AIBU to think this lockdown is pathetic

[Applepea1]

Why are so many places still open and not enforcing social distancing? I went to the garden centre today and they had a whole big Christmas section and it was packed, including a tractor for the kids to play on. There was no queue system to get in and all the Christmas displays were so close together it was impossible to keep a distance anyway.
I know I obviously could have stayed at home and will be in the future (apart from my local shop, one trip to Primark and a quite few trips to the pets shop for dog food I've done all shopping on line since March)
Most of my socialising is with school mum's and although everyone is aware we are only allowed to go for a walk in pairs they all stand together chatting in the playground. The primary school is next to a large secondary school and we have to fight our way through crowds of teenagers before pick up every day. The whole of year 11 are in self isolation as there's so many positive cases. My adult daughters boyfriend is allowed into work as they all tested negative last week. It just seems a limp excuse of a lockdown for me.

Is this thread a joke?

At this very minute someone in my Twitter feed has just posted moaning about the queues in a bike repair shop in their country. Picture attached of queues. He is in the queue.

Cos everyone's clocked that not that many people are dying who weren't already on the way out. And that living in poverty is worse than dying relatively fast and painlessly aged over 90.

@NotAKaren

OP how do you reckon it is ok for you to be out but not everyone else?

Another one to add to the pile!

OP you are also there....you get that right!?

At this very minute someone in my Twitter feed has just posted moaning about the queues in a bike repair shop in their country. Picture attached of queues. He is in the queue

I assume he's complaining about the number of people who need their bike repaired, rather than complaining about people getting their bike repaired.

Unless covid mutates significantly such that it's with us forever, more of the people alive today will be killed by air pollution than covid, so it's fucking great that people are switching to bikes!

Very few (if any) people get infected in garden centres or shops. Hardly anyone gets infected when chatting to others outdoors (especially if the conversation is under 15 minutes).

The government didn't need to close non-essential shops. They didn't need to close hairdressers or even beauty salons. What they did need to do was to halt household transmissions. However, the problem is people are highly unlikely to stop meeting their families and friends if the rest of the economy is open. As a result, we ended up in the second lockdown. The whole idea of national measures has been to remind people to take COVID seriously and stop socialising indoors.

Families shopping in supermarkets and browsing in garden centres or parents chatting in outdoor playgrounds will not make any material difference to the COVID transmission rates.

I really think having pubs and restaurants closed (how ever shit that is for those businesss and the economy) and stopping people going abroad, especially on planes, is going to have quite a big effect in itself.

I love how all these 'what's the point of lockdown' are just people complaining about people doing exactly the thing they are complaining about. The hypocrisy must be lost on them.

FYI you can order things online. I ordered tulip bulbs online instead of going to a garden centre unnecessarily.

@sirfredfredgeorge

I thought the Garden Centres were open as gardening is good for mental health/wellbeing or something

No, the justification is so you can grow your own food (although of course few new plants are needed in novemeber…) but the reality is that they're places frequented by middle england tory voters so obviously the government panders to their only hope of being reelected.

So only Tory voters have gardens then?

Who would have thought, this time last year, that going to a Garden Centre could become a moral issue?

Well it looks as though lockdown is working, so yes YABU. There's going to be a balance, if I go somewhere that feels too crowded, I leave - personal judgement. People like to point fingers at others but probably best to look after/watch out own behaviour - not going to police other people.

Yanbu it is a farce although I miss the stores and would love to browse non essential items there is a pandemic.

@sirfredfredgeorge

I thought the Garden Centres were open as gardening is good for mental health/wellbeing or something

No, the justification is so you can grow your own food (although of course few new plants are needed in novemeber…) but the reality is that they're places frequented by middle england tory voters so obviously the government panders to their only hope of being reelected.

Labour and LD voters are not keen on growing their own veg or maybe even having an allotment? No planting bulbs or mulching? No needing some supplies as you put the garden to bed for the winter. Keeping garden centres open during the pandemic will keep the red wall blue? Really? Really? MN needs a tinfoil hat emoji.

It’s all about minimising risk that’s all .

It’s not the lockdown that’s pathetic it’s those that are ignoring it .

Just because somewhere is open you don’t have to go there .

Labour and LD voters are not keen on growing their own veg or maybe even having an allotment? No planting bulbs or mulching? No needing some supplies as you put the garden to bed for the winter

Yes, bulbs - so if it's growing food you're talking garlic... how much garlic do you grow, you can buy it trivially via mail order and there's not exactly dozens of varieties you need to look at.

Fruit canes might've been better, at least a choice of those would be good, of course there's no worry about delaying that until December.

Other garden jobs, nope no more time essential than buying a new computer or tv (so you can watch gardeners world to find out what you should be doing on the allotment, or looking up how not to plant tomatoes in november) Garden centres are not selling stuff for allotments in November, I'm happy they're open, all the shops should be, but trying to justify them as being essential because of growing your own food is ludicrous.

It's working.

The success of the lockdown isn't to do with your day, or the garden centre you went to. Have you not realised it's a bit broader than that?

At this very minute someone in my Twitter feed has just posted moaning about the queues in a bike repair shop in their country. Picture attached of queues. He is in the queue

I have seen this at least 10 times!

People posting a photo of them in a queue moaning about people in the queue and saying "do they not realise there is a pandemic" etc - and this is things like at a garden centre or queuing to get a single pasty and they can't work out that they are one of the reasons the queue is long!

i work in a supermarket , unbelievably busy today so many customer complaining , trying to ask people to distance on my checkout i was told to "fuck off" " dont fucking tell me where to stand" "why should i have to distance" etc etc ,i had to walk away and get someone to take over cos im sick off the constant crap and the reason we are short staffed is because staff are shielding ,tested positive or isolating

I'm really glad you've brought this up, BoJo is sure to see this and immediately tighten restrictions, god bless you, @Applepea1 , you've saved the UK and possibly..................the world

If it bothers you so much, stay at home. Leave the people who want to have a bit of normality for their sanity alone.

I went to the gardens centre too, had a great time, bought a lovely succulent and will be going again

@Flutter12 Yep sounds like my Dsis always complaining people have cheek to go where she is.

What people don’t seem to realise is that the government have never called it a lockdown

They’ve just added restrictions

It’s the media and people who’ve called it a lockdown

If people then make comparisons that’s their fault

It’s never been a lockdown

@iwishiwasonhol I completely understand. I work in a local version of a supermarket so really have to limit numbers. Had a customer shout 'why should I wear a f**ing mask then' when asked to wait outside. It's horrible.

Theres nothing open to go to though is there? I have been out twice into a shop in this lockdown. After 9pm to Asda and today after 6pm to Costco.

Poundland and Costa are the only dubious shops I see open when I drive past a certain high street. There are queues during the day for essential shops.

So to me it's not lockdown but it's certainly not normal times and I wouldnt be tempted into anywhere except a food shop. I'm.doing a list hoping the shops open after the month.

I'm not even extra risk adverse but seriously most people don't want to be out and about and no where tempting is open. I'm fine with that this time as my kids routine is carrying on. I wouldnt want to be queueing outside Sainsbury's and sod going to a garden centre that was packed. Doesnt anyone looks at the queues, think sod that and just go home now? Dont queue in a rage or wonder around in crowd getting angry. Who seriously does this? It's all in your hands to manage your own risk tolerance but you cant ask others to stay at home so you can wonder around a non essential shop on your own

@TheDowagerDuchess

I really think having pubs and restaurants closed (how ever shit that is for those businesss and the economy) and stopping people going abroad, especially on planes, is going to have quite a big effect in itself.

People can still go abroad, it's not banned.