go on for?" was posted. Several posters speculated that "this" would last 18 months or longer and others also said there would likely be a war as well. I realise there has been terrible suffering and my mental health has been I impacted. However, rightly or wrongly, the lockdown is significantly eased and plans are being made for a near future which can in no way be described as lockdown. I wondered if any of those who predicted 18 months would like to comment here and perhaps admit that they were wrong. I'm afraid I still see their motivation as primarily to drag others down, so I'm not holding my breath, but neither am I prepared not to call them out. They've ruined MN, and they made an awful awful time worse.

Several posters speculated that "this" would last 18 months or longer and others also said there would likely be a war as well.

There is a war. It is a war against Covid-19. It is being fought between worldwide health systems and scientists against a very small virus.

It will last for 18 months. Nothing is back to normal is it?

Sharkerr · 06/07/2020 08:38

AlexisCarringtonColbyDexter

I think it’s been a weird blend of:

people with massively triggered health anxiety/agoraphobia/general anxiety catastrophising and panicking and sharing their every passing thought online (to desperately try and get some reassurance), and

people who just love a bit of drama, have quite small lives and just relished the opportunity to suddenly be part of something dramatic, exciting, and with a very mild tinge of danger to it. You only have to look at Facebook to see that the people with masks on in their profile pictures are the ones who usually don’t have much going on with their lives. Suddenly they can almost co-opt the covid situation as part of their personality to make themselves feel more important and interesting. They’re able to gain a small sense of authority over others, bossing people around in a socially sanctioned way, to feel a bit of power (‘I’ll report you for stepping foot in the park!’) while also puffing their chests up a little with the sense that they are the morally correct virtuous ones for following every rule to the letter.

By contrast, the people I know with quite full rounded lives who are generally content and have stuff going on have kept their heads down, stuck to the guidance but not gone nuts over seeing when others haven’t, haven’t used covid to shape their identity as they’re already happy with who they are.

It’s fascinating psychologically. And it’s been going on long enough that I’m interested to see how the people who’ve embraced covid as a huge part of their lives will cope when this has passed.