To think the more ridiculous and inconsistent these rules get the less likely people will follow them

[FruitLikeAPeach]

Further to the tightening in northern England today...

AIBU to think the more ridiculous and illogical the rules get the less people will follow them. It seems utter madness to me that you can visit a pub, there is about to be an incentive next week to get people to 'eat out, help out', you can go out to a shop to browse for clothes etc... but apparently sitting in your mum's garden for a cup of tea 2m apart is too dangerous.

I feel like this is just going to get people fed up to the point they just won't bother with the latest lockdown, not as strictly anyway and I can't even blame them anymore.

@northprincess

I'm sorry but reading some of these posts I can see exactly why Greater Manchester is on lockdown. Can you not just follow the rules? To say you have no shame about breaking them is disgraceful.

I don't think it's a problem questioning completely hypocritical and illogical rules.

And I don't live in GM, so I am not in lockdown again but I can understand why it's pissed people off.

I don't think it's a problem questioning completely hypocritical and illogical rules.

Exactly.

And now the Prime Minister is MIA and only appears once in a blue moon, he no longer seems accountable for anything. At least with the daily briefings he had to face the questions he doesn’t want to deal with:

How is it we can do’x’ but we can’t do ‘y’?
How can you say ‘x’ is safe but say ‘y’ isn’t?

He just creates some nonsensical rules, appears on telly at his podium to tell us about them and then disappears again.

He doesn’t have to face any kind of accountability for the decisions he comes up with. We as the public just have to go along with it and not question it - or if we do we question it then we are in the wrong.

His actions are quite cowardly really.

Whining about people not following illogical and damaging rules, in a context where the people who set them fell over themselves to justify one of their own flouting them, just makes you look hard of thinking.

OP I get why you don't get it...as the Government haven't been transparent, a) because they're incompetent and b) they don't want to be accused of racism c) there's probably some potential GDPR issues around being fully transparent.

However if you did a bit of reading you’d probably get the gist.....because track and trace is actually doing quite a good job and because cases have been rising in these areas for weeks they’ve been able to build up quite a good body of data as to who is and how they are picking the infection up....the new rules reflect what the data is telling them - as they should. They know that these outbreaks in these ares are not linked to restaurants or pubs or shops but to people who already live in larger than average households, socialising inside, with other large than average households. Going to a Covid secure restaurant or pub with members of your family poses a much, much lower risk than socialising inside in large groups....are you not aware of how the virus spreads yet, if not maybe do a bit of reading up.

I work with data and statistics the Government are absolutely right in the actions they have taken....where they’ve gone is treating us like idiots and been too scared of offending certain groups. Sometimes people need a bit of public shaming to book their ideas up and stop being selfish fuckers!

It's not the covid secure amongst restaurants and pubs that are the risk though! But anyone who thinks pubs in particular are all covid secure hasn't been paying much attention. And in one of the affected areas with the highest recent increase, Trafford, we're being told locally the concern is young people socialising. Likely primarily white because that's the demographic of the area.

Also could you link us to independent evidence showing the transmissions are in private homes? It's not you, it's just this government are full of shit so obviously one would never take their word for anything.

YANBU OP
Tbh, I barely even read the news anyway so I doubt I would even notice if they changed the restrictions again.

The rules are illogically, hence I think having church down the local pub is a much better idea then going to the church building. In the pub you can at least have a cup of tea, not wear a mask and vaguely be able to sit near other people.

Singing may still be an issue, but hey you win some you lose some.

It appears like the Government don’t take it too seriously so why should we?

When DC flouted the rules during the peak in order to go sight seeing, the Government did nothing about it.

If masks were so important then why weren’t they required during the months when things were at their worst?

And if, when he decided to make it mandatory in supermarkets, did he not put it into effect straight away? If they were going to make such a big difference why did he say he wasn’t going to bring it in to place for another two weeks? Why was he happy for people to continue walking around without them for a full 14 days if they were so crucial to reducing transmission?

And now he’s saying that mask wearing is going to be extended to other venues because transmission rates are rising.....but it’s not coming into place for another week.

It’s madness.

Apparently it’s not safe to go to supermarkets without masks, but it wasn’t important enough to bring the guidelines into place for another two weeks. But even though it’s not safe to go to supermarkets without masks, or even walk into a Venue to collect a take-away, it’s still fine to go to pubs and restaurants without wearing a one.

I wear one because I follow the rules, but I still think it’s a bit ridiculous because the rules are ridiculous.

It’s either safe to be around people without masks, or it’s not.

I guess when it comes to restaurants and pubs, it’s deemed safe to be in enclosed spaces without masks because it benefits the economy. Otherwise, masks are absolutely essential to keep transmission rates down

@PiataMaiNei of course there’s no independent evidence silly....it’s all through track and trace why would anyone independent be able to run concurrent system, track and trace has been set up to track and trace the virus.....the nature of the system means they know who and where people are picking it up and means they’ve set the restrictions according to that. It’s actually doing it’s job which is relief. The Government should be able to be honest but there are potential GDPR issues with saying too much I would have thought as it’s people’s personal data isn’t it, so it’s all very tricky - even so the communication has been a shambles and they could have said a lot more than they have. To give you an example when there was a large outbreak in Clekheaton in West Yorks where I am they didn't put the whole town into lockdown....as track an trace told them it was all connected to one processing plant so the measures which were put in place there focused on the source of the outbreak and transmission...do you think they've just decided to put these areas into restrictions for shits and giggles?

Thanks for confirming. In that case, unfortunately the government are in a difficult position, of their own making, because they've undermined public trust to the extent that lots of people just won't believe them.

I'm interested in your last sentence. Do you perhaps think the only reason anyone might have for questioning the new guidance is a belief it's being done for shits and giggles? That would be an odd stance to take given the widely articulated objection to the garden ban when it can be done much more safely and in a more socially distanced manner than we are seeing in the hospitality industry. Speaking of reading up...

@QueenofmyPrinces

It appears like the Government don’t take it too seriously so why should we?

When DC flouted the rules during the peak in order to go sight seeing, the Government did nothing about it.

If masks were so important then why weren’t they required during the months when things were at their worst?

And if, when he decided to make it mandatory in supermarkets, did he not put it into effect straight away? If they were going to make such a big difference why did he say he wasn’t going to bring it in to place for another two weeks? Why was he happy for people to continue walking around without them for a full 14 days if they were so crucial to reducing transmission?

And now he’s saying that mask wearing is going to be extended to other venues because transmission rates are rising.....but it’s not coming into place for another week.

It’s madness.

Apparently it’s not safe to go to supermarkets without masks, but it wasn’t important enough to bring the guidelines into place for another two weeks. But even though it’s not safe to go to supermarkets without masks, or even walk into a Venue to collect a take-away, it’s still fine to go to pubs and restaurants without wearing a one.

I wear one because I follow the rules, but I still think it’s a bit ridiculous because the rules are ridiculous.

It’s either safe to be around people without masks, or it’s not.

I guess when it comes to restaurants and pubs, it’s deemed safe to be in enclosed spaces without masks because it benefits the economy. Otherwise, masks are absolutely essential to keep transmission rates down

I can kind of go with the argument that the two weeks notice for shops was to give time for people to get sorted with masks, however we have masks so could be wearing them today in the expanded list.

And whilst the rules might be easy to understand, the reasoning not at all.

Yet it’s deemed ok for tens of thousands of people to converge in their droves on seaside towns - it’s like they make up the rules as they go along - it’s shambolic!

I can kind of go with the argument that the two weeks notice for shops was to give time for people to get sorted with masks

Well seeing as they said face coverings, not necessarily masks, it doesn’t take two weeks for someone to figure out how to put a scarf over their face, or create a home made face covering with t-shirts etc

I completely agree with you, the mask rules are easy to understand but the reasoning behind the whole thing just seems like nonsense to me.

They are either crucial to reducing transmission rates, or they aren’t.

And if they aren’t then nobody should be forced to wear one, and if they are, then all venue which can’t accommodate masks should be shut. They can’t have it both ways.

Well it just obvious pub and restaurants are very magical places and you can go to them and you will be safe as long as you spend money on food and drink!! Maybe we should have morning mass in them as well.

Let’s face it it’s all bloody mental, the government are running around like headless chickens, as they just don’t know what to do!!

Even the W.H.O really don’t know what to do they have already said we have got the learn to live with it.

I fully expect to get Covid at some point this year, as I do t think a vaccine is coming anytime soon.

So I will just keep washing my hand, wearing the stupid blood face mask, and getting on with this joyless life we all seem to be living now.

I feel so sorry for the young , this is depressing for me , but at least I have had a great life, traveled a lot of the world and had wonderful experiences, if I was under 30 I would just be so pissed off, my chances of dying would be so low, but my quality of life now is just Sh*t.

Know wonder they feel hard done by I think they have a point. They have to sacrifice there youth(this could be with us for years) so us baby boomers are kept safe!!

Let’s face it it’s all bloody mental, the government are running around like headless chickens, as they just don’t know what to do!!

Yep, and to be honest I don’t think there is much that can be done. I think they need to just encourage social distancing, avoid large gatherings, good had hygiene and don’t go out if you have symptoms and get tested if you do.

This isn’t going to go away.

The guidelines need to be kept simple and consistent because it’s the nonsense behind the creation (and ever changing) of them that make people not adhere to them.

I don’t think wearing a face mask in a supermarket makes any difference to anything. There’s probably more risk from us all touching the same, shelves and boxes and tins etc etc but no doubt mandatory glove wearing will be bought in soon.......

But some of these arguments are just ridiculous and just sound uneducated. Saying that you won't follow the rules because someone else didn't is just failing to take any responsibility for your own health or other people's.

It doesn't matter what you think of the rules - the fact is the cases are rising and will rise out of control again unless people are sensible.

And yes there is evidence that mixing in large family groups inside is a contributor to this.

In Northern Ireland our local pool is opening. No backstroke or breast stroke allowed though. Seriously where is the logic

In Northern Ireland our local pool is opening. No backstroke or breast stroke allowed though. Seriously where is the logic

Seriously????

No backstroke or breast stroke

That’s the only two I can do!! I would have thought butterfly would have been band if anything,

You are correct there is no logic!!

The point is that if you go to the pub SD is in place, and you have to give your details in case required by track and trace. That’s not the case for visiting in gardens,

The point also is cases are rising, so surely that must mean people are catching it somehow? And it’s risen since the relaxing of lockdown

So if you want to blame anyone, blame those who have not followed the rules and got us back to this

And yes that includes all you on MN with your just use your common sense, yes you can break the rules attitude

But this new lockdown is patently to prevent the spread during Eid celebrations , isn’t that Obvious ?

But that is capitalism for you. Economy and profit before community and mental health.

And what do you think pays for supporting community and health?

The point also is cases are rising, so surely that must mean people are catching it somehow? And it’s risen since the relaxing of lockdown

Exactly.

Pubs are open.
Restaurants are open.
Hairdressers are open.
People are being allowed to go abroad.

Perhaps the government should look at the origin of where the viruses are being picked up and address that instead of saying friends and families can’t see each other because that’s what’s causing infection rates to climb.

So I will just keep washing my hand, wearing the stupid blood face mask, and getting on with this joyless life we all seem to be living now.

At least you're alive! Forty-six thousand people are not. In any case, most of us aren't living a joyless life at the moment - just a more anxious one. Look for something positive - there is lots to be joyful about still.