To ask (lightheartedly) what’s the most bizarre or confusing “because of Covid” you’ve heard?

[Rainbowb]

My next door neighbour has had someone else walk her dog for her since lockdown “because of covid”. Never goes further than her garden. Such a shame because daily walks have never been banned and I’m sure the change of scene would benefit her and her dog would love her to take him!

Just wondered if anyone else has come across bizarre things being done or not done “because of covid?”.

Disclaimer - this is a light hearted thread just to help see the funny side a bit for my own sanity. It’s not meant to be dismissive of people’s genuine experiences or fears.

Dersailing the thread: Not touching any surface at all BEFORE Covid. Just heard it on a thread here. So many people. Didnot see that coming.

The shops are probably closing early so the cleaners can clean more deeply.

The toilets at National Trust properties get me, although they may have sorted it out by now.

Only one person allowed in the toilet block at a time with five loos, leading to a big queue snaking back outside and difficult for people to keep their distance.

I asked my bank if I could email a form instead of posting it and the rep said no because "we're all working from home". Huh? Wouldn't it make sense to email it then??

I ordered a dominos last night and couldn’t order a half and half because of Covid - as though the mixing of my Hawaiian left half and Texas bbq right half might spontaneously generate coronavirus

This is not that lighthearted really but a bloody shame. Three weeks after my baby was born I had to get rushed back to hospital due to blinding headache and frighteningly high blood pressure. I hadn’t any contact from health visitors at all. Still haven’t, really. The midwives in the hospital were rushed off their feet, every bed was full. Not one mother was giving birth though, they were all in with postpartum complications as not one had had a HV visit them to pick anything up before it became problematic. The community midwives said it was ridiculous, they were all working (and trying to pick up the slack) so why were the HV off ‘due to COVID’?

Their child is not allowed to go to school because of covid but they take them out for meals.

@backinthebox

DC’s bank branch normally closes at 5pm. We went to deposit some money in their accounts and it had shut at 3pm because of Covid. We noticed lots of places in town were closed early too because of Covid. Not sure how a couple of hours off the opening times helps if the same number of customers come in, but in a shorter time span.

Because the after school care isn't running ?

@OwlinaTree is that in Dorset? That was my next one, close the toilet block and provide loads of disgusting portaloos which when I went last week had no running water, so couldn’t even wash hands.

@OwlinaTree the waste generator because of Covid is absolutely ridiculous. I'm away for a few days and the amount of salt sachets, ketchup sachets, plastic boxes is maddening.

We're at the Premier Inn and last night we didn't eat at the restaurant as the reviews said food was served in takeaway boxes, but we can have breakfast on a plate this morning .

My council has reduced all the speed limits in towns to 20mph because of Covid.

I’m not entirely sure of the reasoning tbh.

Cardiff Central train station has one toilet cubicle open for the whole station, because of COVID.

It's got at least 8 platforms and is a popular interchange, so it gets very busy.

I went to a garden centre yesterday that's fully up and running,cafe open, etc. But dogs are no longer allowed 'because of COVID'.

@tabulahrasa it travels faster than 20!

In my DC school they are playing rounders with no bat but passing the ball to each other

@rookiemere I brought a huge bag of recyclables home from our holidays this year!

I ventured into a large shopping centre recently and some of the stairs and escalators were closed 'because of COVID', forcing people to get up close and friendly in lifts. Did not get that!
Some of the one way systems in smaller shops are bizarre - please don't turn right into the empty space where your desired item is - turn left please, and mingle with all the other shoppers first.

Oh yes I'd forgotten the worst one. Edinburgh council has decided to widen footpaths for social distancing by getting rid of car parking spaces on shopping streets and putting dirty great bollards on the road, making it unsafe for cyclists and forcing elderly people who can't walk far to take the bus which exposes them to a much higher chance of getting coronavirus than brushing past someone for 5 seconds on the street.

My favourite was on holiday in Italy at a museum. Large empty room with door to ladies loo in corner. They had set up an barrier like you see at airports to queue along. As I was literally the only person in the room I ignored the barrier and walked straight into the loos. Nope. Cleaner shouted at me in Italian I had to walk back I to the empty room and round the barrier!🙄 Then she stood in the doorway so I had to squeeze past her to get in any way! Insane.

The bank thing will be because of staffing (either they have too many off self-isolating, shielding or with childcare issues like no after school care) OR they're taking the mick out of the furlough scheme and running a skeleton staff just because.

It made me laugh when I rang the HMRC coronavirus job retention scheme helpline to get a recorded message saying that may take longer to answer as they are running a reduced service due to coronavirus!!
I can’t imagine there was much demand for the helpline in the days before coronavirus!! 😂

Vasectomy clinic not running.
Staff have not been redeployed anywhere, sat at work twiddling thumbs (I have a friend who works there).
Won't even add anyone to the list "because of Covid". Won't even answer phoned to advise people of this "because of Covid".

In my small town, they made the pavements wider to allow social distancing. This means the road is now one way only, so all the traffic is doing a 5 minute detour.
Everyone (except the council) agrees that the pavements should be one way instead.

My council has reduced all the speed limits in towns to 20mph because of Covid.

Is it so drivers are less likely to kill the people who step out into the road to avoid other pedestrians ? The number of times people have randomly stepped out into the traffic without even looking to allow social distancing is scary around here.

@Freetodowhatiwant

Spain had a ban on floatables in the sea this year. Not just big ones that I could (at a push) see they might think more than one person would play with it, but even small individual ones. My five year old was apprehended by the beach patrol (set up because of Covid) and told he couldn’t use the individual board he was learning to swim with. Two other friends were told they couldn’t use their individual rubber rings.

I think this one does make sense. The floaty things are very dangerous in the sea, and more likely therefore to lead to lifeguards having to rescue people. Lifeguards can't rescue from 2m away.

I love the service station rules. Every one I've been to is very strict on getting people to put masks on at the entrance. But you can still sit down to eat food, taking your mask off. Though god forbid you don't put if on before the 20m walk back to the entrance!