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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

465 replies

User3billion · 26/10/2020 18:07

...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 posts:
Rainbowllama4 · 26/10/2020 20:10

@SheepandCow your posts make so much sense to me, I don’t understand why people can’t see the bigger picture. If covid runs riot all health services will stop, if we keep infections at a low level all health care can continue, the economy won’t tank even further, education won’t be so disrupted. These are things we all want. But people ‘taking their chances’ or ‘taking their own risks’ are actively helping the services we all want open and working to fail.

gjejgej · 26/10/2020 20:13

This reply has been deleted

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tanqueray10 · 26/10/2020 20:13

@loulouljh

‘But Covid is not the biggest risk is it! The biggest risk is suicide, undetected cancers, poverty, people dying untreated in their homes etc etc. We have to put this in its place. Everything, just everything is being sacrificed. It just makes no sense at all.’

I agree that it seems crazy but if covid is allowed to spread unchecked our health system will be completely overrun and won’t be fit to deal with any of these things either.

Death is not the only awful outcome of covid. How many have been ventilated and recovered but now face months if not years of health problems trying to recover. Having to learn to walk and swallow again. I would be really interested to see the figures for that. That’s without lots of ‘healthy people’ who, it would seem, are now suffering from long covid.

Why can’t we all look out for each other a bit more and get through this quicker? Nobody is enjoying this.

oblada · 26/10/2020 20:15

I don't quite get people who still follow the rules at this stage. I suppose it's easy enough for me anyway, I dont need to break the rules, as funnily enough whilst it's illegal for people in my area to meet with family (I'm also in tier 3), my family can come from abroad and be with us. My parents have come 4-5 times in the last 2-3 months,
and my brother came for 1 week too, which I've been grateful for. My girls also went to my parents for 2 weeks over the summer. So yes March to July was pretty isolating but once the international flights were back on (and cheap) we certainly took advantage of it! It seems utterly bonkers that my friends cannot see their parents who live 5mins away. I don't think I would be following the rules if I was in that situation.

Freakeconomics · 26/10/2020 20:16

@gjejgej “ with no underlying conditions who have died ” oh dear, as predicted in my first post you are one of those 🙄🙄🙄

Halliehallie9828 · 26/10/2020 20:17

Op I don’t blame you, I’m sick of hearing about covid now.
I just get on and do my own thing. Rather catch covid then stuck indoors.

gjejgej · 26/10/2020 20:17

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millymollymoomoo · 26/10/2020 20:19

Agree with gjejgje

We’re not considering the impact completely. The millions about to lose jobs, the poverty, the countless other deaths caused by people having appointments and other treatments missed

It seems sting only matters now if you die from Covid
And yes I absolutely care about the erosion of freedoms and the collapse of businesses- without which we won’t be able to fund public services

I also care about the exit strategy which is what ? What if there’s not an effective vaccine ?

If lockdowns and strict measures worked countries like France and Spain would bit be seeing the cases they are, they’ve had the strictest of measures . Even the WHO, if you want to ‘follow the science’ no longer advocate it
Most cases are being transmitted in care homes and hospitals- yet we close pubs and restaurants......

Orcus · 26/10/2020 20:19

@FatGirlShrinking

I'm sick of people who've been in tier 3 for a couple of weeks complaining. I'm in Leicester we haven't been able to visit other households indoors or socialise in indoor settings since March.
I'm in Manchester. We've been in Tier 3 for less than a week, had about a month off in summer before the imposition of extra restrictions, and are unlikely to leave the highest tier for a good long while now. So me and the other couple of million of us in my neck of the woods will complain all we like. I'll do so while sympathising with everyone in Leicester too, so even if you can't do the same for us perhaps you can bring yourself to tolerate it.
gjejgej · 26/10/2020 20:19

[quote Freakeconomics]@gjejgej “ with no underlying conditions who have died ” oh dear, as predicted in my first post you are one of those 🙄🙄🙄[/quote]
@Freakeconomics

Stop cherry-picking small parts of my posts and try to argue the point, okay?

Pedant

SheepandCow · 26/10/2020 20:19

Thank you @Rainbowllama4
I'm glad it makes sense to somebody. It seems so obvious to me but I can understand why people want to downplay or deny it. The constantly changing confusing rules for every area doesn't help.

ArcheryAnnie · 26/10/2020 20:20

gjejgej your compassion astounds me. You are a model of humanity we should all aspire to be. if we were all like you, the world would be a better place, truly.

< cough >

oblada · 26/10/2020 20:20

Isn't it in Sweden that they managed to get out of this crazy situation with very few restrictions? It's not obvious that preventing ppl from seeing family has such an essential impact on the spread.

SheepandCow · 26/10/2020 20:22

People referring to France and Spain to claim restrictions don't work. But they did (work). They got their cases right down. Then they opened their borders...

Anotherpointofview1 · 26/10/2020 20:22

Its pointless engaging on this in this forum @User3billion. All of mumsnet has swallowed the koolaid on covid - no facts, figures or otherwise will dissuade. Lockdownsceptics.org is a great source of info - you don't have to agree with all or even some of it but its a good antidote to the constant doom porn on bbc/guardian etc.

MintyMabel · 26/10/2020 20:23

Lockdowns don’t seem to work brilliantly do they, unless they are like the one we had at the start.

Hmm, I wonder why that is. Could it be because, I will not be told who I can have in my house and when - I have had enough. Many people I know feel the same. We don’t want wild parties - but we are seeing close family as this has gone on long enough

I mean, yo do realise the reason I can’t see my family is because you and all your friends are seeing theirs? Thanks for that.

ArcheryAnnie · 26/10/2020 20:23

@Halliehallie9828

Op I don’t blame you, I’m sick of hearing about covid now. I just get on and do my own thing. Rather catch covid then stuck indoors.
it's up to you if you want to catch covid, just as it's up to you if you want to do extreme sports or juggle knives. The NHS will eventually get around to patching you up, if you survive.

The measures are there to stop you giving covid to other people and killing or disabling them. That's what you are choosing. You aren't choosing to juggle knives and maybe hurt yourself. You are choosing to indiscriminately throw knives into a crowd of people.

It's an incredibly selfish and irresponsible way to behave. You, and people like you, are the reason this bloody lockdown will go on forever.

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 26/10/2020 20:24

The biggest area of infections is secondaryschools and 6th form colleges.

But talking about closing them is akin to heresy.

Bars, pubs etc are being hit because schools are being kept open. That’s the choice we have. Families are being told not to meet up so schools can stay open.

Yes it’s shit, it’s all shit.

SheepandCow · 26/10/2020 20:27

@oblada

Isn't it in Sweden that they managed to get out of this crazy situation with very few restrictions? It's not obvious that preventing ppl from seeing family has such an essential impact on the spread.
50% of people in Sweden live on their own. It's very easy to socially distance and self isolate in those circumstances.

They also have a well funded very good healthcare system.

Despite that their death rates (and I believe Long Covid rates too) are higher than any of their Scandinavian neighbours. I think their economy's doing worse too.

onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad · 26/10/2020 20:28

What if we changed everything from a regional thing to an attitudinal thing. So, regardless of where you live, if you are happy to risk catching Covid you go out there and take whatever chances and precautions you want to, and if you are worried or vulnerable and prefer a lockdown situation - you don't. But that we find ways to support people on both sides of the coin equally regardless of what option they've decided. Freedom of choice..

EmeraldShamrock · 26/10/2020 20:29

Sweden's vunerable and elderly have been isolating with lockdown rules. They are not out of the woods never got out of it and have higher losses than their neighbours while their numbers are rising again.
They're only loosening the rules for the elderly now.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/22/sweden-loosens-covid-lockdown-rules-elderly-vulnerable-due-mental/

Lolwhat · 26/10/2020 20:30

I understand how you feel however it’s not about you, it’s about keeping other people around you as safe as possible

ancientgran · 26/10/2020 20:30

Not all of us in tier 1 are judging, I know we have been really lucky in the South West where I am. The thing is I think it is going to hit us, it is rising, I'm in Devon and for a fact Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay aren't anywhere near as low as they were. I'm grateful we have been low but I'm not judging anyone and I hope no one judges us when it happens to us.

Good luck to everyone and roll on 2021 and hopefully vaccines.

Halliehallie9828 · 26/10/2020 20:30

*its up to you if you want to catch covid, just as it's up to you if you want to do extreme sports or juggle knives. The NHS will eventually get around to patching you up, if you survive.

The measures are there to stop you giving covid to other people and killing or disabling them. That's what you are choosing. You aren't choosing to juggle knives and maybe hurt yourself. You are choosing to indiscriminately throw knives into a crowd of people.

It's an incredibly selfish and irresponsible way to behave. You, and people like you, are the reason this bloody lockdown will go on forever.*

If I was in the street throwing knifes around then it would be wise to back up and stay away.

Stay indoors if you are that bothered about catching it. Life is for living.

Mooballs · 26/10/2020 20:31

Here we go again. Boring.