Is this not the most stupid covid rule?!

[CovidStoleTheRainbow]

I understand why you can't try clothes on.
I understand all the rules they all make sense generally.
But I just took DS to Asda to try on plimsoles and we were asked not to by a staff member. It's the rules.

So we can pick up shoes, look at them closely, put them back and pick up more but the second your foot enters them all of a sudden it's a coronavirus risk?!

Is anyone else else dying to know where @Foresttheout lives?

It’s all very well people saying we need these rules to keep them alive but what this crazy stuff does is make people less compliant across the board as they get sick of the stupidity of it all, lack of consistency and lose faith in the rule makers. What we need is simple rules applied consistently so people can understand and follow them without this charade of complexity.

Took my daughter to shoe zone, they said it was fine to try on. I said she's got no socks on. They were still fine with it. Might not be the same with all shops but this one was fine.

I agree with you @Hollyhead
more economic hardship for no reason is what waits for us right now

Is Covid leaching out through the soles of people's feet now? What a total nonsense.

@Porcupineinwaiting After the SARS outbreaks in Asia, the population continued to wear masks and follow hygiene rules. This meant they were much happier to follow the rules in the wake of the Covid outbreak but it also shows how willing they were to continue with hygiene rules, there was no going back to the old normal.

We've not had anything like the levels of hygiene security for the flu as for covid, at least not in the West or in modern times (arguably ever). As mumsnet and other places have hammered repeatedly, covid is not the flu. In the public imagination it has almost reached some sacred, hallowed status. The stealth killer. Be afraid!

Annual vaccines may not be taken up in the levels needed for herd immunity. There will always be vulnerable people who can't get vaccinated. So many hygiene rules are likely here to stay.

And that is IF they get an effective vaccine.

EVEN if they get a vaccine, it won't be rolled out for at least another 12 months optimistically so in the short to medium term, we live like this.

If the hygiene police get there way, we will be like this forever. Another disease will come along...fear of covid, fear of flu, fear of sniffles and sneezing. In short, fear of other people.

For those wondering I'm in Kenya and our government isn't known for it's common sense. Thankfully our car is considered a 7 seater even though we don't have back seats installed otherwise we wouldn't be able to go out.
It does make me laugh when while approaching a police stop everyone is frantically trying to put on a mask. Completely and utterly pointless and the cynic in me thinks it's just another excuse for the police to collect bribes

Signing a piece of paper in a cafe for track and trace purposes...and all using the same pen!

It doesn’t t matter if clothes / shoes are touched or tried on, even if an infected person touches them. Just don’t put your hands in your mouth, wash them when you get home( hands that is) and chance if infection is very low

Thought of another classic rule...
Queuing for takeaway tea, one person ahead at the counter and one waiting to the right for their order. All socially distanced, wearing masks.
Person serving said as there were two people at the counter I wasn't allowed to stand there.
I asked exactly where would be like me to stand and I was told to go to the other queue, directly the other side of the rope.
I pointed out that there were also two people at the counter over there, he still said I had to queue over there.

Work that one out.

For kids shoes I just guess the size and order one size up and down of that, so 3 on total, and try them all on at home.

Next/M and S have try now pay later options so you only pay for what you keep.

@maggienolia

Thought of another classic rule... Queuing for takeaway tea, one person ahead at the counter and one waiting to the right for their order. All socially distanced, wearing masks. Person serving said as there were two people at the counter I wasn't allowed to stand there. I asked exactly where would be like me to stand and I was told to go to the other queue, directly the other side of the rope. I pointed out that there were also two people at the counter over there, he still said I had to queue over there.

Work that one out.

Also, if covid is air borne as they think it is, the germs will linger around the space of an infected person for others to step in to. So the whole 2m thing makes no sense anyway!

What we need is simple rules applied consistently so people can understand and follow them without this charade of complexity.

Perfect world, yes. But back in the real world, each shop has different size/layout, each shop sells different things. Some shops will have vulnerable owners/staff who need extra protection. One size doesn't fit all. What is really needed is clear signage outside the shop so customers know what precautions are being taken.

It's just like the disability discrimination law - shops and other workplaces only need to make "reasonable" adjustments which will be very different from place to place according to their individual circumstances.

I had the same situation trying on school shoes in Asda and feel that they this is a ‘rule’ a little OTT. If they want to quarantine the shoes then perhaps provide a box to pop them in after trying them on so they don’t go back on the shelf? Kids feet change so often that it’s impossible to choose the right size by guessing. I live a 20 mile round trip from town and can’t take them home and back again with each pair of shoes that don’t fit and I can’t afford to buy several at once. Was tempted to buy, try on outside and take straight to customer service If they didn’t fit and start again just to make a point!

Re shoes. We had a couple of days away in an area very much known and frequented by hill-walkers and outdoor enthusiasts. Lots of outdoor clothing shops there which was great as I wanted to get new walking boots. Every single shop had signs saying that shoes/boots were not to be touched. So not only not tried on but not even picked up for a closer look. Apparenty we were just to point at what we wanted and a member of staff would bring them straight to the till point. Not only is this crazy for all the reasons mentioned above but we are talking walking gear here. The shops have those fake rocks and boulders so you can test the grip, ankle support etc. I could try them on at home but I can't really "try" them for their intended purpose. At the very, very, VERY least, I would want to look at the soles of any boots I had an interest in buying. Some of these shops don't have outlets in main cities. I was 120 miles away from home. Most people visiting were tourists. I understand that there are risks and that people need to be safe but there are ways of still providing a core service - if all hands are sanitised directly before touching any shoes, sock are work etc.

Yes @Tumbleweed101 I've been thinking the same thing too. Tbh this not trying things on is putting me off buying in shops. I went to an outlet store recently and told the lady I wasn't sure of my size. She told me buy one, try it on in the toilets and bring to back if not suitable. She obviously quarantined the one I brought back but why couldn't I try it on and she quarantine it?! It puts me off buying things.

What is annoying is the lack of consistency. In Decathlon you can try on all you like!

Agree with @Holyrivolli ... if rules were rational, sane and reasonable people will follow them . All these absolute madness examples mentioned in this thread makes people (me included) just think a) sod it out of pure frustration or b) subconsciously take even the most sensible rules less seriously as its mixed in amongst all this nonsense.

I'm in another country and we were able to go to non-essential shops from the end of April/beginning of May. At first we had all kinds of random rules here too but it quickly became apparent that all of this was putting people off and within a matter of 2 or 3 weeks everything went back to normal (pretty much). The shops realized they were selling next to nothing as people wouldn't want to buy shoes, clothes etcetc without trying them on. You might as well buy online and send stuff back if it doesn't fit rather than go into a shop, battle with a one way system, wear masks, socially distance from other customers, get told off for picking up a shoe etcetc.
The government also realized that if they wanted to get tourists' money in the summer holidays they would have to slacken a lot of the measures as people wouldn't really want to pay a lot of money for a holiday in those circumstances.

There comes a point where the economic damage never mind the damage to people's mental health begins to far outweigh the risks of infections. And I never thought I'd be one to say this.

There's a lot of evidence coming out now that the virus is becoming milder. We are seeing an increase in the numbers of infections again but only a tiny percentage of these are requiring hospital. In fact they are saying that around 80% are completely symptom-free and only being picked up via routine testing or track and trace.
Our health service is miles away from being overwhelmed.

I thought the whole point of the lockdown and strict measures was to prevent the health system being overwhelmed and of course, to prevent as many deaths as possible. Now it seems, here at least, the goal is to completely eradicate Corona but that is nigh on impossible.

I returned a pair of jeans in primark today. I was asked to turn the label over for the assistant so that she could read it, as she wasn't allowed to touch the item. She had no issue with handling the receipt I handed her or the socks I was buying though. Not her fault, just bloody ridiculous.