To feel like the only person following the f***ing rules??!!

[Stressingismyhobby]

I know the social distancing rules are contradictory, confusing and mostly bollocks but I don't think I'm above them and follow them as closely as possible.

But hardly anyone else I know does. I've just seen a picture of a friend wearing a mask in a taxi...to go to her friend's house with a load of other friends. All pictured together huddled on the sofa.

A family member keeps posting pics on FB with her kids gathered with all their friends.

And I've been invited to a party in a week's time at someone's house with lots of other people.

Videos of kids running to hug both their grandparents (my kids would love to do that!)

We met with some friends outside a week or two ago who also (without us knowing) invited other people so our group was bigger than 6.

I had to say no to giving someone a lift in my car the other day.

And so it goes on.

I feel like I'm the boring, goody two shoes who's always having to decline invites or say things like "I'm not really sure we're supposed to do that yet" etc only to be met with sighs or rolled eyes. I'm constantly being put in situations that make me feel uncomfortable. I'm made to feel like the bloody fun police who is making live difficult for everyone!

Anybody else feel like this???

Rtft I’m not hiding. I’m just not taking unnecessary risks that could harm others with weaker defences.

For the record telling new mums they are risking their babies health when they go see a grandparent for support isnt very nice. Someone (not me) could then not do it and suffer mentally in their house alone when they need help.

Unnecessary risks ? You make it sound like I'm off to parties ffs I'm going for help. Which (pre covid) was massively emphasized for mums during the first few months of a babies life. Yes it was a lovely bonus that our parents got to meet their grandchild.

Like I said, you do you and avoid the risks you feel are unnecessary.

I said I’M not taking unnecessary risks, but if the cap fits?

This argument is pointless as I'm in Scotland and we're allowed to do this now anyway. So if I spread covid to my family now , it doesnt matter and I wont feel guilty because now the guidance said i was allowed to see them indoors so I didnt break any rules

Are we still having this thread every day?

I’m following the rules but have enjoyed eating out in a restaurant, an overnight stay in a hotel and visits to 3 beaches whilst maintaining social distancing, washing hands and lashings of hand sanitiser. We are having a BBQ today with friends and I’m meeting the first member of my extended family next week - my aunt and uncle - it will be outside in some gardens and we won’t hug. It’s possible to follow the rules and have a good time.

Well I still wouldn't catch a taxi or go on the bus so when I get my car serviced soon I will have to hang around. It freaks me too much.

Well @PollyPelargonium52 aren't you the fucking lucky one that you don't need to get public transport... do t worry I'll continue doing it to make sure my taxes are paid and the country keeps afloat, which means public transport to work ! But hey you'll have that really awful two hour wait for your car, my heart honestly bleeds for you!

I think people assume they can just drop out of making things better and expect all around them to do it for them. It's ok for you to get public transport and provide services etc, but I'm not!

@secretllama

I really dont need the government telling me when I can see my family. I had a baby in lockdown and when he was 3 weeks old I thought sod this I'm going to see my parents. We both decided the risk was worth it. I love how some people have compared peoples natural need to see their family with drink driving etc. People will only put up with social distancing for so long as its not a natural way to live. If people want to stay indoors forever they are welcome to but I am not.

Don't feel bad. I'm sure you weren't alone in what you did. I know that when my children were born (far too many years ago now) I would have been in a terrible state without the help of my family. I'm pretty sure that we would have done the same as you.

Fast forward to today and they have been in the shielding category but have had serious health crises including non Covid 19 related hospital admissions during lockdown. I even thought a couple of times that I might never see them again.

Shielding is not quite over, but they have had enough and we as their family have had enough. Their problems have brought home to us and to them that opportunities to see both together and still alive are likely to be in short supply now. They are elderly, in declining health and frail. Time now seems short and precious.

We are going to visit in a couple of weeks. We'll be in a hotel now that it has reopened and calling in during the day. We haven't seen each other since last year so social distancing may well go out of the window.

@Coronabegone

Well I still wouldn't catch a taxi or go on the bus so when I get my car serviced soon I will have to hang around. It freaks me too much.

Well @PollyPelargonium52 aren't you the fucking lucky one that you don't need to get public transport... do t worry I'll continue doing it to make sure my taxes are paid and the country keeps afloat, which means public transport to work ! But hey you'll have that really awful two hour wait for your car, my heart honestly bleeds for you!

I think people assume they can just drop out of making things better and expect all around them to do it for them. It's ok for you to get public transport and provide services etc, but I'm not!

I agree! On another thread someone who referred to themselves as a 'sheildie' was quite happy to remain in lockdown forever, income not affected, but generously thought it's ok for us plebs to go to work, join the queues to shop, but absolutely nothing fun, or pleasurable should be done, work, sleep repeat only!

No one can make you feel an idiot. Only you can do that.

Just like you can't make me feel like an idiot for disagreeing with you.

You have said some of the guidance is stupid - It is guidance we are talking about here not law - so if I feel some guidance is pointless and useless then I'm not going to follow it.

I don't drink and drive mainly because it's dangerous and secondarily because it is illegal. I do sometimes break a speed limit - in good weather conditions when it is not busy. I don't break them when it would be dangerous to do so.

I do follow 'guidance' to use sun cream, have my mammogram etc because that guidance makes sense. I am not going to follow useless, pointless guidance just because someone on here tells me to.

And strangely enough I don't feel stupid or guilty or anything - no matter how many people on here try to make me and those like me.

For every person in the community with Covid there are many thousands without, that's actually most people. I am more at risk from lots of other things than I am from Covid

If you're allowed to break the speed limit, can I cycle on the pavement 'when it is not busy"?

* No one can make you feel an idiot. Only you can do that.*

Don’t be daft.

People can certainly “make” you “feel” idiot. Like people can make you feel happy, sad, angry, proud etc

Track and trace is going to be a huge waste of Money?

Why? Not because of any technical or human failing but because hardly anyone is bloody getting Covid 19 anymore!!

I am super relaxed. Always went to supermarkets etc even at peak. Now.... going to cafes, hairdressers, beach etc and I’ll be first in line at yoga studio!

Bloody hell this was depressing to read.

If you want to break the rules then go for it... although I’m not even certain there are many rules left to break?

If you don’t then don’t!

End off

Now go outside and enjoy the sun shine and have a pimms!

It's such mixed messages. I honestly have lost sight of what the rules actually are.

I'm in Scotland so my 10 year old doesn't need to socially distance, but needs to wear a face mask in a shop. My 14 year old has to maintain social distance but can, from Monday, return to contact sport training. I can go to the shops or a pub beer garden but cannot get my eyes tested.

I am trying my best to follow the guidelines but finding it hard, and there is likely guidelines I have broken unintentionally

The roolzzz the roollllzzzz
What will the pious castigate everyone for next
The goalposts move so frequently and yet those on their high horses invent even higher ground to stand on

Can everyone truly say they will follow the rules in the playground of only one adult per family and no drinks?

Me and my OH took both our boys this morning to the playground and shock horror gave my son a drink of water from a bottle we took with us after he had run around for 2
Hours!!

@frasersmummy

You can't blame people for breaking the rules when they are strange and confusing Even the hscottish rules have become a bit weird and confusing very suddenly

If you are 11 you can hug your grandparent if you are 12 you can't.. Unless your parent and grandparent are single adult households then its OK

You must keep 2ms apart from your colleagues but it's going to be OK to be 1m apart from the people at the next table in the pub.. What if the people at the next table are your colleagues!?

You can let someone get close enough to cut your hair or do your nails but sitting beside my brother on the couch is not allowed

I can see why people are like eh?..ill decide for myself thank. You very much

Agree with this.

I honestly have lost where we are with the rules. It all seems Ill fitting now

OP, you're not alone but a lot of people ARE sticking to the current advice - I just went to my local supermarket. Every customer was wearing a mask. (Mandatory in Scotland as of the 10th.)

I can't speak for where you live but the messages/advice we get here have been clear consistent and spelled out in comprehensible terms with an emphasis - still - on protecting people.

The advice from the Westminster government on the other hand has been all over the place and seems more concerned with getting the economy back on its feet.

I guess all that "Super Saturday", not being seen wearing masks serving food, going on extended trips to test your eyesight, nipping to Greece to look after the second home bollocks from the 'leadership' would lead to "well if they don't know what they're talking about or care about the rules why should we bother" confusion.

YANBU. I’ve been invited to the pub 5 times since they opened. You can’t pay me to go. I do the weekly shop masked up and I’m usually one of about 10 about of the shop that is. I still step away from other people to give them space when walking the dog. I believe the second wave is imminent and I plan for me and my family to survive it!

Covid will be around for a while. We have to live with it. Different people have different definitions of ‘living’.
I guess if you don’t like seeing what other people do on social media then best thing is to stop looking.

Because they made sense way back in February when very little was known regards the virus
However, we now know very few people, unless they are older or have risks associated with illness will catch it reasonably easily but, for the most part, they will be unwell but not enough to be very ill.
It's also a constant thing now where it's almost like the pious ones who shouted doom are miffed it's now going down considerably after their constant shouts of "VE day will make it worse" "BLM protests will make it worse" "people on the beach will make it worse" didn't turn out to be correct.

I'm not saying we won't have a second wave, personally the amount of my circle who have now had positive antibody tests after being unwell over December, I think we already had the second wave. And there is nothing wrong with exercising caution.
But even WHO said this is something we may have to love with for quite some time with peaks and troughs here and there. We cannot physically deny kids an education, we have already sunk the economy beyond all recognition and the world is a mess.

Most people up here have been sticking to the rules but it does seem less of late. People meeting in and outdoors (fine) but not SD (not fine). All you can do is do your own thing. We are following all the rules still. I don’t want to do anything to
jeopardise the kids possibly getting back to school. As for kids hugging grandparents my youngest is 11 so he no longer needs to SD and can and has hugged my parents, Nicola S expressly said it was fine here.

"I don’t care if I catch COVID-19. I really couldn’t give a toss, i give my odds of emerging unscathed as pretty high and it pales into significance compared to what’s going to happen to the economy.
I also very much doubt I’ll give it to anyone else if I do catch it. After all, those that are old and vulnerable are presumably doing what’s best for themselves, ie staying at home and shielding? And if they’re not, well, at some point we have all got to take responsible for our ourselves and our health."

This, for example, is a fine example of complete selfishness.

Mask wearing protects others, so if I, in my mask, and in the supermarket it's my fault that you, without a mask and embracing your freedoms, infect me with something that could kill me because I should be staying home if I'm worried?

Absolute selfishness. Absolute cuntery.

When your government opens up all shops, tells everyone to go back to work, opens legoland and attractions like zoos and museums, pubs and restaurants... And allows people to now fly abroad on holiday and back... Its time to realise that these 'ruoes' you go on about are from 4 months ago.