AIBU to think I'd rather take my chances with the virus...

[User3billion]

...than give up any more freedom?!

I'm in a tier 3 area and I'm so done. I'm sick of people in tier 1 areas preaching on social media about what we should and shouldn't be doing (especially given it can vary from one tier 3 area to the next). I'm sick of feeling like a prisoner in my own home. I'm sick of not being able to trust a single thing our government says.

I don't understand how we've got to a point in the UK, in 2020, where it's ILLEGAL to visit family we don't live with. And what's worse is that people are happy to go along with this! It's all kinds of wrong.

We deride other countries that deprive their citizens of their civil liberties and yet here we are.

OP, I have been saying this since March.

Overwhelming the NHS?? Yes, the Nightingale hospitals were overflowing weren't they... Oh wait, no they weren't.

The Nightingales were under-used because there were too few staff available to run them. People stayed at home when they should have been in hospital. Routine surgery was cancelled. Routine appointments were cancelled.

Yes, being in tier 3 is horrible. I am really struggling with not being able to see my family. But I don’t see any choice if we want to be able to get medical care - for Covid or otherwise.

@Brighterthansunflowers

YABVU

you might take your chances and be fine but what about everyone else you come into contact with and potentially infect?

I’m in Wales where we have far tighter restrictions than anywhere in England at the moment so not one of the smug tier one people you think are so annoying

@Brighterthansunflowers

So what? Viruses exist and people are at risk of getting them if they come into contact with other people. It's just one of the many risks we all take on a daily basis.

This has been the case since the dawn of humanity. We've never worried about it before, so why now the hysteria?

@SheepandCow

I mean whilst we can't let Covid rip through uncontained (because it impacts the whole country - individuals, society, and the economy), I can see why OP is fed up and confused.

We can't visit our family at home but other people can swan off on holiday - mass gathering indoors at airports?

Stricter and therefore shorter measures would've been better.

Yes, this absolutely.

@FractionalGains

And why would you need the track and trace if you were following the rules of SD?

You honestly think the rules prevent transmission of covid? That everyone who has had it broke the rules?

Because the rules of SD mean, for example, that my children can go to two different secondary schools each in 'bubbles' of 200+ pupils and staff each, many who will also have siblings in different schools and/or travel by public transport.

@gjejgej since the dawn of humanity you say? So no one ever panicked about

The Black Death
The Spanish flu
SARS
Swine Flu
Ebola
Yellow fever

And so on.

I think you will find they did panic and lock down areas and people died etc. This is just our first experience of a pandemic in our lifetime ( given SARS MERS and swine flu had a limited impact in Western Europe and were so severe spread and contagion was lower) right back to the Spanish flu.

So overall, you’re talking complete nonsense. Hope that helps.

We need to get back to normal.

This is not the bubonic plague; it's a virus with comparable mortality rates to the flu.

We're causing economic destruction due to a virus which, to the vast majority, is not dangerous.

Average age of a death from Covid is in fact above the average life expectancy.

People can choose to isolate if they wish, but the rest of us have lives to lead and futures to build.

As long as you're prepared to suffer the illness then do what suits you as long as you don't put anyone else at risk.

My husband has just recovered, had it mild enough in that he wasn't hospitalised but he cried like a bitch the whole 2 weeks and I had to run after him and the toddler as well as work from home. It was draining.

He wasn't interested in sticking to the rules and done as he pleased but when he got it he needed me to look after him - I'm his wife of course I'm going to and I made sure he was well looked after but I told him this would happen!

I didn't catch it and I haven't had him isolating in the house, I didn't see the point.

[quote Freakeconomics]@gjejgej since the dawn of humanity you say? So no one ever panicked about

The Black Death
The Spanish flu
SARS
Swine Flu
Ebola
Yellow fever

And so on.

I think you will find they did panic and lock down areas and people died etc. This is just our first experience of a pandemic in our lifetime ( given SARS MERS and swine flu had a limited impact in Western Europe and were so severe spread and contagion was lower) right back to the Spanish flu.

So overall, you’re talking complete nonsense. Hope that helps.[/quote]
@Freakeconomics

People panicked about the diseases you listed because they were VERY DANGEROUS. Covid is not...the mortality rate is comparable to the flu.

Illegal to go for dinner with grandparents, yet fine to pop off on holiday on a plane....crazy

@gjejgej I think if you bothered to even google you would find that the death toll currently (as in pre rising deaths being recorded now as many countries head into a second wave of high cases)

Makes this the 9th deadliest plague to ever hit humanity - deadlier than Cholera, SARS, MERS, Yellow Fever and so on.

But it seems that you are one of those ‘it’s only flu’ ‘sure they were all old anyway who cares if they died ‘sure they had underlying conditions’ people so there is clearly no point in telling you actual facts.

Do you also want the "freedom" to drive drunk if you want to, OP? The "freedom" to run through a shopping mall waving a big knife? The "freedom" to run a cafe where you don't pay any attention to eat-by-dates or hygiene regulations? The "freedom" to build a big block of flats with no fire escapes, because it'll save you a few quid with the builders, and it's your money after all?

Any society has rules which balance people's right to do stuff against other people's right not to be harmed. This is just a very dramatic instance of this.

It hurts, I know. We are all hurting. But we would be hurting far, far worse if we just abandoned these rules and did as we liked, and fuck everyone else.

Op i get it. Im so depressed over the whole thing. Im in Ireland and we are on level 5 for the whole country (lockdown with schools still open basically) for another 5 weeks. Our county isn't doing too badly but nope the whole country is locked down. Now they have decided that essential shops are no longer allowed to sell clothes. Alcohol is ok though! Get fined if you break the rules. I feel like a criminal anytime i bump into someone i know. Its awful and getting seriously depressed with it. You aren't alone in feeling this way. X

I hate it but I do it.

What I am finding really infuriating is seeing families of children I look after (I work in a nursery) not following the rules (mixing with several other households) yet expecting us to look after their children (because of course there is no social distancing). I would never be so selfish.

[quote Unsure33]@FatGirlShrinking

Why do you think your area is so bad ? It’s always useful to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak .[/quote]

Lots of people are not following the rules, it's as simple as that. They haven't been since mid July and once schools went back on 17th August people have absolutely given up.

I understand the thought process, that if kids can socialise with 30 other kids all day why can't they socialise outside school. I don't agree with it but I understand it. We've stuck to the rules throughout, but a big part of that is the fact that our only family are my in-laws who are both in their 70s with underlying health conditions and gran in law who's in her 90s with health conditions. The risk of breaking the rules to spend time with them is too high so we've made do with SD meet ups in the park and talking to each other through the front window.

Add in that we have large areas of the city with multi generational living, factory and warehouse work where social distancing isn't possible and a significant amount of deprivation as well as 2 universities in the city centre and another in Loughborough and it all goes towards the high numbers.

As of yesterday we are at 255 cases in 100,000 which is double the rate we were at when we went into local lockdown on 30th June, just 5 days after the national lockdown was lifted.

The government guidelines and restrictions are starting to feel like an exercise in compliance . Who will / wont follow without question , who will grass up their neighbours etc
It's all turning very ugly and most of it has nothing to do with controlling this disease but a lot about controlling us . Every minister is trying to outdo each other with their strictness and the people are suffering.
Loneliness and job losses will lead to mental health crises , poverty and homelessness but we all follow figures and facts that could be pulled out of thin air for all we know .

[quote Unsure33]**@User3billion

The reason the nightingale hospitals were not full was because to a certain extent lockdown worked . Plus a lot of elderly people who died did not even reach hospital. And it is nothing like flu. If we had carried on at 1000 deaths per day then that would equate to 365000 deaths per annum . Flu on average is 17000 per annum . Plus it is no way as contagious. Have you heard of factories with 50 people off with flu at a time ? Because that is what is happening abroad at the moment.

Just pop over to the nhs thread and speak to the staff who are dealing with this at the moment and you will see how scared they are .

And apparently a large percentage of cases are caused by mixing households and families . I am sure if you think about it it not hard to work out why .[/quote]
@User3billion. ^that!! Thanks Unsure!!

I'm sorry that you're fed up, I'm sorry you feel 'got at' by people in lower 'tiers' but statements like this...

Overwhelming the NHS?? Yes, the Nightingale hospitals were overflowing weren't they... Oh wait, no they weren't

are just daft. They weren't overwhelmed because the whole country went into lock down!!! If we hadn't, they would have been and may still yet

I'm in T1, I know lots of people in T2/3 have & are following the rules, others are not & some are bragging/boasting/mocking. It's horrible.

Despite being in T1 I haven't visited people, eaten out, been to crowded places.

I don't think the Govt have done a great job, in fact I think they've made a LIT of huge mistakes. Track & Trace is a huge fuck up

Maybe it's a mindset? I don't see it as 'following the rules', I see it as doing everything I can to avoid getting it transmitting the virus to keep myself & others as safe as I can AND keeping the NHS free for other treatment accidents/emergencies.

It's not about doing what Bozo says, it's about doing what you can to stop this bloody virus 🦠

I think you will find they did panic and lock down areas and people died etc. This is just our first experience of a pandemic in our lifetime ( given SARS MERS and swine flu had a limited impact in Western Europe and were so severe spread and contagion was lower) right back to the Spanish flu.

So overall, you’re talking complete nonsense. Hope that helps.

Depends how old you are as to whether it was in your lifetime, but the Hong Kong flu killed around 80,000 people in this country in 1968. And more than a million people worldwide. And it tended to kill infants and the elderly.

I don’t think there was a lockdown in 1968, at least not in the UK.

I agree whole heartedly with you..am done.

[quote Freakeconomics]@gjejgej I think if you bothered to even google you would find that the death toll currently (as in pre rising deaths being recorded now as many countries head into a second wave of high cases)

Makes this the 9th deadliest plague to ever hit humanity - deadlier than Cholera, SARS, MERS, Yellow Fever and so on.

But it seems that you are one of those ‘it’s only flu’ ‘sure they were all old anyway who cares if they died ‘sure they had underlying conditions’ people so there is clearly no point in telling you actual facts.[/quote]
@Freakeconomics

Stating it's the "9th deadliest plague in the history of humanity" has no relevance whatsoever without knowing the numbers for the top 8. The Hong Kong flu, for example, is quite a bit higher on the list than Covid with 4 million deaths to Covid's 1.2 million.

We didn't lock down for the Hong Kong flu. It was allowed to spread and is now no longer an issue.

People can choose to isolate if they wish, but the rest of us have lives to lead and futures to build.

You seem to think it's "only" old people or vulnerable people who get very sick and die. (And any public policy that doesn't take into account the needs of older and/or vulnerable people is a really rotten society in any case.) But plenty of younger people are vulnerable too. And it's not just a case of "get better or die" - it's now likely that women in their fifties are the demographic most vulnerable to getting Long Covid, but it's a risk for everyone That's thousands and thousands of people with long-term illnesses, needing medical care, becoming economically inactive. And since women in their fifties are often looking after both children and older parents, that's a caring time bomb waiting to happen.

You arent just risking yourself getting it though are you? its everyone you could pass it on to

Damn you OP - you have.... OPINIONS!

Those are nasty things and you're not allowed them on here.

I'm fucking sick of it - I'm sick of them pissing money away giving contracts to their mates to fuck things up, I'm pissing sick of three part slogans, Arsehole Johnson's attempts at "Churchillian morale boosting speeches" make me want to throw a brick through the TV screen, and I'm sick of people not being allowed to express any opinion other than what the keyboard harpies have decreed is acceptable. Oh and Wanksock is a knob as well.

And I am really sick of mental health being ignored and belittled and people being told they're not ALLOWED to find it crap being banned from seeing their loved ones for the best part of a year now.

It IS crap. It IS being mishandled with people's mates getting very rich off the back of it, and it IS not normal.